Repairs and Fixes

Short post tonight I as am beat.

165 miles noon to noon. Best day yet, this on a double reefed headsail and same for the main in trades sometimes reaching the mid 20s. Seas steep to 8 feet. Decks awash.

Yesterday the Watt and Sea hydrogenerator downhaul lanyard parted. This is a small loop of Dyneema-type line attached to the unit’s leading edge that contains a low friction ring and serves as a turning block for the downhaul. It was too late in the day yesterday to attack a job that needed thinking through, so I left it until morning. Successfully back online by noon.

In the afternoon, Mo rounded up sharply and when I went back to have a confab with Monte, I saw that the paddle had sheered right off and was dangling in the water like a dead fish. So, over the side I went (for the forth time this trip) and a new shear tube was in place within the hour. I have six such tubes for just such occasions. Not sure what the paddle hit, but in also bent (cosmetically) the paddle tube.

I was re-stowing the forepeak before getting underway and noticed a wet spot on the floor. Lifting the floorboards I found the area full of water, to the tune of 20 gallons. The only explanation so far is that the water stop I have over the anchor hause pipe on the windlass has not functioned all that well and water is getting into the anchor locker. The cock on the drain in the forepeak was open slightly, which would have let water into that compartment. Bailing and clean up left us hove to for two more hours. We weren’t underway again until 8pm.

Have had dinner. Am having a beer. Next move: bed.