On Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:19:47 +0000, Larry wrote:

a nicely installed wind
charger which I think from his recent posts is the reason power has
drained out....because with a FOLLOWING wind, wing-n-wing sailing
downwind, the apparent wind over the wind charger is near zero...not the
constant 15-25 amps he normally creates from it.

Larry,

What kind of wind gen does Skip have? Or what kind of winds is he
normally in to get 15-25 Amps?

I'm not being a smart-A#$ here. I just never saw consistant power that
high with mine. I had 2 AirMarines on 'Final Step'. In 3 years, about
2 years of that cruising and on the hook, I seldom saw more than a few
Amps. Rarely would I see 10, 15, 20 or even 35 Amps, this in 25 to 40
kt winds.

"Valkyrie" (current home) has 1 Air Marine mounted near the top of the
mizzen. I do see a bit more due to the height, but I'd say about 5
Amps or less in 12-15 Kt. winds.

I do have solar. 320 Watts at the moment and will be adding another
110 Watts, maybe 220 Watts. 'Final Step' had 300 Watts and handled the
fridge, watermaker and other normal stuff. 'Valkyrie' has a freezer
and larger watermaker. That's why I'm adding a bit.

To sumarize. From my experience, 4 years total, one can count on the
solar but wind is "lagnaipe" (cajun for something extra, like a
baker's dozen) and can't be counted on.

Rick

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