Out of the blue on Sunday my Skipper and Crew turned up, but what was unusual about this was the fact that the dinghy was hoisted up onto my davits. This is usually reserved for when we go away for any length of time and its needed to get everyone to shore when anchored. So I was somewhat confused as there had been no toing & froing or delivery of provisions or clothes. Skip did turn up on Saturday but he removed the controller to the wind generator and went again. Anyway, lines were slipped and off we went, passed the Genny Lee without incident and then almost immediately I was swung round into the ebbing tide and brought gently against Shepards Marina outer southern pontoon. I was duly made good, springs and warps set, fender levels adjusted and shore power connected and fridge not only turned on but left on.
It turns out that whilst the house, which is why I haven't been anywhere of any distance this year, is having its extension done, which includes the ripping out and fitting of a new kitchen, my owners are going to use my galley to cook food. My Skipper stays on board for long periods during the day to work, I assume to get away from the noise and dust and there must be much of that what with a floor & ceiling replacement.
He did the other Saturday clean one-half of my hull with a new product he bought at this years Southampton boat show, a quick clean & polish spray. Two microban clothes were used both lifted the dirt, I'd like to say effortlessly but seeing the Skipper 4 hours later that might be not the correct statement to use. His efforts left a shiny hue similar to that he achieves during the winter clean he gives me on the hard. He has brought back with him more products, a boat wash and UV wax treatment, with the intention to clean the Gel coat on the deck whilst I'm here for the next few weeks.
The Webasto fan has been cleaned out once more and re-fitted, with the fan that Skip bought temporary fitted in line and wired in. After a few hours the unit shut itself down again and he's been unable to fire it up again since, so it looks like that will go back to the end of the queue. He's going to make the adjustments to the ducting as per the experts drawing this winter, then wait and see if he can get a good deal and upgrade.
He's also been talking to Eurospars about the Facnor top-down furling system FX+4500. This is to assist tacking with the 110m² Code 0, instead of using the snuffer to douse it, tack then pass everything in front of the furled jib and the snuffer raised again. It can be quickly furled tacked and unfurled with speed. However, it comes at a price and that price is similar to that of the sail itself, so that may be parked on the wish list for now.
Monday, 25 September 2017
Monday, 21 August 2017
Run in with Chain Ferry ?
Notice to Mariners 15, talks about how the Isle of Wight Council is working closely with the manufacturers of the new floating bridge to stop it running aground so often. An incident which left people wading through water and cars stranded on board was not a good start. A way around this problem seems to be the tightening of the chains that span the river and using the ramps to lift the boat up. This intern of course means and hence the Notice to Mariners, that the chains are no longer as low as they used to be, problem, well yes! At or around low spring tides the chains are currently set at 1.5m + tide, so if the tide on the crossing is 1.0m at 2.4m deep I should be able to scrape over. As the tides can get down quite low 0.1m add to that barometric pressures so a high pressure would push the water lower than predicted and conversely a low would raise it. This means that for a couple of days either side skipper would have to consider timing his passage so.
So for a change this Sunday not having seen the skipper all week, the pair of them came down and took me out. Traffic around Cowes Marina's had quietened down considerably since regatta week and we followed the car ferry out. With the boom lowered to the cockpit more than usual, my main was hoisted with a single reef, soon I was darting across the Western Solent heading towards Beaulieu River wind increasing from around 15kts to 20kts with a hint of Southerly every now and then. My sails had been set well and I was soon pushing 8kts, 9kts SOG the chop was slight despite wind being over tide, as the wind increased speed so did I 10kts at one point and after what was about 4 tacks I was sailing into Totland for a lunchtime stop.
