One of three 200W solar panels ready to be installed on Shellerina. The two others.Two controllers. One for the bow unit, one for the two going on the stern. This is what the one up forward will look like. Despite appearances, it misses the hatches. It’ll have its own MPPT controller. This one aft will have a second one just like it along side and just aft of it. Antennas will have to move. People 6 feet tall will have to duck coming up the stairs. These two will be wired in series, and share their controller. The radar mast can still be lowered and it’ll miss the panels. Shelly shows off the final configuration. We still can lower the radar mast if necessary, and we have not lost our sun deck space!A teak frame built above the starboard railings are what we attached the PV panels to.
https://www.geminiproducts.net/ is the manufacturer of these nice cast and polished stainless steel railing clamps. Rockland Maine.
All the final mountings of the two aft panels have been completed with the help of our dear friend Linda Klein. We forgot to take pics with her. So we hope to make up for that tomorrow. No loss of use of the sun deck. We still can lower the Radar mast
Brackets for the forward panel were cemented to the deck this morning. After 24 hours the 3M 5200 quick cure should allow me to attach that panel to the deck/brackets. Wire was “fished” for aft and forward panels, again, with Linda’s help. With luck the solar controllers will be mounted and wired up in the a.m.
Up forward too. A bit more mounting hardware was added for longevity, as shown below. Good friend, Linda Klein came to assist with the installation. Thank you Linda!We also got a chance to jump into warm 77F ocean water here in Maine, and have some of the local fare. ($4.99 / pound!!!). Uncommon numbers in both cases.$4.99 # Lobsta!
Addendum Tuesday Aug 2:
After work, I finished hooking up all the wiring in the engine room then connected things up at the aft panels. The aft two panels started producing right away, even at 5:30pm.
Two aft panels are now feeding the system! 75-130W even late in the day!
It was too dark by the time I finished the forward panel. We’ll see what time it kicks in in the a.m. Very exciting. This should make anchoring out easier and more economical.
There is still “clean up” and “finishing touches” on some of the wiring to give everything a professionally done appearance. But functionally it is all working and so far, everything tests out great.
Tomorrow, I can’t wait to move the 12vdc fridge circuit over to the Port Bank… the one which these solar panels charge.
Scott Elliot, Mark Stover, Leo Evan are The Holy Mackerels!
Really good sound.
My former Scoutmaster in the 1970s, Joe Stover, (Mark’s father), with me at the Tugboat tonight. He and Mark’s mother, Peggy, were out to hear the music.
Lifelong friend and fellow nomad, Don and Ray have been friends for years as IT professionals, Amateur Radio contesters, and co-workers at Wright-Pierce. We welcomed Don for one of Shelly’s fine dishes and a “technology tour” of our vessel.
This pic shows the Great Island Marina in Orrs Cove, Harpswell Maine, including the construction progress on the lower left. A travelift hauling facility is going on in.
Shellerina can be seen in the pic, zoomed in below.
Sunrise!Another day begins with the Barrows at the head of Linekin Bay. Video above of the sun rising.
Grammy Barrows (aka Aunty Peggy) (88) comes down the gangway to join in the fun!
Aunty Peggy with the rest of the girls on the dock!
After boarding Shellerina, Peggy signs into the log book with everyone else!
Later in the day, Shelly was zipping around in her skiff, the “Pumkin Muffin”Colin taking it all in!
Click for video below:
Later, Colin, his Mom and sister hang out on the bow for a tour of Boothbay Harbor, a small, little known anchorage just west of Linekin Bay. We all took a sunset cruise on Saturday night too! Bill, his wife, Marie, and Shelly. Maisey & Shelly on the sun deck. It is hard to wear out these Barrows’es. Last night they continued their traditional “Burmuda Triangle” … a tour of their 3 favorite establishments in that tiny Boothbay Harbor anchorage.
Not shown are photographers Grammy Peg and Julie! Thanks you guys.
Maisey and Colin with Dad, Bobby. Maisey at the helm of ShellerinaClearly a young lady who means business if entrusted with the controls!Colin stands his watch at the helm too, as Capt Ray needed an extended break this afternoon. Jenna and Heather hang onto their younger cousins as fierce waves were breaking over the bow. Ryan and Janelle were hanging out up on the sun deck!A fantastic venue at 87 Murray Hill Road in East Boothbay, Maine. Head of Linekin Bay. James, Julie, Shelly, Bobby coming up from the boat. Grammy, Jess, Colin at the park. The Aylwards: James & Julie!
