Today's Report
The temporary radar misoperation might have been the first indication of the weakened battery state (as suggested to us yesterday by Tony Whitman).
June 20/11 0800 JST
Position: 21°11'N, 163°48'E
Remaining to Yokohama finish: 1,752 nm / 6.2% (ETA: 19 - 22 days)
Another "best yet" day, this time realizing a solid 120 nm despite slightly reduced winds. That's 22 miles more in a 24-hr period than his previous best DMG (distance made good) since he commenced sailing. He never felt a need to jibe yesterday as he moved diagonally up through the windier latitudes at 20-21° north. Considering his sharply reefed main sail, an average of 5 kts is quite respectable in these moderate wind conditions.
The radar issue of 2 days ago has not reappeared, but he said the autopilot yesterday turned off on its own, caused, he believes, by depleted battery power. He ran the generator an extra 2 hours to compensate and expects that to solve the problem. Normally he has run the genset for 8 hours (4 hours x 2 sessions) during steady, moderate winds (which cause less battery draw), and will increase that to 10 hours. (We also reminded him to check the fluid levels in each of the batteries.)
The temporary radar misoperation might have been the first indication of the weakened battery state (as suggested to us yesterday by Tony Whitman).
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As he predicted/hoped yesterday (nailing his day's run at exactly 120 nm), those steady winds held and were ideal for both DOG (distance over ground) and DMG. The present point of sail has NBSDIII aimed almost directly at Yokohama, with about 250 more miles of "room" above him before weaker airs will require him to jibe back south again. He can expect to see several more 100-120 nm DMG days under the wind patterns Clearpoint shows for the rest of the week (15-18 kts average from the E & ENE). At the time of his call he was maintaining 5 kts, after the wind started to pick up a bit at mid-morning.
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Distance in last 24 hours: 120 nm DOG / 120 nm DMG
Total distance completed: 26,694 nm
To Yokohama: 1,752 nm (measured)
To 150th longitude (turn up to north): 765 nm (measured)
Average daily DMG over last 4 days of sailing: 92 nm (measured)
ETA: 19 days
Heading: 295°
Reported boat speed: 5.0 kts
Average boat speed: 5.0 kts
Weather: Overcast; warming
Temperature: 29.0° C
Barometer: 1016 hPa
Wind (from): 10-14 kts ENE
Waves: 1.5-2.0 m
Sails: Genoa 90%, staysail 0%, mainsail 3pt reef
Engine: 0 hrs
Generator: 10 hrs
[Weather and wind forecasts are from ClearPoint Weather, a Saito 8 Supporting Sponsor.]