Familiarity usually breeds contempt, but in this case, confidence is the word each time I'm being driven nearer to the shoreline and anchoring off in a better-protected place. Well, I would've been had the windlass worked when requested to do so, but it wouldn't so we circled round and till skip sorted the problem. (He didn't actually it was later that a feasible reason came to light). On the second run round, the anchor was finally laid and some scope was laid out by hand to give me 20.0m of chain in the water, the crew then prepared lunch. Dark clouds loomed up and a shower ensued but soon passed. At just after 1530, the engine was back on and the windlass primed. Skipper had decided that as I was already pointing to windward he'd raise some of the main but as is my way when the chain is being pulled in I tend to snake around, this caused the sail to set and start me sailing. Skip had to run back to the cockpit and release the main sheet to enable the sail to track the direction of the wind. An orange buoy is tied to the end of my anchor so that others know where mine is, but also if the anchor gets snagged on something skipper can pull it in the other direction. As the anchor was being retrieved this buoy disappeared underwater, it had got caught on something. With the line retrieved it pulled free relatively easy and was recovered back onboard.
With a Westerly wind still, I followed a very similar route back with the wind 120 degrees off my stern, enabling the jib to fill increasing my speed from 4.0kts to 7.0kts as the flood tide began to follow, not bad as the wind had dropped to around 9-11.0kts. Once back in the river, skip did the usual thing of setting me up for mooring back on the pontoon and the crew check the floating bridge to see what's happening. It was on the Eastern side with its ramp down, but there seemed to be no movement. It was soon realised that due to the tide it was in fact not running as Jennie Lee was instead and she had just reversed off of the Eastern pontoon with her passengers. However she did not go into forward propulsion as expected but speeded up and came at me still in reverse, my crew reacted by putting me into reverse gear with as many revs as it took to stop me. The skipper of Jennie Lee never looked at us until it was on its Western pontoon, despite passengers gesticulating on board.
Once the heart rate of my crew had calmed down, the next issue was the non-deployment of the bow thruster, it had again refused to work, neither was the alternator charging the batteries. However, skip took the helm and slowly brought me alongside for the crew to step off and tie me up amidship.
It was discovered that the ignition may be the fault that has caused the windlass & bow thruster issues in the past, the key was not fully engaged, which may mean the circuit is broken and so the said items will not work, but of course the engine will continue to run until the stop button is pressed. Next time skip does one of his visits, he's going to try to replicate it.
The following day, Monday, skip & his crew wrote to the Harbour Master, who on reviewing the recently installed video called the skipper of the Jennie Lee into discuss his actions !
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Cowes Week & Fastnet Race
With the Medina River being the only highway for boats travelling to and fro, it was a very busy place to be as boats came in the hope of places to stay and those that had booked looking for their spots. Needless to say it was busy all week and only quietened down when the weather took a turn for the worse and people sought other entertainment in Cowes, be that East or West.
Skip's been back and forth a few times, replacing the last of the batteries and re-wiring the Rutland turbine back to both banks. Now it appears to be working as it should, although the display unit is still suggesting that power is being generated by solar panels that I don't have. Still, I understand that this may be solved by another software update and the unit will be exchanged at the Southampton boat show in a few weeks time.
My Webasto heater has been removed and skip is in discussion with the specialist in Swanage. It appears as though the ST unit was never intended to be used for marine use and especially for boats of my size. Likewise, the ducting as installed by Hanse is not the most efficient and skip is now scratching his head as whether to go to the lengths of replacing the ducting to its most efficient, as described by the specialist and leave it at that. Or go the whole hog and buy a new unit that can cope with the length of ducting needed to heat the Master Cabin.
Skips also been looking at the possibility of fitting a top down furler for the Code 0, but having seen the price baulked at going any further, let's just say it's nearly the same price as the sail. So it goes on the wish list for now. What benefit it will bring, well it will enable the tacking to be much simpler and crisp, but then it's not as if I'm taken racing and need a quick tack. So it'll be a case of working out which is the longest tack and have it set on the one side only, still it's early days and maybe once skip is use to it he'll get the hang of 'bagging' it switching sides and releasing the beast on the opposite tack.
