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Second week on the Pacific Ocean: Crossing the Doldrums?

Crossing the Doldrums, as all sailers know, requires lots of energy – and some luck. Luckily on board of Ya the crew makes the most of the situation. They just keep hoisting and lowering the sail according to wind and current. And all the time, they keep their eyes on the prize: crossing the Doldrums! Good food, good mood – and some superstition. Read on!

Lucky Pierrot

Day 1. Sat Apr 06 2024

When Pierrot took over for the night watch, there was hardly any wind, and from the wrong direction.
At first light Peter woke up when Pierrot made a tack. The wind had increased. Peter could take over the watch with the Ya on the right course and a good speed.

In Peters morning watch, the wind slowed down as well as the direction, to unfavourable. When Pierrot came on watch, the wind increased and the wind angle changed again to the right direction. Then, Pierrot just had the fishing gear ready, we caught a fish. A Kingfish. We just at it. made by Pierrot. It was delicious.

So things become simple on board of Ya. You call the name Pierrot and luck is all around.

Solid

Day 2. Sun Apr 07 2024

We are sailing pretty far from the Galapagos Islands. Reason is, if we would sail more to the west now, the currents could take us there. Or even worse, we would have to go all around them on their North side. That would take an extra 500 miles. Yes, tt is tempting to go already now to the WestSouth West, but no, first we go much more Soutth and we have to ‘swallow’ the disadvantage of the bad winds and currents, to avoid the big risk later.
So, a solid navigation and a solid mindset.

Pierrot baked his first bread in the bread baking machine. Umpfh. It did not rise. This bread is good to use for building walls, for it is really solid.

In the East to the South, and then go

Day 3. Mon Apr 08 2024

There was a question from a reader: Why is our route so much to the East? Because there is the Humboldt current, running along Peru and Ecuador, setting to the North, and we want to go South.
Indeed, we just want to avoid that current. But we are reluctant to go to the west for two reasons. First because the currents. More to the west they are going North West now. (normally at this season there are currents going West, but not now, just bad luck). So this means with no wind, you would be brought to North of Galapagos.
Second because of the winds. Where we are now, the winds tend to be South, or even a bit South West. So you can make a Starboard and Port tack to go South. But in the West, near Galapagos, the winds are South East. If you don’t make it south of the Galapagos, you will never make it and have to go all around these islands. Making a Starboard tack just East of the Galapagos, with the NW current, would set you on a North ground course – back to Panama, or Costa Rica!
So it is here in the East that we have to make enough way to the South. We want to cross the equator at about 84 degrees West (we are nearly there). Then we go, with a little bit of favourable winds, our way to the West South West and -counting on a SE blow more to the West- turning more and more to South West course. Hence we end up on the South of the Galapagos. If Neptune could help us a bit with less Northern currents there, we would be delighted.

If this story is not clear enough, then the most important is: Pierrot made a good Chili con Carne.

Slowly

Day 4.. Tue Apr 09 2024

Today things went rather slowly. In the morning we tacked and with the little bit of wind we had we could slowly head for the direction we needed to go. well to a WSW course and we have to do SW. but we will get there, slowly.
The weather was nice. not too hot, not to cold. a little swell, a little waves. We took our time to slowly clean the deck and polish some stainless steel. The day continues gently and peaceful like this. We conceive that perhaps in the night we will pass the equator. But, hours are passing by and the wind became slower, so the Equator will be there slower.

We ate South East Asian Fried Rice. Peter and Pierrot are still discussing if it was not to spicey. But everything needs its time, we also discuss these things slowly.

Against

Day 5. Wed Apr 10 2024

There are two models to predict the currents in this area. One is called Marcator, the other is Hycom. We see that Mercator has always been right, and Hycom is almost always wrong here in this area.
It looks like Hycom is just predicting against Mercator.
However, Mercator always predicts currents against our route. Also today. For the complete area, from Ecuador to the Galapagos, all currents are against us. Very unusual.Just bad luck. So we try to avoid the strongest currents. The Humboldt current runs along the Peruvian and Ecuadorian coasts, to the North. Now, this current has widened itself three times, and is also affecting us. And how! We tested this today. We sailed 2.5 knot to the South, against that current, and our boat went… against our course. We went back!
The Humboldt current appears to be really strong.
The only thing we can do now, is take profit of the last bit of wind (also against us) and sail to the west-south west.
So if you read this, would you light a candle to turn the currents and winds with us?

