This post is testing two items: first, I (Jay) can successfully post. The second is about our boat, WELCOME. At our request, Oyster installed two retractable Remoran Hydrogenerators on the stern of the boat. This was a first for Oyster. These are a couple of pictures of the initial test run. The generators are producing 14.4amps @ 27.7 volts (the boat has a 24, not 12 volt system). The picture also shows that the tiny solar panel is producing 3.8amps. This is great. Even though WELCOME is a sailboat, it requires power to run the auto-helm (self-steering), navigation equipment, Starlink, induction cooktop, lights, flush the heads (toilets), and make water, etc. We don’t yet know precisely what our power consumption will be – and candidly, I hope that the hydrogenerators produce a bit more than shown during this test run. Still, having these units producing power 24×7 while we are underway is the equivalent of running our generator for about 2.2 hours a day. Not running the generator for two hours a day saves fuel (very helpful on long passages) and makes for a quieter sail. The hydrogenerators and small solar panels also create some redundancy for battery charging. If you follow this blog (and we continue to post), you will be amazed at all the things that break on boats.
Tomorrow I’m heading to Ipswich, hoping to catch a glimpse of WELCOME.
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