So after all the razzmatazz of Friday's Red Arrows and fireworks, Sunday was the start of the Fastnet Race. The race that skip and his watch protested when two yachts sailed across the TSS near the Scilly Isles, they lost the appeal at the time due to the fact that 70% of the fleet would have to be disqualified, but the racing rules have since been amended and you are no longer allowed to enter such zones, world wide. So Saturday morning skip & crew turned up and we headed out westerly on the ebb tide, in a fairly blustery breeze on the nose. So blustery that my occupants looked at each other and decided to run me to Totland under engine in a short choppy water caused by wind over tide. It did test the Rutland however, whether it did what it is supposed to do but it failed and remained in baulk charge mode, rather than going through the three cycles of charging.
With the slack period over and the flood starting to fill, I was positioned much closer to the shore line than before and once sure we were secure, we all chilled out. Skip had bought some lug worm so gave that a try and Alex having forgotten her book, prepared the evening meal. The predominant wave pattern in the bay from West to East, with a slight bend in it as it comes round Alum Bay was not unusual, but the wind swinging more Northerly was, and so on occasions, I was turned broadside to the waves, making it quite rolly below. Needless to say, skip never caught anything and my occupants waited for high tide and any subsequent shift in my anchorage before retiring to bed.
It was a fairly noisy affair, skip not yet sorted out all the culprits, but it was good to be away.
In the morning, the Fastnet fleet started to appear pouring past Hurst Castle on their way to the rock that gives the race its name. With the wind fairly blustery and the anchor stowed, we headed back to Cowes on just the jib on a very pleasant afternoon.
Skip's been back and forth a few times, replacing the last of the batteries and re-wiring the Rutland turbine back to both banks. Now it appears to be working as it should, although the display unit is still suggesting that power is being generated by solar panels that I don't have. Still, I understand that this may be solved by another software update and the unit will be exchanged at the Southampton boat show in a few weeks time.
My Webasto heater has been removed and skip is in discussion with the specialist in Swanage. It appears as though the ST unit was never intended to be used for marine use and especially for boats of my size. Likewise, the ducting as installed by Hanse is not the most efficient and skip is now scratching his head as whether to go to the lengths of replacing the ducting to its most efficient, as described by the specialist and leave it at that. Or go the whole hog and buy a new unit that can cope with the length of ducting needed to heat the Master Cabin.
Skips also been looking at the possibility of fitting a top down furler for the Code 0, but having seen the price baulked at going any further, let's just say it's nearly the same price as the sail. So it goes on the wish list for now. What benefit it will bring, well it will enable the tacking to be much simpler and crisp, but then it's not as if I'm taken racing and need a quick tack. So it'll be a case of working out which is the longest tack and have it set on the one side only, still it's early days and maybe once skip is use to it he'll get the hang of 'bagging' it switching sides and releasing the beast on the opposite tack.
So after all the razzmatazz of Friday's Red Arrows and fireworks, Sunday was the start of the Fastnet Race. The race that skip and his watch protested when two yachts sailed across the TSS near the Scilly Isles, they lost the appeal at the time due to the fact that 70% of the fleet would have to be disqualified, but the racing rules have since been amended and you are no longer allowed to enter such zones, world wide. So Saturday morning skip & crew turned up and we headed out westerly on the ebb tide, in a fairly blustery breeze on the nose. So blustery that my occupants looked at each other and decided to run me to Totland under engine in a short choppy water caused by wind over tide. It did test the Rutland however, whether it did what it is supposed to do but it failed and remained in baulk charge mode, rather than going through the three cycles of charging.
With the slack period over and the flood starting to fill, I was positioned much closer to the shore line than before and once sure we were secure, we all chilled out. Skip had bought some lug worm so gave that a try and Alex having forgotten her book, prepared the evening meal. The predominant wave pattern in the bay from West to East, with a slight bend in it as it comes round Alum Bay was not unusual, but the wind swinging more Northerly was, and so on occasions, I was turned broadside to the waves, making it quite rolly below. Needless to say, skip never caught anything and my occupants waited for high tide and any subsequent shift in my anchorage before retiring to bed.