Motorsailing

Day 6. Thu Apr 11 2024

PredictWind already predicted a long period of windstill weather. And indeed, last night we lowered the sails. no wind at all. The water was flat.
What to do? The strong current can push us back all the way and we have to start all over. Most probably we could slowly end up to the West or North West. It could lead to situations like coming close to prohibited islands of Galapagos, getting troubles with the Coast Guard there, and what have you.
So we switched our motors from alternators to engines and with a tiny bit of power we can just make our way perpendicular to the current. With our limited battery bank, we cannot do this for long. Just for a day or two. To prevent emergency situations, there is a small generator on board and some petrol. It can use 10 liter per day. We use only what we need.
In practice, there is nearly always a tiny bit of wind. Not enough to sail. So what we do is motorsailing: if we make a bit of speed with the engines, we create our own wind and all together this is just enough to make the sails work. A beautiful combination of wind and motorpower. If the sun shines, the solar panels deliver enough to make the engines run that bit. We call it ‘Sun sailing’. In the night we get the energy from our tiny generator.

Meanwhile, the wind picks up. We make 4.5 knots! Pierrot already switched off the engines, yesss, we sail again!

Pierrot made a great stew of beans, patatoes, eggplants, onions, tomatoes, and his touch of a mix of spices. We loved it.

The signs are good, but

Day 7. Fri Apr 12 2024

Last night it became cold. humid. moisture.
It became colder. just your sheet was barely enough to keep you warm. In the morning the humidity was that high, that the smoke alarm started beeping. A thick grey layer covered the sky. Why?
We were sailing over the area where the deep cold streams of the Pacific ocean ‘bumps’ on a ridge and comes to the surface. This stream created our current against and once on top, this current is no more. Hurray! No current against anymore!
Your candles helped.

Another thing. The predictions say that till Saturday we will have little wind or no wind. But, now we have very light winds from the South East. Are these the first winds of the SE Trade winds? Or is it just a coincidence? Generally the trade winds blow at the 3th degree South. That is another 100 miles from here (and the last days we often did only 20-ish).

Are we through this doldrums? Or not yet?

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First week on the Pacific: good food but bad winds

In their first week on the Pacific, Peter and Pierrot had good food but bad winds. The start from Panama was great, but then came the bad winds. Read all about it in this weeks’ blog!

Screenshot from https://fossilfreearoundtheworld.org/map-where-we-are-now-position-of-the-ya/

Great start

Day 1. Sat Mar 29 2024

Our voyage to Gambier Islands starts great. PredictWind forecasted favourable winds and currents from last midnight till April 1. At 21:00 we lifted anchor and we slowly left Panama City with its metropolitan skyline. At 23:00 the first little wind came. We could sail.
In the morning we came in the currents, all favourable. We do more than 6 knots. Now we are rounding Capo Malo (Bad Cape), with a respectable distance. PredictWind’s Weather Routing predicted exactly what we are doing now.

Pierrot, just 3 days on board, made a flying start. He did the provisioning of the vegetables and fruits and stored them, he runs his watches, and today he made a great salade for lunch and a Carbonada a la Flamande. Man, how to get us happy on board.

Some extremes

Day 2. Sat Mar 30 2024

This day had extremes. In the night. he wind started picking up, we had to take a double reef, and some later even a third reef. Then, the attachment of the toppinglift broke. Not nice, to fix things in the night, but we maneged to settle everything calmly.

In the morning the wind started to drop, contrary to the forecasts. When a 20-25 knnots (6 Beaufort) was predicted, it even becomes wind still! for some hours. This delay will change our routing later on.

We also had our first loss. A bunch of 5 bananas fell down during our little adventure at night and 8 carrots have already completely rotten. But still we had a great meal.

Suspense

Day 3. Mon Apr 01 2024

The weather forecasts were not corresponding with reality, so we took new ones through satellite communication. Today it is the last day of our month satellite contract and we have a massive credit, so we took extensive forecasts.

As of tomorrow, the winds will not be favourable for the next 500 miles. Also the waves will be against. So the currents must get us through.
There are two models predicting the currents. One saysthat we get all current against us, or pushing is with force into the Galapagos Islands. The other one says we got the currents with us, or no currents at all.

What will it be?

April 1

Day 4. Tue Apr 02 2024

At midnight the wind slowly dropped. Strange, all weather forecasts say different. Pierrot did his best to keep the Ya sailing but, finally, at the end of his watch there was no wind at all. Only the engines could help. We had to accept that the windstill area appeared to be much bigger, and we will have an 800 miles wind still voyage, in stead of 500 miles.

Then the wind picked up again. We are sailing. We sail slow, only 3 to 4 knots, but we are sailing.

So nature fooled us at bit. On April the first.

Moods

Day 5. Wed Apr 03 2024

We started our passage with a weather window that should bring us all the way to th Equator now. But, the weather chose to be different. Now, we are hundreds of miles ‘behind’. The currents are playing with us and we try to make the best of it.

Last night just before Peter’s watch ended, the last bit of wind had gone. The currents could do what they want with Ya. Pierrot saw it all happening in his watch. For every sigh of wind he hoisted the sails. And he had to lower them again as they start slamming by the motion of the Ya in the waves.
The next morning Peter took over. A bit of wind started to blow… from the South to South West, exactly against, just the wrong direction. These winds can stay here for weeks.
Peter took the decision to sail to the South East. At last you can sail in the Southerly direction then, to get yourself free from current . OK, that is another 200 miles -do understand the scale of the ocean. And we made 1 knot speed over ground- do understand the strenght of the current. So after 8 days, we would be in an area where no currents are, at least a place where you will not be set back.
Peter made calculations on the quantity of energy on board, and when to use it as engine power. But again, the scale of the ocean is simply large and we are iny miney tiny. This passage could be a long, long story, with days of waiting and hoping Ya would not loose to many miles. Days of waiting? Or weeks?

So you understand the moods of us here on board.

Suddenly, around noon, the Ya made a spontaneous tack. The wind has shifted in just two-three seconds. We got a South South Easterly wind. We could sail! OK, the current refrains us to sail straight to the South, but near Galapagos we could probably pass the Equator. That is another 400 miles, but who cares – we are sailing!
The mood has changed to excellent and vivid here on board the Ya.
Pierrot made a great curry with coconut milk, wow.

Good hope flies with the wind

Day 6. Thu Apr 04 2024

Last night a big booby came sitting on Ya’s bowsprit. We had good hope that the SSE winds get us against the currents, all the way under the Galapagos and could brings into the tradewinds.

Early morning the booby left us. The wind changed its direction to the SSW and that is exactly against for the next 500 miles. These winds typically blow here in June and later.
We downloaded the new weather forecasts from PredictWind. The SSW winds are here to stay as long as the forecasts predict.
So to sum up: the currents are against us, the winds are exactly against us, as well as the waves. This does not look well for a smooth and running voyage.

If you see our good hope flying with the wind to you, would you please be so kind to blow it back to us?

Back ‘n forth

Day 7. Fri Apr 05 2024

Back and forth, that is what we have been doing the last 24 hours. Heading to the South East, then tack to go to the North West, and again, and again, and again…
Frustrating, because we need to go to the South West. Constantly changing our minds on what would be the best course, does not help either to get closer to our destination.

We wait and hope for the currents and/or winds to finally be on our side. In the meanwhile we take every little opportunity to get an extra mile.
The last day we did 32 miles. Perhaps we do half of it today? Perhaps in our best dreams.

Want to know more? Follow Ya on a daily basis!

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Our Panama Canal transit and… The Pacific!

Panama Canal Transit and … the Pacific

Finally, after a very long waiting list we transited the Panama Canal. Together with Sue, with Jack and Sol, and don’t forget Poki the cameraman and maker of this movie. A top quality movie!

Poki filmed our Panama Canal Transit. More from Poki on https://vimeo.com/user1230810/videos

The very moment that you see this, we – Pierrot and me- have already set sail for the Pacific, a near 4000 miles route, to the little islands of Gambier in the South Eastern area. The first 800 miles will be challenging , with wind stills and countercurrents. We could even be entangled in the Galapagos Islands…..
You can follow us daily on https://fossilfreearoundtheworld.org/map-where-we-are-now-position-of-the-ya/

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Wave energy

Every sailor has sailed against the waves. When on the engine, you see the big difference between going on flat water or waves. It doubles or triples the necessary energy.

Why using it against you? Why not use it for you?

That is how the Xander and Sven thought, just 18 year old. Xander sails regattas, currently the 29-er. Then you are aware of the wave energy!

The two guys started a school project, to get electricity out of wave energy. A real life experiment.

In general it works like this:

You put a floating container in the water. A closed pipe, a canister, anything that floats. There is a coil with a magnet in it. This magnet is connected with a line to an anchor, hooked in the bottom of the water. So when the container goes up and down in the waves, the magnet moves up and down along a coil. This way it is converting the motion into electricity.

A simple pipe should do it..

But..

But, like all inventions, the first prototype did not work. The pipe started leaking, thus damaging the electro magnetic system.

What now?

Xander and Sven started all over again. They designed a second prototype. Have a look at the drawing.

