201 Simmons St NW
Olympia, WA 98501
USA
At Olympia Yacht Club : 201 North Simmons
Doors open at 1830.
Parking: Only members of OYC can park in the lot directly in front of the OYC building. There is ample parking along the nearby streets and in the city parking lot across the street, both of which are free after 5:00 PM.
Meeting info:
SSSS member Jeff Hogan makes a compelling case for electric engines, saying:
Convert your diesel engine to clean, quiet electric! Eliminate noxious diesel fumes and the frustration of water pump impellers, fuel water filters, oil changes, oil filters, sea strainer, exhaust flow and filling up at the pump.
Jeff goes on to ask, “Have you ever had a sail cut short because of an internal combustion engine or system failure?” Electric propulsion is just as reliable as a light switch, turn it on then forward or reverse and you are off. In light air dial it down to 100 RPM and keep air flowing over the sails awaiting the next little puff. More sailing and no engine noise.
SSSS member Jim Larson also advocates for a clean power source. Jim has this to say about solar power:
My main motivation for installing solar was so we could cruise for long periods without needing to run the motor. We tried putting on a bigger alternator, but still had to run the motor an hour per day or more to keep the batteries up. It was always disappointing to have to listen to the motor after a long day of great sailing.
We also had a freezer on board that we never used because of our small battery bank. Now we can use the freezer and don’t worry about sitting quietly at anchor for several days.
Now we can meet all our power needs while still using a modest battery bank.
Want to learn more? Bring your questions and join us at the January SSSS meeting to hear more about Jeff and Jim’s experiences with alternate power sources.