It was a fairly noisy affair, skip not yet sorted out all the culprits, but it was good to be away.
In the morning, the Fastnet fleet started to appear pouring past Hurst Castle on their way to the rock that gives the race its name. With the wind fairly blustery and the anchor stowed, we headed back to Cowes on just the jib on a very pleasant afternoon.
Thursday, 13 July 2017
Round The Island Race and subsequent weekends
This year's Round the Island Race was another record for fast finishes, my skipper and his crew of three would not win any awards for fast starts!
In fact, for the first time in a few years, their favourite restaurant opened for a Friday night and had reserved a table to add to celebrations of a birthday weekend. It coincided with the TV showing the next morning of the second of the Lions tour in New Zeland and that was the only start time that was important. Needless to say that sore heads didn't assist in the speed of departure post match, especially following a Lions win.
As usual, Skip arrived first and started to make preparations, followed by the others. The outboard on the dinghy behaving itself for once so no rowing needed, I assume the result that at least skip has been working on those too. With a new neighbour squeezed in behind room for error had diminished. The kettle was put on and skip went about setting up for the departure, once everything was ready, teas partially drunk, the lines were slipped and skip took me out into the middle of the Medina before handing over the helm and tidying up my decks, the normal routine. The floating bridge was up and running for a change and was loading as we passed by.
The beauty of Marine Traffic being a web based site meant that not only can people see me, but Skip could see where the fleet happened to be and there was a long line of boats rounding Bembridge stretching right back to the Needles. The plan if there was one, was to tuck into Osborne or Wotton, drop the hook and watch them all go past whilst having lunch, however, with so many boats and the fact that it was low tide, meant that an anchorage out of the way was impossible to find without possibly affecting the fleet. As it was, none of my sails had fresh air over them, such that there would be no confusion as who was to be the give way vessel - me.
In the end, it was decided that to anchor elsewhere meant nothing would be seen of the race and so we headed back to where we came. With Craftsman's Art back on her mooring and the small one tucked in between my mooring and former neighbour, Skip had to revert back to swinging me in sharply. With the visiting crew being given instruction on how to use the fenders in case of close quarters with CA, who always has the stern sticking a fair way from the pontoon, it was a look of amasement when Skip swung me into the gap and stopped. More tea ensued.
Once I had been tidied up reasonably, on the understanding that Skip would return on Sunday, they left to go to the Race Village and pick up on the action there. There're rumours that I might be in it again next year, such is the enthusiasm of the visiting crew.
In fact, for the first time in a few years, their favourite restaurant opened for a Friday night and had reserved a table to add to celebrations of a birthday weekend. It coincided with the TV showing the next morning of the second of the Lions tour in New Zeland and that was the only start time that was important. Needless to say that sore heads didn't assist in the speed of departure post match, especially following a Lions win.
As usual, Skip arrived first and started to make preparations, followed by the others. The outboard on the dinghy behaving itself for once so no rowing needed, I assume the result that at least skip has been working on those too. With a new neighbour squeezed in behind room for error had diminished. The kettle was put on and skip went about setting up for the departure, once everything was ready, teas partially drunk, the lines were slipped and skip took me out into the middle of the Medina before handing over the helm and tidying up my decks, the normal routine. The floating bridge was up and running for a change and was loading as we passed by.
The beauty of Marine Traffic being a web based site meant that not only can people see me, but Skip could see where the fleet happened to be and there was a long line of boats rounding Bembridge stretching right back to the Needles. The plan if there was one, was to tuck into Osborne or Wotton, drop the hook and watch them all go past whilst having lunch, however, with so many boats and the fact that it was low tide, meant that an anchorage out of the way was impossible to find without possibly affecting the fleet. As it was, none of my sails had fresh air over them, such that there would be no confusion as who was to be the give way vessel - me.