The second prototype. Translation: 1. Magnet; 2. Coil 3. block; 4.line; 5. pipe; 6.container; 7.anchor; 8.Waterlevel; 9.Bottom

.

Would it work this time? Please check the movie they made.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. (courtesy Xander Schaap en Sven Rekelhof)

Later they showed their prototype in a ‘dry environment’. If you pull the line, it was possible to make a LED light shine like the sun! (well, nearly).

Congratulations, gentlemen!

More about wave energy

Wave energy is the very sustainable alternative to compensate the energy lack of windturbines and solar when windstill and cloudy. It is even better than the non sustainable alternatives like gas, oil or nuclear power plants. Because the latter are expensive and they cannot be easily ‘switched on and off’.

So, Dutch engineers are working on it for some years now. Here are some developments.

The pipes on the left side go up and down. Connected to a magnet-and-coil, they produce energy. This system is already that sophisticated that the pipes can be 50 times smaller than the prototypes of 10 years ago. (courtesy Innovation Quarter )

This is a design for the near future: A lot of buoys, 19 meters high, all generating wave energy. (courtesy CoPower)

Or an installation (courtesy Change.inc4 )

The Dutch ‘InHolland’ university of Applied Science has done studies, leading to a concrete project: Symphony. (Courtesy Symphony )
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Again an article about Sustainable Sailing book

The Sustainable Sailing book is also noticed by the national newspaper Trouw, and uses a full page to describe what the book is about.

Here the contents of article, in the English version. As well as the original Dutch article.

A trip through the water can also be more sustainable

(Translated from Trouw, Sustainability and Nature, p 8.)

Now that the sun is out, water lovers are starting to get the itch. They want to enjoy sailing, on a sloop, sailboat or yacht. Eager skippers can master the art of green sailing.

Let’s be clear: anyone who abandons the plane and gets on a sailboat instead is doing green. Climate icon Greta Thunberg has already taught the world this lesson by demonstratively taking a trip on a lightweight racing yacht to a climate summit in New York in 2019.

However, a trip through the water can always be even cleaner and more conscious. That is the message of sailor and environmental scientist Peter Hoefnagels in his book ‘Sustainable sailing in 13 practical steps’, published at the end of 2023. In it he explains extensively and optimistically the opportunities there are to limit the environmental impact of a boat trip, whether with a sloop or a large yacht.

His target group is large. The Dutch together own around 500,000 boats for pleasure boating, reports Rijkswaterstaat. Of the people with their own boat, most own a motorboat (42 percent) or a sailboat (33 percent), the rest own, for example, a sloop (16 percent), according to the RAI.

Holidaymakers and recreationists also like to rent a boat. About 1.5 million Dutch people sail or sail at least once a year, while private boat owners do so five times or more.

The planning of the boat trip is often the factor to sail sustainably.

An environmentally conscious boat trip starts with planning, Hoefnagels describes. Where does someone cast off, where does the journey go? When spending an afternoon floating in the canals or on a lake, the route is not that important. Then take a small clean boat with sail or battery, instead of a ‘fossil’ sloop with a steaming engine.

If the trip is more serious, on a larger boat, then a combustion engine is almost a must for (extra) power. In that case, planning largely determines how sustainable a trip is. A lot depends on the weather. The harder the wind and current are against you, the more a (sailing) boat has to rev the engine to move forward.

If you optimally adjust the trip shortly in advance based on weather reports, you can save half on fuel, because the fossil engine does not have to be turned on. That also saves a lot of noise, both under and above water.

Hoefnagels also sees silence and tranquility while sailing as sustainable, because (water) animals are less startled and disturbed. For the passengers themselves, sailing pleasure is also greater without noise, he says.

Energy consumption by the blade (you know: the ‘propeller’ on the back) and motor are the biggest drain, but quite a bit of energy also goes through the cabin on a large boat. Electricity is usually needed for equipment, lamps, a refrigerator and heating. Economical use is paramount, with a highly insulated cool box, LED lights and a heat lamp. And the electricity that is needed can largely be generated on the boat. Solar panels and mini wind turbines (which fit on a meter-high mast) provide power, and an onboard battery makes storage possible.

Not everyone has to pack the boat full of panels, like students during solar boat competitions, but a solid set of several large panels helps the skipper on the green road. This is even necessary when traveling long distances, so as not to become a ‘slave to your refrigerator’. What you don’t want, Hoefnagels outlines, is to run the generator to generate power for the cool box, or to detour for power. If possible, ensure that you as a skipper are ‘autonomous’ in terms of production and energy needs.

