MOOWHOHAHAHA. This is the first time I’ve asked for money for anything but my films (feature length) and it is working. I’ve made $21.00 in two days. It may not seem like much to you but it makes me quite happy. If I can make $50.00 a week I almost double my income. I am a minimalist for sure but a little more goes a long way in getting Splendid ready to cross an ocean. If you haven “fessed” up you dollar for the video yet, here is your chance, just visit the store at the top of the page. I’m also running the Charter raffle again and will try to sell 30 tickets ($50 each) by May 1st. If your interested you’ll find the “charter donation” button in the store as well. Maybe I’m a capitalist after all :)
Realistically I’m looking at a year in Panama. During this time I will get my watermaker & refrigerator sorted out, new life line stanchions, remanufacturing the part that the forestay attaches to, and paint. I’m thinking these paid videos may set me free? Man the bigger boat really is so much more expensive to cruise in than a smaller boat, even if you live on the hook like i do. I’m going to get another video up early next week ;)
I’ve been doing a lot of reading on marine refrigeration and comparing all the units, wow, lots of information! My favorite seems to be the isotherm ASU 4901. Isotherm has a energy management system that runs the compressor faster when alternative energy (alternator, solar, wind) is present and stores in in the cold plate. I’ve contacted them for sponsorship, we’ll see what happens, they already offered a 40% discount but still way to expensive. 
I’ve also been on the phone with cat pumps. A friend gave me this old cat pump and I think I’m going to drive it with a DC motor. I will run the Kubota while the watermaker would be in operation as I’m sure it will draw 20+ amps. I need to get the motor, a flexible coupling, and a bell housing. After that I’ll need pre filters, a membrane, pressure vessel, and various pluming to build a water maker.
After much thought I may or may not continue with my engine driven refrigeration system. If I just use my little kubota to drive an alternator it keeps the system really simple, and I like simple. When I can afford it I will put together a DC system.
I don’t know so much about refrigeration, and I hate wasting things. I have 4 holding plates on board. Two that came with Splendid, and two that came with the Grunert system. I always prefer restoring something than buying something new. If I don’t install it I will make sure to give it to someone who will get good use out of it.
I’m off to PC (Panama City) in the morning. I have to pick up a package and buy some food.
Man did it rain hard the last few days!!!! The wet season is supposed to be over in a few weeks, getting water will become more difficult.
Life is good.
Peace,, Love, and autonomy on the sea!!!
Alex
Great video, keep them coming!
Well I have determined that I have a cat 230 pump which pushes 2.3 GPM.
I will need a 56C frame size 1.5 hp (AC or DC) motor running at 1725 RPM’s. The motor isn’t going to be cheep, time to start hunting ebay and Craigs list. I have a source I can follow down here as well. This is getting complicated but at the end I’ll know a lot about water makers :) I will also need a flex coupler and bell housing, Arrrgggg!
Knowledge is power!
whoaaa!!!
Alex,
We are new to cruising and would pay to see “cruising tips” videos like how to catch/spear fish or how to reef a sail (main and jib) or how to pump out a holding tank! These things seem basic to you but we dont have anyone to show us how its done and would gladly pay for a video before we end up with poop all over the poop deck! Just a thought…
Warren
s/v Gypsy Soul
Warren,
Before you go cruising anywhere don’t worry about the holding tank, use a bucket if you must, and consider fishing unimportant until you can reef your sails in your sleep. Please send me an email to alex at projectbluesphere.com with your phone number and I’ll give you a ring. I need to know what kind of rig you have, do you have roller furling ect…?
cheers
I’m with Warren. The simple everyday things are what we want to see and know. I watched the video and some basic questions came to mind about your dinghy. Can you buy gas there in that harbor? Do you hoist the dinghy aboard every night to prevent theft? More about food acquisition and prep on such a low budget would be interesting. Also doing laundry, how much of that rainwater are you keeping and how? All kinds of stuff..you can make a living by simply living and sharing it. Crossing oceans is glamorous, but how to live free in a Panamanian harbor is good enough for me.
I’m with Warren. The simple everyday things are what we want to see and know. I watched the video and some basic questions came to mind about your dinghy. Can you buy gas there in that harbor? Do you hoist the dinghy aboard every night to prevent theft? More about food acquisition and prep on such a low budget would be interesting. Also doing laundry, how much of that rainwater are you keeping and how? All kinds of stuff..you can make a living by simply living and sharing it. Crossing oceans is glamorous, but how to live free in a Panamanian harbor is good enough for me.
Alex. I really enjoyed your video down load.I would love to see the long ride on the crowed bus into Panama. It would be great to see Panama city and the market where you buy your veggies. Just the people and the way of life. It is all so interesting. You could even charge more for the down load. I plan to cut the dock lines one day soon and it would be so helpfull to know as much as possible before i do it. You have a wealth of information to share Alex. So share away.
I hear you guys :)
I’ll have another video up next week covering some of the basics/every day life stuff. I always promised myself I would never take my lifestyle for granted but its tough after so many years. Man, I tell you i could never go back to “the grind”! Sailing has really set me free in so many ways its hard to describe. Well…, actually i am describing it in the book. I’m hoping the book to be a very simple guide to follow and achieve a “minimalist” life on the sea.
