It’s 2pm and my batteries are in a float charge. A bit earlier I saw the controller putting 17.2 amps into my battery bank. What am I going to do with all this power besides get a refrigerator going?
I met a really nice cruising couple who want to trade me 2 50watt panels for some fiberglass repair. I’m really excited, I’ll have 500 watts, not 2 shabby!
As you can see my mount for the aft 2 panels is very simple. 2 pieces of stainless tube, 2 ends, a deck fitting, and a cane tip that goes in-between the panel and the tube. I can lower the panel flat to catch morning, or evening sun, WAHOOOOO!
I get the girls back 2day :)
Cheers.
Alex
awesome.
i want 17 amps!
i get about 9ish with my 160watt array.
good enough for life without refrigeration, and only using my oversized laptop an hour a day for weather faxes.
i’d like a couple more 80watters for the sides, then i would consider getting an engel to freeze fish, and ice cubes for tasty beverages.
go away hurricane season. i want to set sail again………..
Hey Alex,
I have followed your adventures for a few years now. I came across Project Bluesphere while searching for information on my engine (Volvo Penta MD11C). You were rebuilding yours at the time. Anyway, I have a 30′ sailboat in Rock Hall, MD that I need to have moved as soon as possible to Jersey City, NJ. I know that you are far away but I thought that you or one of your readers might be interested in the job.
Thanks, and keep up the good writing.
My correct email address is below.
Mark Malone
emmalone6@verizon.net
Hi Alex
Speaking of the Volvo MD11C. Perhaps one of your readers would be interested in the parts of my old engine that still occupy a place in my garage. It’s all going to get tosssed out next month.
I still have cylinders, heads, injectors, gearbox parts etc, etc.
If anyone wants this stuff (all or nothing, I don’t want to peice it out) they can have it for the cost of shipping. I’m located in So Cal.
All the best
Tony
tony@tonypix.com
Tony, that is a great offer, I’ll ask mark (above).
Tony helped me with parts for Namaste as I needed them, Thanks a million again!
I thought I’d share one. Through the years there have been many.
I am a police officer. While patrolling on the Interstate, on a rainy day, I spotted a lady in an SUV with a flat. I stopped to see if she needed a wrecker since our department would rather we didn’t change flats (liability issues) and noticed she had small kids with her and groceries.
I hopped out and changed the tire for her. I didn’t want her to have to deal with cranky kids and ruined food. After I was done (and fillthy) she handed me her phone. It was her husband. Turns out he is a state trooper and just wanted to thank me.
Not tooting my own horn, just saying that you never know who you may be helping!
I thought I’d share one. Through the years there have been many.
I am a police officer. While patrolling on the Interstate, on a rainy day, I spotted a lady in an SUV with a flat. I stopped to see if she needed a wrecker since our department would rather we didn’t change flats (liability issues) and noticed she had small kids with her and groceries.
I hopped out and changed the tire for her. I didn’t want her to have to deal with cranky kids and ruined food. After I was done (and fillthy) she handed me her phone. It was her husband. Turns out he is a state trooper and just wanted to thank me.
Not tooting my own horn, just saying that you never know who you may be helping!
If you want the best, most bullet proof fridge/freezers on the planet Engel is the way to go. Mine has been running continuously for over a year. There is nothing like having ICECOLD beer when you get a chance to get away from the job and go to the boat. While on the boat it runs off wind or solar exclusively. It draws, at the max freeze setting, 2.7amps . It is now at my daughters house while they are without a fridge during remodel work. I have 1-85w panel and a 400w AirX marine wind turbine and 2-165Ahr agm batteries. A lot of people bitch that they’re(AirX) noisy but I fail to hear the problem. Some people just have nothing to complain about I guess. I’d think they wouldn’t be able to hear anything over their A/C units.
Now all I have to do is get the boat back in the water. It’s almost a year since IKE knocked me down but I’m getting back up slowly but surely.
Hang loose ……………………m
hey Alex its Abe from Miami FL send me your number when you get a chance I lost my phone and all my numbers.
My correct email is atejada1@hotmail.com
(we sanded splendid in glades boat yard)
Alex,
emily and I have been thinking alot about your operation TRACKS. We really love the idea and hope you take it places so if you need any help with anything we are in for the long haul. We dont have alot to offer people (we are poor dirty hippies that want to go sailing) but we love to suprise complete strangers with something small and nice. I cant give large sums of money away or even offer lots of my time because we are new parents so what we do is that whenever we go through a toll we always pay for the person behind us and tell the attendant to tell them that they have just been hit with some kindness and to pass it on. You wouldnt bleve the smiles and thanks we have gotten from people. Its amazing how just 50 cents can brightne up someones day. We have been doing this for about 3 years and someone even remebered us at a starbucks (I dont normaly go to big corprate stores but as my dad always said, “Happy wife, Happy Life”) and insisted on paying for my coffee and Emilys Tea. I encourage anyone to start small like we have, the reward has been so amazing with the smiles and just the way it makes people feel inside, all for just 50 cents. Start small and then you can go bigger, there is no price you can put on making someone happy, but 50 cents isnt a bad deal now is it. We are still sending positive to you, your family, your readers and sailors everywhere.
Peace and Love
Chris and Emily
chriswaddles@mac.com
Whoops, I meant to put this on your last blog post, sorry for the confusion. Congrats on going solar!
Cheers
Chris and emily.
Chris & Emily,
Cool idea with the toll, I’m sure it made some people happy and that’s awesome!I may be up in your neck of the woods to do a delivery in a week or so. Do you know anyone who would want to go sailing from the Chesapeake to Jersey city (about 4 days) with me? I could pay a few bucks.
Take care guys.
“Pay it Foreword”
Alex
whats the dates on the delivery? I live in New Jersey & helped deliver a J30 from Palmyra NJ (near Philadelphia) up to Sandy hook a few years back. I’m familiar with the Delaware Bay & have been sailing out of Rock Hall many times. Not looking for any $$ just experience.
Gary C
gcargen@yahoo.com
waiting for an update on the latest news—-are you working too hard
GOODBYE MOM
A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a little old lady following him around. If he stopped, she stopped. Furthermore she kept staring at him.
She finally overtook him at the checkout, And she turned to him and said, “I hope I haven’t made you feel ill at ease; it’s just that you look so much like my late son.”
He answered, “That’s okay.”
“I know it’s silly, but if you’d call out “Good bye, Mom” as I leave the store, It would make me feel so happy.”
She then went through the checkout, And as she was on her way out of the store, The man called out, “Goodbye, Mom.”
The little old lady waved, and smiled back at him.
Pleased that he had brought a little sunshine Into someone’s day, he went to pay for his Groceries.
“That comes to $121.85,” said the clerk..
“How come so much … I only bought 5 items..”
The clerk replied, “Yeah, but your Mother said You’d be paying for her things, too.”
Bet you thought this was going to be a tear jerker.
Don’t trust little Old Ladies!!