Shit Happens

It is cool this morning. Remember - sweater weather. We are Leaving Fort Pierce and we decide to gas up and get a pump out. Our heads (toilets) have been absolutely hair pulling frustrating. Gord has spent so much time in the bowels of Holy Cow troubleshooting. We've had the master head pump rebuilt and it is now properly installed. When we used that toilet, it "burped" (technical term the team at Raz Marine uses) and bubbled back at us. The guest head has been working fine. Now that the rebuilt pump has been reinstalled, both toilets are acting up. So the problem got worse, but the systems are completely independent of each other and it has both Gord and I completely perplexed and frustrated as to why now, both systems are dysfunctional.

As we fill with gas, we decide we will get a pump out at the same time to save time. We shouldn't really need one, but since we are here waiting for the diesel to fill, we might as well empty the black water tanks. There are two fittings on the bow. One for each head. Gord slowly loosens the fitting on the master tank and it starts to seep out a little. Gord leaves it as is, announces that this one seems to be full, and asks the dock hand to start pumping out the guest head. We are confused as to why the master tank would appear to be full. We haven't used that one in days. The pump hasn't even been attached to the system.

When the pump out of the guest head is just about finished, I head to the washroom and flush the toilet with water so the tank gets a rinse. The dock hand says it's all finished so he tightens the fitting back on and moves over the bow to the master head fitting on the starboard side. Gord loosens the lid and trickle of brown sludge starts leaking out and onto the bow and down the side of the boat and walk way. We are shocked that this is happening. To our knowledge, this tank should be almost empty. Gord steps back a little, so does the dock hand, waiting for the small river to stop before proceeding with the pump out. All of a sudden, a burst of brown liquid explodes from the hole. Think Old Faithful, a geyser, like if we had struck oil, we would suddenly be very wealthy. Only this dark fluid spewing from the boat, was not oil. It launched itself into the air and sprayed everything within 5' including the bow, dinghy, Gord and the dock hand. It almost reached Jaxon and me on the dock. As we stood there, Gord and Lee both needing a shower and a complete change of clothes, we were all equally as astounded as repulsed. The dockhand said, "Well, in all my years working here, I've never seen one explode like that!" Gord apologized profusely and agreed that in all his boating years, and also working at a marina, he too, had never seen anything like that. As the sludge ran down the boat, we were concerned the trickle of waste would run into the fuel tank, because of course, the side it is running down is also side the fuel tank is on that we are filling. The last thing we need is sewage in the diesel.

The dockhand is surprisingly easy going about the whole thing. Once the explosion is done, and everything settles, we get a hose and hose down what we can. We don't hose down Gord and Lee. We are trying to wash off things as best we can without having the water run down into the cockpit or into the diesel. We are busy about the boat and also racking our brains trying to understand what could possibly be going on with our system.

Lee, starts the process of pumping out the master tank. I'm surprised he even goes near it. When it looks like it's done, he asks me to flush out this tank like I did the other. When it's done, he put the fitting back on and lets me get to hosing the rest of everything off. Gord and I both feel mortified about what has just occurred. I sheepishly say to both dock hands "Well that's a crappy way to start your Sunday morning." Lee responded by saying it was certainly exciting and not to worry about his clothes. He was wearing jeans and a sweater. He had a change of clothes with him that day anticipating the warmer weather later in the day.

Whatever demon was in that tank causing all the issues, either escaped in the explosion or was sucked up during the pump out like a ghost in a proton pack from Ghostbusters, because since that moment, both heads, not just one, both have been working perfectly. Maybe Gord can spend less time with his head in the pits of Holy Cow and more on cloud nine where he wants to be.

With the diesel tanks full, and the black water tanks empty, it was time to leave. As we drove away, Lee waved and asked us to visit again soon. We told him we were headed to Canada with Holy Cow and were unlikely to be back. He hollered "If you come by car or boat, stop in to see us, we'd love to see you again." As Jaxon and I gave Holy Cow a shove off the pier, and Gord put her in gear, Jaxon looked up the side of the boat and said "Mom, I think he's being sarcastic..."