In the end, it was decided that to anchor elsewhere meant nothing would be seen of the race and so we headed back to where we came. With Craftsman's Art back on her mooring and the small one tucked in between my mooring and former neighbour, Skip had to revert back to swinging me in sharply. With the visiting crew being given instruction on how to use the fenders in case of close quarters with CA, who always has the stern sticking a fair way from the pontoon, it was a look of amasement when Skip swung me into the gap and stopped. More tea ensued.
Once I had been tidied up reasonably, on the understanding that Skip would return on Sunday, they left to go to the Race Village and pick up on the action there. There're rumours that I might be in it again next year, such is the enthusiasm of the visiting crew.
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With new batteries in bank 1, the three remaining in bank 2, the best of the rest, have decided to give up the ghost, having diminishing voltage values each time Skip comes on board. Following the RIR the Sunday after brought a bright and sunny day and I'm taken out once again into the Solent. This time the Code 0 nicknamed Thor Junior came out. Firstly we headed in an Easterly direction but this put the sail in a more downwind position and clearly, it was not happy with the wind angle. So once snuffed, I was brought round and tacked into Cowes and back out again to give sea room. Off the Bramble cardinal, I was turned once more and the snuffer raised and the sail emerged out of its chrysalis.
Thor Junior
With 10.5 - 11.0kts of apparent wind and assistance from an ebbing flood tide, the speed over the ground (SOG) was an astonishing 8.1kts. The 110msq of material caused a touch of weather helm, but that may be an in balance with the main and these things need to be learnt. How to tack, that would be the next question? It was decided to deploy the snuffer and then pass around the furled jib and release on the other side, but not before a few shots were taken.
As seen from the Helm
With the shoreline off the island fast approaching, the clew line was eased and the snuffer pulled over, I was sent round on to a port tack and the whole bag was flipped over to the other side. However, it was soon noticed that both lines were now on the wrong side of the tack and if the sail was deployed once more would cause a tangle. This was actually fortuitous as at this point the sea breeze kicked in raising the wind speed to 18kts, the point when ordinarily a reef would be considered for the main.
Thursday, 22 June 2017
It's been a full month
So I've seen Nimrod leave the pontoon to head to Wales for the Three Peaks Challenge as well as Lightning Reflex, that berths next to me. Still, the skipper has been back and forth and fitted the new Rutland 1200 Wind Generator by Marlec, replacing the old 914i I had previously that mysteriously burnt out? He's also dropped the sprayhood and so my lines are unhindered and that much cleaner.
Talking of cleaner, without visitors, the Seagulls have used my spreaders as perches and made a mess on my teak decks. However, the MPPT Controller and Remote Display Unit has come back after being checked out and skip has fitted them, to the new instructions mind you. These entail the dramatic increase in the size of the cabling that was used before, so effectively he's had to re-wire it. Battery bank 1 which contains four batteries and there have been some issues with fluid levels, is not sitting too pretty with a retained voltage of 11.9v. If my engine is run then the alternator instantly pumps in around 50amps and raises the voltage to 14.4v battery bank 1, then starts to lose its ability to retain the charge and until recently stopped at 11.9v, it now sits at 12.1v and skipper at the weekend ran all my nav instruments and both radios, till it eventually dropped.
So with my new found attachment, the 1200, does it work? Skip isn't yet convinced that it does, yes, the display unit comes up with lots of lovely figures, but those figures include the generation of power through Solar panels, I haven't any! So, yes, he's turned it off and on again and this time he's left leaving the Solar part on too and reset all the data. Now admittedly, whilst the UK in the main is enjoying this warm sunny weather, it does, of course, mean that there's little in the way of predominant wind, relying on afternoon sea breezes to spin the turbine.
