I have a couple of tasks left to do, including the work on the engine and some leaky plumbing, but I concentrated on the digital work with the NMEA signal and spent hours trying to get it sorted out with absolutely no luck. I hooked up my Arduino and should have easily gotten a GPS data line at 4800 Baud from the AIS system, but all I got was gobbledegook (a technical term for “junk”) and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I wish I had an oscilloscope as that would help in sorting out the errant signals.
So instead of doing more important work such as finding the slow freshwater leak I blew the day on what should have been a simple job. But I did get a nice sauna and early dinner at the clubhouse where I enjoyed a tasty French Dip – something that would probably go down well in Germany if it weren’t for the name!
I did clean up the boat and make it both presentable and ready for heavy seas, but I think I was still procrastinating starting the other jobs.
