The title actually refers to the price of 12 new 2-volt MasterVolt 1,000 amp gel batteries. Of course, there was another shock when we had to pay for the removal of the old ones and the installation of the new ones. But yes, the 1,000 amps could have given us a shock, too.
We were woken at 4am by the cold. We were both shivering. No heat. And then we quickly realized, no lights, either. In fact, no electricity at all. Our batteries, the 12 two-volt batteries that give us the 24-volts that power just about everything on Aleau had decided to pack it in. It was the first time we weren’t plugged into shore power since last year. It was good that we discovered the problem that day – and not after we had left on our cruise to Paris with no boat repair yards along the way.
New batteries were ordered. We were told that there would be a considerable delay. There was a global shortage of the material needed to manufacture the batteries. This was not good. We had guests from Canada booked to cruise with us. Without electricity, we’d be unable to cruise.
But as with just about everything else that we have experienced in France, good luck was with us. Our batteries arrived just in time. The photo below shows the wooden crate that was delivered to Aleau – rather, to the shipyard that would be installing the batteries. It was not a task I could do. At first, I thought it was. I can change a car battery. Why not a few boat batteries? A lot of reasons – from the massive weight of each battery to the recalibration of the inverters that needed to be done after the installation.
Gingerly, workers unpacked the crate. It took five of them to do all that had to be done. And it took two days. You can see how massive they are. The batteries – not the workers, although they had to be pretty strong to move the batteries. It took two, each struggling, to carry one battery.
A forklift moved them three at a time.
First, the old ones had to come out. I hoped the dark clouds were not sending a message.
They weren’t. But they did bring rain. Installation was halted until the next morning.
Under sunny skies, work resumed. Two at a time, the new ones went in the same way the old ones came out – through the large skylight in Aleau’s cabin roof. It was nerve racking to watch.
There was no room for error.
Finally, they were all in place. Now, two technicians had to calibrate all the complex electronics to accept the new batteries. I’m glad I realized putting in boat batteries involves a lot more than changing the battery in a car.
Here they are – ready to supply us with all the electricity we need to get through the night without waking up shivering in the dark.
