Harmon and Randall's Voyage…

St John’s Azores Leg

Day 8

Monday, June 23

Noon Position: 39 06.9N 28 57.4W

Course: SE to S

Wind: W6

Noon Miles: 158

Total Miles: 1226

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Arrived Horta on June 23 at 2136 local. Anchored outside a very full harbor in 36ft mud/sand just as sun went down and the day breeze died away. We were disallowed the wharf until we have cleared into the country.

St John’s to Horta

Miles: 1263

Time: 8 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes

Engine hours: 63

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And then…

I lowered the anchor just over the bow and let it hang there as we cruised a chockablock harbor searching for a place to swing. Each time I circled a likely spot, a septuagenarian Frenchman aboard the closest pleasure yacht waved us away, as if to say, “it is not possible zat you should put your anchoor there; it will be on top of mine,” which was clearly impossible.

Finally we found a last-in-line spot closer to the entrance than one would prefer. I motioned to Harmon to let go the anchor. And then nothing happened. He looked back with raised shoulders. “Nothing,” he said.

“You have to push the button on the switch,” I said with some frustration as we were quickly drifting from my preferred location.

“Nothing,” he repeated.

“But I just lowered it a minute ago.”

I glanced below. Yep, windlass still on. At the bow now, I found the connections to the windlass solid, but a quick inspection of the switch showed two wires exposed, corroded, and broken where depart the housing.

NOW? Why do things fail JUST WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED and not during pre-trip testing.

It’s just a three-wire switch, so quickly cutting the wire and stripping back the sheathing let us “jump” the windlass to operational. Once anchored, I went at something more permanent.

The connections inside the switch housing are, I found upon opening it, soldered to a tiny “motherboard”–a simple three-wire switch with a silicon relay board for at sea use in an anchor locker!? Beyond being unnecessary finery, who can repair a soldered connection in a hurry without access to 110v? Will dirty wire even solder?

These connections inside the switch were also corroded. Well! You buy a switch (2019) whose housing is intended to be waterproof, designed as waterproof, tested as waterproof (apparently by holding the switch over a tank of water, never decreasing the distance from the switch to the tank by more than ten feet–voila, waterproof), and thus sold as waterproof–and it isn’t the least bit waterproof.

I butt connected the ends and that will get us through a few days and until I can dig up the spare switch from the forepeak locker.

Welcome to the Azores.