Adventures Diving French Polynesia Mods & Maintenance Sailing Society Islands Videos

Our Fridge Died But The Water Is Cool

Nikki Wynn

Jan 13, 2019 — 4 min read

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!

striking drone shot of moorea french polynesia

sailboat crashing through the waves outside of the barrier reef in moorea french polynesia

sailing vessel curiosity at anchor in moorea french polynesia

artsy shot of fins in the water on the back of sailboat

nikki and jason wynn loving the snorkeling in moorea french polynesia

sting ray and rays of light in french polynesia

jason wynn snorkeling through rays of light in french polynesia

Nikki Wynn snorkeling coral garden in moorea french Polynesia

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.

jason wynn showing temp gun and broken sailboat fridge

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.