The warning sound on the inverter went off, and since I was laying down and trying to sleep, it went through me the way I’d imagine a siren in a biohazard lab would sound.

What the…? I immediately had my ‘jump to conclusions’ mat out and decided the damned inverter had already failed — at less than three months old! Damn, I threw out the packaging! I can’t return it! I have to buy a new one! Wait, that means I can get a better one! A 1500 watt model! I can run a microwave!

But then I turned a couple lights on and noticed they were dim. Shut one light off and the others brightened. Aha Watson! Deductive reasoning strikes again — the battery is weak and the inverter actually functioned correctly, warning me that the battery didn’t have enough power.

Damn! Now I have to buy a new battery! They’re a hundred bucks! And so on.

Perhaps not. I unplugged the inverter and shut off all lights and let the charger work for a few minutes. Then I plugged in the inverter which did not set off the Anthrax alarm, and my iPhone started charging again.

This is like the Green Acres scenario where they can’t run the dishwasher and the toaster at the same time, but I am thinking of taking the battery home, with the charger, and letting it replenish for a few days without drawing any power. We’ll see. This reminds me that I have to learn more about electrical and 12 volt systems — and that most learning on a boat is dictated by stuff as it happens.