Our Fridge Died But The Water Is Cool
We arrived in beautiful and exotic Moorea just in time for our fridge to die. And, according to Jason, we’re going to die too if we eat the food inside. Gasp!
Our built in fridge has been ill for months so we knew it would go eventually. And while a dead fridge is a bummer, we’re too excited to be bummed.
We’re surrounded by dramatic volcanic landscapes and floating on a kaleidoscope of blue. It’s a suburb of coral and our neighbors are Mr. Ray, Lady Poisson and Monsieur Shark.
It’s a classic example of #BoatLife and everyone’s favorite sailing definition: Fixing things in exotic locations.
And…a perfect example of why it’s all worth it.
Not that we haven’t had a mountain of incredible experiences so far in French Polynesia, we have. But this view and this underwater world has me in my happy place!
We haven’t been in an area with clear waters, vibrant sea life and healthy coral since Panama.
Ecuador was stunning, but they don’t have much reef outside of the Galapagos (which we had to skip). The Marquesas have jaw dropping landscapes but the waters are known to be murky and don’t have fringing reef. Unfavorable weather and a nasty allergic reaction had us sail past the Tuamotu’s, which are said to have some of the best underwater life in the world.
So, to say we’re excited to be surrounded by barrier reef, coral heads and marine life would be an understatement. And that kind of happy makes dealing with issues like a broken fridge seem microscopic. (Having a spare doesn’t hurt either).
Which brings me to one of the many life lessons sailing has taught me:
No problem is insurmountable if you are in the right frame of mind.
All the more reason to find your happy.
Why Did The Fridge Die?
As Jason mentioned in the video, we’ve had trouble with the fridge since the day we bought the boat. It frosts over like crazy and doesn’t like to hold a steady temperature. We had a sailboat fridge professional service it in Ft. Lauderdale, we added additional seals, fans and insulation, yet nothing seems to make a difference. Now we’re assuming we have a refrigerant leak, or possibly worse. We’ve emailed Sea Frost (the mfr.) pics and a full description to get their advice. We’ll share what we learn next week.
Until then, we’re super happy we have redundancy with our portable fridge/freezers!
Snomaster: gonewiththewynns.com/product/best-portable-fridge-or-freezer
(Snomaster is offering a 7% discount for all GWTW fans! Just use discount code: WYNNS at checkout.)
Dometic: https://amzn.to/2so8YMj
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? WANT TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT?
A virtual escape can be just what you need some days. But ultimately, we want you to create a life you don’t feel the need to escape from. We share in hopes of helping you find the information or inspiration you need to live your adventure.
If you like what you see, there are lots of FREE ways you can show your support. Thank you for being a part of the journey.
RESOURCES & GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
Temperature Gun (super handy for a variety of projects): https://amzn.to/2VRfAAn
Vanilla Black Tea: https://amzn.to/2D80mzp
Best Deck Chairs: gonewiththewynns.com/product/best-portable-chair
Camera Gear
- Sony rx10: https://amzn.to/2QAHxwx
- Underwater Camera: gonewiththewynns.com/product/productsony-dsc-rx100m-iii-cyber-shot-digital-still-camera
- Go Pro: https://amzn.to/2ALaz3d
- Drone: https://amzn.to/2VQ2pzi
Freediving / Snorkeling Gear
Nikki
- Hammerhead Free-Dive Mask With Camera Mount http://amzn.to/2d5C6SB
- Hammerhead Free-Dive J Snorkel: http://amzn.to/2cjh3dV
- Nikki’s Sporasub Freediving Fins: http://amzn.to/2kIYmlf
Jason
- Atomic Mask: http://amzn.to/2uuqsZf
- Omer Snorkel: http://amzn.to/2uxCjEb
- Omer Freediving Fins: http://amzn.to/2kIhljK
AWESOME tunes for vids: http://bit.ly/artlist-gwtw
- Artists Used In This Video: Giants and Pilgrims, Oliver Michael, Rex Banner, Josh Leake
SAILING REPORT
To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map
- Dates: July 22 – 25, 2018
- Anchorage: Outside of Te’avaro, Moorea, French Polynesia
Jo Annie Bonneau
😍😍 love your videos, you guys are great. We appreciate your videos and adventures. Can’t find the words!
Judy
I am really enjoying watching your sailing adventures. You’re both so fun, so likable and a great pair who really know how to produce great videos. I always feel like you are talking just to us as though we are right on the boat. My husband and I have done a fair amount of sailing but are older now so this extends our adventures. Positive, smart, fun and you laugh a lot! “Keep on sailing, enjoying your youth and producing great videos! We’re hooked! We are amazed at how much you’ve learned and how hard you work.
