Changabang is back in Half Moon Bay. You may remember that the boat was in Richmond to get the hydrogenerator brackets installed. That was completed yesterday late afternoon, after which I spent much time in uncomfortable positions installing the hydrogenerators themselves.
This is the biggest upgrade and budget item on my list. I’m glad to see it’s done and is now ready for full on testing.
The sail home was long. I departed Richmond with winds blowing in the low 20s; so I opted for the 3rd reef. Once I got into the Bay it came down to 6 kts building back up to 18 kts. It was also flooding and the wind was on the nose. So I chose to motor because it was a dark, foggy night. I didn’t want to have to tack my way across the Bay. There was one scary moment when I realized that a cargo ship was crossing just ahead of me. It was so dark that I had not seen it. I don’t think we would have collided but it was a short call and I kept my eyes peeled thereafter. Passing under the bridge took forever as we were fighting about 2.5+ kts of flood current. With the fog we enjoyed drizzle all the way home almost.
Once I turned South the wind was down to 10-12 kts, and we were upwind. It was a long slog home as I only had the staysail up (the solent went in for repair and is not ready for prime time yet). It was 5:30 AM when I laid down in my berth.
That is all for now … More work tomorrow.
