I was making some dog scarves the other day and the sewing machine was playing up. I asked a neighbour on another boat to take a look at it as she is an seamstress. She came aboard, had a look, thought it might be the way the spool was being wound on and after trying herself declared the machine to be old and knackered (which it is to be fair!). I thanked her for looking anyway and told her I was buying a new one machine in a couple of weeks when we have a hire car. She insisted on getting her machine despite me saying not to worry. She got her 1 year old, fully electric, all whistles, €400 sewing machine, plugged it in and blew it up. She said she always uses a transformer on her boat, she didn't bring it and the power on our boat (same as hers) was too much for the American sewing machine hence it died. I was mortified and so apologetic and she dismissed it as her fault. Since then (2 days ago) she has been posting pictures on Facebook of the dead sewing shop machine. Every time I see her she says how sad she is about the sewing machine. How everything is "shit" because her sewing machine is dead. She does have another industrial one onboard but I completely get why she is upset. She was having a siesta today when I took over €200 to her DH. He said not to bother but I said I'd feel better for doing it. I left it on the cockpit table so he didn't see exactly how much it was there and then. He thanked us, came up and took it down below. I've since seen her and she hasn't mentioned it at all. I am worried she thinks we should have paid for the whole thing. She is German and we speak in Spanish so some things definitely get lost in translation but not much. We live in a really small community so thought paying half would be a nice gesture and keep life nice and easy. Now I'm wondering if they were expecting the whole amount.
YABU: Stump up for the whole thing you miser.
YANBU: You have paid enough.
MNHQ have commented on this thread
AIBU?
€200. Should I have offered more?
Pugwash1 · 29/05/2020 16:19
In terms of the money, I wouldn't have given her anything at all. If you decided to, then why not just give it her, rather than leaving it lying around ? 
However, this thread is much more interesting to have a poster who lives on a boat, in a country with such a different way of life from most of us at the momnet, who makes scarves for dogs 
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