Sat 1.30pm Posted daily blog and position/weather reports - seas feeling a bit less so will try solar panel connector renewal again (just -ve lines left to do plus tidying up with cable ties after protecting the waterproofing 'gunge' with amalgamating tape wrapped tightly around. Still seeing over 6A input from stbd panel.
3.50pm Oh well - my efforts are proving half successful - it's a pity I'd started on removing the -ve connector on the port side panel because, at one point, after changing its fuse position within the fuse holder, I did see a small input (having already renewed its +ve connector) - but having finished the job of renewing the -ve connector, there's now nothing coming in... Very disappointing! One of the +ve connectors had to be re-done - it came apart - clearly not crimped tightly enough (I think that was on the starboard side) - so maybe the port side -ve one wasn't well-enough crimped either - I didn't check output before 'gunging up' the -ve connections once they were crimped - they'd seemed tight enough . Things were definitely getting a bit 'bouncy' at the stern by that point in time....
On to the instrument failure problem... but over a cup of tea, I think. Funny how smooth and quiet it seems down below whereas on deck, in the wind, it feels as though there's that much more motion. Maybe the wind is up and down... Nice to get out of my harness and long-sleeved sun protection.
Sun 4.30am PST (clocks changed in N.America overnight) - lovely crescent moon showing well above E horizon. We're heading due S (so far as I can tell!) towards the Equator - less than 45 miles away now. Party coming up - come and join us! Waiting for daylight to continue working on instrument problems - and maybe the staysail as well...
8.30am Well, it feels like 9.30 am, of course! I was surprised to find that the seas were up more than I expected, when I awoke at dawn. I'm so pleased I got to the solar panels yesterday when I did, in rather less bumpy conditions. Without my chart plotter and other instruments, it's not so easy to be sure of the course we're making - usually different from our heading, of course, so checking the compass direction that the bow is pointing in doesn't give an accurate result.
I managed to make some coffee, despite the seas, although it meant standing over the pot as it came through and then very quickly pouring it out before it spilled everywhere. Once I've finished breakfast, I'll have another try at getting some instruments working.... That's one bonus in being out on the ocean, well away from land - plenty of sea room and nothing to hit!
Thought I'd delay posting this until I was across 'the Line'
Time of crossing: 2022 GMT (12:22pm local time/PST) Sunday 4th November Photos show the time of actual transit (on my AIS display) and the 'line' of the Equator receding astern of us!
Party time! Appetisers and drinks had been made ready - Neptune will receive his 'tipple' and a request for safe onward passage...
1100 PST (=1900GMT) - end of Day32. We made 124 n.ml.(DMG) over the 24 hr period since yesterday's noon position. (02 08.66 -> 00 08.64 N and 128 00.26 -> 128 29.80W) Pythagoras is working well, this close to the Equator - and a lot simpler...!!!
Position & weather report posted to Winlink.org and Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign of kc2iov) not long after midday PDT (=1900 GMT):
TIME: 2018/11/04 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 00-08.64N LONGITUDE: 128-29.80W COURSE: 182T SPEED: 6.2kt
WIND_SPEED: 14kt WIND_DIR: ESE SWELL_DIR: ESE SWELL_HT: 2.0m
BARO: 1013.5hPa TREND: 1 AIR_TEMP: 27.0C SEA_TEMP: 35.0C
COMMENT: Bright sunshine - 8miles from Equator... Still instrument problems
