So now we are sailing with an 8 knot southwesterly, and making 4 to 5 knots. Hopefully the wind will build as the day progresses and we'll pick up a bit more speed - that's what the forecast predicted last night.
Now, the Hydrovane: firstly I know Jessica Watson calls her self steering gear Parker - after Lady Penelopes driver (Thunderbirds - gee they were great back in the 60's - remember how their heads used to wobble from side to side and their funny wooden lips would go up and down, and sometimes you could see the wires working their arms and legs - and that great Theme Tune ! ) - her car was a Pink Rolls Royce - but I dont have a name for mine, though I have called it a few "names" on occasion! - and then apologized when she does such an amazing job once Ive 
sorted out the problem - usually Ive just got it all wrong. Ive wondered about giving her a name but cant think of one...any suggestions? Secondly there have been a couple of minor dramas - the first was that I noticed the whole unit was wobbling on its brackets off the stern of the boat - moving laterally maybe 1 cm each way as the boat rolled this way and that. And when I opened up a little inspection port at the very back of the cockpit - so you can look inside the transom, which is the part of the boat behind the cockpit- I found the bolts holding the brackets were starting to come loose..".jeez " I said 
( or possibly some other word) "that's not supposed to be happening! - next the whole thing is going to get torn off the back of the boat, and maybe leave a huge hole as well!! - unless I could tighten up all the bolts of course. - but that was a challenge because as I reached in through the inspection port, with my arm fully extended and the edges of the port digging into my armpit - and the wrench on a piece of string in case I dropped it - I could just reach the nuts. However when I tried to tighten them up the whole bolt just kept turning, and I couldn't reach out over the transom to the 
bolts on the OUTSIDE to stop them from turning . I needed 6 foot arms - which reminds me I've worked out that orangutans would be great solo sailors because they can hold on with their hands AND feet and they've got really long arms - so not being built like an orangutan - though sharing what 98% of their DNA ? - I had to think of a way of fixing the bolts on the outside so they wouldn't move. In the end I used my socket set and extensions and hanging out over the back of the boat taped the wrench onto the bolt and onto the Hydrovane frame and then I was able to really tighten up the bolts properly. I used stacks of tape because I feared dropping the whole lot into the sea and then I'd be truly stuffed. Finally for added security I took a mooring line and lashed the Hydrovane to the boat, giving it some extra support. It should be OK now , and at least if it does fall off it wont be lost into the depths - its 3,109 meters - three kilometers- deep right here!. But I'll be watching it.
So all is good out here in the Tasman Sea. We seem to be maintaining 100 mile days, so in three days, Sunday afternoon, I hope to be seeing land again and rounding North Cape. And then its another day at least down into the Bay of Islands. Have a Great Day at Work everybody!
Sapphire Out
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