The weather has not improved much since the last blog. That said the SW winds have firmly set in and this means it will continue to  be on the nose for the remainder of this passage. So at least we have been able to sail for most of the last 24 hours or motor sail and the sailing has all been beating into a short sea. Very tiring and making for slow progress as we are so heavily laden with provisions for the next three months.  It’s a bit like racing a bath tub up some rapids and kidding yourself it is white water rafting………..Not helped by the fact that we have now lost the favourable currents and are sailing most of the time with a half to one knot foul current.

Anyway I mentioned silver linings in the header. Well, as the boat has been slamming quite a bit I had wondered if this might loosen the jammed starter motor for the generator. So I gave it a go at about 1600 yesterday afternoon and hey presto, it started first time.  You have no idea what deep joy that gave me. So the first priority was to charge the batteries. Then make water......lots of it. In fact 800 litres worth. (So the boat is even slower now). Then switch on the immersion heater so we could have some HOT showers. Then, (bugger) it died on me!!! The over heat sensor for the engine oil and the windings over heat sensor activated at the same time. So it is once again no more, it is deceased, it’s a goner. Have to say I could cheerfully toss it over the side and replace it with another make. These Fischer Panda’s are just so unreliable.  The only saving grace is that the technical support from their UK office is superb. I guess it needs to be!

I was net controller on the SSB radio today, I decided to spoof it up and we had quite a laugh with the other Ralliers. At least it went some way to lifting everyone’s spirits.

The course computer is telling me we will arrive at our Galapagos waypoint NW of Santa Cruz at 2200 hours on the 21^st. We then have another 60 nm from there to Academy Bay. The advance boats have warned us that there are strong foul currents in a SE direction was we approach the islands from ,yep you guessed it , the NE. We do not have a huge amount of diesel left, but as soon as I think we can safely rely on the diesel stocks I will just put the sails away turn on trusty Perkins and batter ourselves through the waves and current for Academy Bay and a well earned G&T.

Crew is also going to need a lot of TLC after this passage. Cooking in these conditions is  (I am told) not joyful.  Nor is standing watch in the pitch dark with buckets of water being thrown in your face with some commitment. She really is a bit of a star.

I had been lead to believe that the Pacific is peaceful. Hmmm, not what I have seen so far……….

So from a soggy skipper I bid you good night.

PS: I did not include any pics tonight. Well do you really want to be depressed by the view we have had for the last 24 hours?