Yes, I thought of Kevin, just when I put together what symptoms Mark was describing. I'm on the ABYC Accident Investigation Certification committee and he is putting together the course syllabus. Kevin is an excellent example of someone who has turned a tragedy into an effective pursuit to prevent this from happening to others.
I'm an Electrical Engineer, Fire Investigator, and ABYC Certified Technician. I've investigated fires from open neutrals even in my home port town. I still got caught in the trap of thinking the problem was on the boat.
Mark,
If you are not at the marina, get down there to let them know or give them a call.
My boat has always been on a mooring and I don't think I've plugged in anywhere for over a dozen years. The more I learn about marina systems the less I want to plug in. That is not to disparage well run marinas since dock electrical systems, if designed, installed, monitored, and maintained properly are safe systems. But even a safe system can be compromised both in safety and galvanic protection by a problem on just one boat.
Moral of the story, while traveling, NEVER blindly trust the dock power system. I had not thought of this, but Mark's input makes me think of a new recommendation I'll be making to fellow sailors. Buy one of those relatively inexpensive circuit testers and keep it on the boat. When at a transient marina, test an outlet on the dock before plugging in. Then test one of your on board outlets once you plug in. And keep an eye on that RP indicator. Check frequently at your home marina.
Hopefully, we can get the industry moving to a point where Residual Current Devices (RCDs), essentially whole boat GFCIs, are factory installed on boats by standard, and/or all dock pedestals are built with them. I believe this is the current standard in Australia.
Mark, Let us know what you find.