Offshore passage Archives

Mozambique Cyclone Idai – Sailing towards a storm In March (a little earlier than planned-still in cyclone season!)

18 April 2019April 8, 2020rebecca.childress@yahoo.com3 Comments

Mozambique Cyclone Idai – Sailing towards a storm, a little earlier than planned, during cyclone season…

Late April, May and June is the right time to sail this coast….We left mid March because of an extraordinary weather window which would carry us the first 1000 miles downwind, instead of upwind…

Was it 100% safe? NO.

Did we get more than we bargained for, or just what we signed up for? Watch the video to find out…

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What do most people do when they see a cyclone on the Predictwind forecast with their Iridium GO or other ways of getting weather at sea? They stay safely in port, right? We saw an opportunity to go south with the north winds that would be north of the cyclone in the the Southern Hemisphere near Tanzania and Mozambique. It promised, if we played it just right, to carry us at least 1000 miles south with nice north winds!

So we grabbed our last veggies and eggs for 3 weeks, and set sail to South Africa, chasing Cyclone Idai down down the coast of Mozambique. We wanted to be close enough for the winds, but not too close!!! We later found out that this cyclone was the worst cyclone to ever hit Mozambique, killing thousands of people and demolishing even more homes. It’s a good thing we played it just right!

Even with that, we did get the remnants of it when we got a little too close…and we were socked with 50 knot winds for a bit, complete with driving rain and lots of thunder and lightening. Seas mounted fast. Luckily it was short lived.

Too bad it was too rough and most off all too dark, to film during the very worst of it, or I know Patrick would have been up filming it!

Hope you enjoy the video, give it a thumbs up, subscribe, and have a lovely Easter weekend! If you have any spare change, leave it in the TIP jar in the top right corner of the screen…thanks!

We studied the two following books/guides (click on either to see more detail), and utilized our Professional Subscription at Predictwind to help make these very important and intricate decisions about our trip south. Des Cason, a local Weather and anchorage guru and long time cruiser in this area also provided daily updates and advice as we moved south.

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Mozambique In April, May and June

Mozambique Cyclone Sailing Tanzania to South Africa

Communication Evolution on Brick House : Iridium GO! Predictwind!

9 April 2019April 28, 2020rebecca.childress@yahoo.comLeave a comment

Communication Evolution on Brick House : Iridium GO! Predictwind!

My latest article in Ocean Navigator Magazine reprinted below. See the Original Article at Ocean Navigator..

Communication on our Valiant 40, Brick House, was once limited to a few methods. The most basic was the very high frequency (VHF) radio used for short-range communications to other boats and shoreside facilities. Single sideband (SSB) radio chat nets were used while underway and from remote anchorages to talk to cruisers at distances over the horizon.

The SSB radio, coupled with a device called a Pactor modem gave us the ability to send and receive text email messages through the software services SailMail and Winlink when the atmospheric propagation was agreeable. We had to train friends and family to keep messages short and without attachments that could easily overwhelm the delicate pipeline of radio waves. Sometimes in port, a hotel or yacht club would offer Wi-Fi, which would be usable on board if we could anchor close enough to the signal. Eventually we installed a Redport Long Distance Wi-Fi Extender on the stern arch so we didn’t have to anchor nearly on the beach.

The SSB was once the primary long-range communications device. Life on board was dictated by propagation tables that spelled out optimum connection times, calculated by the state of the ionosphere, and the distance between stations. Happy hours and barbecues were abruptly interrupted as cruisers raced back to not miss checking into SSB nets or for their turn at being net controller, while others jockeyed for their turn at modem connections.

To make sure both SSB/Pactor and voice communications worked reliably, monthly maintenance demanded copious cleaning of corrosion between the antenna, ground connections, tuner, radio and modem. But in those not-so-primitive times, it was our only option.

Brick House’s radio gear: an HF SSB, a PACTOR radio modem and a VHF.

Growth of cellular
Over time, cellphone connectivity became more accessible because a forest of cell towers went up everywhere, even in the remote islands of Fiji. Competition drove prices down. Natives who lived in thatch huts would row up in rough carved canoes, handing their phones over, asking for a battery charge. At times, we had adventures hiking to a high pinnacle to get a signal from a tower on the next distant island.

In cruising Southeast Asia, we found cellular Internet had become even easier and less expensive. Communication between cruisers, businesses and those half a world away took a big leap forward. Our smartphone became a Wi-Fi hot spot for connectivity on board and the Internet handled all communications. The VHF, SSB and Pactor began collecting dust and rust.

