In this Tech Episode, I take you through how to make changes to Victron Isolation transformers so that they don't boost incoming voltage by 4%, but instead reduce (or buck) the voltage by 4%. NOTE: DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE CHANGES IF YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO DO SO! I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY MISTAKES, PROBLEMS, DAMAGE, ETC!!! The Companion Blog article can be found here: https://www.onanewtack.com/2025/01/victron-auto-transformer-how-to-lower.html I hope you like and please leave a comment if this helped, you have any feedback, etc.! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

We decided to do a quick move from Salinas, PR to Coffin Island, which is just off-shore from Ponce, PR. We wanted to be in clean water to make more fresh-water and clean our boat hull. Instead of dolphins welcoming us in, it was sharks! Well, nurse sharks, which are very docile and off little concern, but there were 4 circling our boat and the largest is probably about 6' long! Enjoy! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

A Better Water Pump! - Overview First, sorry, this is a long one, but skip over any parts that bore you. If you have a marine diaphragm water pump that has started to act up and either doesn't run or sounds sporadic when it's running, this may be a pretty easy and inexpensive fix to repair it, just by replacing the pressure switch. We have a Pentair SHURflo pump that starting acting up after a year and this repair has been tested out for about 6 months and is working great! If you want to prevent this problem from occurring again, there are also instruction on how to upgrade the pump so that the switch doesn't wear out again. Companion Blog Article: https://www.OnANewTack.com/2024/10/WaterPumpUpgrade.html - Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:06 Removing the Pump 3:16 Pump Model 3:36 The Problem 5:37 About the Upgrade 5:50 Solid State Relay Description (Technical) 7:11 What We'll Need 7:31 Pump Dis-assembly 8:54 How the Pump Works 9:48 Removing the Switch 11:41 Unsoldering the Old Switch 12:11 Soldering in the New Switch 13:29 Inside the Failed Switch 15:46 Pump re-assembly 20:15 A Working Pump! 20:26 Preparing for the SSR Upgrade 23:34 Red and Black Pigtails 24:19 Soldering in a Y-Splice 26:11 Cold Solder Joint 27:19 Soldering in a Y-Splice - Another Way 28:21 Adding Heat=Shrink Tubing 29:14 Attaching the SSR 34:07 Adding Quick-Connects to the Pump Leads 35:56 Serviceable Parts 37:08 Re-installing the Pump 39:58 Why Have an Accumulator? 40:33 How to Check System Pressures 41:25 Getting Air Out of the System 41:48 You've Got to be Kidding! 42:38 Adjusting the Accumulator Pressure 44:04 Adjusting the Pump Cut-Off Pressure 45:21 Wrap-up 45:54 Coming up! - Things you will need - Note the parts listed below can all be ordered from https://www.Digikey.com. Go to the site and search on the part number. The blog article (above) includes links. SSR - This will vary based on the voltage and fuse fating (as shown on motor) of the pump you have. 24V, up to 10A Pump Fuse Rating - E-T-A ESR10-NC2A4HB-00-D2-10A - $19 12V, up to 10A Pump Fuse Rating - E-T-A ESR10-NC2A4HB-00-D1-10A - $26 12V, up to 17A Pump Fuse Rating - E-T-A ESR10-NC2A4HB-00-D1-17A - $36 Wire cutters Wire stripper Wire connector crimper Female, 0.187" crimp quick-connect insulated connectors for small tabs on SSR. 14-16 gauge - one for wire from micro switch - TE Connectivity 3-350816-2 - $0.30 18-22 gauge - one for added wire from power - TE Connectivity 2-520181-2 - $0.30 Female, 0.25" crimp quick-connect insulated connectors for large tabs on SSR. Sized for the wire on your pump, you will need two each 10-12 gauge - TE Connectivity 4-520448-2 - $0.35 14-16 gauge - TE Connectivity 3-520141-2 - $0.40 6" Length of marine wire, Red, 12 or 14 gauge (to match the red wire gauge on your pump) 6" Length of marine wire, Black, 18 - 22 gauge (carries almost no current) Soldering Iron Solder Soldering flux Two 1" long pieces of heat-shrink tubing, large enough to slide over two pieces of pump motor wires laid on top of each other. Lighter or heat gun to shrink heat-shrink tubing. 6-8" piece of electrical tape Optional I'm a big fan on using these same Quick Connectors when you re-install the pump into your boat. It is so much easier to take the pump out to replace any items, and if you use Quick Connect connectors, this becomes so much easier. Female, 0.25" crimp insulated connectors for boat side of your pump connection. (same as above) - Choose the size that matches your boat wiring. 10-12 gauge - TE Connectivity 4-520448-2 - $0.35 14-16 gauge - TE Connectivity 3-520141-2 - $0.40 Male, 0.25" crimp insulated connectors for pump side of pump connection. Choose the size that matches your pump wiring. 10-12 gauge - TE Connectivity 4-521098-2 - $0.70 14-16 gauge - TE Connectivity 3-520107-2 - $0.65 You may also need some nylon ties (Zip-Ties) to tidy up your re-installation. - Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

If you've never bought a pineapple because you didn't know how to cut one, fear no more! Buying and serving a fresh pineapple to friends always feels like a treat to me not to mention, want one of the best piña coladas ever?! Add in some fresh cut pineapple to make it next level!

