Day Ten - Uneventful

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Fri 24 Dec 2021 02:19
Noon Position: 44 33.8 S 150 10.3 E
Course: ESE Speed: 6.5 knots
Wind: N, F4 Sea: moderate
Swell: NW, 1.5 meters
Weather: mostly sunny, mild
Day's Run: 132 nm

The last 24 hours, I am pleased to say, have been uneventful, just as I like it.
In the early evening the wind veered into the N as forecast and gradually freshened to force 4, putting Sylph onto a relatively fast beam reach. At 2145 I put a precautionary reef in the main for the night and at 0100 reduced the jib to 70% with the freshening breeze. Come dawn the wind eased and now we are under full sail again, continuing to beam reach at a comfortable six to seven knots.
This forenoon I investigated my charging problems further. Before leaving Adelaide I had installed a 'smart' DC to DC charger which included a solar controller. The idea of the charger is to more efficiently charge the house batteries from the alternator and the engine batteries. As I have already mentioned several times, I had been fault finding the main solar panel charging and am confident that I have eliminated any faults between the solar panels and the controller. Unfortunately, as with all modern electronics, there is very little the operator can do if there is a problem. For now I have simply reset the whole system and will leave it be for a few days and monitor the battery state to see if it will work according to its specifications.
And the other important job I have attended to this forenoon was installing some plastic hooks in the heads to keep the soap dispenser in place with some bungey cord - not that I am using a lot of soap just at the moment.
Meanwhile Coconut has rounded Stewart Island at the bottom of New Zealand and continues to make good progress despite slowing down overnight so as to be able to make a sunrise landfall. For those who may not be aware, Mark is completing the 2018 Golden Globe Race in the Chichester Division after a three year stopover in Adelaide. One of the conditions of the race is no modern electronics. Consequently Mark is navigating by traditional sextant, compass and log, and making landfall after a long ocean passage, especially on a rock bound coast such as New Zealand, can make for an anxious few hours.
The forecast for the next few days is for some fresh to strong W to SW winds. With a little luck they will help us close the gap between Sylph and Coconut a little.

All is well.