Michael
I also recommend the Danfoss compressors. I have been told that they are the latest thing because of the high efficiency and quiet operation. I would consider them as a basis for a rebuild of the built-in fridge. URL is at https://www.danfoss.com/en/products/compressors/dcs/compressors-for-refrigeration/mobile-dc-cooling-compressors/#tab-overview
Good luck.
Joyce H Guthrie
I love your videos and greatly appreciate the time it takes to make them and find enough band width to post them! I just have one small comment. Maybe it has been addressed, maybe not. All of us are following you to live vicariously through all the wonderful places you visit and we can SEE where you are but we can’t FEEL it…so would you consider saying, at least once per video, what the ambient temperature is of where you are visiting, please? I know in my mind it is sunny and tropical, but knowing temps can help a person better understand and appreciate the locale, I think. Thanks for all you do!
John Jones
I am not a beer drinker, but everyone that visits me in Panama says that the national beer “no es bueno”. Might not wnt to drink that, even if it stayed cold!
Tom
What is the brand/model of the stainless steel freezer you keep outside? Just exatcly what I am looking for
Curious Minion
There is a link to the Snomaster in the text of the blog post.
tim kormos
what made you fall out of love with the Engil?
Curious Minion
They never had an Engel that I’m aware of. In this video there’s a Snomaster and a Dometic. They talk about what they do & don’t like about each in the video.
Mike
Wow another awesome post from the Wynns! Quick question please. Where did you keep the boat in Ecuador? We are headed that way and are getting crazy high quotes for moorings and slips.
Laurence Phillips
Hi Mike, at both locations they anchored, no docking except maybe a short bit for maintenance at Salinas
Scott Goorman
Just wondering. What brand is the refrigerator that you had in your cockpit?
Curious Minion
That is the Snomaster mentioned in the post. There’s a link with a discount code in the post too.
betsy ionta
Beautiful colors! Great update! Always look forward to our Sunday videos..Safe travels.
Who is curious minion ? 🙂
Curious Minion
Curious Minion is the Wynns trusty assistant, because all supervillains need a Minion! I’ve been helping them for years but now that they’re in “challenging internet connectivity land” I’m more visible. I answer when I can to get you all the speediest responses possible.
betsy ionta
Ahh! Well we are glad you are here! 🙂
Curious Minion
Thanks Betsy! I love my job and Wynn fans.
Yvan
Beautiful underwater images – really. Thanks a million for sharing (again).
Alan Solomon
Great video. The drone footage captured me. Spectacular water from above and below. Great scenery.
I am curious, in your boating travels do you come across a lot of healthy, colorful, vibrant coral in places like this? Or do you see more gray and drab color?
Thanks,
Jonah
Hi Nikki and Jason
You should check out the Isotherm 12 volt fridge also.
Hope to make it to your location sometime
Dan Foye
Thank you for taking the time to shoot and edit this video. I really enjoyed it, especially the underwater clips. Beautiful! I appreciate the number of separate free dives and commensurate breath holding it took to get all those shots. I’ll be following along to find out how the fridge issue gets resolved. Thanks again!
Boyd Smith
Impressive drone flying Nikki.
Norman Frenk
another excellent video! Loved how you opened with “moldy cheese”!!
Mike
Fun video as always. I noticed in the write-up, you linked to the Sony RX10. I know you’ve been using sony’s Interchangeable lenses cameras for a while and wondered having come over from that what you thought of there “all in one” format camera. I’m considering it as an all purpose travel friendly camera to add to my kit. Thanks in advance of your thoughts!
Nikki Wynn
We have liked the RX10 way more than anticipated. It’s so versatile with the monster lens we find we reach for it the most (because we don’t have to carry extra lenses). It’s a great all around camera but not small. Between the RX10 and RX100 with underwater housing we’re covered for most any adventure.
Mike
Thanks for the feedback. I only hesitate due the the price tag on it, but I think it really is the 80-90% solution to most of my shooting. I’m not sure the extra 10 or so percent I can squeeze out of my interchangeable lens set up is worth the hassle sometimes while traveling (both in terms of weight and complexity of use). I look forward to your next updated photo/video gear review videos in the future to hear your and Jason’s thoughts (although I may have one of my own by then!). Enjoy your travels.
Marianne Edwards
Always love your posts and admire your no-matter-what positivity. Just wanted to let you know the Snowmaster link is broken. Having RV fridge problem ourselves and wanted to use your link to look it up. Looking for snorkeling gear as well and I know you’ll have done the research and we can trust your choices. Good luck with the fridge.
