Conservation

Being at an anchorage now makes us acutely aware of conserving our energy and water usage. We no longer have the electricity or water connection that we did in Wilmington at the dock. We are self-sufficient, which is a great feeling, but is not limitless. (Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I love to take long showers with really hot water, which is not possible living on a boat at anchor!)...

You can see from this photo that our sink has a "normal" faucet in the center, which is operated with a water pump. This drains our batteries to keep water pressure flowing. As another option, we can use the left side (black ring) which comes from our fresh water tanks, and uses a foot pedal on the floor of the galley not requiring the batteries at all. To conserve even more, we can use the right side (white ring) which brings in sea water using a foot pedal. Usually we start washing dishes with seawater, then rinse with fresh drinking water.



We also have solar panels...
These are supposed to provide a peak of 15 amps per hour on sunny days. We have found that since Brian installed them, it is 0-12 amps per hour. Practically speaking, this covers our refrigeration use and maybe a few lights in the cabin.




And a generator... which can top off our batteries and help us out when we need more energy.


As sailors, it also feels great that we use a minimal amount of fuel per season compared to power boaters. Sailing just with the power of the wind is thrilling, and definitely helps you feel more in touch with nature.