"Tom Dacon" wrote in message
...
"mmc" wrote in message
g.com...
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/...er=yahoo_feeds

Seems the load is more than 2 wind generators and solar panels can
handle. Cruising is adjusting your expectations to the ability of the
boat/equip to accomodate those expectations. I think a good way for kids
to "acclimatize" would be to do a week long camping trip, carrying
(backpack) everything needed for the week. Ipod runs out of juice first
day, phone is dead second day, etc until all the kids have to entertain
themselves is each other and the great outdoors.
I wish her well but don't think there are going to be any records set
this time out.

Well, you know, ordinarily what you'd do is a shake-down cruise, to test
out and debug the systems and see if your concept is going to work. Shake
the whole boat out, maybe two or three non-stop weeks, come back to home
base and fix or change whatever needed doing, and then set out for real.

Her problem, oddly enough, is the calendar. If she's going to set the
record she wants, she can't take a month or two to go through all that
without growing inevitably older during the process. A funny fix to find
oneself in.

I'm not springing to her defense here, so much as just ruminating about
it. I really dislike what I call "stunt sailing", and this jaunt, and her
brother's, and Jessica Watson's, and the 13-year-old Dutch girl's abortive
trip all fit clearly into the category. Sooner or later someone's going to
get dead, and then watch the Vigoro hit the Mixmaster. I hope it's not
her. I hope it's not ANY of them.

Tom



I agree Tom. Jumping out like this is a poor idea for any sailor and
especially for a kid with no life experience. That life experience would
show the person that 2 wind gennys and solar panels is more than adequate to
power everything the person NEEDS. Reading a book (the paper kind) uses no
power, unlike a laptop plugged into an inverter to watch a DVD, or surf the
net, or blog. Given our kids constant need for entertainment, I'd bet there
is a more than required draw on the batteries.
If insufficient storage (batteries) are the real culprit, this should have
been identified as you said before setting out.
I really don't care for parents that push kids into anything for the parents
gratification. May or may not be the case but with the "me generation" we
see it everywhere from TV to elementry school sports.