Low-power oceaneering

zoidberg

zoidberg

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I've just read the article in Yachting World re 'Dark Transat' - a friend sent me the link https://www.yachtingworld.com/practical-cruising/dark-transat-sail-across-ocean-total-power-failure-115303

I was well down the page, growing surprised, before I checked and realised it WASN'T Chris Tibbs reporting on the 'low-power passage', but one of the crew. Phew! Nonetheless, I remained surprised by some details in the account. Others here may well think the same.

As CT suggested, I am reviewing my plan to build in a switched/fused link between my House Battery1 and my Start Battery adjacent, as I will carry robust jump leads anyway. Considerations?

As I type, it emerges that Ertan Bescardes ( from Bournemouth ), just a few days into his RTW Golden Globe Race, has reported his HF set has failed - by SatPhone.

What would be the power-use and boat management priorities, in similar circumstances, for people here?
 
Interesting article. It comes as quite a surprise to people when the stuff they routinely rely on quits. Especially when confronted with hours and hours of hand steering each day for weeks.

The only real answer is solar, wind and water generation. Got a Rutland on my Moody 33. As we dont have a sea going fridge or electric pilot, that does the bizz. Best water generator I used was a Watt And Sea on a Transpac last year. The boat also had good solar panels and a wind generator too! You just have to be ready to spend the dough. A week or two in, I was glad of all that as the batteries, despite looking good in harbour, werent that wonderful.

Before our transats on our Moody, I both times put new batteries on. Two domestic, one for the donk.

LED light now seem to be much better and distinct colouring. That saves, obviously.

Who needs lots of electronics mid ocean anyway? Have sailed our Moody in minimalist mode a few times but also an all singing all dancing big catamaran, so have experienced both styles! And used my sextant on both....;)

What goes wrong? Have had blown out exhausts. Rocker box cover severe oil leak. Deep water pot marker wrapped round prop. A good friend had a starter motor dismantle itself a week into a west to east crossing. No power for two weeks.

Its just a case of getting on with it. Gives a nice sense of achievement at the end! :encouragement:
 
It amazes me the amount of power that people need or think they these days. I am currently sorting out the boat for some high mileage passages and power reduction is very high on my list of priorities.
 
Sandy said:
It amazes me the amount of power that people need or think they these days. I am currently sorting out the boat for some high mileage passages and power reduction is very high on my list of priorities.
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Might sound obvious but good plan to get a secondhand set of sails too! Having a good engine and batteries, but light winds for potentially days and the best part of an ocean to cross with a freshly ripped headsail is, um, interesting!
 
I had three GPS units fail within 12 hours off the North coast of Spain in winter swells.

Scary at first but very glad I had a paper plot and also a sextant to measure vertical angles to accurately get position from distance off and one fix.

First the fixed GPS went, the lead in the base was corroded, then a Garmin handheld let water in and the screen went and then second back up hand held also let in water. I was using them from my pocket in severe spray and rain so they were wet but not immersed. Now I don't tend to rely on any electronics.
 
Another reason to go for windvane :cool:

I've limped up to the Carib before with trashed batteries & no engine, honda genny and limited solar put enough in to have some radar for sleep (solo) otherwise the boat didn't need much power, tiny bit for tricolour and AIS standalone receiver. Degen SSB receiver for Wfax. With no hungry autopilot to feed you really don't need much power to cross an ocean.



Wonder how many GPS receivers there are onboard , must be heading for double figures :)
 
I'd hope to have a good idea about which safety critical systems rely on power, and ideally mitigations for all of them. For example a handheld GPS that I am confident has enough battery for a good number of fixes.

Intrigued by the suggestion that a compass light is necessary, I guess if you are forced to hand steer (though in this circumstance I would have a good go at rigging something up with the sheets).

Scary about the cooker not being available. It is common sense not to rely on perishable food, but what about food that *needs* to be cooked?

If people are expecting to hear from you then the ability to get one message out explaining the situation and your intentions would be pretty valuable.

Edit: just coming up with ideas off the top of my head here, it seems like the people in the article coped pretty well, and weren't flustered.
 
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capnsensible said:
Might sound obvious but good plan to get a secondhand set of sails too! Having a good engine and batteries, but light winds for potentially days and the best part of an ocean to cross with a freshly ripped headsail is, um, interesting!
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Sails are already sorted. :) and it is fantastic to sail with new sails with some shape.
 
TLouth7 said:
I'd hope to have a good idea about which safety critical systems rely on power, and ideally mitigations for all of them. For example a handheld GPS that I am confident has enough battery for a good number of fixes.

Intrigued by the suggestion that a compass light is necessary, I guess if you are forced to hand steer (though in this circumstance I would have a good go at rigging something up with the sheets).

Scary about the cooker not being available. It is common sense not to rely on perishable food, but what about food that *needs* to be cooked?

If people are expecting to hear from you then the ability to get one message out explaining the situation and your intentions would be pretty valuable.

Edit: just coming up with ideas off the top of my head here, it seems like the people in the article coped pretty well, and weren't flustered.
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Having to steer by compass day and night is something to practice and mentally prepare for. Not many yachts these days will go in the right direction without it.