Though Internet had become more accessible, there was often a learning curve to understanding the system in each country. Smartphones in the U.S. are often sold as “locked,” but cellphones internationally are mostly sold as “unlocked” and can use SIM cards from any country, costing only a dollar or two. Now upon arrival to a new country, it has become top priority to visit a cellphone store with phone and required passport so that we can leave with connectivity pronto.

We needed then, to learn how to put more “load” or “credit” on the phone — usually with scratch cards or by visiting almost any store — and then learn how to buy an Internet plan, usually by punching a series of numbers and pound signs into the phone. Every country has slightly different procedures and little gotchas to learn so as to preserve your data. In the past year, in almost every country we visit now, they have even come out with apps to automate the whole process.

The Childresses’ boat is also equipped with an Iridium GO!

For more information and to Buy the Iridium GO, Click here…

For the external antenna I recommend for the Iridium GO, Click here

The Weather Program we recommend:Weather

From an energized cellphone, the beeps and dings of Messenger, WhatsApp and email notifications fill the air on board. The notifications are usually from other cruisers, so leaving the annoying VHF turned on and listening to endless impertinent VHF chatter is a thing of the past. SSB nets began their decline in Southeast Asia simply because everyone was connected by cellular, and SSB radios faded away for all but the most dedicated operators. Cellular remains the number-one most utilized communication method in port and for coastal sailing.

But when the Indian Ocean loomed on the horizon, it was time to get suited back up for long-distance remote connectivity. First, I should say, for a while in the remote Pacific, we did have an Inmarsat satphone on board in case of an emergency. It was such an expensive communication device to operate, full of billing surprises, so we hardly used it. We knew this would not be an ideal way to cross the Indian Ocean, being reluctant to use it to get weather reports for extended intervals. We then made the single most drastic change that we have ever made to how Brick House communicates: We sold the Inmarsat satphone to help pay for our new communication system, an Iridium GO Marine Package from PredictWind. This is robust satellite communications.

Switching to satcom
We no longer use the SSB radio/Pactor setup for email or weather — ever. It has nearly gone the way of the cassette player or radio direction finder. We still maintain the SSB, however, just in case. If I were to put money into a backup system now, it would be to have a second Iridium GO. A cruising friend did exactly that but sold it three years later because the original one just never skipped a beat.

The installation of the Iridium GO was like any other electronic device: a 12-volt power source and an antenna on the stern arch. We mounted the antenna as high on the arch as possible to have a clear view to the Iridium satellites, and above the radar dome more than 6 feet from the wind generator to avoid physical and electronic interference. We had to empty lockers to clear the way to snake a rather monstrous cable through small holes without bending it. We permanently mounted the Iridium GO’s gray box near the chart table in a position that would not be in direct sunlight, not incur accidental splashes or bumps, and most importantly would receive a steady GPS position. The small hinged antenna on the unit not only turns the unit on but gets the GPS position as well — just not the Iridium satellites when the external antenna is attached. Many cruisers who don’t have the external antenna have to take the gray box outside and hope it doesn’t fall in order to get a semi-acceptable transmission.

The Childresses use Xgate to manage their email usage.

The GO ships with a common automotive 12-volt plug for power. Since the GO is powered via a common USB mini-B five-pin connector, I took the automotive plug side off and hardwired it in to a Wagan smart USB charger. This device is powered via 12V, and then steps down and autosenses the amperage needed to safely charge each device that is plugged in to its four USB outlets, providing up to 9.6 amps. I installed a manual one-hour timer in the circuit so I can wind it up to charge, and then it automatically shuts down to prevent constant powering of the sensitive batteries.

It’s very important to update the firmware upon receiving the unit and watch for subsequent updates, as well as obtain updates for the GO software used on the devices. There appears to be nothing more to maintain aside from keeping the electrical connections tight and corrosion free.

With the Iridium GO and PredictWind’s no-contract unlimited data plan, we have easy access to impressively accurate forecasts using Predictwind Offshore. We are able to send and receive our emails as many times a day as we wish, at any time, in any weather, along with texts to our friends and other Iridium users. We have 150 minutes a month of actual phone calls. So now we can communicate anywhere in the world, anytime, whether it be with family or businesses here, or in the next country for marina reservations, to order needed parts or for technical support to keep our boat operating. We can even get a webpage if we don’t mind waiting. The system is somewhat expensive at $139 per month with an initial setup cost of approximately $1,000, but for someone with business interests, the system could quickly pay for itself by nipping a problem in the bud. And, of course, this is a tremendous emergency communication device.

