Roaring Forty vs COVID-19

 With international travel ban from Australia it appears as though the game is still favouring COVID-19, but team Roaring Forty is still playing to win and and continues to plan and then re-plan....after all, in the words of Helmuth von Moltke, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy".  

RF will remain in storage at Roompot in The Netherlands for the next six months and I can only imagine the mould build up that awaits me on my return. The hot European summer days now make way for chilly nights just great for mould growth. She isn't the best ventilated boat around when the focus is on being keeping the open ocean out. Condensation builds and mould grows, the circle of life within a locked up vessel. Nothing that some elbow grease, Exit Mould, a pressure cleaner and air freshener can't fix.

The coarse propeller for the Aquair 100 hydro generator finally arrived after a couple of months delayed delivery from Singapore during the early lockdowns of COVID. So now I am very comfortable of being able to feed the power needs of the autopilots in the North Atlantic trades and strong westerly winds in the Southern Ocean, without the need to carry a lot of diesel to charge batteries using the engine, all whilst travelling at speeds up to 20 knots. Looking forward to testing the theory as that's the magical exit point where the prop transforms from submarine to aeroplane!

Wait & see......no too expensive! so its an Aquair 100

Roaring Forty's power generation options have been increased. 

Batteries: The onboard electrical system includes 2 x Fullriver deep cycle DC-120 AGM service batteries and a 75AH dual purpose AGM start battery. I will be expanding the service battery bank by one additional battery in due course. Very reliable and 7-10 year life expectancy.

Engine:
The Volvo D1-30 engine is equipped with a 110AH smart alternator and I will carry an additional spare alternator. Effective for short racing and passages, but requires increased fuel storage in portable containers.









Wind:
The D400 Stealth is the same as the marine D400 except black. It is a 3 phase generator pumping out 500W of power. Quiet and very reliable. Eclectic Energy will be overhauling and providing new blades. Installed on top of the carbon fibre A-Frame fitted across the open transom, it is not the most attractive appendage but very functional.
Effective when the breeze is forward of the beam, however in tradewind and downwind sailing I expect the output to be zero.




Water:
I cannot afford a state of the art 'Watt and Sea' Hydro-generator, however I can afford the trusty favourite of the world cruiser, ........the Aquair 100 towed generator.  It comes with a standard propeller good for 6-8 knots with an output of 5-8AH. I am acquiring a coarse pitch propeller that should be good for up to 20 knots before it leaps clear of the water. The stainless mounting hoop simply ties to the pushpit rail with dyneema line and the propeller assembly is streamed aft 15-30m via a sacrificial connector assembly in case the prop is fouled it will break vice damaging the generator unit.

Solar:
There is a semi flexible 50W solar panel mounted on the cabin top just aft of the mast running through an independent Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) regulator. I will carry a spare portable 100W semi flexible panel and regulator.

My main concern was the limitations of the southern ocean as I would have needed to carry more fuel down below in cans. My boat diesel tank is around 90 litres so a lot of cans would be needed. Without sun my solar will struggle and downwind sailing in the Roaring Forties ,will not generate sufficient drive to generate meaningful power from the wind generator unless I am sending it like Alex Thompson so the apparent wind comes forward. This is where the Aquair 100 will come into its own and keep the autopilot running.