Breeze On

Last weekend we anchored out for two nights. While we were there we tested our new solar panels. They were a big success. We had just three out of four of them installed. We made a rather last-minute decision to go out (more about that later) and George couldn't find the last connector before we left the dock. No problem, the batteries were fully charged by early afternoon using just three 100 watt panels. Granted, it was a very sunny weekend but we were still very happy. George decided that I should make lapel extensions for two of the panels. In spite of all of our careful measurements the lapels for two of the panels did not fit over the connectors. (You can see that in the first photo.) The smart controllers seemed to do a good job managing the voltage and amperage going into the batteries. There were times when the solar panels were putting out a voltage higher than 14 volts. The controllers would reduce the voltage to 14 and thereby increase the amperage going into the batt

We have had the most beautiful, warm spring weather here lately. So why aren't we out sailing? Well, first of all, we didn't have our sails. At the World Cruising Club seminar in March we heard a sailmaker's presentation and we liked him and what he had to say. We asked him if he would be able to add a third reef point to our main sail and a UV strip to our jib. I have wanted a third reef point so that, if we encountered winds over 30 knots on our anticipated passage to the Bahamas in the fall, we would be able to reduce the sail enough to manage that much wind. The sailmaker said, sure, it could be done and he could add the UV strip to the jib to protect it from UV damage. He said his schedule is about a month out, which would have meant he could finish the job around the end of April. George just picked the sails up yesterday and put them on today. Another issue has been that George replaced the hose that goes from the aft head to the holding tank. All last season I sme