TIME TO MOTIVATE

It's been a winter of hibernation and now the sun is shining. Birds are singing, trees budding and Blu is sunbathing on the deck... so what are we going to do about it?

Motivation is key... and we've received so many messages from people supporting our efforts to live off the grid, that I feel both saddened that we moved ashore for the winter and motivated that the future holds great adventures for our family. But, do we stay on the grid or jump off without considering the consiquences?

Odessa is "on the hard" and sitting in Deltaville, but the weather is improving and bringing our mobile home to mind. For those reading who don't know us, we purchased an older boat to recycle into a modern day home and sailed from South America to NY. This great adventure was achieved on very little money (working as we traveled) and provided us with an incredible adventure, an amazing lifestyle and happiness, all within the reach of anyone willing to make some effort.

So, that said we're frequently asked why we don't just continue... ok, there's nothing I'd like better, however we have three teenage kids to consider. Doreen (my wife) did an incredible job home schooling Devon, Isabel and Simon in their younger years, so no that they're teenagers we put them in school here in Maryland to see how they measured up.

18 months ago our kids we wide eyed, yet still full of teenage angst,.. living off the grid is much easier than bringing up kids.

Now we have kids that know-it-all as well as the angst. Parenting off-the-grid is much easier than in modern day society... that's for sure.

Now the kids scored high on their school entry exams, and with a lot of work they're slowly improving further. But, which life is better for our family? that's the big question. The distractions of growing up and influence of neighborhood friends concerns us as parents. Sure the kids always complained that they were bored on Odessa, but they seem to complain more on land.

Therefor, I'm asking our friends, blog readers... in fact anyone, for advice and motivation. Given the situation... should we get off the grid?

ST LUCIA DREAM

It really does feel like a dream... 12 months ago we were enjoying life to its fullest sailing amongst the beautiful islands of the windwards. This is the sail from Rodney Bay. St Lucia to the Deux Pitons in the south of the island.

Isabel hooking in to a spanish mackerel. 

This fish gave Isabel a good fight, but in the end he made an excellent fish curry thanks to Devon's cooking skills.

Our first look at the Pitons.

After grabbing a mooring ball. It was all fun and games.

Just beautiful. Captain Allan relaxes. 

A nice shower after our snorkel feels wonderful. 

So lovely. 

The colors. 

I would go again.

HAITI... WHAT CAN YOU SAY

Looking back on our sailing adventure to Haiti and not knowing how to describe this amazing and different place, I find it hard for me to form the correct words to express our love and adoration for these people.

I thought that all hope of me writing a blog about Haiti was lost, because I found myself with no photos to show this unique place. It was too dangerous for us to pull out our cameras and film or photograph our time there. But, I was surprised when I came across a few pictures on one of the cameras memory cards. There were only a few shots that Allan had taken on our first days there and before we were told very firmly that it was not a good idea. I hope that the photos will show you this beautiful small island off the southern coast of Haiti called Isle a Vache.

Isle a Vache in the red circle. This is the only safe place to bring a boat in Haiti. We were accosted by pirates a few days before when we touched the mainland... that's another story. But the bottom line is that any boat, no matter how small, is a floating palace to the local people. They see running water, electricity pulled from the sun and wind, people with sun glasses and diving gear... this is unreal to them and the stuff of legend.

Odessa in Captain Morgan Harbor. Completely protected from weather and surrounded by a small village. This lagoon was the base for the Pirate Morgan and is a jewel compared to the squaller of Les Ceyes a few miles across the water on the mainland.

Fisherman brave the rough seas to provide for their families and villagers. Haitians are the best sailors we've seen... probably the best in the world and their methods haven't change in hundreds of years.

These boats are handmade with skills past down from father to son. We would wake just before sunrise to the sound of men singing to the chopping beat of axes.

Local children sit in hand made fishing boats that are beached on the shore. 

There are no docks or marinas here.

The locals not only craft their own boats, they have to make the planks of wood with no electricity and only rough metal tools. Nothing is shipped to the island, there is no money... just trade. Wood and power tools bought off the shelf is just a dream told to the villagers by those lucky enough to come to the US and go shopping at Home Depot. It all sounds like fantasy to the villagers.

If you look close you can see the the sail powered

 fishing boats, no engine because it is a rare item. 

A mother and father wait as Allan stitches a gash on their young son from an accident. Basic first aid doesn't exist here. We found ourselves becoming the local doctors for small wounds, it was overwhelming and we had to divert many to Sister Flora and her clinic two hours hard hike to the other end of the island.