Sue and I are helping out with a group of cruisers on Operation Cruisers' Aid to bring much needed supplies to the Islands impacted by Hurricane Beryl. For those that are willing and able, please make a donation to this GoFundMe page: https://gofundme.com/f/cruiser-relief-response-to-beryl/ to help us buy items to bring and donate. For those that know and trust us, please donate through us as the process for extracting funds from GoFundMe takes time and that is in short supply. PayPal: https://paypal.me/BucketNC?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Venmo: @Michael-Pail Leave a comment if you decide to donate and we'll give a shout out in an upcoming update video!

We are currently in Trinidad as Hurricane Beryl passes through Grenada, anchored in one of the few anchorages not overrun with the hundreds of boats that came here to seek refuge. This anchorage is very exposed to the South-West, so chop has been building to the point that we needed to use our washboards while anchored! They are standard on the @visionyachts2882 444 and are designed to limit the water coming into the cockpit while still allowing adequate drainage. They even come in a pretty amazing padded storage bag that Bev at the factory makes for every boat. There is another set that can be installed at the sliding door, but thankfully we haven't had to resort to that yet.

Passion fruits are one of the more odd tropical fruits because the flesh is not the edible part. By cutting them open, you reveal a center filled with seeds and a jelly-like substance and that's what is eaten. The seeds are very edible and they are easily chewed. They add tartness to the taste, and while the first spoonful takes a leap of courage, the fruit is very tasty and the consistency is dominated by the crunchy seeds.

Lychees are tropical fruits that grow on trees, originally in China, but now found in many parts of Asia and beyond. We first came across and tried lychees while living in South Africa as they are grown as a fruit crop there. We visited a grocery store in Martinique today and it turns out they are grown here too, so we excitedly bought some! Lychee is often used as a flavor description for white wines and I never knew what that flavor was. Know that I do, I'm excited to pick that out in a wine some day. Have a watch to see how to cut open and eat lychee fruit. They are one of my very favorite (like top 5) fruits ever! Enjoy! #lychee #howto #martinique

Soursops are fruits from the tropic areas of the Americas and Caribbean. They contain white slightly fibrous flesh similar to that of a banana, and large black seeds. The fruit can be eaten directly, but is often used in juices, smoothies, ice creams flavorings and baking. Soursop is known as guanábana (gwa-NA-bana) is many Spanish speaking cultures, and let's be honest, that is way more fun to say!

One of our absolute favorite stops in the Caribbean is Dominica. It is a beautiful island with 20 volcanos and 365 rivers. Some of the most amazing fruits and vegetables we have ever seen are grown here and sold in Portsmouth at a large market on Saturday. It is not the easiest island to get to (though there is a direct flight from Miami), but it would be a wonderful place to spend a week on vacation!

After over 11,000 nautical miles, Mira turned one today! Watch for an exciting announcement! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

The great people at Shelter Bay Marina, Panama are offering a discount to the first of our followers to reach out for a slip! Have a watch, grab the code and reach out to GM Juan Jose at juanjo@shelterbaymarina.com or (507) 6813-5327. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

A Short about what a trip for groceries consists of for those living aboard their boats. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

Since leaving for South Africa in September 2022, we have not been back to North Carolina. ? That's about to change! We will be in Beaufort by Wednesday and then on to Little Washington, North Carolina by Friday. Note: we were going to be up to Beaufort by Tuesday but given the small craft advisory that's in place we're going to delay a day. We can't wait to see friends and family and meet up with anyone else that follows us, and would like to come visit us or the boat. ? If that's you, please go to meet up.OnANewTack.com and let us know when and where you'd like to meet us! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

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We return to Hog Island for the "big day", Sunday. More food options, live music and a lot more locals. What a great place to soak up the local culture! Come visit Roger and Shawn yourself and have great drinks and great food!! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

After almost 6 weeks and over 5500 nautical miles, we finally finished our crossing! Woo Hoo!

Our 40 day, 5555 NM crossing of the Atlantic is just about done. We expect to arrive in Grenada just after midnight on the morning of the 29th. We were able to visit the island of St Helena for 3 days and the island of Fernando de Noronha for 2 days, but otherwise it's been eat, sleep, sail, repeat. We've been on every point of sail and used every sail in our inventory EXCEPT the storm sail. We'll do a recap soon, but we just wanted to send out a quick highlight. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

We are about 1-2 hours away from crossing the Equator, and since we are equipped with Starlink, we thought that is the perfect time for a live stream! We won't know the exact time until pretty close to then as our angle of travel keeps changing with the wind. Keep an eye out for a notification if you are subscribed!

Just a quick compilation of some sites in Fernando de Noronha. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail