More on the solar panel

My original 1.5W panel was just about up to the job, but marginal. I had one weekend where the depth sounder went blank towards the end of the second day. From what I read recently in Practical Boat Owner Magazine, it seemed that a 5W panel should suffice. I looked at various options and Sunshine Solar were offering a 10W panel at the same price as a 5W for that week so I took the plunge for that. I am planning to instal navigation lights at some stage, so the extra power might be useful.

The panel was delivered in under 24 hours, but they forgot to put in the regulator. That came 24 hours later. The regulator is cheap, rated up to 100W and from my point of view was perfect, as it had three wired in connectors so I didn't have to figure out which wire went where. It all just plugged together and matched the existing battery connector.

Where to position the panel? Nowhere is perfect. I have opted as far forward as the cable will reach on the roof, but off to one side. It is shaded some times by the jib sheet, but not by the boom. To fix it I used just a blob of Sikaflex at each corner, with a short fat screw through each blob, just to hold it down whilst the Sikaflex set. It follows the slight curve of the deck so should be safe from cracking when I inevitably stand on it.
All the cables run through self adhesive mini-ducting, which seems to work very well and is hardly visible, but easy to change.. One change not on the photo. The ducting runs under the centre board up-haul, which chafes it. I have glued a stainless steel anti chafe strip over this to make sure neither the rope nor the cable rubs through. When I plugged in the panel, a little "charging" LED lit up, which was very rewarding. It glowed until remarkably late in the evening, even after the sun had just set, but how much power it generates then I have no idea. Now just to see if it does the job.

Weekend installing new solar panel and tootling round the Harbour (31nm total 239)

Spent two nights at anchor. Got to the boat late afternoon and fitted a simple solar regulator and a new solar panel. I have a new 10W one which I managed to get at the price of a 5W one, so thought I may as well go for it. I was amazed that the plugs between the various parts were the same as those on the Maplin panel I had, so everything just clicked into place. even the conduit on the cabin roof could be reused, so the whole lot went in much more easily than I feared. then I fitted new supports for the boom scissors, which are much more substantial and probably far bigger than they need to be.

I realigned the jib sheet cleats a bit, but think that they probably still need to be angled a bit more to get a straight sheet run. With the new blocks on the clew friction is much more noticeable so I need to reduce it as much as possible.I have also fitted new cam cleats for the topping lifts/lazy jacks, and the boom kicking strap. These make it much quicker to reef the sail single handed.

On the second day I just sailed round the harbour in up to F6 winds. Mainly just jib and mizzen and I was still hitting 6 kts on occasion. Tacking is not so easy, but if you haul the mizzen to windward as you push the tiller down, she nearly always goes round.

One the third day we finally had some sun and i sailed out to Studland Bay, but the clouds threatened and it was cool, so I headed back for home quite early.

Mini Raiding

I can't make the English Raid this year because of other commitments, but I am planning to go for the first night in Lymington. It will give me a chance to catch up with others and see what they have been doing to their boats. I am likely to be doing it on my own, so hope the weather is kind to us all.

More BayCruisers

I saw two other BayCruisers last week in Poole Harbour. No 3, which is moored alongside me in Parkstone Bay, which I have never seen sailing before, and no6 "Jaunty" which I thought was based in Chichester so maybe was just in Poole for a visit.

Four days sailing and meeting up with friends (56nm total 208nm)

I took a few days leave and spent them on the boat. My wife joined me for one night and we met up with friends sailing their Hawk 20 over from Christchurch. We even had some quite decent weather. The first night I anchored off Redhorn quay and watched four Chinese men in an minute inflatable dinghy putting out long floating fishing nets. They said they netted some mackerel, which I think unlikely in the Harbour. More likely bass, bream or mullet. How they didn't fall in I don't know, they were paddling round for hours.
The next day I met up with Hester, a Hawk 20 which friends had sailed over from Christchurch. It had blown up to F6 in the morning and I had abandoned sailing in Poole Bay, but the time they came over it was almost flat calm and they had to motor much of the distance. We hailed each other on VHF which was a first for both of us. amazing that it actually works. I kept forgetting to press the button when I was talking, which led to disjointed understanding. We sailed up the Wareham Channel and then motored slowly up the Frome to Wareham where we tied up overnight.
Wareham is a lovely old town and the quayside is almost unique in allowing free mooring on the quay for up to 48 hours at no charge. I think it just adds to the atmosphere of the place. I was moored under a street light and I had to fix a dark blue tea towel over the main hatch to keep it off me  whilst I slept. The only disturbance was a group of lads diving in of the bridge at midnight. But nobody drownded. (I had been for my first swim in the harbour earlier in the day. Cold...)

