Hilton Head Island: thanks; a correction; the crazed and the moldy and more details

I thank those of you who have made comments on my journal posts and videos.  I read them.  I try to answer questions.  I am pleased to know that a few find what I do of interest and perhaps even value.  For that matter I thank all of you who read the journal and watch the videos whether you comment or not.

Hugh, my sailing entomologist friend, corrected me about the insects who were trying to build a nest in my main sail.  He informs me that they were probably mud wasps, not flying ants.  He correctly forecast that rain would wash the mud away.  It did on my sail back to the slip a week ago yesterday.  Where I got flying ants from I have no idea.  Oddly my memory has not improved with age.

Above you see photos of one of the solar panels near GANNET’s stern and one on the foredeck.  Those near the stern were bought in Australia in 2016.  The ones on the foredeck when GANNET reached Florida in 2017.  I much prefer the ones on the foredeck which have a pebbled surface that can more safely be walked upon and whose wires exit from the bottom center of the panel rather than an exit box on the edge.  I did not have those options when I ordered in Australia.  Thus far the crazing has not reduced the effectiveness of the stern panels, but I have ordered replacements from Ocean Planet Energy which will be like the forward panels.  Tom Whitehead of Ocean Planet Energy, who has been of considerable assistance to me over the years, advised trying to remove the mold with warm water, soap, and a soft brush, and if that didn’t work, vinegar.  I will be scrubbing.

I also have ordered a new Pelagic tiller pilot.  My first Pelagic was a pre-production prototype. It worked well for a long time, surviving conditions that would have killed a Raymarine, including steering under bare poles in a gale in the Indian Ocean.  However, eventually it began to go into stand-by mode spontaneously which rendered it unusable.  Pelagic has now been in production for several years.  I conclude the glitches have been solved.  Pelagic has been sold to Scanmar, the manufacturer of Monitor self-steering vanes.  Scanmar itself has changed ownership.  My new Pelagic is due to arrive next week.

I’ve also ordered a new inverter, two triple ended cables, two acrylic discs large enough to cover the hole now occupied by the cockpit compass, four 2.6 gallon collapsible water containers, and two gel cushions.  

All this seems like action taken by someone who plans to sail more.

When sailing I discovered I had only one long sleeved shirt on GANNET.  Upon my return I searched on Amazon and found this.  $12 each in a pack of two.  Modeled by an old sailor with a pointy head.