Cooking with butane gas is common on most boats and ships. With your own solar and wind energy, cooking on an induction hob is more attractive and also cheaper.

And if you want to consciously cook on a boat or yacht, you can use a hay box, for example, Hoefhangels recommends. That’s exactly what it sounds like: a box of hay. A hot pan can safely remain glowing to cook food. A so-called ‘hay dam’, a kind of tea cozy for over a pan, can also limit gas combustion.

What helps to keep all forms of energy consumption on board within limits: use an app or a meter on which consumption is visible. Hoefnagels states: “Just by mounting the energy meter in a permanent place that is clearly visible to everyone, the behavior of the crew changes.”

If there is a toilet and a tap on board, it is important not to discharge waste water, but to store it properly and dispose of it responsibly on shore. Also consider a dry toilet, Hoefnagels advises. Such a toilet contains no water, pee and poop are collected and thrown away in the bag.

Some of the environmental damage caused by boating often occurs once the boat is stationary. Then it needs to be cleaned and scrubbed occasionally to remove deposits and dirt from the boat. Do this with harmless means, the author advises.

Biocide-containing paint is widely used to prevent fouling. “This kills aquatic life and spreads microplastics,” the author warns. So don’t do that. Environmentally friendly alternatives are available, such as ‘saponifying paint’ without biocides.

And here the author shows himself to be an experienced skipper: after a trip through fresh water such as a lake or river, first sail for a while in salt water, i.e. the sea, then the deposits and algae will dissolve a lot easier.

Do what you want with my tips, Hoefnagels emphasizes throughout the entire volume. He seems to be protecting himself against potential grumblers who think: can’t I just sail without a care in the world anymore? According to the author, skippers with ‘youthful curiosity’ who are open to his advice and experiences can help themselves and the environment.

Sustainable sailing – in 13 practical steps, J. Peter Hoefnagels. Hollandia Publishers; 192 pages. €24.95.

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New developments in batteries

The developments on storing energy is diverse. Here we stick to the storage of electricity only and that is already pretty diverse. We forget the big tweaks made on Lithium batteries and have a look t at wider variations. from capacitors to batteries made from solar panels.

Seeing is believing.

Supercapacitor

A supercapacitor can store electrical energy and is very light. It can be charged very quickly and can supply a lot of energy. A disadvantage is that it cannot yet hold the electrical charge properly. The capacity is also still small. Supercapacitors have long been used to power the flash on a camera. Recently they have also been used in cordless drills.

Saltwater battery

A saltwater battery works on the same simple principle as a lead-acid battery. Only the chemical reactions are not that intense. A saltwater battery therefore requires a lot of space and is relatively heavy. However, many more charging cycles are possible. The saltwater battery has recently been made industrially.
This heavy storage is suitable for large ships. Its advantages are the durability and simplicity of the principle, and therefore of maintenance and repairs.

Condensed battery

A Chinese car battery manufacturer says to come up with a so-called condensed battery that can contain 500 watt hours per kilo. This would be very light and even interesting for aircraft.

Core of grinded solar panels

With silicon as a basis, a relatively light silicon battery could be made, even lighter than an LFP battery. The grain size of the silicon must then be only a few nanometers, which makes it more expensive than gold. A way has recently been found to separate the silicon from old solar panels and then grind it into nanograins. All this in a simple and cheap way. As the development of solar panels continues, the old panels automatically become waste. But with this invention, discarded solar panels could be the raw material for future batteries.

The modern batteries are made under very clean conditions

This is just a view to the horizon or beyond. Please don’t wait for these developments, because most of them will not make it to the market.

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Fast developments in solar energy

How fast do developments go?

In 1980, a good solar panel could not even convert 8% of the solar energy to electricity. When we started the Sustainable Yacht project in 2010 , the best solar panel available on the market could reach 20%. Three years later, we could install solar panels on the Sustainable Yacht ‘Ya’ doing just over 20%.

And the more panels will be on the market, the faster the developments go.

Faster and faster

Doing a mere 20% in 2010, in 2020, there were solar panels developed converting over 30%. A 10% increase!

In 2023 a Chinese factory developed panels with a 39% efficiency. They do that with a beautiful trick: they use two layers. The top layer consists of a special material, called Perovskite. that layer takes about 10% and that is not much, but it is transparant especially for infra red radiation. Under these transparant cells there are the regular cells as we know them, and they are especially sensitive for infra red. It leads to a total solar to electricity conversion of 39%!

They call it the heterojunction cell or simply tandem cell.

