Skippers Log, 6/24/10 Second Verse

Today I have good news and bad news. First the good news! This morning I thought I lost my stove for the entire trip. The solenoid kept closing after only a few seconds of the stove being turned on, which made the stove turn off. I thought for sure this was due to a clogged regulator, and I forgot to bring a spare on board. With no other option, I began to remove pieces from the system to try to diagnose the problem. It was not the regulator, but the switch itself! Fine! I removed the switch from the system and I now have a stove again. This is certainly not to ABYC standards, but when you�'re 570 miles out, who cares! I will simply open the tank when I want to use the stove, close the tank when I�'m done, and burn out the remaining gas in the lines; basically I�'m now the switch. Time for some morning coffee and hot chocolate!

More good news, I had a great dinner last night. It was the braised beef with mushrooms and onions. It might have been the best meal of my life, I really needed it!

Now the bad news: I sailed into an area of very little wind. I am barely moving along, the sea is flat all around me, miles and miles. This morning it looked like I was in the middle of the largest pond on earth, just me in the middle. I am trying to head due south to pick up more wind. The problem is that the wind might not return until Friday night. It�'s strange not being able to move. I almost want to jump in and start swimming to Kauai, at least I�'m moving ! Oh well, I guess that�'s why I brought some good books.

All my best,

AJ