01 Oct Power Saving
Don is away in Australia for a conference until the 17th while we wait for the Northern Lights technician to return to Palau.
In the meantime, we are practicing major power conservation techniques.
Normally we would run the generator every evening to charge up the batteries but now that it is out of the equation, other methods come out to play.
I run the main engine twice daily to charge the starting, 12V and house batteries in parallel via the alternator on the engine. All power usage is restricted and the ambient amp draw is 6 amps. We also have solar panels and a wind generator (which counts as a bonus).
Our desalinator (watermaker) uses too much power to run so we are using all other means to conserve water. Due to it being tropical here, it rains at least three times per day. Rain collects on our sun shades and awnings and we transfer this rain into buckets, it’s also a good time to have a shower – pictures of us wearing our shower caps in the rain to follow.
A swim to shore -it’s Beer o’clock at Sam’s bar.
We are filling 6 x 6 litre bottles of fresh drinking water from the yacht club daily and the water not used that day is funnelled into our water tank. I have also put a large container of non-drinkable water on the transom to rinse off with after a swim.
The daily routine of fetching and carrying water, running engine to charge batteries, washing clothes and dishes in salt water and rinsing in fresh, waiting for the local vegetable truck on a Wednesday and Saturday to get our supply of pineapple and potatoes is all part of living on-board an expedition boat. It is like camping in a way I guess. All part of the big adventure. You appreciate the little things like water and try not to waste a drop…
Water saving techniques
