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Day 14

Friday, February 11, 2022, 2:08PM

SOG 7.5 kts 

With the increased wind and seas, photos of the next few days were lacking. I will try to add some visual content with stock photos and some of my own photos that were not taken at the time. In addition, my writing time was clipped to mostly short snip-its that I hope still convey the nuances of our adventure. PM 4/22/25

Lot’s to report, The shit has hit the fan, no power, no motor!

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Last night at about midnight we were running the generator, John wanted to use the gas generator to charge the batteries, saving the diesel, for the main engine. The generator stopped having a load on it, and had a noticeable drain of power. The batteries were not charging and the motor would not start. John worked through the night trying to figure out the problem to no avail. 

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No power means- no autopilot, no charging of boat batteries, no refrigerator, no lights, no instruments etc. The battery power we have remaining is being conserved for navigation and compass lights.

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We set up the windvane, a mechanical backup to the autopilot, and it is also not working properly. I got to hang over the stern of the boat to replace a couple of lock washers on the windvane. I was harnessed to the boat, however it was still a bit unnerving to be hanging over the water with no land in any direction for nearly a thousand miles. Without the autopilot or a properly working windvane, it looks like we will be hand steering the last 1400 miles.

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We changed our watches back to 2 man shifts, I’m now with Jens and we trade off at the wheel every thirty minutes. 

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Last night before the electrical issues we hung out in the cockpit and I learned how to play the card game Hearts.

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Dinner was baked potatoes filled with Villa Azul chili, cheese and onion, not bad.

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Vodka and Tonic equals Gin and Tonic without all the flavorful parts, we suffered through them during last night’s cocktail hour. Jens served up Spanish white anchovies, Serrano Ham, hummus and crackers.

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I am amazed at how many birds there are out here in the middle of the Atlantic.

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Decent winds out of the northeast at about 18 knots, boat speed is good. 

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