First Night Aboard

I slept like a baby last night, my first night aboard Kingdom. It could have been that I was exhausted. I've spent the last few days bringing aboard essential supplies and shopping for same. I had no idea how big a Wal-Mart really is...bigger even than Costco! It's one thing to know the layout of the store, but to wander around with your shopping list looking for a specific item is an exercise, and I do mean EXERCISE!
I've been familiarizing myself with the boat, too. For example, today I learned what a "pump-out" entails. No biggie...ya just ask the dockmaster to put you on the schedule, and a guy comes around with a long vacuum hose and swoosh! My blackwater tank is now empty. All part of the service. Actually, I was a bit worried that the tank had not been pumped for a long time, and might be full. I needn't have worried, the tank holds a couple of hundred gallons, and wasn't more than 20% of full. But I was afraid to take a shower until it was pumped. I then treated all 4 heads with a tank treatement chemical. All is now sweetness and light.
Speaking of showers - I was delighted! Great hot water supply, plenty of pressure. The master bath has a tub and shower, with a "shower massage" setting, no less.
Today I visited the West Marine Supply store. I bought needed tools, boat washing gear, flashlights, a US Flag, etc, etc.
At Lowes I bought an undersink Reverse Osmosis unit, which will be the final filter for our drinking water. So far, I've been drinking bottled water.
Today, I also treated the fresh water tanks with a half-cup of bleach per tank. Tomorrow, I will finish draining and re-filling them, and will treat them with baking soda as I re-fill them. There are two 200 gallon integral tanks, one on each side of the boat, outboard of the engines. The Marina water supply is good, potable water, but the wanter has been sitting in the tanks for quite a while. That's why I was advised by Jim Guin to treat them with bleach and baking soda.
I also explored a number of the electrical breaker boxes and finally figured out where all the light switches are and what they control. In this boat there are three DC (Direct Current) systems 12-volt, 24-volt, and 32-volt. In addition, there are 120-volt and 240-volt systems. Various equipment and devices require different voltages, and the current is routed through separate breaker boxes for each application. Thank God most of them are labelled, so it hasn't been as trying as it could have been.
Tonight I cooked my favorite microwave dinner, macaroni and cheese, and ate it out on the aft deck while watching a massive thunderstorm roll in. The storm was a relief from the sauna-like heat! I sat outside and watched the rain and lightning for a while, then I locked up and came below to work on email and our blog. The storm is still raging outside, but I am snug and cool inside.
All in all, a good, productive day!
Love to all,
Walt