We have Solar Power

I think October will make the solar panels 2 years old, but this morning is the first time they produced power. But, they do make power. Woohooooo.

Way back in the winter I blogged about the mounts that I had made for the solar panels which would allow them to move around in all directions. The concept didn't work the way I had planned. Not because of the mounts, but because the boat and the pushpit didn't work with the mount. So we compromised and mounted them flat above the new bimini. Marine Outfitters in Kingston was gracious enough to take back all of the fittings and pipe, and sell me the new stuff that I needed to build the following mounts. Its attached to the pushpit, and the toe rail, and it has two supports off of the back to stabilize it. It seems to work well, but it sags ever so slightly in the middle. Time will tell.

For people that have been following the blog, you may remember the slip I had with the drill bit way back when I was building the original mounts. Well, luckily it doesn't seem to have affected the panel. Knock on wood. Output for each panel is very close. We were getting 8.5 amps from the panels at lunch, which is pretty good for 170 watt PVs. The MPPT controller converts that to 9.5 amps to the batteries by milking the output for all its worth.

Also, you may remember a short time ago where I slipped with the hole saw and ripped a few components off the circuit board for the solar controller. Well, my friend Don was able to source the parts for me, after I got the part numbers from Blue Sky, and I soldered them into the board. As you can tell from above, we seemed to dodge yet another bullet. Mind you, while doing all this work, I broke the mount on the chart plotter, by leaning on it. I know, I know, that's what Serena said too. By the way Don, there is a 28 pack of Keiths in the back of my truck looking for a new owner, thanks so much for all your help.

Last post I mentioned the wind scoop, and moving docks.

The scoop is a godsend, thank you again Cabbage. There is a wind tunnel in the head, the boat is still at 36 degs, but the air moves.

Our previous dock was very close to land, and left us pointed to the east while the prevailing winds are from the west. It was next to impossible to get air flow down below, and it was cooking us slowly. So, we moved to the end of the club onto the visitors dock. It puts us further out from land, away from other boats, and pointed in the right direction. The improvement is incredible, and we are closer to the clubhouse, showers, etc...

There has been a fringe benefit that we did not expect though, and that is the wonderful people we have met. We started this whole cruising thing for a lot of different reasons, but one of them being to meet new people. Well, what better place to meet new people then on the "visitors" dock. There has been a constant parade of absolutely wonder people tied up beside us. Sharing their stories, and sharing in our adventures. Its awesome. My only complaint would be that they are often only there for one night, and it is devilishly hard to get to know someone in such a short time. Ironically, the people from our own yacht club have started to visit us more as well. Some just curious about the move, others missing us from our usual hangouts. Its hard to believe that one place can be more sociable and more secluded at the same time, but it is, and I can think of no better spot to spend the last 3 weeks at the club.

As an update. The batteries are doing much better. It looks like they have survived admirably. The only major thing that needs completion before we leave is the windlass, and I plan to start that on Sunday when this heat wave is expected to break. Nothing worse than sanding fibreglass while sweating through open pores, okay, some things, but not many.

There are still a dozen things that need blogging, and they will come eventually. This blog is already getting very lengthy, hitting the 2 year mark this fall, and I intend to keep it going as long as we are cruising. Some people have found it useful already, and like I said way back in the beginning, that's why it's here, many others have left a trail long before me, its just my turn.

Joke of the day.

Two men are golfing and one of them slices his ball over the hill into another fairway. When he goes to retrieve it, he stops at the top of the hill and comes back. He tells his buddy that he can't go get his ball because his wife and mistress are on the other side golfing together. So his buddy graciously offers to retrieve the ball for him. Stopping at the top of the hill and returning. He says to his friend, "small world isn't it".