Clearly what the MPPT does inside is a trade secret, but it seems that the AC generator starts to produce power in 6 kts of wind, so recently Skip took a reading of between 6.0- 10.0v AC, on the input side. Clearly, or rather as Skip understands it, in order to recharge batteries the flow needs to be reversed and so an input higher than the static or output voltage needs to be obtained. So this clever little MPPT Controller must work like an inverter and is able to increase the power out from that it's received, to a point. So whilst I have four brand new batteries on standby in the galley, Skip has retained the old one's so that he's hoping to see an increase in voltage from 11.9 to a healthy 12.7v or higher. 13.0v is the point when the MPPT light goes to green anything below that and it's yellow to orange, then below 12.0v, it's red. So that's his thinking, how can he tell if it's working if new ones, fully charged are fitted, fair point.
So leaving the trials and tribulations of the Rutland behind us, what's next?
Well, there's still the Webasto heater to sort out. This is scheduled to be taken to Swanage in July when the guy in Swanage is at his quietest, strange that if he just fixes heaters! So fingers crossed he can get the unit tuned to run on red diesel and keep running and then Skip can get the last lengths of ducting and connectors he needs to finish the work he started over winter done. It would be good to be able to extend the sailing season in the knowledge that the main cabin will be heated and that the saloon heads can become the drying room so that wet oilys can not only be dried but can be put on warm.
Then there's the non-working log. This is usually an earth problem and Skip has removed it and taken it home to be tested, it's back so I assume it works, just another little job that needs to be completed. Then if we're talking about jobs that need starting there's that list that just doesn't go away.
Still it's the Round the Island Race coming up soon, so hopefully, I will be out there again, if the house doesn't take preference.
Talking of cleaner, without visitors, the Seagulls have used my spreaders as perches and made a mess on my teak decks. However, the MPPT Controller and Remote Display Unit has come back after being checked out and skip has fitted them, to the new instructions mind you. These entail the dramatic increase in the size of the cabling that was used before, so effectively he's had to re-wire it. Battery bank 1 which contains four batteries and there have been some issues with fluid levels, is not sitting too pretty with a retained voltage of 11.9v. If my engine is run then the alternator instantly pumps in around 50amps and raises the voltage to 14.4v battery bank 1, then starts to lose its ability to retain the charge and until recently stopped at 11.9v, it now sits at 12.1v and skipper at the weekend ran all my nav instruments and both radios, till it eventually dropped.
So with my new found attachment, the 1200, does it work? Skip isn't yet convinced that it does, yes, the display unit comes up with lots of lovely figures, but those figures include the generation of power through Solar panels, I haven't any! So, yes, he's turned it off and on again and this time he's left leaving the Solar part on too and reset all the data. Now admittedly, whilst the UK in the main is enjoying this warm sunny weather, it does, of course, mean that there's little in the way of predominant wind, relying on afternoon sea breezes to spin the turbine.
WG - Wind Generator at standby
PV - Solar Panel switched off
Clearly what the MPPT does inside is a trade secret, but it seems that the AC generator starts to produce power in 6 kts of wind, so recently Skip took a reading of between 6.0- 10.0v AC, on the input side. Clearly, or rather as Skip understands it, in order to recharge batteries the flow needs to be reversed and so an input higher than the static or output voltage needs to be obtained. So this clever little MPPT Controller must work like an inverter and is able to increase the power out from that it's received, to a point. So whilst I have four brand new batteries on standby in the galley, Skip has retained the old one's so that he's hoping to see an increase in voltage from 11.9 to a healthy 12.7v or higher. 13.0v is the point when the MPPT light goes to green anything below that and it's yellow to orange, then below 12.0v, it's red. So that's his thinking, how can he tell if it's working if new ones, fully charged are fitted, fair point.
MPPT Controller
Maximum Power Point Tracking
So leaving the trials and tribulations of the Rutland behind us, what's next?
Well, there's still the Webasto heater to sort out. This is scheduled to be taken to Swanage in July when the guy in Swanage is at his quietest, strange that if he just fixes heaters! So fingers crossed he can get the unit tuned to run on red diesel and keep running and then Skip can get the last lengths of ducting and connectors he needs to finish the work he started over winter done. It would be good to be able to extend the sailing season in the knowledge that the main cabin will be heated and that the saloon heads can become the drying room so that wet oilys can not only be dried but can be put on warm.
