And the Results are In
21 December 2012 | Harbortown Marina, Ft Pierce, FL
Alex, dropped ten degrees cold!
Big red bar scrolling across the iPhone Weather App is screaming WINDCHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT. No shit. Baby, it's COLD outside.
A significant drop of ten degrees is bound to wake anyone up and that, combined with howling and blowing North Winds that descended upon us, shaking the mast and the lines and the boat, even though, at low tide, she's stuck in muck, had us in for a chilly shock this morning.
Yesterday it was 30 degrees C, felt like 40. Today it's 13 degrees C, and feels like hmm, 10. Socks, where be you? However, "back home" we are seeing reports of snow and snow and more snow.
Dave spent the majority of yesterday in-deep-convo with Darrell the Solar Guy. They conferred and chit-chatted and researched and evaluated and and measured and assessed and called in reinforcements and calculated, weighed the options, and appraised the work order.
We did confirm Dave's findings, that the one solar panel we do have does work. By the time the day was done we found ourselves overwhelmed with too many choices and too much information and so grumpily laid our heads on the pillow and allowed sleep to think things over. This morning, over 2 cups of coffee, we sealed the deal! Ya, baby !
Two Kyocera 140 Watt Solar Panels and an MPTT charge controller have been ordered. Joe has been called in to custom formulate some bars to mount these big suckers. The existing panel is being kept as a stand-alone system, but the wiring needs checking, something somewhere is not right. The new system should give us 100+ additional amp hours a day, when the sun is shining.
So now the plan is to wait for the winds to subside, for the tide to be high and the timing just right, so we can float off this muck and head back to fellow friends and Christmas in Vero Beach. In the meantime the holidays will happen and UPS will somehow speedily and safely deliver all, intact and in good working order and when we get that phone call, we come back. Sounds good, in theory, n'est ce pas ?
In this cruising type of lifestyle, one is always meeting people, and sometimes you truly stop and marvel at this whole six degrees of separation thing. We met Charlie (who was with another couple that are buying his boat, as after 18 years, they are choosing to return to land-based life) and Charlie lived in Dartmouth for awhile but most significantly, and surprisingly, was also a member at the Shearwater Club, 18 some odd years ago. And he helped us with a name and number of a Canvas guy, who when called, came to inspect our dodger/bimini situation within the hour. He can't get at the job until end of January though, and THAT, sadly, just doesn't fit our schedule.
Next on my project list then, is to find or borrow a sewing machine, buy some sunshade material and research some ideas on how to fabricate sunscreens to add on to our existing dodger/bimini, without it costing us an arm and a leg. Let the creative juices flow...
In the meantime, it's off to do some serious cleaning while we are still plugged into electrical, and have plenty of hot water...