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Email considerations
Our email setup with the Iridium GO software is a little more complex than many users’ setup due to the volume of emails that we get, which is easily in the hundreds every day. Some people have an “at sea” address and an “on land” address, but we have just one primary email address that covers land and sea so we never miss an email.

The Redport Long Distance WiFi Optimizer (The inside unit) This is then connected to an antenna that sits on the stern arch, which is included with the unit.

First, I will tell you the two requirements that led to having the complexity (yet the simplicity) of just one email address.

I could not afford to miss a single email, large or small, because of having two email addresses, and I needed to have full capabilities on both my tablet and laptop whether at sea or on land.
I planned to shut off the GO service when I was in port, yet I needed to access/send/receive all emails that I had access to while at sea and continue to have that access on land — and vice versa. I needed one application on all devices to send and receive email from anywhere.

The solution? XGate software was installed on my iPad, smartphone and laptop. XGate does it all: connecting to the Iridium GO, the SSB/Pactor or to regular Internet, accessing all of my email and keeping it synced between devices. I can access both new and old emails on any of the devices in the same application with any kind of connection, on land or at sea.

I have all of my email forwarded to my XGate account — not my Iridium Mail account — and XGate then automatically transmits the short emails. It then sends a list of “large” emails to a folder called “BigMail” (in my case, I chose “large” to be larger than 30kb). I can then decide from that folder which emails I want to receive. I can do this from any device with any connection. I also set up a number of keyword filters to eliminate email that I don’t want at sea, such as Facebook notifications or Dell computer sales.

XGate email management options allow Childress to set the inbound email cutoff size and to mass delete emails.

Note: Some systems, like Yahoo, do not allow forwarding of all emails, and fetching is not recommended in most situations. I will provide a more technical explanation and solution to this scenario on my blog at www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com.

Unless you plan to leave the Iridium GO activated for long stays in port and use it regularly, you cannot access email in the Iridium Mail app or online since it’s only accessible by satellite. XGate not only makes my mail accessible by satellite or Internet, but it does it all in the same application. If two months of email are allowed to get backed up in an Iridium Mail address that can only be retrieved by satellite, there will be a problem. Iridium Mail offers no tools to remedy this case or any other problem, and Iridium offers no technical support, help line or contact information. Using XGate, however, I can simply boot up the laptop where heavy-duty XGate tools reside, and many of the problems are resolved. Reparation at sea becomes quite plausible. There is even a human being on the other end of the phone or email to help since GMN, the makers of XGate, are actual human beings standing by to help. And, of course, support is second to none, though your Iridium Mailbox is not accessible to them either.

There was something salty about the old days of anticipating a chat session with other cruisers on a schedule over the SSB and having little, if any, email at sea — just simple solitude. Sadly, everyone now seems to be glued to their cellphones, on the boat and on land. Cruisers sit at the yacht club, sipping wine, overlooking the anchorage, and all of them are staring at a screen. Maybe they are in a trance, gazing at my husband Patrick’s YouTube Channel.

Rebecca Childress and her husband Patrick Childress, have a long history of sailing behind them, but most recently they have been cruising the world for 12 years and are in Tanzania en route to South Africa, on their 1976 Valiant 40 Brick House. In addition to their long-standing blog at www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com, Patrick has started a new YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/PatrickChildress.

Subscribe to Ocean Navigator herehere…one of our most favorite sailing magazines!

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Indian Ocean Crossing, The Preparation

What I did to make my SSB Radio and Pactor Modem work properly…more than 11 years ago…

Magazine Articles by Patrick Childress/Rebecca Childress in Sailing Publications

Indian Ocean Crossing, The Preparation

19 March 2018April 8, 2020rebecca.childress@yahoo.comLeave a comment

This is an article which appears in the March 2018 issue of Ocean Voyager magazine. Ocean Voyager is a special, annual, publication of Ocean Navigator. But what you read below is the full, unedited version.

Cruising for over three years in the tropics of South East Asia has wilted our sea-legs. We have experienced nothing more adventurous than an occasional sudden thunder shower as we ghosted the coast of Borneo and all the shores of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Now it is time to get back to serious passage making and prepare to zig zag our way cross the Indian Ocean, from Malaysia to South Africa via Madagascar and many remote islands in between. Thousand mile long passages and longer abound. Once again, we will be in belts of strong weather. In the Indian, yachting facilities are few. The boat must be in solid, long haul condition. When we depart Malaysia, we will be ready for real sailing yet the preparations have been a year in the fixing.

