[password] STUART32
[position] 37 06.479N 160 08.600w
[date] 2019-05-28
[status] We find a common observation with most passages, generally a mix of good and not so good. The good over the last 24 hrs is the winds have steadily abated to 15 knots, the seas have settled somewhat and we are still sailing. The not so good is that our Northern Lights 6kva generator is no longer producing AC current so we cannot use it to charge our batteries, heat water, or any other AC purpose. We've checked the manual, which is of course silent on this issue in the trouble shooting section. We've also checked for loose wires, tripped breakers etc. All to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions do please drop us an email. All that said, we are still able to charge our batteries, heat water, make water, run AC appliances etc via our inverter, solar panels, wind generator and engine. The cooler water here [it was 25 degrees when we left Hawaii whereas it has fallen to 12 degrees here] means our refrigeration is running far less often which reduces the drain on the batteries. The days are getting longer which results in more charge from our solar panels, and we've had plenty of wind which has been a boost for our wind generation; so all up we will make it to Alaska with or without the generator. One thing we have noted this passage is that we are seeing rubbish for the first time in our 9yrs of cruising predominantly the south pacific; not a lot but enough to notice. Back to something more positive is the highlight of our day today, which happened when surprised a seal this morning that was having a nap on its back as we sailed close by this morning; to say that we startled it was an amusing understatement.
[weather] COG 350T, SOG 6kts, wind is 15kts from the WSW, swell is N2m & NW2m, 1016 baro, 10% cloud cover.
[END]