I calmed down after my little stress the other day. A good sleep sorted me out and I attacked the solar panel problem with a fresh head in the morning, which resulted in…
Solar Panel on my Corribee
I’ve only fitted one of the two panels, but it’ll be enough to keep the nav gear running for a few days, and when I get to the River Crouch, fitting it’s brother will keep me occupied for an afternoon. I’ve tested it and it’s charging the battery well, or at least, it was yesterday before the cloud arrived 
The outboard issue is still causing much concern though. I’ve spoken to the engineer this morning and he said he’s still working on it. Having bought a brand new engine and it still being broken 8 months later is a bit of a record I think. Mailspeed should win a prize!
I’ve got to ring the chap at lunch time to see if it’s done, and then get the train to Southend, in Essex, to pick it up. I’m worried about lugging the thing back on the train since it’s very, very heavy to walk distance with, and I’m not sure they’ll be too happy with me being on the train with a stinky outboard smelling of fuel. I have no choice though, so I’ll just have to deal with it. Of course, if it doesn’t get fixed I’m going to have to try and locate another engine from somewhere, which will be fun with a non existent budget and one day left. The joy!
Apart from that I’ve given the boat a tidy and stowed most of my liveaboard clutter, I’ve got some final tidying to do today, and then we’re all set for sea.
Nerves are kicking in now too.
Seemingly most other people have the same sort of problems – http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/internet-sites/mailspeed-marine/reviews/
How you build a business on that level of service I’ll never know.