By Karen Haver
‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the boat
the systems were messed up, at least we’re afloat.
The alternator needs parts, the generator is hot,
The sink is clogged up, the sun’s giving us squat.
The parts are coming from islands afar; the gunk in the sink is really bizarre.
With Steve in his grubbies and me standing by,
We’ll try to fix things before batteries die.
Then from the radio we heard a boat hailing,
“Hey Soulshine, how’s it goin’? Ya fixing or failing.”
Grabbing the radio, I stifle a curse,
“These repairs look a lot like they’ll lighten our purse!
The clouds & the rain are killing the solar!
The sink drain is stuck like food in your molar.”
Then what to my wondering eyes does appear?
Boat buddies with skills, they also have beer!
They have tools, they have rum,
If it ain’t getting fixed, at least we’ll have fun.
The generator ran hot and stopped with a stutter,
The problem we saw, it’s not moving the water.
Start with the troubleshooting, the group did insist,
a variety of causes, let’s start with the list.
Clogged through-hull said one, or a bad impeller
“What else have you looked at?” asked the feller.
We’ve changed the parts, dove down on the hull,
we’ve checked the hose, now beer as we mull.
Let’s move to the sink, what’s in the muck?
“Who knows? We’ve tried Drano without any luck.
We’ve pushed with a snake to help clear the clog.”
Then it must be the hose, we’ll pull it to flog!
All through the boat the projects did grow,
the clouds did also, at least there’s no snow!
No decorations were hung, the boat is a mess
Holiday cheer I thought? Missing parts causing stress.
Then with a cheer we looked to the sky,
Hey look, it’s Santa, kitesurfing right by.
He brought the sun, to shine on the panels
Also a reminder, we aren’t wearing flannels.
The part came in, arrived on the ferry,
Saving the day, making it merry.
The clog didn’t clear
The genny’s still busted,
Not the happy ending, we all would have trusted.
Things are still broken? What’s the mystery?
If everything worked, it would be boat-owner history.
What is next for my sad little tale?
Some parts are fixed, while others did fail.
The generator’s fixed, Steve said with a sigh,
But now a new water pump we’re needing to buy.
Many thanks to our good friend “Boo” Dave
He came with the skills, our generator to save!
The alternator’s back, it came on the ferry
But no work today, let Christmas be Merry!
About the Author
Karen Haver spent three months in Dominica and five months in Grenada during the Covid lockdown, waiting for the islands beyond to open again. When restrictions finally eased, she and her husband Steve were eager to explore the places they had sailed past for nearly a year. After completing quarantine aboard their ketch SoulShine, they discovered they still weren’t going anywhere. An alternator failure kept them anchored in place and set the scene for the story written here.
This piece was drafted on Christmas Eve 2021 in Clifton on Union Island and is based on the real events of that day. Karen sends her gratitude to Dave Bettis from BooRie for his skills and steady experience, to his wife Nikki for the morale boost, and to Quacy John of Marine Tech for tracking down parts and repairing the water pump.
Karen, Steve, and their cat GG have been sailing SoulShine through the Chesapeake, Bahamas, and the Caribbean since 2018. With all repairs finally complete, SoulShine is now for sale in her second home of St. George’s, Grenada, listed through Clarke & Carter Caribbean Yacht Brokers.
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Whats your favorite Christmas poem?
Share your Favorite poems and check out Karen Haver’s Christmas Poem here: https://americansailing.com/articles/cruisers-christmas/
americansailing.com
A Cruiser’s Christmas tells a humorous, heartfelt tale of boat breakdowns, teamwork, and finding holiday cheer afloat.
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