Main work done… 05/11/2021

Apologies for not posting anything for so long… I have been waiting for work to be done to the boat, and spent much of the time at anchor in Prickly Bay here in Grenada. 

Last week I came up to Port Louis Marina in the capital, St George’s, for the installation of the frame at the back of the boat. Finally! The frame carries on its top three 350 Watt solar panels. Underneath this is a mechanism for lifting the dinghy out of the water – good for when travelling (instead of pulling the dinghy up and lashing it against the stern, as I had to do before). It’s also handy for security – it is much more difficult to steal a dinghy if it is out of the water, suspended a few feet up in the air.

From the photos you can see how big the stainless steel frame is! It was lifted into place by attaching the mainsail halyard to it and winching it up, while the two guys working on it secured it in place.

So, all done. I am now waiting for the electrician to connect up the solar panels. This is not simply wiring. A new, more powerful, solar controller is needed, plus various other changes to the electrical system. The existing two domestic batteries (there is also one battery for the engine) will be replaced with three new batteries with greater storage capacity. Until now, I’ve been getting by with 280 Watts of solar power; I will now have 1050W from the new panels, plus the existing 280W, making 1330W – which is 375% more generating power than what I had. 

With much better battery storage, this should mean that I will have no problem running the fridge 24/7; when sailing, running the autopilot at the same time (this uses a lot of power, especially if conditions are rough); and using lights without any worries. Fellow sailors here in the marina have laughed, saying “You will be able to run a washing machine and a water maker”. But they get it – very quickly saying “Better to have too much power than too little…”. 

A water maker is theoretically interesting – the idea of turning seawater into fresh water seems like a no-brainer. But… they are very expensive, costing several thousand dollars. They use a huge amount of energy (most people have a petrol generator to power them). And they appear to be notoriously unreliable – people often talk about having to strip down and repair their water maker. Given that I’m by myself, I don’t need the expense or the hassle. My two tanks with 330 litres will last me 22 days, plus I have three 20 litre water cans, so that’s another 4 days. If necessary, I can cut my consumption to say 10 litres a day, which would stretch my supplies to 39 days. That’s more than enough. 

Once the electrics are done, I will head west. It has been great being in Grenada for over three months. It’s a lovely place, the locals are friendly and the pace of life is slow (the main reason for work taking so long!). I don’t think that I will ever look back and say I wish I hadn’t spent four months in Grenada. It’s been a privilege and something that in my old life I would never have dreamed of: spending four months in a Caribbean country. I am feeling more relaxed than I have ever felt, I sleep well and I’ve adjusted pretty much to the heat that comes with being only 12 degrees north. It’s been good for me, getting me out of the mindset that I must keep moving. I think I’m approaching the feeling that time doesn’t matter…