3-Month Wait Over: Lithium Power for Our Catamaran!

At the dock in the Río Dulce, the long-delayed shipment of six Victron Energy lithium-ion batteries finally landed for the crew of Sailing Big Lost. After enduring a 3-month wait punctuated by logistical questions and supply chain uncertainty in Guatemala, the heavy crates brought an immediate wave of relief to the catamaran, signaling the final major project before clearing out toward the Caribbean Sea.

The catamaran had remained stationary in the river while technical systems were overhauled and components tracked down. While waiting on incoming freight, daily operations continued aboard the vessel, balancing shipboard maintenance with family routines and preparations for the upcoming passage.

Relabeling Safety Gear and Departure Provisioning

Routine maintenance aboard the boat involves delegating daily responsibilities to the children. Before the delivery arrived, Finn and Maddie were tasked with pulling out the vessel’s collection of life jackets from storage. The safety equipment still displayed the catamaran’s previous name, The Big Dog, inscribed across the fabric. Armed with a permanent marker, the children set to work crossing out the old registration and printing the vessel’s current name across each vest. The task carried practical and traditional significance, “because it’s bad luck to have anything with the old boat’s name on it on your vessel once you changed the name” or so the crew was advised.

With the life jackets restowed in their cabin, the crew took the dinghy up the river waterway to a local store to complete dry food provisioning. Stashing staples early ensured the galley was fully stocked for offshore cruising the moment technical work wrapped up. The day also brought bittersweet farewells, as cruising friends aboard the McMasters prepared to depart the river. Their friend Ean joined Finn for a final sleepover before casting off lines. The departing cruisers planned to make landfall in Utila ahead of Big Lost, offering to relay local clearance pointers for the Bay Islands.

Six Lithium Batteries Arrive Without a BMS

Excitement surged when Araldo transported the shipment down the wooden dock. The delivery consisted of six Victron Energy lithium-ion batteries, bulky and dense units representing the last core requirement on the refit worklist. Standing beside the freshly unloaded battery boxes, the crew reflected on the extended logistics delay, noting that “it almost felt like this day was never going to come” as the crates were arranged on the pier.

The celebration was cut short upon opening the cargo. The supplier had shipped the six battery cells without the mandatory battery management system. Because a lithium bank cannot be wired into a marine distribution network without the external monitoring unit regulating cell cutoff and charge bus limits, installation ground to a complete halt on Thursday. Word arrived that the component would not reach the boat until Tuesday at the earliest, casting doubt over whether the part was trapped in customs or en route by sea freight. The delay added another week to their stay and erased hopes of catching the McMasters at sea.

Black Tank Sensor Overhaul and Boatyard Fixes

Stuck waiting on marine electronics, Connor turned his attention to unresolved plumbing defects aboard the catamaran. Around the same time, Connor acquired a handcrafted local cayuco paddle brought out by a river resident. Below deck, the black water monitoring system required immediate intervention. The holding tank indicator panel displayed an orange warning light when the tank was completely empty, rather than the normal green baseline, distorting readings that should progress from green to green-yellow, orange at mid-level, and red when full.

To reach the fouled sensor, Connor disconnected the plumbing line that routes from the black tank to the waste discharge pump. Loosening the rigid hose in the tight compartment granted enough clearance to unscrew the electronic sending unit. Inspecting the probe revealed heavy, petrified accumulation clinging across the contacts. Observing the buildup, Connor noted that “there’s so much crap on the sensor it’s like fossilized” before setting to work scraping and scouring the unit clean. Wrapped in black tape and reassembled, the restored probe was reinstalled into the line to ensure dependable tank readings.

Tropical Storm Rains and Portlight Leaks

External conditions soon took a turn as a tropical storm settled over eastern Guatemala, unleashing non-stop torrential rain for two consecutive days. Confined inside the boat, the crew monitored the deluge as rainwater exposed an unexpected leak in the midship cabin. Water had begun seeping past the portlight window frame, saturating the interior cabinetry and causing the surrounding woodwork to warp with moisture.

Applying hand pressure directly against the window pane revealed substantial flexing in the glazing. The narrator discovered that “all of the sea Flex that’s holding the window in and keeping the water out has failed” under the driving rain. Correcting the bedding presented an immediate dilemma, as local marine chandleries in the river lacked the specialized primer required to pull and re-bed the structural window frame. Connor investigated removing the rear access panel inside an adjacent closet to inspect the window perimeter from behind while planning an effective fix before their upcoming sea passage.

BMS Delivery and Departure Plans

The waiting period finally broke on Tuesday morning when Connor received a phone call confirming Araldo was on his way to the boat. While “he didn’t specify whether or not that means he has the BMS but we’re assuming that he wouldn’t be coming if he didn’t have the parts” the update renewed forward momentum. With the arrival of the missing regulator, the electrical refit was scheduled for completion within the day.

The crew planned to allocate 24 hours to stress-test the new Victron lithium setup, verifying charge rates, cell balancing, and inverter feeds under real shipboard loads. Once the electrical system checks out, Big Lost will motor down toward the lake’s entrance for a seasonal gathering before completing exit customs in Guatemala and charting a course toward Utila in the Bay Islands.

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