Following up on this discussion and well as the additional 10 x fuel cans and Jordon Seried Drouge...
We left Gran Canaria on 10th January and enjoyed a wonderful 17 day and 1 hr crossing to Rodney Bay, St Lucia. Island Pearl II handled this beautifully with just 2 x tacks the entire 2800NM with poled out foresail most of the way and most days achieving 170NM distances.
We motored for about 3 days and were able to comfortably motor at 6.6 - 7.3kts with about 1600 - 1800 revs. In line with much of the feedback received both publically on this site and those Yanmar 75hp fans who e-mailed me direct the Yanmar 75HP is actually a wonderful match to the SM2000, especially when we measured the fuel consumption over this distance. From St Lucia to Panama little motoring was needed however in the last few weeks from Panama to Galapagos this was mostly under motor.
For the above reason I am so thankful for the tip regarding storing extra fuel cans in the Life Raft locker. This has given us well over 1300nm range which was again helpful this week as there has been little wind south east of Galapagos Islands and Island Pearl II is now headed direct from there to Tahiti then direct to Sydney.
The tip about the Jordon Series Drogue was great too and we were able to source this direct from Roddy at Neptunes Locker www.seriesdrogue.co.uk in the UK who was most helpful in shipping it to our boat in the Canary Islands despite the last minute order. Luckily we have not needed to deploy it yet but I feel very safe having this on board.
Lastly I should mention one particular individual who was the most outstanding of all in the service provided and his brilliance in knowledge of Amel boats. This is the Amel Technician for the Canary Islands, Michel-Henri Fraisse who basically made our entire trip possible by working around the clock in sourcing and installing watermaker, new 2nd auto-pilot, HF Radio, engine servicing, sail repairs, bow thruster complete removal and service etc etc. Since Michel Henri had cared for our boat since new in 2001 I am sure we probably got special treatment however this guy is just a stand out performer at a very fair price and knows his Amels like the back of his hand even including being able to manouvre the SM2000 in and out of tight marina berths on his own like an absolute pro. I don't have his number with me now but in case any of you need help in the Canary Islands his e-mail address is ttammogan@... and he comes with both my personal high recommendation and that of the PYD professional delivery skipper and Crew.
Fair Winds
Colin Streeter
Island Pearl II SMK2000#332