Jimmy Cornell abandons “zero emissions” Elcano Challenge

[kof]

Oh they had no problems 'cause they just kill a couple of whales and use the oil for cooking and lighting. Sorted!

I think people forget that unless you really pare back the loads, then generating enough power is always going to be challenge. If you consider that solar is only about 25-35% efficient, we need tech to advance a long way unless we cover the boat with tons of panels.

I do think that they got their sums wrong on this - it's not difficult to figure out your loads and compare to your generating capacity and see if it matches. Maybe their planned usage was way below reality but again that's all part of the maths.

Magellan had none of those problems, I wonder what they cooked with?

 

[dunedin]

They are great when connected to shore power and save on gas - especially if you are in places where it can take a week to get a gas cylinder to be refilled.

Agreed. We have a portable induction hob for use on shore power in Scandinavia - as Camping Gas unobtainable in Norway and frantic price in Sweden.

BUT maybe not for the subject of this thread, a blue water voyage round the world !

 

[RupertW]

Agreed. We have a portable induction hob for use on shore power in Scandinavia - as Camping Gas unobtainable in Norway and frantic price in Sweden.

BUT maybe not for the subject of this thread, a blue water voyage round the world !

Just a few more watts of solar and it could be. 30 mins of the 1500w induction hob is just 750whr which for me would be about another 200w of solar panels which I should be able to fit.

I think the big problems are electric propulsion or cooking for a large crew.

 

[Seven Spades]

It seems to me that he should just add a couple of Watt & Sea Pods (not legs) that would double his power generation under sail. It seems a bit defeatist to give up without first adding additional power generation.

 

[zoidberg]

We bought a single ring induction hob from IKEA last year for I think £40 and it’s brilliant on the boat. It fits perfectly

Thanks for the reminder. I have one, unused, somewhere....

 

[prv]

Actually ignore that! Their Schengen 90 days would have ended month’s ago probably January so this is clearly them using country specific visas as we’ll have to following Brexit.

I could be wrong, but I thought they had to do that anyway because Kika (as a Haitian) wasn’t eligible for a Schengen visa. Much stress and sobbing and inconvenient trips to embassies back in the spring, and then suddenly it all seemed to go away without (unless I missed a video) much explanation.

Pete

 

[doug748]

If you want a green, renewable way of cooking, an alcohol stove seems to me to be the way to go - make the alcohol from fermenting vegetable matter, which could easily be waste......

I think you are probably correct.

This whole project looks more than iffy. I suggest it could be renamed the: Build a Wacking Great Boat, at tremendous environmental capital expense, then sail around the world with a freezer full of pizza - Challenge.

I can sort of see the point of the trip but it does look like a bit of personal indulgence. A better message might be that: refurbishing an old boats (old anything actually) is the way forward.

.

 

[Frogmogman]

OK, now before you point out to me that this video is about cars and not boats, I know it is. I am posting it because I feel there are some parallels.

In this piece Harry draws some interesting comparisons as regards the overall environmental impact of a new electric car, compared to old cars,

 

[lustyd]

I could be wrong, but I thought they had to do that anyway because Kika (as a Haitian) wasn’t eligible for a Schengen visa. Much stress and sobbing and inconvenient trips to embassies back in the spring, and then suddenly it all seemed to go away without (unless I missed a video) much explanation.

Pete

from what I can tell she did just get a Schengen visa in the end, it was just harder. Having worked at the home office for a little while I can absolutely believe she went through a process for no other reason than her place of birth. We definitely need a better system globally that recognises that most people don't want to leave home, and those that do are generally go-getters

 

[Pete7]

I could be wrong, but I thought they had to do that anyway because Kika (as a Haitian) wasn’t eligible for a Schengen visa. Much stress and sobbing and inconvenient trips to embassies back in the spring, and then suddenly it all seemed to go away without (unless I missed a video) much explanation.

Pete

They had to do a dash from Plymouth to Holland in the Spring in order to qualify for a Dutch visa which was "pre-arranged". They nearly made it but ran out of wind at the very end so drifted about a bit before arriving. One of the conditions was they mustn't touch another Schengen country on route from the UK, hence the dash.

There may be something in the idea that once you have one visa and having behaved, obtaining another is much easier. I was looking at the French visas and they seem to start you off on an short term before extending it.

Uma are supplementing their cooking with meths and now have a regen capability which probably helps keep up their quite modest demands. With 12 x 100Ah Battleborns, so long as they don't use them for propulsion they should have oodles of power after a quick overnight top up in a marina.

