FAQ #1
We sit down in the saloon with a cup of tea and answer some frequently asked questions from the channel comments section. Obviously we always answer patron questions directly but you may find these interesting if you hadn't thought to ask about them.
Questions answered include:
00:50 What are those scarf things you use to cover your faces?
02:30 Coral Bleaching - is the reef dead?
06:20 Sharks! When to get out of the water? When are they a big deal?
11:44 Are we behind on the videos?
14:40 Do we have plans to leave Australia? A boat upgrade?
16:40 How do our new computers run on solar?
21:00 Our battery set up explained.
Just a bonus video folks this doesn't attract a contribution.
Cheers
Troy and Pascale
Comments (18)
You're welcome :-)
Thanks for the update guys. Excited for you. I really dont want to open the can of worms but I work for a large metal recycler and we have a fair few cars with lithium batteries in them that we dont know what to do with yet. Lead acid are recyclable here in Australia so its a good alternative when thinking along those lines. Catch you soon hopefully.
Thats a good point. I suspect that the small consumer goods with Lithium batteries were part of our rubbish exports to China for disposal which recently had an upset. Experience has shown me that with recycling, the gulf between theory and reality can be pretty wide depending on a regions infrastructure, political will and tax base. All problems of varying degree in Australia. Can of worms opened!!
TY guys for taking the time to answer questions. I know these take up a lot of time to put together. At least you made your coffee in prep! I was intrigued with your plan for Alaska. What a great idea. I know you know this WAY better than I do, but flying over it many hours, that is some really rough waters up there.
Alaska has been on our minds for some time and our trip is staged to work up to it. Big tides in the Kimberley, strong headwinds along Queensland, big seas as we get into the Southern Ocean. Then there is still getting there! The things we will do for fresh Salmon and a look at bears and Orcas.
Thank you for this FAQ Video, it answered many questions that I hadn't thought to ask, and now at the end, I can't think of another one, (Pretty much guaranteed to think of one just as I drop off to sleep though!). At first, that sounded a lot to spend on Tech for the Videos, but then again the quality of them is so good, that I believe it is worth it. Oh, Do you have a waterproof back-up of your Video files in case the worst happens (memory cards or USB sticks in a small waterproof pouch) that you could keep in a grab-bag? There, thought of one! Thank you for making this next Livechat at 3 pm on a Saturday Afternoon for me, that is really nice of you!
We do keep some storage in waterproof boxes but our first thought will be to save ourselves so the primary grab bag is just safety gear and a Jerry can of water. (I can't see us saving our tax records either...) Hopefully that will be a good enough reason to skip a few episodes! 😀
I must say I definitely liked this Q&A format... the relaxed chat was really informative and supplementary to the regular episodes, so I would certainly look forward to watching an occasional Q&A session like this. I hope that your future travels include a stop-off in Cape Town at some stage? I live in Johannesburg, but Cape Town is only a 2 hour flight away! 😀 Thanks again for this bonus content and love to you both... 😎
I have extolled the virtues of Capetown to Pascy and you can bet we both want to go there in the near(ish) future!
Troy I took notice of your facial expression when the thought of experiencing Alaska passed through your brain. Both you and Pascale are so (how should I say this)... accomplished in your boat skills, tested as sailors, and just good company! Instead of all the work to ready your own vessel and all the cost involved so far from home, could a better solution be reached by... Letting it be known via social media you would be willing to join say a senior couple who had a worthy boat but are getting on in age but still wish to sail the Northern waters. Or, ... hire on as cook and captain to new owners, lease someones private boat who isn't going to be using it because of x y or z, join a research team, deliver a boat with a few caveats. So many boats just sit, it would seem doable and possibly once the word spreads offers might pour in. Popcorn brain, (there is no cure for me..haha..). ✍️))) Best, Rob
That likely isn't the "dream" but that is great thinking outside the box Robert!
Very much like the faq format. I pretty much never read the youtube comments anymore just due to volume. Besides, watching Pascale's reactions is half the fun! "I know we've been promising this for while"...Pascale explodes lol.
A lot of the questions are along he same lines so this seemed a good way to go. Pascale cracking up is a fairly common occurrence here so it's nice to share.
I watch this because you show Australia, so yes please circumnavigate!
That is the plan! Just not 100% certain we'll complete the navigation in Mirrool ;-)
Oops. Hit the return key! I'm currently replacing my 5 AGM batteries after 8 years which I'm happy with. I have a lot of solar panels and the AGM's are usually fully charged. I also have a 48V lithium supply and it also needs replacing after 8 years. When you do the maths I am also dubious about the Lithium. My recommendation is go for the AGM's then set and forget . Keep on cruising. Mike
I think the non-spillable nature of AGM is very attractive in a yacht though I still like to run an hydrometer over our cells to check individual health. We tackle the spill problem by orienting our batteries so that they are athwartships along their long axis and have never lost a drop so that part is ok. I would say another battery killer is people not running their bulk or absorbtion stage at a high enough voltage. Relying on a thermistor protected small frame alternator is a major culprit for this so I built an external voltage regulator (its a big light dimmer) to ensure we get our full 14.7V if we have to use our 'diesel panels'. Rough but reliable. Sorry to hear those Lithium only went 8 rounds. I have heard some hair raising claims as to their life span but it is nice to see people being positive.
Another good video. Thanks. I was interested in your battery and consumption comments because I have used the Trojans, AGM and lithium. I believe a big problem is that our battery banks are usually too small for our needs and the batteries get hammered, shortening their life.