Panorama of the Wareham water front with Daisy G near the bridge and Hester tied up to a large catamaran.

Good restaurant in Wareham and they aid I could take my Guinness outside, so I had it on my boat. Very civilised.

In the morning I was up before all the others, so had my breakfast on the riverbank, watching a painter set up his easel by the bridge. I went over to see what he was doing and saw a beautiful picture emerging with Daisy G in the fore front. I asked, just out of interest of course, how much he would charge for eth painting when finished. he grinned and said "Around four to five thousand pounds" !!! I Checked his web site. That IS what he charges (http://www.peterbrownneac.com/) I'm not sure I want a picture of my boat that much. He said it will be on his website by the end of the year. That might be as close as I get.

After breakfast I pumped up the dinghy and rowed upriver under the bridge, where I have never been before. Absolutely delightful. The epitome of an English river in the summer, with trees brushing the water, kingfishers zipping over the water, and lazy cows looking over the bank side vegetation. I only had time to go half a mile or so before turning back



View 2011-06-28 09:18 in a larger map

When the rest finally emerged from their B&B I took AH as crew down the Frome and then sailing round to shipstal Point. AH nearly wrecked a port hand marker, tangling a reefing line around it. I had just said to him (You don't want to get yours lines tangled round that, like I did a couple of years ago". It took him only five seconds to do just that. We managed to unhook ourselves, but left the stake at 45 degrees. To make it more embarrassing, the pilot boat was by Shipstal, checking and resetting all the channel markers. Were they going to give us stick? No fortunately, but three days later the marker is still canted.

A curious incident as we anchored. We thought of running up the beach, but the beach slope only let us get near. I hopped out and picked up the anchor and stood there for a moment, clutching it muddily to my breast, up to my shins in liquid gloop. At that point, a bird watcher on the beach grinned and greeted me by name! Am I that well known? As I was near tripping and being dragged under by the anchor I said "I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment, I'll get back to you." Turns out he is a Winkle Brig owner and knows me from the  winkle Brig web site I still manage (http://www.jegsweb.co.uk/boats/winklebrig/winklebrig1.htm) He has been sailing in Poole Harbour for a holiday and had been keeping an eye open for me.

AH sailed back to Wareham on the Hawk and I sailed over to Parkstone where my wife arrived for the night. We drove over to Wareham for dinner and then back to Parkstone for a night on the marina pontoon (in the boat...). Then we sailed with the Hawk around Brownsea and had a rafted up picnic, before the Hawk headed back to Wareham and I sailed my wife back to the marina so she could get back home.

Rafted up for a picnic off Brownsea Island

After my wife had gone I did a few jobs whilst in the marina. I have fitted purchase system to the jib sheets, with a single block with becket on the cabin roof track and single blocks on the jib clew. This has transformed handling the sail. You have to pull in twice as much rope, but it is so easy. getting the sheet out of the cam cleat under load is easy, whereas before it was well nigh impossible under a hard press. should have done it ages ago. I also replaced my ole Celeron Powertank with a new 20Ah sealed lead acid battery, which I will now see if it can keep its charge with the 1.5W solar panel.

I thought the Powertank was shot as it still had no charge after a week in the sun. But when I got it home, I found the torch was turned on, so it would never have had a chance. I will see if the little solar panel is up to keeping the new battery topped up enough before I buy a bigger one, which will require a charge controller.

The only other jobs were to move the main sheet fixing forward on the boom, which seems to have worked for keeping the sheet away from the mizzen sprit heel, and moving the Handy Billy from the vertical part of the jib halyard by the mast, to the horizontal bit under the spray hood, where it is out of sight but also easy to reach.

Then a lovely slow sail back to Shipstal where I spent the last night, before back to work the next morning.

One note on impressive sailing. I spotted a smallish sloop anchored out west of Brownsea Island. About 30ft or so, noting very special. Except it was flying the Stars and Stripes and its home port was Portland, Oregon. On the US Pacific Coast. I think I have gone a long way when I get to Christchurch, two hours away.