Great progress
Catmojo
Matt
Thu 4 May 2023 10:06
Yesterday I successfully busted the topping lift (again) and I’m staying positive about it. I can use other lines anyway, and the nearby solar panels seem undamaged. I also brilliantly ripped the port side sail bag by over tightening the lazy jacks, but I think it can be patched.
There’s a fair bit of motoring or motorsailing on this trip, and since there’s nobody else around (and no rain yet) I keep the engine hatches open for maximum fuel efficiency. The cooler the engineroom the better. It’s all about inlet air/oxygen density, Boyle’s law, Kelvin etc. For every 10 degrees rise in engineroom temperature there’s a 3% ish reduction in fuel efficiency. I think I’m saving 3-5% with hatches open.
Yes alright, I should get the busted engineroom fans fixed, but I still don’t think they would keep it as cool as fully open hatches. Unless they whooshed the air through a lot faster than the standard 100cfm, or about 3cubicmetres a minute, which is an air change only once a minute at most. Bit of a racket, though.
And yes again, NOT using the motors at all and not taking down the mainsail would be even cheaper. Especially q.v. I busted things while doing so. Not going anywhere and not having a boat would be even better.
Anyway, I’m pootling towards 32n 30w which will take most of a week, and maybe there’ll be a better forecast than the upcoming 40knot winds around the Canaries by then. If not I can wait it out in San Miguel. The Azorean island I mean, not the beer.