When your whole world is upside down
Day 13
Stats - 9/12/2023
Time: 2000
Trip Miles: 1,500 at 1200 this afternoon
Weather: Mild - clear with 90% cumulous cloud cover, cooling. No stars out tonight.
Wind: 18 Knots blowing from the S
Sea State: Relatively calm with three to four foot swells
Propulsion: Sailing 6.4 knots northwest,
Sea Temperature: 61
How Northerly Are We: Olympia, Washington
Ok, this is not as bad as it looks. Today the conditions were mild. We got caught again in this mushy middle-pressure system where the wind and conditions refused to commit themselves to much of anything except blowing us in the direction that we do not want to go. The good news was that there was no force to the system. We were not doing much sailing so out came the “To Do” list. First up was repairing the Watt and Sea hydrogenerator. This most crucial piece of equipment generates the power for our lights, instruments and onboard communication systems. Yes we have two solar panels, but they are not able to generate nearly enough energy to meet our demands, even on a sunny day.
The hydrogenator is astern and we lower it into the water when we need to charge the batteries. The speed of the boat through the water turns the propeller which turns the mini-generator. But several days ago the force of the water bent a locking mechanism. Randall carries two or three spares of this part with him, but he just needed a calm day to make the repair. This necessitated him going upside down with his head brushing against the water. I suggested we heave the boat to which would stop the forward momentum - but Randall preferred to kept the boat moving.
Interesting to note that even with the hydrogenreator turning full blast, it does not generate sufficient electricity to power our most precious Starlink system. This means that we can only keep it on for several hours per day, with the off hours used to charge up the battery system.
Nest up was making adjustments to the Monitor wind vane. This picture shows how Randall fits the vein into the controlling mechanism while bracing himself so he does not fall into the drink.
Last up is adjusting the lines on the monitor where they connect into the tiller mechanism. These lines need to be adjusted about 12 inches every 1000 hours or so to prevent wear (and breaking) from chaffing.