A Very Cold Night

Yesterday I was happy to make a nice repair on the hydrogenerator leg pull down rope. But it was a bit scary. The hydrogenerator is like a reverse outboard that you put in the water and it generates electricity for the batteries. I couldn’t reach the leg from deck, but we have 2 hatches in the stern where I might, if I opened one and leaned out as far as I could, reach the leg. I would only have to get at it for a minute or two. The risk was that a big wave crest into the stern of the boat and cover me and put a lot of water into the stern compartment of the boat. That is where we have our autopilots and our solar panel regulators. Conrad Colman had a fire on board from one of his solar regulators getting wet. But the hydrogenerator is important for our batteries, so I tried to do it, and succeeded, and we only got a few sponges of water in the boat. I was quite pleased with that repair.

It was so cold last night that I had long underwear, fleece pants, a sweater, a vest, a ski parka, stocking cap, plus knitted wool gloves, and then I got into my 20 degree F sleeping bag! I got a good hour of sleep being warm.

Today I am tracking a depression coming our way, to arrive probably Thursday. I put the genoa, our big upwind sail that has been in a bag on the foredeck since the start, down below in the forepeak, and sorted the other jib sheets coming back into the cockpit. We have a good charge in the batteries, and I will work to keep it that way.

I am getting a little more comfortable with the high speeds, but only a little more comfortable. For someone who grew up thinking that if you did 7 knots, that was pretty good, to regularly hit 20 knots, is unthinkable.

Position
45° 05’S x 55° 44’E
Course
114° True
Speed
12.5 knots
True Wind Speed
23.3 knots
True Wind Direction
267°
Sails
Main sail (2 reefs) plus Solent
Air temperature
41°F cockpit / 5° C
Sea Temperature
46° F / 7.7° C