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Sailing Solo to Catalina Harbor and Upgrading the Inverter at Anchor (Sept 2024)
25 September 2024 · 28 min · 1K views
What this video covers
A solo sailor aboard a Valiant sailboat transits from San Pedro, California, to Cat Harbor on Catalina Island, managing light winds and shipping traffic in the San Pedro Channel. During the passage, the sailor adjusts the traveler to reduce weather helm and monitors AIS to maintain a safe closest point of approach (CPA) with cargo ships.2:05 Upon arrival at Cat Harbor, the sailor replaces a 20-year-old 400-watt Xantrex inverter with a 2000-watt BougeRV unit, installing a dedicated breaker switch to ensure a positive power disconnect.14:46 The project requires running new wiring due to insufficient slack in the original installation.14:19 The return trip involves light-wind sailing and testing the iOS 18 satellite texting feature.18:42 The sailor also evaluates the performance of a 200-watt flexible solar panel mounted in a shaded position.5:30 Proper electrical safety at anchor requires installing a dedicated breaker between the battery bank and the inverter to allow for service and emergency disconnection.15:19
Boats in this video
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