Heavy Weight Supplies

Owning ones own long range cruising boat is the only way to access some of the most remote specks of land in the world like in the Pacific, Holmes Reef, Minerva Reef, Bikini, Suwarrow, Fatu Hiva. Now, heading out to the Indian Ocean, we cannot miss the chance to visit the fabled Chagos, where no one lives but the largest coconut crabs and seabirds on tropical islands with countless fish on the clear reefs. Departing Malaysia, our water and fuel tanks will be full, including all our deck stowed jerry jugs. Since there will be no cheaper fuel on our horizon, some of the 5 gallon jerry jugs are one time use disposables. The waterline of Brick House will be further depressed by months of food stores. Food throughout the Indian Ocean is expensive so we are stocking up in Malaysia. As we move south in latitude and into known windy areas, our load of supplies will lighten so we will become more buoyant, agile and seaworthy. As we work our way to Madagascar, where aggressive storms are a near certainty, we want to be as unencumbered and nimble as possible; to lift and move on top of the waves, not be washed over and beaten by them. At that point, we want on our boat no more than 50 gallons of water and no more than 40 gallons of diesel in the main tanks with the remaining deck stored jerry-jugs to be empty.

General Preparation

We have worked hard removing the hatches and portlights, resealing them to stop present leaks and to insure there will be no new leaks. Cracks in the side decks were ground out and repaired. The not so clear plastic of the dodger windows was renewed. A new mainsail cover is now in place. All the rigging has been inspected. The hull has been cleaned with new antifouling applied. These are all parts of the maintenance treadmill any cruising boat owner must endure. But to successfully sail us across the Indian Ocean, we decided to order a new genoa.

Genoa Sail

To move us through the calm weather latitudes to Sri Lanka then southward to Chagos, we have on board a new 125% genoa from Mack Sails, www.macksails.com , located half way around the world from us in Stuart, Florida. We have personally visited some of the lofts in S.E. Asia and have concluded, it is better to buy American. Our new genoa is made of 7.77oz Challenge Marblehead Dacron. “These fabrics are the finest most tightly woven fabrics in the world and rely on the quality of yarn and weave, rather than impregnated resins, to maintain integrity.” To distribute loading more evenly across the fabric on our genoa, and to hold the sail shape for 15 to 20 years, Mack sews their jibs with the more difficult miter panels rather than the easier to sew, long, crosscut panels. As we work into the stronger wind areas, we will replace the new 125% with our 90% jib made of 8.77 oz Marblehead. These sails, along with our tough little cutter sail, made by Mack, gives us the versatility needed for working through known soft and strong wind latitudes.

Anchoring

After the sails, our thoughts turned to anchoring. 10 years ago a 60 lb CQR was our primary anchor till it showed how it could plow a long farmers furrow and still not dig in. That anchor nearly ended our voyage soon after it began. The 30kilo Bruce became our primary anchor which has served us well in all sorts of anchoring conditions for the past 10 years. But the Bruce was not infallible. We want to keep up on the latest anchor technology so we felt an anchor with a more pointed entry would burry quicker and could hold as securely as the Bruce normally would and possibly better. We decided to replace the Bruce with a 27 kg (60 pound) Manson Supreme anchor which is made in New Zealand. Because of their sailing environment dipping into latitudes of the roaring forties, New Zealanders know how to manufacture their yachting products to withstand harsh conditions. I don’t want to risk having gear on our boat made in China. So far, the Manson Supreme is performing as flawlessly as we had expected.

Foul Weather Gear

In the tropics, when a heavy downpour or sea spray breaks over our boat, to stay dry, we have been slipping into a cheap plastic raincoat bought at a hardware store. Our “ocean” designated foul weather gear has always leaked right through the “breathable” fabric. Now we have gotten serious about foul weather gear which will do what it is advertised to do. Our research brought us to the Henri Lloyd Freedom line of foul weather gear, made of Polyamide coated with polyurethane. I recently tested this gear on a yacht delivery from Rhode Island to St. Maarten and it was impressive. It kept me warm and dry and it was not cumbersome to put on or take off. There are plenty of pockets in the right places without overdoing it. An interesting highlight is the hood which gives full wind and spray protection and can do this without ruining peripheral vision. The hood has a clear Optivision hi-vis hood system. No more messing around now, we have the good stuff. Here is Patrick’s Jacket.