Curious Minion
Working on the link now!
Pam McClure
That was brings tears of joy to my eyes beautiful.
mary vancompernolle
Beautiful! It is pretty spectacular under the water as well as the anchorage! Thanks for sharing the beauty on this cold day in Dallas. Hugs to you both!
Lou Franks
Snomaster portable link seems dead.
Love your blog, have followed you since you started your RV adventures!
Roger B
Again, I love the drone videos and photos. The water is so clear it reminds me of fresh water in Lake Tahoe and the vibrant color of salt water sea life is so vivid. Looking forward to how the non functioning fridge is solved. Thank you for the great video.
Art Mulder
Did you both really complain about it being cold in this video?!? But… Tahiti!!!
Thanks for sharing your adventures. It’s fun to check in once a week.
Bill
Really enjoy your program, crammed full of great information. I am considering purchasing a drone. How was the experience learning about yours? Any and all information you could pass alone will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Bill
BC
Your link to the Snowmaster returns a “not found” message.
Lynda
Great way to start my day, snorkeling with Nikki & Jason! Beautiful footage, assume the Rays leave you alone if you leave them alone? Also, you state above you had to skip the Galapagos. Is anchorage not allowed/encouraged? – OjaiLynda
Curious Minion
Hi Lynda. Rays are totally non-aggressive. Injuries to people only happen when contact is accidental (like you step on them or get too close and they feel threatened). As for the Galapagos, it is a very pristine environment because it’s so remote. To keep it pristine, they are very particular about making sure all boats coming in have thoroughly cleaned hulls. For the Wynns to go it would have meant hauling Curiosity out of the water to have the bottom cleaned and repainted (because anti-fouling hull paint wears out over time and Curiosity is due for repainting) and the logistics of a haul-out were just too much at the time.
Curious Minion
Nikki Wynn
The rays are so sweet and non aggressive creatures. We skipped the Galapagos mostly because we were running out of time and money. Our Ecuador visa was up and would have needed to be renewed, then there is a heap of bureaucracy and fees associated with bringing a boat to Galapagos we simply weren’t in the frame of mind to deal with (we had a lot on our plate at the time). We decided it was best to simply focus on our preparing the boat and ourselves for our first big passage and returning to the Galapagos another time.
Greg Illes
Hey folks,
You’ve likely already done a TON of research, but so have I, so I’ll share —
The Vitrifrigo and Novakool lines of mobile refrigerators are well-designed and -reviewed. More importantly, they both use the Danfoss 12V compressor, time-proven and efficient. This style of fridge is much easier on your power budget, because with its 12V-direct operation, it doesn’t require the overhead of an inverter. Both vendors make a bunch of different sizes.
Of course, you have to get to somewhere that a replacement could be shipped…
Keep on having fun, I love your posts.
Alex Sudnikowicz
Is the fridge they have run on inverter? They’d have to run new wiring most likely (and at minimum rewire the circuit to the 12v system) – much higher amps at lower voltages, require thicker cable, even if it is more efficient.
Nikki Wynn
Our fridge does not run off the inverter. It runs off of our 12v system.
Mark
Hello to the Wynn’s, have you considered an air to water conversion machine that produces fresh drinking water from the moisture outside? “ ecoloblue” an American company build these in a variety of sizes and prices are just a few hundred dollars for the smaller ones which produce many litres of drinking water for a small amount of electricity when switched on, they weigh less than a small refrigerator and take up less room than a supply of bottled water- the reverse osmosis filter system built in last months with no labor to operate the device- I think they are a fantastic idea for R.V and sailing folk- do some research and see for yourself “ecoloblue” have a website- it could prove a favourable investment when you calculate weight of the device cost and water productivity against the bottled water you don’t need to buy and of course the electric demand of the device- still could prove life saving, just a thought from a YouTube subscriber. Kind regards happy sailing. Mark.united kingdom 🇬🇧
Curious Minion
Good to know, but Curiosity has a built-in watermaker that can produce 43 gallons/hour via RO.
Curious Minion
James Dillon
Wonderful way to start a Sunday morning! Thanks for the great footage of the sharks, fish and rays! Quite wondrous. Be safe and keep up the great work. Thanks for the entertainment. Jamie
Lucille
It is exciting and invigorating for both of you but on the scary side too. Wishing you continued good luck and safe travels. Seems as if much of the scenery is redundant world wide, with different layout’s.
Dinah
Beautiful footage, fun banter, and a beloved throwback: Jason with a look of Ugh on his face. Takes me back to his world famous How Not To video series. Thanks for the lesson about mindset; some of us (ok, me) can’t hear it often enough.