Perhaps that's the future for all of us, power when you can get it, make do and have some options when you can't. Will there be a black market in popular mooring locations at night, with small boats calling asking if you want to buy a couple of kilowatts

Pete

 

[Dave100456]

Anyone know how Elcano heated water for showers etc or am I being a wimp?

I installed 650 watts of solar aboard and two of us live comfortably; making 100litres water per day, using 3.5kg load washing machine, having a separate freezer and fridge and sail the boat for months without shore power. However, we have gas for cooing and a diesel water heater. On passage we need to deploy the hydro generator if we go more than 3 days without sun.

 

[Kelpie]

Anyone know how Elcano heated water for showers etc or am I being a wimp?

I installed 650 watts of solar aboard and two of us live comfortably; making 100litres water per day, using 3.5kg load washing machine, having a separate freezer and fridge and sail the boat for months without shore power. However, we have gas for cooing and a diesel water heater. On passage we need to deploy the hydro generator if we go more than 3 days without sun.

Yes you're being a wimp! You must be one of those people who has more than one shower a week.
Do you use an autopilot or a windvane when on passage?

 

[Dave100456]

Yes you're being a wimp! You must be one of those people who has more than one shower a week.
Do you use an autopilot or a windvane when on passage?

Wimp here!
Would love to use servo pendulum steering but the solar arch prohibits this. The twin rudders help boat track well but the key to power saving is tge Jefa autopilot drive unit that consumes very little power.

 

[dunedin]

Anyone know how Elcano heated water for showers etc or am I being a wimp?

I installed 650 watts of solar aboard and two of us live comfortably; making 100litres water per day, using 3.5kg load washing machine, having a separate freezer and fridge and sail the boat for months without shore power. However, we have gas for cooing and a diesel water heater. On passage we need to deploy the hydro generator if we go more than 3 days without sun.

I would guess using electricity, as I can’t see that they had any other sources of heat on board. And if had electric winches, induction job, two fridges etc I can’t imagine they were willing to go without daily showers ........until they had to cut back on power consumption.

 

[Dogone]

A pathetic failure.

Joshua Slocum managed it without any electrickery. Why Cornell just HAS to have a genset defeats me. You only need a few piffling watts from a solar panel for the GPS. Anything more is luxury. With a crew you can hand steer anywhere. Eric and Susan Hiscock managed fine handsteering and just as a couple.

Patheticly feeble.

We’ve become so spoilt, soft and useless in this modern world.

 

[Stemar]

A

Joshua Slocum managed it without any electrickery. Why Cornell just HAS to have a genset defeats me. You only need a few piffling watts from a solar panel for the GPS. Anything more is luxury. With a crew you can hand steer anywhere. Eric and Susan Hiscock managed fine handsteering fine and just as a couple.

Patheticly feeble.

We’ve become so in this modern world.

I hope you aren't using a depth sounder, GPS, AIS or radar on your boat - or an engine, come to that. If you are, welcome to the world of the spoilt, soft and useless, you pathetic failure.

Signed,
Another pathetic failure

 

[doug748]

A pathetic failure.

Joshua Slocum managed it without any electrickery. Why Cornell just HAS to have a genset defeats me. You only need a few piffling watts from a solar panel for the GPS. Anything more is luxury. With a crew you can hand steer anywhere. Eric and Susan Hiscock managed fine handsteering fine and just as a couple.

Patheticly feeble.

We’ve become so spoilt, soft and useless in this modern world.

Certainly Pierre Huglo did the business recently, with no engine, hank on sails, spirit stove, a small windgen and solar panel:

.

 

[Dogone]

I hope you aren't using a depth sounder, GPS, AIS or radar on your boat - or an engine, come to that. If you are, welcome to the world of the spoilt, soft and useless, you pathetic failure.

Signed,
Another pathetic failure

Actually it is worse than needing electrical powered stuff, when it is possible to not require any, it is a failure to provide adequate renewable energy if you do choose gadgetry. A large percentage of ocean going small boats are completely self reliant on renewable energy. It is very easy to do.

I really don’t like to see an otherwise very successful man defeated. I hope he changes his mind and cancels the genset order. He can make it work.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Certainly Pierre Huglo did the business recently, with no engine, hank on sails, spirit stove, a small windgen and solar panel:

.

For many . Less is more in sailing but everyone different.

 

[newtothis]

Actually it is worse than needing electrical powered stuff, when it is possible to not require any, it is a failure to provide adequate renewable energy if you do choose gadgetry. A large percentage of ocean going small boats are completely self reliant on renewable energy. It is very easy to do.

What renewable energy source are they using for cooking? It seems every world voyager is on a constant quest for cooking fuel and adapters for local gas sources.