This evening, after a dinner of tuna, rice, and salad, we passed the 500-mile distance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Tiki Drummer let everyone know with his musical announcement, and there was much clapping and dancing among the crew. We’re getting close!
Today we encountered light air that pretty quickly dropped below anything we could sail in. We started the motor, and noticed that the batteries weren’t charging. After some study, we determined that the engine-driven alternator was delivering only about 10 Amps (it normally puts out around 80 Amps). THe solar panels weren’t putting out much in the overcast conditions, so we shut down all non-essential electronics.
Later we discovered that by running the engine at idle, we were able to charge at about 25A. This isn’t a lot, but certainly enough to let us run what we need. Ultimately, not a big deal.
Position Aug 19, 12:01AM PDT: 46d 48m N, 136d 42m W. Course 070, speed 3.5 kts. Very light wind, will probably resume motoring. Likely ETA Friday Harbor sometime Aug 22 or 23.
Regards, Paul / VALIS