An interesting day.
We are moored in a wonderful safe harbour, protected from winds in every direction. The only problem is that this harbour is only accessible at high tide due to a sand bar at the entrance. High tide is currently at 7am so the only time to enter or leave is 7am. One needs to plan ahead when scheduling travelling.

Today is a lovely sunday with all the local shops closed, so I have a perfect excuse to relax and do nothing.

Yesterday I reconfigured the wiring on the solar panels so that I can now see exactly how effective they are. Absolutely fascinating!

On the boat, the world revolves around 12V batteries which power everything from this computer, to refrigerator, freezer, water pumps, lighting, etc. Over the day the solar panels not only provide energy for current use, but also recharge the batteries for the times when the sun is down. The biggest energy pig is the freezer/refrigerator and lights.

At the current time (8:20am) the sun is low on the horizon, and the refrigerator is running (as is the computer) and I am watching the instruments tell me that the panels are almost keeping up with the current demand for energy. By 9am we'll be self-sufficient and by noon we'll be storing 10-15amps back into the batteries. By dusk, the batteries will be fully recharged and the cycle will begin again.

It's a pity we don't use this same technology in our homes. Burning fossil fuels seems almost criminal when we have an infinite amount of free clean solar energy available.

Gaston, my friend, we should talk about your cottage on the island. This is definitely the solution!

I'm going to enjoy playing with these solar panels for the next three months and discover ways to improve efficiencies.

The fresh red snapper available from the local boats is almost impossible to beat!

Until the next time!

glen