The cell to the right has two layers. The first (with Perovskite) converts solar rays to electricity and it lets the Infra Red go through. The second layer converts these rays to electricity. Such solar panel is also called a tandem panel. (Source US DOE)

Within the same year, German researchers even tipped the 39.9%. The pace of the development increases.

But, take all these new developments with a grain of salt. Donot wait for it to put on your roof. It can take decades before an innovation will find their place on the market. If they will anyway. For example, the Perovskite panels work only on critical Oxigen and water conditions. Especially these conditions are hard to maintain on a durable, sustainable basis, for on your roof, or on a ship. So perhaps these panels will only be used for outer space programmes?

A more versatile deployment, a faster growing market

Nowadays, many people and companies put solar panels on their roofs. Because we like to use that left over surface to make some energy, some money.

But we see smarter solutions. Architects start playing with it. They are designing facades of buildings with transparant solar panels. When in the office, you have a pleasant light in stead of a torching sun trying to cook the workers heads.

Next to climate solutions, solar panels also give a building a ‘face’.

We also see this on boats. More and more biminitops are made from solar panels. Because, why not using this shadow maker also as an energy catcher?

All new deployments enlarge the solar energy market. It makes the development increasing faster and faster.

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The Jevons Paradox and Use Only What You Need

The key philosophy of living  and sailing Sustainable Yacht ‘Ya’ is to use only what you need. So, if you like to sail, then sail and don’t use the engine. Or, if you need a cup of tea, just heat water for a cup of tea and not a full kettle. That kind of things.

But, we also check for efficiency. How efficient are the electric engines? The propellers? All devices are checked upon this matter. On board these efficiency measures help a lot.

All efficiency measures help us to stay fossil free on board, However, efficiency measures don’t appear to help society. For example, isn’t it remarkable that in 1975 we drove our middle class Volkswagen doing about 6.5 liter per 100 km (1 ltr to 15 km) and 30 years later a middle class Volkswagen is doing the same?

How come? Does energy efficiency not work? Despite all the energy efficiencies on the engine, the tyres, all mechanic parts?

The 1973 Volkswagen Beetle consumed 6.5 liter per 100 km. Despite all efficiency measures, the middle-class car 30 years later, here the Volkswagen Golf, uses the same.

The answer lies in the Jevons Paradox.

The Jevons Paradox

We go back into the 19th century, when England’s industry was growing fast.  Thus the coal reserves in England slowly decreased. So, solutions began to be introduced that would allow coal to be used more efficiently. As coal consumption became more efficient, coal reserves were depleted more quickly, not more slowly. How is that possible?

In 1865, British economist William Stanley Jevons wrote a book explaining that greater efficiency leads to lower operating costs. This encourages people to consume more instead of less. Jevons concluded that, in our current economic system, greater efficiency does not lead to lower but to higher consumption.

James Watt’s steam machine (left) entered the industry end of the 18th century. A century later, he first steam turbine saw light and was more than a tenfold more efficient. (source: Wikimedia commons, Sandstein https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Sandstein ).

Back to the example of the middle-class car. Around 1970, the middle-class people could afford a Volkswagen Beetle. The car companies were improving their new models, such as the Volkswagen Golf and they became more and more efficient. They could make more profit. Also the wages increased each year. They could lower the price a bit. Not in absolute numbers, but relatively. More people could consume more, so more cars were sold. The efficiency measures encouraged the companies to design bigger and faster models, and with more luxuries. The efficiency measures taken, did not create less, but more consumption of fossil fuels. Thus, the expected environmental ‘profit’ has turned into an environmental loss.

You see the same Jevons paradox in the yachting industry. The left boat is from 1970 and has cost 3 times a middle-class income. The boat tot the right has two times more volume, is faster and also costs 3 times a middle-class income.

Use only what you need

Conclusion is, if we improve the efficiency in a market, the economy and financial mechanism dictates. If we choose for ourselves, we dictate.

The best answer is to consider for yourself how much you need. Do you need that bigger model? That big house? That lot of water in the kettle? That much engine hours when you originally wanted to sail?

Or are your real values to spend time with your family, no matter in what sort of car?

The market shows, that most people are driven by all the impulses one continuously gets through advertising on your phone or your laptop.

You can choose to reduce these impulses, by using Facebook or Instagram less, use Signal instead of Whatsapp, and use DuckDuckGo instead of Google. OK, Mr. Zuckerberg and the other multi billionaires will not be happy, but they don’t have a money problem in the first place. But you get a fair chance to really use what you need.

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Field test CIGS solar panels when covered 20 mm.

