Ramblings

  • Finding cross-references in LibreOffice Writer

    Finding cross-references in LibreOffice Writer

    I’m in the middle of reviewing a ~13,000 word paper written in Microsoft Word. One of the things I needed to do was keep track of when a figure or table appeared, and had no reference in the paragraphs. This could be done with pen and paper, but I wanted to do it digitally. LibreOffice…

  • Cerbo GX MK2 and Blue Opal

    Cerbo GX MK2 and Blue Opal

    For the longest time, I’d avoided going the Victron hardware route – they seemed pricey for the offering, and I wasn’t sure I could make good use of the functionality on Blue Opal. I experimented with running the Venus large image on a Raspberry Pi at one stage, while I was trying to get the…

  • A leaky battery – cleaned

    A leaky battery – cleaned

    Went back today armed with more baking soda, and found that the overnight soak had actually neutralised most of the acid. There was a bit of fizz on a piece of wood that forms a brace point under one of the panels, and with that neutralised and rinsed, I just had to dispose of the…

  • A leaky battery

    A leaky battery

    In 2023, I replaced the starter battery for Blue Opal with a smaller 80Ah one, as the 105Ah was having problems. Said problems included finding out that there was acid on the bottom of the battery when I placed it on the mat that protects the top of the companionway. What I didn’t twig at…

  • Tuesday Racing

    Tuesday Racing

    K and I went for a walk after my working day finished, and we had some sunshine and clouds for our walk out on the West Pier of Dun Laoghaire. It seems the racing from the hut doesn’t use sound signals any more, so next time I’ll have to take a VHF radio with me…

  • Investigating the engine RPM drop

    Investigating the engine RPM drop

    Monday afternoon after work seemed as good a time as any to do the start of the investigation. I’d already contacted the marina yard manager, and the mechanic is on holiday this week, so I may as well do some fault finding and provide details so the yard can work faster. The diagnostic list was…