Boats are complex contraptions with myriad systems.
In fact, in addition to the means of propulsion, navigation, stabilization, weather awareness, and communications, boats are much like small floating cities with their own systems for electrical generation and distribution, water treatment and distribution, food storage and preparation, waste disposal, and the like.
One of the most important systems on any vessel, from a crew comfort standpoint, is the one — or three, as we have aboard ONWARD — related to providing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).
Well, one of ONWARD‘s three HVAC units is on the fritz so it was a chilly 54° in the salon area this morning.
We have small electric heaters but they work well enough just to prevent us from freezing to death.
We also have a propane stove and oven, but for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is our bodies crave oxygen, those are not safe for heating the boat.
So this morning, we killed the proverbial two birds with one stone and used the oven to cook a frittata, which had the wonderful side-benefit of warming the salon to a toasty 68°.
Now we just have to figure out what to bake for breakfast tomorrow in case the HVAC guy (Guy) isn’t able to get the system back up and running today. A loaf of fresh sourdough bread might just do the trick.