Ashtun, a fantastic teen fishes under our boat for lunch. The young people are the future of Haiti, it'll take time for them to become powerful enough in their society to make a difference. The most devastating hurdle to the young is the culture of corruption created by the aid cycle and perpetuated by their peers... we hope that they make it.

Ashtun, Colbe and Castro work hard to provide for themselves. School serves a purpose beyond education... it keeps kids busy and out of trouble. We were surprised at the lack of trouble here with so many kids having nothing to do all day. They're ingenious, they have aspirations, and just frustrated with the situation that they're born into.

The relaxed life style here is quickly embraced by Simon. Spot the difference between our US bred kids and the local children. Our youth are a reflection of our society and in general we see more singing, smiling, proactivity and general lust for life from Haitian children then any of their counterparts in the US and 1st world countries.

The last few things I would say about our time in Haiti is that the people are warm and friendly. The locals have a resilience that I have never experienced before. They can make something from nothing and are very tough,.. but on the inside is a heart of kindness when you take the time to open it.

We have met many people who have opinions about Haiti, easy solutions and a complete misunderstanding of life there and the challenges it faces. It's a country that is continually disappointed by their goverment and has becoming a country of welfare and hand outs by other nations that naively want to help. You must remember one thing... you have to live there to understand and never ever let your guard down, keep your street smarts on high alert at all times... it is a very different world.

Feel the Power - Batteries and self sufficiency

The goal is self sufficiency, and that means generating enough "off the grid" electricity to meet your needs. We'll it actually means curbing your needs to the power you can generate. After hundreds of hours research, scratching our heads, confusion over watts, volts and amperage,  we finally found the answer in a video clip of an old guy in the mountains. The advice he very eloquently gave is "It's much easier to use less electricity than it is to make more".

So, armed with this new found knowledge, we are adding two large solar panels to Odessa's arch because that's all we can fit without adding dangers on deck. More on solar panels next week when they should finally arrive from Miami.

But, making electricity is only half the story... storing it is the other half, you need batteries, and lots of them. Odessa has a simple "bullet proof" battery bank... six Trojan 6v batteries with lots of the "important" piece of the equation... amp hours.

NOTE TO THE ASPIRING CRUISER:
When you buy an old boat, have new batteries in you refit budget... no matter what the owner or broker might say about their age, they will need to be replaced. One bad battery in the bank brings the whole bank down and you want to know and manage your whole system from fresh... or you'll be frustrated endlessly trying to trouble shoot. I really suck at electrical work, so $1,000 for new batteries is worth every penny.

We took on this project today because it is raining like mad with little breaks, so working inside Odessa seems like a good plan.

There are a huge range of batteries, from size, voltage, wet cell, glass matt, and gel. We're sticking with the old tried and true Trojan wet cell 6v batteries which are rigged to make the equivalent of 3 12v batteries with 235 amp hours each... so 705 amp hours total per charge. Trojan 6v batteries give the longest life and lowest amp hour cost... perfect for cruisers. We'd love more, but space is an issue and batteries are very very heavy... if we reduce the space needed for our old fridge compressor we may squeeze two more batteries into the space, it's all about compromise, give and take, and using new technology to save space on an old boat to be able to add new things.

We worked some deals and manage to get them for $150 each on the island which is cheaper than in the US, so we jumped on the deal and headed for the boat. It took a couple of hours to replace all six batteries... NOTE: It's best to install them while you're at the dock... hauling them up 15ft while the boat is in the yard is a pain... especially when it's raining and decks are slippery. And remember, the old ones have to come down.

Clean all terminals, clean the compartment, you'll not be back in there for a long time... hopefully.
Batteries are very reliable as long as you do some simple maintenance... check the water level every week (wet cell) keep an eye on how they charge and don't let them drop bellow 30% charge. When you replace your batteries you need to charge them and then equalize (boil) the whole battery bank to make them all work together as a team. Your battery charger (we have a Xantrex 20) will have instructions on equalizing, but essentially the charger will overcharge the bank at about 14.5v for a period of time which boils the plates and cleans off any contaminants. Remember this blog is for the new sailor so please excuse the terminology and suggestions that will seem very basic to the experienced sailor. I always remind myself that every experienced sailor was one a newbie.

I hope this simplifies the whole "oh, the batteries need replacing" realization if you buy an old boat... Doreen isn't in the pictures, but she was essential when it comes to lugging batteries around, they are surprisingly heavy and cumbersome... we're off to Odessa now to get the old ones off the boat... nice.