06:32.354N 080:39.569W

Mixed blessings with equipment. We took delivery of a new solid solar panel in Shelter Bay only to find that it had no connecting wires. After a shirty email to the chandlery we discovered that it was easy to cut the wires from the old flexible panel and connect them into the new. Our old panel was putting out about 1amp which reduced to half an amp by the time the current reached the batteries. The new one gives up to 5amps into the batteries and combined with the Duogen gives us more than enough power to run the fridge, instruments and autopilot and keep the batteries fully charged. In fact so much so that the regulator was buzzing loudly trying to dissipate the excess current so we have just pulled up the Duogen!

Where to mount the solar panel was a big topic of discussion. Our conclusion was the pushpit rail on the port side as this usually faces south as we head to the west. However, I couldn’t source the required brackets and so rigged up a hinged folding out piece of timber (the seat from the old dinghy) along the top edge of the panel that allows the panel to be placed on the deck just in front of the cockpit - between the liferaft and the coachroof handrail - at an angle to face the sun. It can be positioned on either side of the boat and will do nicely until (and if) a more permanent arrangement can be set up.

Our beloved Hydrovane has stopped holding a course and we are having to use the autopilot. I cannot see any obvious reason for this and will have to resort to the manual and the socket set to see what is going wrong. Not the kind of problem we would wish for ahead of a Pacific crossing.

The second reefing line has generated a twist within the boom that prevents the mainsail from being hauled up fully without direct intervention at the mast to pull the line through the twist. The twist of course is set back within the boom and cannot be investigated without taking off the boom end. I wish we had discovered this before the rigger was on board in Shelter Bay!

Tom is settling in well to life on board and took the 2am to 5am watch this morning - even allowing Annie to sleep on until after 6am! He is joining in all the onboard activity both around the boat and in the galley and has  started making ships log entries when on watch. We were impressed until discovering that his assessment of wind strength was based on “the rustling of the leaves on the trees”!

I am assuming you cannot pick up our AIS out here so will put a midday position on the blog map each day until the Galapagos.