Test-sailing "Moonshine"!
Back from two days of test-sailing the all-but-new, or at least vastly improved "Moonshine"! We were at the shipyard last Thursday (yesterday) at around 10:30 AM and spent the better part of two hours on board, talking to the mechanic, the electrician, and the yard manager, in order to familiarize ourselves with all the upgrades and the new start-up and shut-down procedures.
After that, we performed a 40 kilometer test-sail through the Biesbosch, then via the Amer River, and - finally - the Hollands Diep to the town of Willemstad, one of our favorite destinations. Everything went fine. Well, apart from the weather. We faced strong head winds of 6 and even 7 Bft. The waves at the Hollands Diep were a meter and a half to sometimes 2 meters high.
"Moonshine" is a Category-A, ocean going ship, and we were happy to see she coped with these difficult conditions. To the extend that it didn't seem to bother her nor us, her crew. We didn't even turn the stabilizers on (apart from some testing to see how the new electrical system kept up).
All systems worked well. The additional 110 amp/24 volt alternator does a great job at keeping the 29 kWh Li-Ion battery bank topped up. Even with most electric appliances turned on. The generator is only needed to soft-start the airconditioning (and does so automatically), and even then only when basically all other power consumers (cook stoves, stabs, washing machine, etc.) are on. Should the housebank drop below 30%, the generator kicks in automatically, unless it is night time, when she'll not start as long as 15% of juice remains.
Yeah, we went for a slightly over-engineered new electrical system. But given our plans to use "Moonshine" for extensive, even off-continent cruising, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?
I checked the DieselDipper, a device that separates out the water from the bottom of our tank and the diesel looked completely free of any contaminants or water. There are advantages to the engine's oversized fuel pump, that basically passes 200 to 300 liters of fuel through the fuel filters each hour (with the engine consuming like 9 liters per hour, while the rest is filtered and then returned to the tank)!
After spending the night at the city harbor of Willemstad - with a great dinner at Michelin star restaurant "Vista" - we sailed "Moonshine" back to her harbor. From Willemstad via the Hollands Diep, the Nieuwe Merwede, the Boven Merwede to Sleeuwijk. The wind blew with 5 Bft. from the side. We had a counter-current of 4 to 5 clicks. The autopilot seemed to struggle a bit more. Something that might have been caused by the combination of wind and current. A bit more testing in calmer conditions will generate more clarity.
Next weekend we'll sail with family to the province of Zeeland. Oysters, mussels, lobsters, and salt water. We'll keep you posted!
Regards, Edwin & Veronika.