Cooking no problem if you dont have a solenoid stop valve, just a manual one.

Tip....carry at least one spare regulator and extra gas. I lost a whole 4.5 kg bottleful from a broken regulator only discovered at the next cooking session. Had spare regulator but the loss og gas meant no hot drinks for nearly two weeks to make sure we had enough for cooking. Just made it (Antigua).
 
Oh, my oppo got one message to us on his Iridium before it died to let us know the score. We tried to order him a new starter motor from MAYS in Horta for his arrival but they wont do that in advance. Probably been let down too many times.
 
capnsensible said:
Having to steer by compass day and night is something to practice and mentally prepare for. Not many yachts these days will go in the right direction without it. Cooking no problem if you dont have a solenoid stop valve, just a manual one.

Tip....carry at least one spare regulator and extra gas. I lost a whole 4.5 kg bottleful from a broken regulator only discovered at the next cooking session. Had spare regulator but the loss og gas meant no hot drinks for nearly two weeks to make sure we had enough for cooking. Just made it (Antigua).
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Snowflakes!

Digestive biscuits and coffee, and you could go around the world. And some did.... with weevily biscuits, foul water and the occasional tot of cheap rum ( with bits )

I reckon, if one really truly wanted to race around the world using last-century tech, than that should also include last-century victuals.....
 
zoidberg said:
Snowflakes!

Digestive biscuits and coffee, and you could go around the world. And some did.... with weevily biscuits, foul water and the occasional tot of cheap rum ( with bits )

I reckon, if one really truly wanted to race around the world using last-century tech, than that should also include last-century victuals.....
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Well yeah. My oppo Colin always had an eye for a bargain and somehow ended up with 24 tins of Tate and Lyle Black Treacle. Was taking his boat over to the Carib for him on another occasion and found them buried away.

So at one 1600 tea time, I had a cuppa plus some bread and treacle. Watched by my crew.

Despite time zone changes, as that kettle went on every day I had 6 Pavlov Droolers addicted to the stuff......
 
Sun.... yardarm.... fermented cane juice....

Should the Fates ever roll the dice such that you 'n I shared a watch rolling downwind, we could get up some real 'monstering' behaviour. With ice.....
 
zoidberg said:
Sun.... yardarm.... fermented cane juice....

Should the Fates ever roll the dice such that you 'n I shared a watch rolling downwind, we could get up some real 'monstering' behaviour. With ice.....
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Scupper me starboard flip flop, Im sure we could talk our way across an Ocean or two.........:)
 
We sailed back from Manila to HK, 650nm, once without any ability to generate power, the alternator had burnt out.

We had dry cell nav lights, that we only turned on when we saw another light. We had a first generation GPS, Pronav 100, that could run on AA batteries that we checked every 12 hours. We kept what power, 60 amp hour, we had in the only battery in case of emergency, we had HF. The engine was a single cylinder 10hp Bukh, that could be hand started.

We blew the lightweight spinnaker out as we cleared Manila Bay and sailed all the way back until we got to HK - where it was uncharacteristically foggy - but a we sailed through the harbour at 1am - it was relatively quiet.

We topped up with dry cell batteries before we left Manila.

I had a crew of 4, total. we hand steered. We did 6 hour watches, 2 on, 2 off. We ate at watch change.

We had an AA battery powered trailing log, distance and speed.

Log and Chart plotting was strict.

The weather was kind - we steered by stars rather than compass light. Choose the appropriate star and steer toward it, an hour or so later find another star (its much easier than steering to a compass (and over 500nm - who cares if you are slightly out)

We had no fridge, but caught fresh mackerel daily (we were well ahead of our time - and used now very fashionable coconut oil for frying).

We did have 72 x 1l bottle of local rum (one of the benefits of RORC China Sea Races, though I'm not sure RORC knew)

We were young and invincible.
 
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Nice to have all the lecky bits, but to have to reliy on them to get somewhere in comfort, humm.!! Plenty of people managed to get across the atlantic before GPS and decent electrical systems. So, plan to cope if you need to do without. Derring do about low batteries and duff alternaters leaves me a bit cold.. Set the boat up so it can run without electric, if it has to.
 
Never lost my electrics...however...

Once had to hand steer ( 3 of us ) for about 3 weeks... autopilot had chosen to go T/u at about the same time as a big bit of ogg took away our aux rudder s/s...... no compass light would have made it less than fun in conditions that were often overcast.... edit bit... was downhill so most steering was done on wind instruments.... keeping wind nearly right astern... but that would have been awkward without instruments or illumunation...

One other time on a 2 month passage we lost 4.5kg of propane ( 1/3rd of our total ) .... slow leak... found to be empty when we were changing tanks.... went on short propane rations.... I carry a Trangia and a fair bit of fuel for it... we used that for tea and coffee making.

I have had a solenoid fail on the propane supply line.... just removed it and carried on...

I also carry a Honda gen set... a spare alternator.. and a spare starter motor....
 
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