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Our Solar Setup at Anchor in the Helford River in Cornwall, England | DrakeParagon Sailing
18 April 2026 · 12 min · 3K views · Helford River, Cornwall
What this video covers
Paragon anchors on the northern side of the Helford River in Cornwall, England, in 14 feet of water at low tide with 75 feet of chain out — just over 5:1 scope — choosing a position in the lee of the land for forecast northerly winds.▶ 1:36 The snubber is worn and needs replacing with a new spliced line.▶ 2:44 The main focus is the boat's adjustable rail-mounted solar setup: five 130-watt panels are in active use, two on the side rails and three permanently mounted on the hard top, with eight more stowed flat in the dinghy as reserve.▶ 8:03 The rail panels pivot on a bolt-and-knob fixture, letting Drake reorient them toward the sun throughout the day; he notes that manually tracking the sun swung the battery monitor from negative 10 amps to positive 5 amps.▶ 6:43 Five-gallon jugs protect the forward rail panel from wave wash in heavy weather.▶ 7:15 A chipped tooth requires a trip to Falmouth in two days, timed around a favorable weather window.▶ 10:31 The evening ends with burgers cooked on a BioLite grill using driftwood, though Paragon sits in a rolly spot compared to boats anchored closer to shore.▶ 10:03 Manually angling adjustable panels toward the sun produces a measurable and immediate gain in charge current over fixed flat-mounted panels.
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