Head and Belly

This afternoon I installed the Raymarine autopilot head (ie display/control) that I brought back from the USA.  I started off by powering up the chart plotter and making sure that the Seatalk network, depth sounder, wind instrument, and radar were all working OK.  I then powered down and made the installation,  carefully applying silicone sealant around the edge of the head.  The autopilot came up OK but a dynamic test will have to wait until the boat is underway.  I have no reason to suspect a problem given that the head is brand new.  I'll keep the old head for a while as an emergency backup, keeping in mind that the left and right course adjustments are not working, and with the creeping nature of salt contamination in electronics it probably won't come up at all after a few months.

With the head taken care of I checked the belly with the tape measure that Jean gave to me.  Unless Jean supplied me with a trick tape measure to be cruel, my waistline is a whopping 46 inches (117 cm), probably an all time high for me. It was all self inflicted, but wow, was it fun while it lasted!  I have now embarked on a life as pure as the driven snow, composed of heavy dieting (fruit and vegetables with a little non-meat protein), abstinence from alcohol, and light exercise,  I expect to make good progress while enjoying this low stress life in a warm climate, but the real challenge will be to keep losing weight when I am under sail, which is something that I have never tried before.  I might get lucky and lose another 3 or 4 inches on the way to Cape Town.  (Fat chance. Dream on, baby.)

I brought Pachuca's cruising log up to date. The numbers are:

27, 800 miles sailed
271 days at sea
1379 days (3.8 years) ashore
1650 days (4.5 years) total cruising time