Harmon and Randall's Voyage…

St John’s Azores Leg

Day 5

Friday, June 20

Noon Position: 44 02.8N 35 31.3W

Course: SE

Wind: WSW to WxS 12-16

Noon Miles: 143

Total Miles: 757

We motored in flat calm until midnight at which point wind filled in from the WSW at 13, enough wind to sail at a respectable speed. After Harmon and I raised main and genoa and made up lines, I immediately put the Watt and Sea back in the water.

The Watt and Sea is a hydro-generator and our primary form of electricity production on passage. It looks like a small outboard motor without an engine. Like an outboard, it hangs over the stern, but instead of producing propulsion, it drags its propeller through the water, whose turning creates electricity for the boat.

I came on watch at 2am and all was well, but at about 4am I noticed a high-pitched whine, which after a time I traced to the Watt and Sea. With much worry, I raised it out of the water and the whining ceased. We have need for constant electricity onboard to run the autopilot, the chart plotter, the VHF radio, AIS, Starlink, lights, computers, etc. For this, our battery pack is large but only enough for about three full days of power at the above levels of consumption. To keep going on long passages, we must produce, on more or less a daily basis, as much electricity as we use. Thus, the importance of the Watt and Sea.

In the afternoon, I re-deployed the Watt and Sea in an attempt to reproduce the issue. I could not. The unit worked perfectly and quietly and has the remainder of the day. The one difference in the deployment that produced the whine was that the batteries were utterly full at midnight (after a long day of motoring) when the Watt and Sea began its work. My only guess at moment is that the Watt and Sea says to itself that if it is going to work, it wants to be needed—and it will whine when it is not. Likely there is a more technical explanation to be had.

Winds have been remarkably steady today varying only a few degrees in direction and similarly in force. We plow along at 6 – 7 knots and watch the sapphire blue water be itself. Birds and ships are now rare. One tanker. A few shearwaters. A few storm petrels. Beyond that, just water, water all around.

In the evening, Harmon made Burritos from the leftovers of yesterday’s Nacho bowl dinner. I am a believer in leftovers and would eat them happily over most other things. However, never a man content to leave well enough alone, Harmon made so much food tonight with yesterday’s leftovers that even after gorging we have as much in leftovers now as we had in leftovers to start with. So, I’m guessing tomorrow will be Taco Salad.

P.S. When is it appropriate to take down the country flag for the country you have just (ok, 5 days ago) departed? Our Canadian flag still flies proudly.