Day 2: Settling In

Although early morning weather was tougher than day 1, by midday the weather settled a bit with only occasional gusts or heavy waves.  The weather warmed a little and the water temperature was 64°F, up from 61°F in the San Francisco Bay.  We still have up sail #1 and Jenny is safely stowed in the sail locker.
We are traveling at 8-9 knots.
Winds 16-22 knots.
Seas 4-6 foot swells and 4-8 foot wind waves.

Communications over satellite were challenging today, receiving email and weather files proved problematic.  A streamlined request routine and schedule should help.

Tim and Larry attempted a temporary repair on the Bimini in hopes of returning to full solar power tomorrow once the epoxy dries.

We have now over taken Green Buffalo.

We have not seen any trash or plastic as of yet.  We will cross into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch boundary tomorrow which is roughly 500 nautical miles west of the Golden Gate.

The outer spiral arm of the Milky Way was clearly and brightly visible.

The stars were so bright it was difficult to see some of the common ones that you know. Venus was clear to the southwest, and Mars was visible as it rose just before the crescent moon.

We have decided there is a Phantom-Switcher-Offer.  Every time I go to use a pump or other equipment, it has been shut off at the power panel.  No one will fess up as to who is messing with me.  I think it’s Tim, and I’ll get even with him.

The batteries are running a bit low having just one solar array.  The single array is producing electricity nicely and keeps up with our consumption during the day.  However, we need to build up extra power on the batteries to get us through the night, and we need to make water as our #1 tank is running low.  Making water consumes a lot of battery power.

Fair Winds,
Russ