Thursday, 14 May, 2015

Luna Quest
W. Eric Faber
Thu 14 May 2015 22:58
Noon position: 16.35S 153.44W

Daily run: 106 miles

The sky is overcast with lots of rain clouds all around on the horizon. The forecast is not good with an area of low pressure tracking up to where we are. It could be with us on Saturday/Sunday and we are diverting north to avoid the worst. For days we have had lovely weather, especially in Bora Bora, that greatly added to our enjoyment of the island. Yesterday and today we are experiencing very light winds and the engine has been on for most of the time. Currently the wind gives 5 knots and our speed through the water is 2.3 knots. Twelve hundred miles to Niue seems a long way…

Checking the connections for the autopilot late yesterday afternoon, I discovered a deeply corroded one in the lazarette (the locker at the back of the cockpit). I cut the cables and fitted a new connector and to our great relief, the autopilot seems to want to work again. The results of its efforts are not great, so I wonder what else is corroded...It is very power hungry, so we tend to use it only when we are motoring.

Eric