We are halfway

It took us ten days to get here, and it looks like we will be out here for at least another ten days. This voyage has been characterized by light winds which slow us down. Last night the winds picked up and this morning they changed direction. We went from beating to windward (heading into the wind and bashing into the waves) on one tack to doing the same thing on another tack (leaning from one side to another). This kind of sailing is where the boat leans the most and is the least comfortable to sail. You learn to do everything sideways.
We haven't seen the sun for a couple of days, so our solar panel output has been low. I have been charging the batteries by running the motor (which we all hate) for about an hour every day. Yesterday the batteries didn't seem to get as much of a charge so I pulled the engine cover and checked the belt. It didn't seem loose enough to cause a low charge condition, but I snugged it up anyway. I fired the engine up and ten min later I wasn't getting any charging at all. Assuming my alternator died, I dug out the spare alternator only to find the belt had broken on one side and flipped off. I dug out my spare belt n(one of three) and replaced it. The old alternator charged like a champ. Doing this little thing was tiring because it all was done at a 20 deg angle.
Yesterday we did 64 miles. The day before that we did 116 miles. That is the difference wind makes in our days. Our 116 mile day is our third longest mileage day record. Our record day under sail is 124 miles. Our next longest day was 121 miles. Our 116 mile day was notable in that we had set the self steering gear the night before and didn't touch the tiller for the entire 116 miles. We changed sail twice in that time, the whole time our windvane did all the steering. It was nice to be able to change sail with Deb and not have to worry about the tiller for once, or wake up Jannelle. We like our windvane.
Our book supply is quickly being eaten up. I read a Nancy Drew mystery that Bianca had read. Similar plot to the Tom Swift stories I read as a boy, except for Nancy is always kissing her boyfriend when Tom Swift would be devising some mechanical plan to save the day.

Rolland for the Trowbridges