Well.... the good news is that replacing the fuse holder seems to have resolved the solar panel problem. Joseph had come this morning to try to help sort out the problem and things were just not making sense... So I finally suggested getting out the spare fuse holder (which I'd already tried and decided it had shown the original was not the problem ) ... Hey presto... full power and no blown fuse...! So the original IS faulty....
We wondered if the exposed metal of the spade connectors might have been part of the problem. I'll replace them soon and make sure they're covered but, for now, I'm delighted to see the increased input. Let's hope it continues!
Last night, I checked the weather, as usual, and saw a possible midweek weather window for rounding Pt Conception in light winds - strong northerlies have been blowing down that part of the California coast for some time so I'm heading to Los Angeles tomorrow (leaving around 3 am! ) to arrive San Pedro before sunset and I'll move on to Oxnard on Tuesday.