Typing this blog on my Mac in the sailboat each morning works well since I have enough battery power for the hour, plus I'm close enough to my house to pick up my wireless. However, working from the middle of Lake Simcoe the Mac would last only a few hours. I need more power Scotty!My sailing magazine explains how to put solar power in a sailboat. It's pretty easy, just hook up a solar panel to a car battery. A laptop can be powered through a simple car adapter. Presto! I'm surfing at warps-speed all day.
I already have a 40 watt panel (that cost about $150) and two batteries for my camper trailer. I just need to mount the panel on the boat hatch and run a wire down to the battery compartment. That would run my laptop all day. However, it I want to run my fridge I would but would be out of power by noon each day. I don't have any more room for another panel. I could put up a wind mill. I saw this neat wind mill that can double as a water generator by dragging behind the boat while sailing. I could alway avoid using the fridge, but, that's the beuaty of working from the boat, it's like a home away from home. I need more power Scotty!
Whoozer - if you could only see the image of your sailboat this posting created in my mind, Terry! Gone is the sleek sailing sloop (probably the wrong term - I'm a landlubber). The mast is topped by an aerodynamic white wind mill; the sails are augmented by a solar panel. I can hardly wait to read about the application stage as you venture away from the dock this summer.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am eager to see how this all works. I think I'll trying renting a slip for an entire month and live on the boat, commuting to work.
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