There are many innovations in the solar industry, but only some reach the market and are spread. And, will they get interesting for boats? Some years ago a new flexible and thin solar panel seems to stand up. It is often called CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) thin film panels. They were originally developed for roofs. But, skippers, yacht owners (and people with flat roofs), attention here! The efficiency of CIGS solar panels has improved!

Yachts normally have limited space for solar panels. So in general the most efficient panel (20+%) is used. Sinoltech http://sinoltech.com/eproducts/?id=8 now delivers thin film CIGS panels with a rated maximum efficiency of 16.5%. This lesser efficiency could be beaten by the great property of CIGS that it doesnot loose much yield when there are little shadows of lines or other rigging, because the latter panels are hardly sensitive to some shadow here and there.

Anti-skid

The regular silicon PV deckpanels are covered with an anti-skid layer. The CGIS panels have no anti-skid and can be slippery. Especially on a monohull yacht, easily heeling 20 degrees, precautions should be made.

The saloon deck of a monohull yacht can be covered with deck panels. The current silicium based panels here, are covered with anti-skid. They are sensitive to a bit of shadow and they are costly. So many skippers are reluctant to buy them. What about gluing a light, flexible alternative on the deck?

According to the CE standard the deck should have every 7-10 cm an anti-slip profile. Will we put that standard also on existing yachts? Then we first evaluate the situation.

The CGIS panels will be mounted on the saloon deck. This deck is not often used to walk on. It will only be used close to the mast, or, in case of setting a reef, a short time at the aft of the saloon deck. These areas will not be covered with panels.

Nevertheless, also in the ‘dead’ area, when a crew member will only be standing by exception, we should create some anti-skid. Therefore, there will be put 20 mm anti-skid tape over the full length of the CIGS panel.

The question

This panel is 345 cm wide, so the maximum space between two anti skid areas will be 16 cm. The effective width of the panel is 31 cm. So the 2 cm coverage would result in a 6.5% less effective surface.

In this field test we will find out.

The main question is:

How much loss will a 20 mm coverage over the full length of the panel create?

More specific:

  • Will this coverage lower the yield of the panel seriously?
  • Will this coverage lower much more than the 6.5% effective surface coverage?
  • Are there any other side effects?

Field test

For this field test four older panels of the catamaran SV Alcazar are used. They are 108 X 34 cm, with an effective PV surface of 96 X 31 cm. They are rated 200 Watt in total, but “They are a bit abused perhaps”, skipper Jack commented.

The MPPT is the Victron Smart Solar. The input from the panels is in the 48 volt range, the output is in the 12 volt.

The battery used is a 12.8 Volt (nominal) LFPO4 battery of 100 Ah. At the start the battery was 12.7 V, at the end of the test 13 Volt.

In stead of a 20 mm tape, pieces of wood are used, This way it was possible to make the measurements ‘before’ and ‘after’ the coverage within 10 seconds. Nevertheless, when the cloud passes before the sun, also these 10 seconds can be long and make a good comparison impossible. In these cases the measurement was postponed untill the cloud situation was more stable. This explains the differences in the periods between the measurements.

The test is made in Panamarina, Panama. So in the tropics. The date was February 10, so in the dry season.

The set up seen from two sides, with and without the coverage. For the test 4 older panels of 50 Watt each are used, a Victron MPPT and an LFP battery.

The total duration of the test was 2 ½ hours, from 10 to the astronomical noontime. 10 o’clock is perhaps early to begin, especially in the tropics, because in the morning there is normally much overcast. Important is the moment that the sun starts ‘burning away’ this overcast. The test is continued till 12:30, when the sun makes the smallest angle. That is on 12:30 Panamanian time (Panama follows the EST). Now in February the sun will not come to the zenith, the declination is a bit more than 10 degrees at noontime.

We will see that the 10 degrees angle doesnot matter mucht. The 30 degrees angle is of importance, when the sun is strong enough to clear the clouds.

Here under you find the table with the test results.

The table shows a regular pattern, only the 11:33 result deviates.

Some remarks

Generally the sun gets strong when the angle is about 30 degrees. Compared to 10 degrees, the loss in the yield caused by its angle is geometrically less than 15%. Of more importance, from 30 degrees and less, the heavy tropical clouds clear up more and more, so that improves the yield significantly. This is at 11:20-11:25. Based on my personal experience, most clouds are usually cleared before 11 o’clock. It was just this day that the overcast was heavy.

The panels are older, a bit damaged, so they don’t deliver the rated 200 Watt, on the other hand, the four panels are set in serial and deliver in the 48 Volt range.With that high voltages, I guess that there won’t be any loss from the MPPT. Losses an MPPT could have when the panels would be 12 volt So perhaps the numbers are a bit higher.