Then there's the non-working log. This is usually an earth problem and Skip has removed it and taken it home to be tested, it's back so I assume it works, just another little job that needs to be completed. Then if we're talking about jobs that need starting there's that list that just doesn't go away.
Still it's the Round the Island Race coming up soon, so hopefully, I will be out there again, if the house doesn't take preference.
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Before that though, skipper & crew came down last Sunday (25/06), not to work or to mess about with the Rutland, but to take me out. We headed out into the Solent and headed west, the wind around 18kts from the southwest meant a beat. Eventually, the pair got their act together and I was being trimmed properly, the apparent wind speed increased to 25kts across the bow and we were zig-zagging back and forth and starting to point higher.
Once the guys got into a rhythm, skip went down below and came up smiling, the turbine had pushed both battery banks up to 13.0v and the controller was showing two green lights, he even saw an impressive 200w being generated from the turbine. With no set plan to head anywhere, but obviously set out to test the turbine and its system on open water, we turned and headed back to home. Although that did bring with it one obvious problem. With my engine on, the system should recognise that the batteries are being charged further by the alternator and so slow the turbine down. This wasn't happening and the turbine spun as it had previously, the display unit recorded it was charging, so there's still gremlins to be rid.
Sunday, 21 May 2017
Post Bank Holiday
So following the bank holiday sail around the NAB tower, when battery bank 1 seemed to lose charge quickly, skip has been down almost every day to check on me or rather the state of the batteries. He came to the conclusion that the Rutland 1200 wind turbine isn't charging for some reason. He's popped some tablets in each of the cells of the batteries that have a problem and keeps checking the specific gravity thereafter.
He's measured the incoming AC voltage which appears to have a maximum of 8-9v, which then concerns him as to re-charge 12.5v batteries you need to reverse the flow of current and to do that you need to be raise the positive side to 13.0v or more (assuming that its a negative earth), so that the current can flow in the opposite direction. The new alternator skipper fitted to my engine, together with the intelligent regulator, pushes 14.4v back to the batteries at 50amps at 1200rpm, which is similar to the Sterling shore power charger. He measured the DC side and this only matched the voltage reading the batteries were giving, no increase.
Various e-mails and telephone conversations means that the units MPPT box and remote display is being returned to be checked out. So hopefully this will be resolved soon and my electrics can return to a tip top condition.
This weekend my crew turned up with a couple of guests. The wind on Saturday was around 20 knots and on leaving the Medina I was brought round to head West. Two reefs in with a fairly lumpy sea state, the guests where not quite so sea fearing, so skip turned my round to run with the wind and ease the motion. We stopped at Osborne Bay again and everyone was able to eat lunch. When I return to my berth and skip eventually shut the my engine down, battery bank 1 appeared to have recovered slightly and the voltage remained steady above 12.5v, this didn't happen before and it would drop to 11.7v. Even the wind generator seemed to try to add the odd 0.1v now and then !
Still he's sending it back on Monday to be tested, as it should, when the engines running slow the turbine down as the powers not needed, this wasn't happening either. I'll keep you posted !
He's measured the incoming AC voltage which appears to have a maximum of 8-9v, which then concerns him as to re-charge 12.5v batteries you need to reverse the flow of current and to do that you need to be raise the positive side to 13.0v or more (assuming that its a negative earth), so that the current can flow in the opposite direction. The new alternator skipper fitted to my engine, together with the intelligent regulator, pushes 14.4v back to the batteries at 50amps at 1200rpm, which is similar to the Sterling shore power charger. He measured the DC side and this only matched the voltage reading the batteries were giving, no increase.
Various e-mails and telephone conversations means that the units MPPT box and remote display is being returned to be checked out. So hopefully this will be resolved soon and my electrics can return to a tip top condition.
