Makin' Power

Preparations are well underway on the sailing yacht Echo. My father visited for some time and we worked into the late hours to get her ready for her epic voyage. While we were able to get lots of work done, I am happiest about getting the solar panels completely mounted and wired up. Just the other day I tossed out the old battery charger, and have begun to rely completely upon the sun. It's amazing to be making my own power and living off of the grid on my self contained little cruiser.

Here is a layout of the electrical system I will be cruising with:

• Four 95 Watt ET Solar mono-crystalline panels putting out a maximum of 22 amps an hour

• A Blue Sky MPPT solar controller, regulating the charge to my battery banks

• Four group 31 lead acid batteries, wired into 2 separate banks. Each battery is capable of storing 130 amps, giving Echo a total of 520 amps of storage.

From my calculations I think I'll have plenty of power to run everything I need aboard Echo during her voyage, only having to turn off the autopilot if I get several days of absolutely no sun.

While my father was here, we even managed to get Echo out on the bay. It was great to have his help, and even better to have the company. Thanks dad, I wish there was more time for sailing and relaxing while you were here but your time was greatly appreciated.