One of Ray’s favorite light houses, Cuckolds is on the southern most tip of the Boothbay peninsula in Newagen / Southport Island Maine. 2 white flashes every 6 seconds.
Cuckolds Light- Remarkably close to sea level. Click for video of Cuckolds above. Soon after we left Cuckolds, we saw the Isaac Evans, skippered by friend Captain Josh Jacques exiting Linekin Bay where we were headed. They had an impressive full boat on this Friday morning. This shows the relative position of Cuckolds to our destination for the day. The entrance to Boothbay Harbor is right in between the two.
Shelly, Jay, Linda, and Shelly’s sister Nicole.Nicole, Shelly, Linda standing on Shellerina’s Rock. A large 5 foot boulder in about 10 feet of water. 44-04’45”N. 70-40’48”W
Ray, Ernie, Tammy, Shelly, and Britta with M/V Shellerina in the background today. At anchor: The Andersons of Harrison, Maine on the fly bridge.A mini tour of Harpswell by water today. Breezy conditions kept us constrained a bit. But it was a beautiful day on the water today. Britta & Shell. Shell & Tam!Ernie & Tammy.
We landed on the morning of July 4 here at Safe Harbor Great Island Marina in Harpswell Maine.
Click on video above. Great Is is also known as Sebascodegan Is. (Pronounced: sebASco-DEEgan according to the locals.)Orrs Cove – my guess is a sunrise time of day looking SSE. (Pre-2022, before construction of the TravelLift began this spring).Slip D3 is ours till August 9. (We will be taking some trips from here too.)This is Martha Simpson with me on Christmas Day in 2016. She and her husband Gary had Shelly, Nick, and I over their house for Chriistmas Diner, on Long Island NY. Today, they had Shelly and I over for July 4th Dinner at their retirement home very close to us here on Sebascodegan Island. Needless to say, we know how to pick our ports! This morning Gary shuttled me over to Wiscasset to pick up our Prius. These two are the most generous hearts, and we promise you all more pics and stories in the weeks ahead as they come out on Casco Bay with us! If you are STILL trying to figure out where we are, here are the coordinates! Sequin Light and Cape Small to lower right. Merrymeeting Bay (where the Androscoggin River meets the Kennebec River to the upper right, and most all the other islands of Casco Bay are on the lower left! Brunswick-Topsham are immediately north of us, Bath just NE of us.
If the sea water gets up to 70F, I’ll be going swimming! My instruments are giving me conflicting readings.
Confuscious say: Man with two watches never knows what time it is!
Well, I jumped in twice! Didn’t stay in for long though. Let’s call it 66F, (averaging the two instruments) 4 degrees below my normal limit. Now hangin’ … up on Shelly’s sun deck listening to tunes and soaking up the sun. She’s a great DJ!The Basin This famous “hurricane hole” place is much larger than I expected. Click to see video above. The highlighted “blue dot” shows where we dropped the hook for the day and tonight.
This fine and popular anchor spot is just a bit less than 6.5 nautical miles north of Cape Small, the eastern most point in Casco Bay. You’ll pass Sebasco Estates on the way in.
Sequin Island Light is to the lower right of this pic; the mighty Kennebec River goes north just above it. One can get all the way to Augusta on that river, passing Bath Iron Works halfway.
Our stats from Wiscasset to The Basin today. (Report automatically created by Nebo).
Water Street, WiscassetOur view 1: Shellerina … Right across the tracks!Our view 2: The only span that crosses the Sheepscot!Good French vino!We liked the decor. Timeless! (large clock parts)Their answer to Maryland Crab Cakes: Maine Land-locked “Haddock Cakes!” We loved!Antique drill press. .Another elegant antique drill press…
.
Our view 3: The walkway back to the boat! Appetizer choice + wine and decor were great. The rest was fair at best.
My brother Steve was up early to come visit us here in Wiscasset. Then my Dad, Albert Sirois came as well. Nice visits! Thanks guys.
“Dad” & “Shelly”“Steve”We also had a visit from a freight train! It was a lot noisier than our other two guests. I’d like to have its loud horns here on the boat!
Shellerina's Blog 