For some months now, the crew of SV Speck has been struggling with its power grid, often times having to turn off the fridge at night in order to keep the house batteries above the minimum voltage. Thanks to generous donations from both of Dan’s parents, Karen and David, we were able to acquire two massive 250 amp hour gel batteries. The difference was noticed right away. That week we experienced two overcast days in a row without our battery bank even flinching. Two new charge controllers for the solar panels were also purchased to get further efficiency out of them. Prior to this upgrade we would often have to run the engine about an hour a day to make up the deficit. Now we are easily able to embark on week-long passages without even turning on the engine once.
Tonga, Fiji, Australia!
We spent one week in Suva, the capital of Fiji, also known as “little India”. Meeting plenty of friendly smiling faces and finding the food cheap and delicious, this port quickly established Fiji as our favorite island country thus far.