Preparation - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 29

Power
Power is another subject that merits an entire chapter, especially since different crews have
vastly different power needs. Some crews rely heavily on generator power, which seems il-
logical given the abundance of wind and solar energy, not to mention high fuel prices and
distances between fueling points. Their decks are typically cluttered with jerry cans which
can reduce mobility on deck and pose a hazard in rough conditions.
For us, it made more sense to minimize our power consumption and make the most of
available space by using a flexible arrangement of renewable energy sources. Our sloop
carried four solar panels (for a total peak output of about 150 Watts), of which two were
permanently mounted on the dodger. The other two could be set up either on the bow, atop
the bimini, or amidships. We also carried a dual tow/wind generator: on passages, we
towed it off the stern rail, and at anchor, we converted it to wind mode and hoisted it on the
inner forestay. With this arrangement, we could meet all our power needs at anchor or un-
derway, by day and by night, and on cloudy or windless days. It was a rare occasion when
we had to run the engine to power our batteries.
We managed very well on these power sources because we do not rely heavily on powered
equipment such as a watermaker or autopilot. Our Hydrovane self-steering worked ex-
tremely well throughout three years of near-constant use. The auxiliary rudder also gave us
a secondary means of steering should our main rudder sustain damage.
We only ran our ancient refrigerator for basic cooling purposes when power permitted.
With good insulation, we found that running it for a few hours at night was sufficient to
keep staple items cool all day. This worked perfectly for cheese and beer but not for fresh
meat, which we generally did without (instead, we relied on canned chicken, eggs, and
quality canned hams). In a similar vein, our only source of warm water was a solar shower
which was very effective when the sun was out. (When it wasn't, we used the stove to heat
water.) Solar showers come in various models: check for one with a sturdy nozzle that's
easy to turn on and off.
Using a foot pump to bring fresh water to the galley sink helped us reduce our power
needs, too. The foot pump also gave us the ability to draw very small amounts of water -
say, for brushing teeth. Similarly, we used simple solar garden lights as additional anchor
lights in crowded harbors. Resource-conscious as we were, we never felt like we were