[password] rachel25
[position]36 27.400s 107 56.80w
[status] On passage to Valdivia, Chile from Auckland NZ.

Thursday 21st January, 0600 ships time, I am just finishing my night watch and looking forward to an hour's sleep before breakfast. The batteries are low, only 30%, owing to the knackered wind generator and to the northerly sector wind which has been heeling the boat, and its solar panels, away from the sun for the past few days. I had wanted to charge the batteries the night before but the crew had convinced me that I should let them sleep in peace.

So, it's the end of the night, time for the end of peace, I turn the key........the peace remains.....just a distant "click".....turn again, this time with more force and determination, now desiring the roar and rattle more than any peace on earth....nothing.

Mind in calculator mode. 100Ah remaining, solar gives us say 30 Ah per day, perhaps less with the heel. Fridge is the main user, 6A for 50% of the time is 72 Ah.......we'll have to turn off the fridge.......11 packs of vacuum packed meat, have to cook it all today, and the butter and cheese...... Water maker uses 30 Amps...no more water making....we only have half a tank...ration remaining fresh water... SSB on transmit uses 10 Amps....save for emergency radio transmissions...no more e mails....no more weather data....lose contact with Bruce the weatherman....miss the slot around the next tropical depression....gale......storm....bugger.

Beautiful sunrise, gentle breeze on the beam...make a cup of tea....read Nigel Calder's Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual. Troubleshooting Chart 7-2. "If the solenoid makes a loud click (how loud is a click?)the starter motor is probably jammed...try turning the engine over...if it won't turn there may be water in the cylinders or the engine may have seized"...........bugger.

Lucas appears. Ana is awake. I spread doom and gloom all over crew and boat, like a virus, out of control.

Ana takes over all deck watches. Lucas and I get out the tools, the box of assorted wires, the electrical meter, circuit diagrams. The removable panels are removed. We start to apply some logic. We bounce ideas back and forth. 2 hours later we have the fault diagnosed - bad connection somewhere in a connector box inaccessibly placed on the engine block close to the inaccessible starter motor. We use a wire to bypass the box and screwdriver to short out the earth solenoid. Lucas crouches with two bare ends of wire, he counts down "3 , 2 , 1 , contact" and touches the bare ends together. The engine roars, the peace is shattered, we smile, we've got the bugger. Shut down engine, remove inaccessible screws holding inaccessible box, inside we find 2 inaccessible relays, one with green corrosion on terminals. We scrape and clean and squirt electronic cleaner everywhere, then re-assemble, re-cable tie wires, re-place engine box panels....and turn the key.

69 Amps, watermaker on, fridge on boost, kettle on, more tea, smiles all round, who needs peace?

[speed] 6.5 knot
[heading] 087 true
[weather] Wind NNW 13 knots. Sea 1.0m. Sky 20% cloud. Baro 1018,
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