Paper Charts and Real Books

At our navigation station we have a Raymarine es128 chartplotter with a 12 inch screen. Not only does the large screen have the advantage of being viewable all the way back to the helm, the large screen gives us a much better spatial awareness than any of the smaller screens that preceded it. But there is nothing like having a large scale paper chart to see where a boat has been and where it is going. The distances in the Indian are so great, we ordered a paper chart, from Bluewater Books and Charts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which covers all of the Indian Ocean. That chart will be folded flat and live under the Plexiglas of the chart table. We will be able to quickly plot the location of fellow cruisers and keep track of our own wanderings. Additionally, as we start the second half of our circumnavigation, we find, despite the digital plethora of information, a printed paper cruising guide is still our preferred way to organize routes and anchorages ahead. Bluewater Books and Charts has been in business for more than 30 years, and offer the single greatest selection of paper and electronic charts, cruising guides, marine books and publications, software, flags and instruments available for sailors like us. We stocked up with the Indian Ocean Cruising Guide, theEast Africa Pilot Guide, the South Atlantic Circuit, and the Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego Nautical Guide. Rebecca has also made .kap files(Google earth charts) for every possible stop along the way. We can now go into anchorages with full satellite images. But, at our fingertips will be all the paper books, and information we need, in one central location, without having to turn on a computer.

Weather Information

Getting accurate, economical weather routing reports and communicating with those back home while we are far away from land has always been a challenge. On previous ocean crossings, we relied on our SSB radio and Pactor modem for email and weather. Sadly to say, that trusty equipment is becoming equal to using a cassette player when an IPod is available. Although there is still a use for the SSB radio for communicating on a schedule with other cruisers, its other functions are waning. We have signed up for an “Iridium GO!” Marine Package with PredictWind www.predictwind.com . Iridium Go! is a new generation Iridium satellite wifi hotspot to which all our handheld devices can connect to. PredictWind also offers a myriad of downloadable weather products, including weather routing, with intuitive, feature rich software to retrieve and examine the reports it offers. But better than using this application via a cantankerous SSB, the Iridium GO!, with an external antenna, offers the best value and least complications for downloading weather and email while on a passage, anywhere in the world. It’s not faster than SSB\Pactor but it is available around the clock, when we want it. The Iridium GO! is so completely integrated with the PredictWind software, that one would almost think they were using the application on the internet, albeit more slowly. PredictWind controls all of the connections to the GO! We will be able to receive and send emails as well, as well as utilizing 150 minutes of voice time per month, to be used through our smartphones, for family issues back home, ordering of parts or technical support at sea, or emergencies. We paired this system with another product called Xgate to add more functionality when using our laptops, through both the GO!, and when connected to the internet through other means. With such interoperability and so many advantages, an entire article could be written about the combination. Month to month contracts for service, if purchased through www.

.com , allows shutdown to a minimally priced plan while in port. Predictwind sells through Amazon too, but buying directly from Predictwind is the best way to go…get your SIM cards, external antenna, Iridium GO, weather service, through this one supplier for the best in support and service!

Another great feature of the GO! is the SOS button. This is not a substitute for a stand alone EPIRB, but a great additional tool. Geos Safety Solutions (http://www.geossafetysolutions.com ) provides free coordination of efforts in case of an emergency, as well as affordable (Search And Rescue) and Medevac if the SOS button is pressed during an emergency.

EPIRB Batteries

Recently, we hand carried our ACR brand self deploying 406 GPS, EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and smaller PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) EPIRB on airplanes from Malaysia back to the U.S.. With the batteries in the equipment, we ran into no concerns by airport inspectors. The batteries have a long shelf life even after their 6 year expiration date but we want to take no chances. In the U.S., we sent the equipment to ACR in Ft. Lauderdale. After changing the batteries, they were mailed to us at our departure address in the U.S. so we could hand carry them back to Malaysia. Monthly, we flip the switch half way on our ACR, EPIRB, to activate the self test mode to be sure it is successfully acquiring satellites and transmitting to the test receiving station properly.More ACR Epirbs

