We're in the ITCZ

N01deg54min;W086deg07min. What a lousy night. The Profurl upper swivel mechanism broke last night as I tried to take in the sail in a 25 knot squall. We can still put out a bit of foresail, but I have to go onto the bowsprit and physically turn the drum and sail while Sue's on the furling line in order to bring in the sail all the way. We've been in the ITCZ, with rain, squalls, no wind and a constant change of sail combinations in response to the variety of winds and directions we've been experiencing. There's not much I can do underway (until we get to Wreck Bay) to further diagnose the Profurl problem, although I did rig the spinnaker halyard to take the load in case the forestay let go. Otherwise, more and more little projects keep getting done, and we're looking forward to the next 280 nm (approx) and arrival at San Cristobal with enthusiasm. Further good news is that we've finally dialed in the Sailomat windvane and its performance is awesome. Since we don't have to use the autopilot we save amps, the boat's quieter and it's just a really pleasant way to get somewhere. The reefer and watermaker are working fine, and we're collecting lots of rainwater.

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