Larry Lightbulb strikes again!

[RayNWanda]

 My favorite electrical dude. Read on and see.
Back in early April when we were still in the yard, as soon as we got power on Abracadabra I started checking to see what worked and what didn't. Most of the cabin lighting worked, about half of the cabin fans didn't. Radios lit up,stereo worked. No smoke, no sparks (OK, I can work with this). Once we were in the water and had shore power and cooling water, it was time to try the air conditioner. The unit fired up and started to cool. I checked for cooling water discharge and had none. I shut the A/C down (it was cooling- it is probably worth saving). So, troubleshooting the A/C pump went on the list. When it started getting warm, the cooling pump moved up the list. It is a Teel pump. It has a gray #16 3 conductor cord, about like a small appliance. I went to the A/C unit and looked for the cord so that I could start the A/C up and check voltage to the pump. There was no gray cord like what was on the pump. Back to the pump. I got a flashlight and lifted the cord to follow it forward, and just behind the mainmast there is a ball of duct tape as big as a golf ball with water running out of it. The pump cord enters one side and a white 3 conductor exits from the other (Oh!- what have we here?) We are holding water up forward because of the 250 feet of chain in the forepeak and all of the cockpit lockers are empty. So- I unplug the shore power and dissect this ball of tape. This "splice" consists of twisting the wires together, 5 or 6 wraps of duct tape, lay the next wire in there and repeat until all wires are covered. Then drop the whole business in the bilge where it will be happy...All 120 volts.
I cut that out, soldered and heat shrinked the connections. And secured it up under the cabin sole. A/C fixed.
Found another one under the cockpit. Exact same construction method. The power supply for the autopilot and a weather station that was installed at the helm. I took it all out. It will replaced with all new stuff when we install our new cockpit instruments.
I found the book for the anchor windlass. It is a Quick Genius 1000 electric. I was in between projects, so why not? I got a battery and jumper cables- the windlass was dead, but why? The control switch was mounted in the cockpit... There were 5 butt splices in the power wire to the control switch, all laying in the bilge water (What's wrong with this picture?). So, I disconnect that and try jumpers on the windlass control box. Still dead. I disassembled the control box and find both the forward and reverse relays assembled wrong. All the contacts appear new. Reassembled- we have a windlass. I built a corded remote for it and installed a plug for it at the windlass.
One of today's projects was to install new bow lights. The port side light had "pink eye" from the sun. I got the lights Thursday or Friday and left them on the nav table until I got to them. I got them locally from a boatbuilder that builds bay fishing boats. They were the only set he had. They had been there awhile, the package was dusty and wrinkled, but the lights looked OK. Today I found that both lights were mashed (This is just about right). The sockets were pushed into the lenses and the bulbs broken. On Sunday, the only places open here are the ACE hardware (until 1:00 PM) and the grocery store. I did get some bulbs from ACE before they closed. I got the lights reassembled, tested and installed. I crawled into the forepeak and wired them with solder and heat shrink (I need to spend some time in here tidying up this wiring...) Another ball of duct tape!!! Both of the wires to the windlass. Red and black goes in one side, 2 blue out to the windlass. I didn't bother to unwrap it. I know what is in there as sure as I know the sun will rise tomorrow. Another Easter egg- It even looks like one. I don't have anything on the boat to splice #6 wire with. This is a project for next week...