Propspeed

I have never been able to keep antifouling on any propeller that was installed on Brick House no matter what material the prop was made of. Antifouling far too soon disappeared which meant the beginning again of the biweekly chore to scrub the marine growth from the prop and drive shaft. In the 85 degree tropical water of which we are accustomed, the work was not terribly challenging. However, there are frigid waters in our future of which even layers of wetsuits are no enticement for me to go in for a casual prop cleaning. Cruising friends who have used Propspeed, which is a silicone coating, are very satisfied. The application is a very precise process of sanding, cleaning, etching, primer application then the final application of the clear silicone coating. The clear coating is not antifouling but an ultra smooth surface which marine organisms have a very difficult time attaching to. If organisms do settle, they are easily brushed off. The manufacturer of our Kiwiprop suggest it is not necessary to prime the Zytel blades before applying traditional antifouling or Propspeed. Following those directions, I have never had success with antifouling staying on the Zytel blades for an adequate amount of time. Applying to the Zytel, I followed the Propspeed directions in the same steps as the stainless steel components were treated except for the etching. With a Kiwiprop however, an applicator must be careful not to build up any material in the area of swing of the trailing edge of the blades which could inhibit their forward to reverse function. Propspeed is another great product made in New Zealand. There are imitators but only Oceanmax, makes Propspeed and has a long positive track record.

Nonskid Decks

A major safety item is the disappearance of the nonskid on our side decks. Since painted 9 years ago, our decks have gotten slippery over the years from the wearing away of the sand non-skid imbedded in the deck paint. Where we are going, is not a place for unsure footing. There are 3 grades of non-skid sand, fine, medium and coarse. We used the coarse and applied it to the wet two part paint using a plastic peanut butter jar with a lot of holes drilled in the lid, like a large salt shaker. The large grain is a good gripper like we need but can be a little uncomfortable when kneeling down with bare knees. Cosmetically, I think the medium grain would be nicer and may not retain discoloration and dirt like the coarse does.

Jack Lines

We haven’t seen our yellow jack lines in years. They and the inflatable PFDs have been stuffed somewhere in the back of a hanging locker. This will be the time to dig them out. In our normal mode of cruising, jack lines and harnesses can be a dangerous encumbrance which restricts ones movements on deck and becomes an annoying leg tripper. Normally, we just don’t need them and since entering the Pacific, I don’t recall seeing any cruising friends using them. There comes a time though, in very rough weather, when waves are breaking over the boat and the deck is pitched more like the steep slope of a glacier that it would be ridiculous not to strap into a safety tether and be shackled to the boat, especially if one had to go forward on deck.

Titanium Bow Roller

Years ago we changed all our stainless steel chain plates to grade 5 titanium. The price of titanium parts is slowly falling so we decided this would be the time to replace the 41 year old stainless steel bow roller/chain plate assembly with one made of titanium. We removed the existing assembly and sent it to Allied Titanium, now located in Sequim, Washington www.alliedtitanium.com . Grade 5 titanium weighs a little more than half of 316 stainless steel yet is 3.5 times stronger. It is not affected by salt water or electrolysis. Since we will be keeping Brick House for a very long time, titanium upgrades and the safety margin it brings us make it a good investment.

SONAR

While hauled out of the water to paint the bottom in Malaysia, I installed a new faring block and sonar transducer. This is a new addition to our array of Raymarine, navigational electronics. We now have on our big MFD (multi function display), a sonar that gives a color rendition of what is below our keel down to 900 feet whether it is rocks or alive and swimming. There is another mode called DownVision which uses a sweep of frequencies rather than the standard 200kz or 50 kz.. This gives far greater detail and definition to the targets. With this viewing equipment, we can see what the textures and contours the ocean floor below us is made of. This is especially useful when feeling our way into remote anchorages and knowing if we make a mistake, we will be on rocks or soft mud, and once we are anchored, how many and how big the fish are outside our cockpit.

Solar Panel

Soon we will be away from marinas…we will need to be energy conscious and our alternative energy sources need to be at their best. We took apart our KISS wind generator, and put in new thermostats, and bearings, and rebalanced the blades. It now runs better than it ever has. We also ultimately determined, with help from the “Solar Queen”, Amy, a sailor herself, from altE (http://www.altestore.com), that our 25+ year old solar panels were truly at the end of their life. Her team recommended the Morningstar ProStar MPPT-25 solar controller, along with one new 265 watt solar panel to replace our 4 small 51 watt panels, in the same footprint, on top of our hard dodger. Prior to this installation, we were seeing about 20-30 amp hours per sunny day. Now we are easily seeing 60-70. The team at altE is passionate about solar power, and are able to provide astounding results.

For all the work we have just completed on Brick House, we should do just fine getting to Durban, S. Africa and on around to Cape Town, where we begin again on the revolving list of maintenance and repairs.

For more information or to order, click on any link below.

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