Monday, July 07, 2008

Power Supply


[Maryanne]Living aboard a boat, and not connected to the mains, we are required to make and store our own electricity. For the most part this seems to work out pretty well, but after our stint at sea in cloudy weather with no wind (and using the radar and other instruments) we were very low...

After a couple of nights "rest", there was still no sun or wind and we were starting to ration even the use of cabin lights. When we first arrived in the Boston area we anchored off Peddocks Island - still it was dull and windless. In the distance we could see a large wind generator just about turning. We had a little chat with ours and asked it to look to its big brother - maybe it could learn a thing or two. As you may expect, it ignored us; but now we have had a cloud free day and are battery rich again - whew!

I'm keen to explore Boston, but we spent our first few days here resting and repairing (or attempting to repair!). I plan to spend the next few days joining Kyle at work - where we hope to have some time to explore Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada) and Kansas City (Missouri, USA). This of course depends on space available for me to travel in the plane - but so far it is looking good. Once we get back to Boston we hope to be real tourists here - and as usual will tell you anything we find of interest. For now though, we have traveled far enough South that it is HOT! And we are already complaining. I've picked up a few more fishing tips (but still caught nothing).. Hope to report more later.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading through all your posts about cruising along Maine's coast brought back wonderful memories! Although we never dealt with as much fog or as many mosquitoes(time of the year is key), the beauty of the area never ceases to impress, no matter the season. I think your friend at the radio station should propose a new feature to his management: reading your posts on a regular basis! Even though they wouldn't be about Maine any more, they are certainly informative and entertaining. And who knows who else might chance to listen and want to do the same thing? Before you know it, your travels could be in syndication around the world! ;-)

Anyway, in spite of those maintenance "headaches," all the experiences are worth it, aren't they?? Enjoy the cool(er) Canadian weather and the luxury of hotel rooms for a nice change of pace! ;-) Have a wonderful time in Boston, and be sure to check out the USS Constitution and the aquarium.

Happy trails and sails!

SV-Footprint said...

Hi Karen, Great to hear from you. YES the experience is worth it all... We really don't have too many headaches, but we publish the bad along with the good so you get a fair flavor of our travels. I would not trade it for the world!

I'm a bit overwhelmed with what we may do in Boston (and the area) - so I appreciate your tips.

When we arrived in Boston they had a special security zone around it, and we assumed it was for the fireworks - later found out it was because Dick Cheney was visiting (maybe this is why he has not been too concerned about the Constitution - thought it was just an old boat all along! ha ha).