Caribbean

Moonwave - From Martinique to Panama, advocating electricity!

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A dream trip aboard Moonwave: sun, sailing downwind, surf, gliding, speed, good food... Our goal? To not use any fuel! Last year, in May, we made our first 600-nm delivery - Saint Martin to the Turks and Caicos - without using a single drop of diesel. This time, in March 2020, we doubled the distance. We completed a beautiful crossing of around 1,200 nautical miles from Martinique to Panama, two-handed. Throughout this trip, all our electrical needs were covered by regenerated energy. Our engines, which we use to move around in the ports and the beautiful anchorages, become generators once we set sail. When the sun shines, our solar panels also contribute to recharging the battery banks. Moonwave is equipped with induction hobs and an electric oven and we enjoy good, freshly cooked food on board. The watermaker largely covers our fresh water needs and we sail in comfort. Our catamaran is a big unit equipped with power hungry 220V AC, but our power supply remains positive so we are not overly worried. Here’s a quick anecdote which shows that our hybrid propulsion configuration works: just before leaving Le Marin in Martinique, Sebastien had serviced and emptied the generator and we filled up with fuel. The generator never ran! That’s not wasted though - we’ll use the fuel for the Panama Canal transit. We are big fans of electric propulsion and it’s a pleasure to operate this technology. Whether it’s in the media or on forums, all too often there is a certain suspicion and lack of confidence in this technology. This is unfortunate and we will do everything we can to change this. Which is why we would like to share our experience: our installation on board Moonwave is simple. It is reliable and covers all our needs. For us, diesel propulsion is old news! The Deep Blue Hybrid system was delivered to us by Torqeedo almost two years and 21,000 miles ago: we are happier than ever. Today, things are changing. Torqeedo is the leader in this field, but other companies, both large and small, are also investing in this technology. It offers many options and professional solutions. The days of «mad scientists» in their garages are over. From our point of view, as you can see, electric/ hybrid navigation is obviously the way forward!

Who: Sophie and Sébastien (crew)
Where: From Martinique to Panama

Multihull: Gunboat 60
www.moonwave.com

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