The SaltyPaws has seen big waves, rain
and high winds on the section from the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar.
However, as if by magic, the summer started as soon as SaltyPaws was
anchored in the med off Estepone in May. This summer lasted until we
hit the Balearics in the middle of September.
True, we have seen high waves and
wind, but not a drop of rain or a cloud in the sky. The rain that we
did see was very short in duration, and more solid than liquid, as it
turned the white deck into a dirty brown. After some grumbling of the
crew, this rain is followed by a deck wash, that uses a lot more
water that what fell from the sky in the first place.
These conditions were absolutely
perfect for our solar panels, and the long summer days even boosted
the power production. During this period we could freely microwave,
run the water maker and vacuum cleaner, all on the solar generated
power. Since we hit the Balearics in September, we have seen lots of
big rain, and dark clouds. We collected the rain, by placing a
bucket under the roof drainage points, and this yielded enough water
to do the dishes for a week. We thrust our water maker more than the
rain in supplying clean water, and hence we have not been drinking
the rain water. The dark clouds nudged SaltyPaws into power
conservation mode.
For the first time in a long while,
the navigation instruments were turned off when on anchor, the vacuum
cleaner is not run every day, and the water maker is only used when
on passage on the engine. Since we left La Rochelle, we haven't yet
needed to change the propane bottle. This is mainly due to the fact
we do most cooking in the microwave oven. However, for the first time
we have started to use the propane to fill thermos bottles with hot
water for tea and soup. Also the normal cooking has been conducted
much more on the propane stove. Other power conservation measures
consist of limiting the coffee from the coffee maker (but we always
find enough power for at least a cappuccino in the morning),
hibernating the laptop at night, and unplugging appliances that are
fully charged.
Under this regime of power
conservation, the solar panels produce enough power to run both the
fridge and freezer. Usually the clouds clear after 3 to five days,
and this will allow the batteries to charge up to full again.
For the first time in a long while, I
need to think about clothes again. Not only garments like the
T-shirt, but also warm clothing such as beanies, and fleeces have
come out of the cupboard. Another plus is that when we go for hikes,
we don't need to worry so much about sunburn anymore.
The good think about the Med is that
the periods of unsettled weather do not last forever, and after two
weeks of off and on cloudy and rainy weather, we have now have a
number of clear sky days ahead.
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| gathering dark clouds |
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| Laser sailing of Mallorca |
