Day 108, Year 6 Atlantic Passage, Day 5
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 (1730 UTC)
Weather: Totally Overcast; Squalls; Winds SSE/SE/ESE 15-20
Temperature: Water 75 degrees F; Air 73-78 degrees F
Latitude: 10 55.142 S
Longitude: 013 16.671 W
Miles Traveled: 558
Miles to Go: 3252
Location: Passage from St. Helena to Caribbean (Grenada)
It seems that the big event of each day happens just after I finish writing the log for that day. Just as I was closing my computer yesterday afternoon, Mark called up from below telling me to shut the engine off. I had just started it, so I knew something was wrong. We had started the engine to charge the batteries, make some water, and send the emails, but Mark called up saying that he smelled something burning. When there’s a problem like this, he doesn’t talk until the problem is under control, so I just had to wait patiently in the cockpit. Here’s what happened according to Captain Mark:
“The cables from the alternator were very hot so the smell was overheated insulation on the wires which are 00 battery cables. I thought we must have a short and started looking for the culprit. However, it turned out that the retaining nut on the alternator holding the positive cable had worked loose creating a poor connection, therefore high resistance which caused the heat. In addition, the negative cable was very small which should be okay since the alternator should be self-grounding. However, I replaced it as well with 00 battery cable. Tightening the nut and replacing the negative cable seems to have done the trick, but I will continue to watch it this evening to be certain.”
We are starting to have to run the engine a couple of hours each evening to keep the batteries topped up. The lack of sun day after day means the solar panels can’t do their job and sailing downwind we don’t get many amps from the wind generator. So we are forced to use some of that precious diesel to keep things running.
We are starting to get used to this constant state of squalls, one passing right after another. But this afternoon we had a new phenomenon which is probably a precursor of what is to come. Since leaving St. Helena, we have had constant 15-20 knot winds except during squalls when we have 18-22 knots and sometimes 24 or even 28 knots of wind for short periods. But this afternoon when one squall ran its course, the winds died down to 4-6 knots and we got a taste of what it is going to be like sailing downwind when the winds die permanently. Another squall came and we were moving along nicely again, but once again when that squall ended, the winds died. We are in the middle of another squall right now, this one with misty rain, so it will be interesting to see what happens when it passes. I’ve never liked squally weather, but in this case, these little squalls are better than no wind. We expect the squalls to become more intense once we are in the ITCZ and that we won’t like, but for now we have learned to live with the constant changes brought about by the squalls. It is harder learning to live without sunshine, but sunshine would mean no more squalls and that would mean no more wind. So we’ll just have to be happy without that sunshine for now.
