""I bet the blue wire at the alternator is .6-.7v lower than the battery voltage, causing the regulator to pump the voltage that much higher. This is caused by the resistance in the connections between the battery and the blue wire (bulkhead, etc).""

I have already had to bypass the blue wire around the bulkhead last year. I will try and trace the blue wire and ispect the connections.

""You can measure this difference, and if you jump the battery + directly to the blue wire at the alternator, you should go back to 14.5ish at the battery.""

Do you mean to "disconnect" the blue wire at the alternator, or add an additional wire from the same alternator blue field wire over to the "+" battery cable and start the engine?
Then measure the voltage again at the battery and at the alternator to see if they match? If they match and if the battery voltage is now lower, then the blue wire connections is the issue?

Thanks for your reply.
It will be a few days before I can get back on this but I will add this to my hit list.