The panels get hot, once even to about 60 degrees Celsius, so too hot to walk on it with bare feet.

The measurement of 11:33 deviates strongly from the other ones in the results with a large yield. A false measerement? If we donot count this measurement, the overall percentage would be 6.93 %.

Outline and conclusion

The graphics above present already:

  • When covering the panel with 20 mm tape over it’s full length, the loss will probably be 7%, and most negatively be between 7 and 8 procent.
  • When the sun’s angle on the surface is 30 degrees and less and (subsequently) the clouds disappear, the yield is booming and the percentage of the loss is bit smaller.
  • The older (“abused”) panels give lower yield than rated. And, probably the 48 Volt PV feed to the MPPT could give a bit positive influence to the yield. But these both systemic biases are not relevant to the main question, because this is about the percentage of loss.

The final conclusions about the loss are easy: The coverage of this 20 mm tape reduces the effective surface with 6%, and the loss of the yield is most probably 7% , perhaps between 7 and 8%.

So if we deduct the 7% from the rated efficiency of the Sinoltech panels, the 20 mm anti skid tape will reduce the panels efficiency from the rated maximum of 16.5 to about 15.4%.

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A mess of yachts before the Panama Canal – the causes

February 1 our fellow sailors Franz and Mareike subscribed for the transit through the Panama Canal. Their date will be Februari 14. Two weeks waiting, not bad, but normally it is 5 to 7 days.

Five (5) days later, we applied the transit for the Ya. We got the message back that our transit would be March 23 at least….. Suddenly we are planned more than 6 weeks later. As well as any yacht applying now. How come?

The Panama Canal is about 80 km long. It is surrounded by the Gatun Lake and other waters, creating an enormous water basin as a buffer for the Panama Canal.

The planning, the mess, and some causes

Why this mess? All of a sudden, more causes have come together. Firstly, there is the Carnival from 10 to 13 February. This mostly gives a delay of three to five days.

The cause is that the Panama Canal Authority lowered the number of transits. The locks were originally opened 31 times a day, but now it has brought down to 16 times. The problem lies in the lack of water in the Panamanian Lake Gatun. This immense lake provides the water to the Panama Canal, and the level is slowly falling.

When the water level drops below the 80 feet (25 meter) the canal will be to shallow for the largest ships.

Why is there a sudden water shortage?

Firstly, because the Panama Canal lies higher than the oceans. On the picture you see the profile of the canal and the oceans. It means that every time a lock opens on whatever side, the water will flow out into the ocean. Together the locks are about 26 meter higher and they can contain pretty large ships. When such a big lock is opened, there is about 15.000 m3 of water flowing out into the ocean. The Lake Gatun is also the drink water basin for Panama, and this amount is equal to the annual water use of 300 inhabitants.

Every time a lock opens, the water of the lock will flow into the ocean

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Secondly, since 2016 there is a second set of locks in operation, for even bigger ships. So that doubles the loss of water. But one could question: did they not calculate beforehand if there would be sufficient water for such big extra locks? Yes, of course they did. Yes, they also took into account the smaller rainfalls in every El Nino year, bringing less water into the Gatun Lake.

But these numbers were all based on past data.

The average rainfall over the last century doesnot give any doubt about the continuity for the Panama Canals water supply.

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El Nino and climate change

2023 was an El Nino year. The Eastern Pacific Ocean becomes warmer as does the air temperature in Panama. The higher the temperature, the less the condensation in the air, so smaller the rainfalll.

Older research shows that in an average El Nino year, the temperature in Panama rises about 2 degrees and the average rainfall drops 15 to 20 mm. source

What we see in this 2023 El Nino year, is an even higher rise of the temperature, so a deeper fall of the precipitation. It has never been lower since the meteorological measurements started, 143 years ago. It looks like a trend is developing of heavier El Nino years, with lesser precipitation.

Mr. Steven Paton, for 33 years the meteorological researcher on the Smithonian Institute in Panama, says: “Historically there has been a [rainfall] shortage on average once every 20 years due to major El Niño events. In the last 26 years this is the third major rainfall deficit. So it seems that something is changing our rainfall patterns.”

“The increase in frequency is consistent with climate change models,” he says, “but the climate change models have not come out saying for sure.” (source )

What now?

This is the everlasting problem with predicting climate change. Just as most of the organisations, the Panama Canal Authority responds and takes action when experiencing the consequenses. One can only accept and adapt. Such a late action costs time, money, damage.

When do you, take action?