Thanksgiving Video
November 22, 2018
Day 49
Noon Position: 50 38S 97 37w
Course(t)/Speed(kts): SExE 6+
Wind(t/tws): WxN 30 – 35
Sea(t/ft): W 15
Sky: Thin Cumulus
10ths Cloud Cover: 3
Bar(mb): 992
Cabin Temp(f): 57
Water Temp(f): 43
Relative Humidity(%): 68
Sail: Working jib rolled to “forth” reef point
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 151
Miles since departure: 6352
Avg. Miles/Day: 130
Today’s report is via the following Thanksgiving Video.
Thanks for watching…
Riveting, as always. For those of us who only imagine what it’s like to sail the world solo video from the southern ocean is a fascinating glimpse of a remote part of the world we will never see firsthand. Insightful reporting is a real bonus.
Since reading about the Indian Ocean knockdown in Sail magazine I’ve been compelled to follow your daily progress. Fascinating!
So, watt’s up? Can you tell us about the electrical budget on Moli? Wind and solar generation, batteries and devices that consume power? What does reliable generation look like? How do you protect the solar panel and wind generator from wave damage? Do you monitor power daily load? What devices do you have that consume more power, do you ration use? Nav and cabin lights? I saw a sextant in a photo, could you continue without power? Do you endorse a manufacturer? Whisper? Thanks.
wow, reading a questionair from p.t., if I’m the editor, you would never see this until you were home safe.and maybe not ever.
Hi Paul. As a longtime follower of Capt Reeves, I can tell you he would love to discuss your questions in person. He would go all night on these topics. However, while at sea, he is seldom able to respond at length (or at all). I can fill you in on a question or two. Looking at an email I got from him in 2016, back when he was sailing Murre, I see he mentioned consuming 65 Ah per day, if all was running, and not trying to conserve anything. Then in a spreadsheet he sent sometime later, I see that number was whittled back to 52 Ah. I don’t know how many Ah he makes per day on his solar and generator, but he’s not mentioned running out of juice, or even getting low, in months. He doesn’t have a wind turbine. It’s the instrumentation that draws heavily, about 4/5 of his electricity goes to the radio, GPS, etc, at least it was in 2016. Majority of solar panels are mounted well to the stern and cantilevered out to either side. One was damaged (demolished!) last year during a knockdown. Reeves loves to practice with his sextant (one on board belonged to his dad!), and yeah, he could go without power if it came to that. He even does all the math by hand; I’ve seen him do it! Apologies if I’ve used incorrect terminology here, I’m not a sailor. Glad you are here to cheer Reeves on.
You are probably going to beat me to the horn but its still exciting to be so close to you on this journey on the other side of the world! Fair winds Randall, from the Captain of Coconut 😁⛵
Hi Paul, it’s me again. With the appropriate bribery, I got hold of Reeves’ energy usage spreadsheet for Moli. Long story short: Looks like Moli uses 73 Ah per day for nav and comms, if all are on constantly, BUT when the radar isn’t running, which it usually isn’t. Then, everything else (lights, computers, etc) takes an additional 5 Ah, totalling a “heavy use” estimate of 78 Ah daily. Electricity is created by 4×100 watt solar panels (2 on rear rail, 2 on deck) and by a Watt & Sea Hydro Generator. Numbers are qualified (assumes 5h sunshine), but I think the combo can produce about 140 Ah daily, if the Hydro is run for 7+ hours. Moli has a battery bank that stores well over 500 Ah.
Great report, Captain. If I watch your compass thingy behind you I see the deck pitching at crazy angles as you calmly talk into the camera. If this sailing doesn’t work out you could always fall back to being a beat reporter for amusement park rides. Good sailing and best wishes on your voyage!