This weekend my crew turned up with a couple of guests. The wind on Saturday was around 20 knots and on leaving the Medina I was brought round to head West. Two reefs in with a fairly lumpy sea state, the guests where not quite so sea fearing, so skip turned my round to run with the wind and ease the motion. We stopped at Osborne Bay again and everyone was able to eat lunch. When I return to my berth and skip eventually shut the my engine down, battery bank 1 appeared to have recovered slightly and the voltage remained steady above 12.5v, this didn't happen before and it would drop to 11.7v. Even the wind generator seemed to try to add the odd 0.1v now and then !
Still he's sending it back on Monday to be tested, as it should, when the engines running slow the turbine down as the powers not needed, this wasn't happening either. I'll keep you posted !
Monday, 8 May 2017
Free Power
Remember my old wind generator that the crew were so enamoured with, until it managed to burn itself out ? Well skip today (Monday), came down with a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of each cell that makes up the battery and all the batteries within bank 1. Not only did he do that, but with the wiring finished for the new Rutland 1200 wind generator, he assembled the unit and raised it on its pole.
This much more advance peace of kit generates ac current which is sent direct to the controller, that converts it dc. This time skip has wired it to both battery banks as he's of the opinion that the engine start battery, which has no other purpose than that, is well looked after by the engines alternator on its own. Not only that but a set of jump leads to one of the banks would start the engine if the battery failed for any reason.
The controller that has been fitted adjacent to the Stirling shore powered charger, does look a little industrial and was the downside when it first came out however, a much more pleasant interface that provides readings similar to that they enjoyed with the old 914i unit. The controller has indication lights two on the left and two on the right, the left shows whether a wind generator or solar panel is fitted and goes green if it does. On the right a traffic light system indicates the state of the battery banks 1 & 2, green for above 13v, orange for between 12v - 13v and red if below 12v.
After the Bank Holiday weekend sail, skip was a bit concerned that battery bank 1, that consists of four wired in series, was dropping in power. The hydrometer showed that three had lost power, but this may be due to the sudden dilution from top up fluid and so the fact that the generator is now fitted and running means that the batteries will be subject to the same charging routine as the other chargers provide, bulk, absorption and trickle charge. This ability to constantly recharge the deep cycle batteries at a level that they require, should give them the best chance for longevity preventing sulphate build up on the plates.
I'll keep you up to date as to whether the doggy three manage to pull their socks up, after all a sailing yacht like me turns the free power to get my crew from place to place, why not harness that same power to generate electricity too.
This much more advance peace of kit generates ac current which is sent direct to the controller, that converts it dc. This time skip has wired it to both battery banks as he's of the opinion that the engine start battery, which has no other purpose than that, is well looked after by the engines alternator on its own. Not only that but a set of jump leads to one of the banks would start the engine if the battery failed for any reason.
The controller that has been fitted adjacent to the Stirling shore powered charger, does look a little industrial and was the downside when it first came out however, a much more pleasant interface that provides readings similar to that they enjoyed with the old 914i unit. The controller has indication lights two on the left and two on the right, the left shows whether a wind generator or solar panel is fitted and goes green if it does. On the right a traffic light system indicates the state of the battery banks 1 & 2, green for above 13v, orange for between 12v - 13v and red if below 12v.
Rutland 1200 Controller Unit
After the Bank Holiday weekend sail, skip was a bit concerned that battery bank 1, that consists of four wired in series, was dropping in power. The hydrometer showed that three had lost power, but this may be due to the sudden dilution from top up fluid and so the fact that the generator is now fitted and running means that the batteries will be subject to the same charging routine as the other chargers provide, bulk, absorption and trickle charge. This ability to constantly recharge the deep cycle batteries at a level that they require, should give them the best chance for longevity preventing sulphate build up on the plates.
Display unit at the chart table
I'll keep you up to date as to whether the doggy three manage to pull their socks up, after all a sailing yacht like me turns the free power to get my crew from place to place, why not harness that same power to generate electricity too.
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