what a ridiculous day!

Thrift Energy Atlantic Challenge
Sean McGuigan
Fri 25 Dec 2015 12:36
Hi all,
 
I know it’s christmas there so I hope you’re all having a nice day. It’s just a normal day here or it would be if we weren’t being hit by more calamities!
 
I was rowing at about 5am. It was still very dark. I npoticed that from my rowing position I could see the top of one of the rear solar panels which I can’t usually do. So, either Santa has misunderstood my request for an extra 2 inches for Christmasor something was wrong. I went back and had a look and the rear bilge area was flooded. About 3 foot of water. Not good when you’re 250 miles from land in all directions! That said I was pretty sure the bilge pump must have failed so I woke Andy to manually bail it. Andy woke, turned on the light, or he would have if we had any electric! That’s not important though. We only need power to make water, navigate and the little things like that.
 
Thankfully mr Fixit Andy can speak Electric wiring and he took the panel off. Turns out the Bilge pump motor had seized and the result had been blown fuses. We have a trillion spare fuses with this being an old boat. So we installed a new Bilge pump (courtesy of Mr Antony Quantril who bought us it) and got the panel back on and we’re now moving. What a morning.we’re certainly being tested.
 
Anyway weather has changed against us. Wind blowing us North. We’re having to head due west and tack slightly North to avoid getting smashed in the side. Can’t tackj South or we’d have the headwind.
 
Thanks for all of the texts. Just a note. Many of them are too long. We don’t get to see them. it’s 160 characters max. That includes spaces. Thanks all.
 
Sean and Andy,