December 26, 2008.

If you've been following along then you know that we sent our primary laptop in for service. We got it back in 3 or 4 days and all seemed to be good to go. After a few days I realized that the laptop wasn't charging its battery. Christy called the service department and they walked her through a series of over the phone diagnostics.

The service tech said the results indicated that the battery was fine but the motherboard had a problem as it wasn't permitting the battery to be charged. So back to the service center it went. Again we got a super quick turn around but much to our dismay the diagnosis was that the battery would have to be replaced to the tune of 150 dollars.

I found it pretty hard to believe that the battery had failed at the exact same time we decided to send the computer in for service the first time. It seemed more probable to me that the phone service tech was right when he said it was something other than the battery. But how do you prove it?

Then it dawned on me. Since the battery runs on around eleven and a half volts maybe I could figure a way to recharge the battery while it wasn't attached to laptop. With my multimeter I was able to figure out which slots were the ones I would need to attach a charger to. Then it was a simple matter to cobble up a charger to hook into the boats 12 volt system.

Sure enough after a few hours on the "charger" the battery accepts and holds a full charge. Computer Nerd Bastards. Sounds like another phone call is in order. Unfortunately they are closed until the 29th so we'll have to be patient for a while.

On a more pleasant note, Inamorata with our friends Tessa and Jeff arrived this week so we spent some time showing them the ropes on the town’s bus line. Mostly we were just waiting for Christmas to happen.

Christmas here in Vero was as much fun as we had hoped. The weather is beautiful and the day started with Christy and I exchanging gifts here on the boat.


Then Nancy came by and picked us and the crew from Inamorata up. She had a full blown turkey dinner along with a standing rib roast and all the trimmings. The crews from Far Niente, Solitaire, Inamorata and Veranda all had a great time and probably too much to eat. Oh, and there was pie!

So now that the holiday is over we’ll be spending some time running around returning some of the stuff that I bought for Christy. Then its back to the boat chore list.



Boat Name of the Day......Clairebuoyant