Orion is in Bermuda for a 6th visit

[John Stone]

Sounds great Jim. How is the refrigerator performing? AH usage? Any insights to share?

[John Stone]

Sounds great Jim. How is the refrigerator performing? AH usage? Any insights to share?

[Jim Walsh]

Having a fridge is a blessing. I’m not sophisticated enough to provide an accurate answer. It’s so quiet I can’t hear the compressor running. It’ll draw about 4 amps for four minutes four or five times an hour during the heat of the day, much less at night, probably because it stays shut. Plus I know what I want and where it’s located since so it stays sealed tight the vast majority of the time.
I only notice it’s running if I peek at the battery monitor and it indicates the solar panel is producing 5 amps then it draws down to 1 or 1 1/2 amps all of a sudden.
My buddy is here with his Beneteau 423, last night he invited me over for ice cream after we had gone to dinner. THAT is the definition of living large. My simple water cooled fridge keeps me very happy. Shagging ice is a thing of the past. And I keep it at 30°F, nothing ever goes to waste.

[John Stone]

Thanks. Good insight.

[Jim Walsh]

Yesterday was a day of 18 to 20k winds and a bit of a chop. Mid afternoon the temp climbed to 81° and the humidity level was 93%, yikes. A front was on its way in. No real squalls, just the abrupt wind shifts and threatening dark clouds. You could hear thunder and lightning and you could hear and see the rain bearing down on you. Luckily the lightning seemed to just stay in the clouds. I still avoid touching the mast when in the cabin.
It rained so hard it flattened the chop and provided entertainment as some were a little late getting to their boats. It was a free boat wash so you can’t complain. If it was less windy I’d have tried to catch a little. Need a gentle rainfall to do that. It ended up raining on and off till after midnight. Today has been overcast but no rain since a brief shower at 6 AM.
The dinghy makes a pretty good rain catcher. Had 6 to 8 gallons but it also was beneficial as it cleaned the dinghy real well.

[Jim Walsh]

Here’s a picture of the staysail boom tent I have which allows me to keep the forward hatch open when it rains. Works perfectly as long as the wind is less than 15 knots. You simply cannot leave the boat without ventilation down here, my dodger allows me to leave the companionway open and the boom tent allows me to keep the forward hatch open. The dorade also does its part and I have a clamshell vent in the head. They all contribute to make it livable below in heavy rains.

[Jim Walsh]

The tree frogs are making a real racket this evening, they must have really appreciated the heavy rainfall. It’s very pleasant. There actually is an open patch of sky to the north west. Perhaps my solar panel will see some sun tomorrow.

[John Stone]

Thanks for posting about your trip. Stuck on the hard I am living vicariously through your adventurous. The ability to catch rain water is important. I've seen an interesting mod to catch rain in high wind. I have not incorporated it yet. Got other projects to complete first.

[John Stone]

Jim,
Did I understand correctly via you comment on JDMs thread you sailed back to Connecticut? Your home? How was the voyage? I hope you post a thorough trip report. Well done if you are in fact home. BZ.

[Jim Walsh]

Jim,
Did I understand correctly via you comment on JDMs thread you sailed back to Connecticut? Your home? How was the voyage? I hope you post a thorough trip report. Well done if you are in fact home. BZ.

Yes I’m back. I returned on 7/3 at 4:06am. I will put together some details soon. The Gulf Stream was especially challenging this year, it was extremely confused and generating pyramidal waves.