Amokura - Log Day 9 - Generator failure

With the wind steadily decreasing overnight, the white sails were not filling and our speed was dropping. With daybreak, once again it was time to put genoa and jib away and hoist the light wind parasail, snaking up the mast in its grey snuffing sock and waving around in the swell like some enormous elephant's trunk, whilst Nic and Mark pranced around on the foredeck, tending to the monster, and Vicky and I dealt with the cockpit lines.
With the snuffer retracted, the huge blue and gold sail billowed into life with a snap, and we had power again. We are not expecting a record run over the next 24hrs, as the wind is so much lighter, but every mile covered is a mile closer to a destination and we must be patient!

There was a brilliant crimson sky before sunrise, which can be a sign of approaching bad weather, and the barometer had fallen, another sign. There were some electrical storms appearing in the latest weather forecast so we are watching and waiting, but they may pass to the south of us. In fact, as I write, the barometer is rising again.

A more perplexing issue is that the generator, that we use for charging our batteries and running the watermaker, has stopped working. Last night the fuel filter was cleaned of black gunk, residual diesel bug, the enemy of diesel engines, but it ran again after that procedure. Something is amiss today though as it conked out after running for a short while and wouldn't restart.  The manual has been consulted and further investigations will be needed once it has cooled down. The temperature is currently 33c in the cabin and way hotter in the engine room. The cylinder head temperature is 150c! If the worst happens we can run the engine to charge batteries and our solar panels are trickling in a constant 300-400W. We are being very careful with water consumption as we currently cannot make any water, with the priority being drinking and cooking.  Showers are a distant memory but it is amazing how refreshing a strip wash with a small bowl of water can be. At least we are all in
the
same boat, no pun intended. All the same, I am grateful for a hairband and cap to hide my unwashed locks!
We were excited to see another yacht on AIS and then on the horizon - as we haven't seen any other vessels for 3 days. It's nice to know we are not alone out here.
All in all, despite challenges, spirits are high, and we will get there when we get there. It never ceases to amaze me how far we have travelled by windpower alone!

Miles run in last 24hrs: 156 nm
Average speed: 6.5kts
Miles to Grenada: 626 nm

Signing off...

Liz Brigstocke