We Got The Power!

The first thing Chris did upon our return to Mr Mac in Panama after our trip to the states was to build a new hard dodger/bimini. He’d built a hard dodger years ago, with Sunbrella canvas and bimini. Over the years, the bimini has worn and sagged so much that we had to prop it up with the boat hook so as not to collect rainwater and sag even more. The marina manager was good enough to let him use the marina covered storage, a huge space where he could lay out all his supplies and work all day despite the frequent rains. Once done there, we brought it aboard (which required bringing the boat to the fuel dock, hauling the hard top down from storage, and getting a couple of people to help in hefting it into place. More work getting it fitted and affixed, then the crowning glory – four new flexible solar panels! Since adding a small refrigeration unit to run the fridge (which used to be a spill-over system from the freezer), the energy produced by our original two hard solar panels and the wind generator have left us just short of covering our needs, so this new energy source was welcome. He even installed cockpit lights so we no longer have to entertain in the dark!