Laundry is actually pretty fun. It involves a hi-speed dinghy ride through a mangrove tunnel and beers at the French marina.
I’m off on the bus this morning to Panama and will get some video.
I may play with the price point of the videos a little as time goes on, i have to figure out the balance if I am to survive off of my website. I’ll make the next video more detailed.
Its just 5am and i have a nice big pot of green tea on. I’ve been off of coffee for a few months now and it makes a real difference in my perspective.
Cheers
Do I have any “gear head” or engineers friends that know about pulley ratios and so forth. I think the pulley on the flywheel of my little Kubota is too small and I think I’m over-spinning my alternator.
Hey Alex,
If you think you are spinning the alternator too fast, don’t put a bigger pulley on your kubota!
The bigger the pully on the kubota, the faster the accessories will spin, all other things being equal(RPM of engine, pullys on accessories)
If you want to slow the alternator you need a bigger pulley on the alternator itself, or a smaller pulley where it is getting it’s power from.
Tim,
I was wrong, I’m spinning the alternator too slow and need a bigger pulley on the motor, it should be 3 x the size of the one on the alternator. What a pain in the ass but I’m happy to finally know what is going on with it, thanks Brent. Pulleys are cheap, I bought one for the raw water pump and it was 9 bucks. I have to drill the center out to match the size of the Kubota shaft and drill, and tap,a hole for a set screw.
What a great system I’ll have at the end of the day :)
I was invited to a Thanksgiving party tomorrow so I’ll be off line most of the day.
Gobble gobble
I second the comments of the previous responders. I wanted to add i downloaded the episode and also your second movie a day or two ago. I really enjoyed it. For those of you still holding off I recommend it. I thought there was a lot more about cruising in this one. I am looking forward to the new “episodes”. Thank you Alex. I bet you sometimes miss Namaste.
Hi Alex,
great video and looking forward to more. You should double the price as two bucks buys you nothing in the western word but would make a big difference to you. I have bought everything you have listed to date including the winning ticket in the first raffle not because I wanted the prize but because I wanted to support your “Journey in search of autonomy”. I have never made a “contribution” because I have concerns that it may compromise my high regard for your outlook and philosophies, but I am more than happy to pay a lot more for your videos. More feedback from your fans may help in determining a higher pricepoint.
Regards
Sharne
Chaching is right! Good for you Amigo. I do want to put in my 2 cents on the price too. You know most people out there in the “real” world loose a couple of bucks a day and don’t even notice it. They give the kid at Starbucks a dollar to pour a hot liquid into a paper cup.
If anyone is into a “lifestyle” and can get a video from someone that is putting their life on camera, “Just for them” then clicking on a link to pay a buck or two is, what I consider, one of the best deals in the world.
Don’t wait. Push it up to a couple of bucks plus the PayPal fees. I really don’t mean to sound pushy, but if you can make 42.00 instead of 21.00, it will make a difference in your life. Everyone out here knows that a couple of bucks for the time, effort and discipline it takes to shoot, edit, and publish is an amazing deal. At least that’s what I’m thinking.
I understand times are tough and I’m not working as much as I want to either, but here’s the deal. If you want to download Alex’s video and you really can’t come up with a couple of bucks, drop me a line. I’ll pay the tab and you get the video. No strings, just a way of supporting a project that we all believe in. It’s not charity, it’s a gift. So there’s not a reason not to have these videos.
So there you have it. Yep. I’m guilty of giving the kid a buck at Starbucks and sometimes I don’t even get a thanks. At least for a couple of bucks every week or two I start a collection of amazing videos from a guy that is giving what he has to the world.
We’ve all got a lot to be thankful for, so Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and to my pirate friends… Happy Thankstaking…
Capt. Paul
s/v Panacea
Great video Alex. Keep them coming! I’m interested in Panama City too, and the market there. Interested in seeing the costs of provisioning.
Cheers!
Mark
Thanks guys, I will play with the price point a little.
My dream is to live the rest of my days sailing the world, writing, and making films. You guys are going to have to help me do that ;) I’ll have another video up mid weekish. I’m going to hunt around ebay for a used 3G router so I can get better signal when I get to the San Blas. If I can manage to upload videos from there, or even here I’ll be golden. At this point I need to take a bus to Colon with my computer to do it.
I will have to re-shoot the beer making video as Sam is in the one I have and it is just too weird, i don’t want to post it. I will make another batch of beer, and some pineapple wine in the next few weeks. It’s only hard to brew on board if you want absolutely clear product. Vegemite is the “goop” at the bottom of the brewing barrel. It is full of B vitamins. I don’t mind a little nutrition with my beer and wine?
I sold a charter raffle ticket today and my paypal account has reached the critical mass necessary to order a battery monitor. I really want to be able to mesure amps and found what I belive to be a product of very good value. I’m going to order the Bogart 2025 battery monitor. Check it out:
http://www.bogartengineering.com/products/TriMetric
It is about half of what Xantrex charges for the same type of device. I could put togeter an Amp meter for about $50 bucks but it wouldn’t do looging and i want to have an idea of what I consume on a daily basis. If the product turns out to be a quality piece of merchandise I’ll let you know.
Cluck Cluck
Happy Thanksgiving!
Aye, Happy Thanksgiving Alex!!
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