Testing the limits

 

Andrew posted on the WBA facebook group his intention to get out Thursday, and the weather was indeed perfect.  I got down with the Core Sound to Altona ramp round 9 and despite being a bit distracted, managed to get on the water by 10 without too many disasters.  Andrew wanted to head over towards the huge oil drilling platform that has been anchored off Point Cook for a few days along with its three attendant massive tenders.

There was no wind first off, and the water was as clear as I have ever seen it.   I was following Andrew with the Torqeedo burbling along about 3.4 knots.  We got to well off Point Cook, and the display on the Torqeedo said I had used 50% battery, so we stopped, and rafted up for lunch.  The wind, a South Easterly, kicked up a bit, blowing us towards Werribee coast at about 0.6 knots.  We had a long lunch in the sun, yarning about this and that.  By the time we decided to head back we had drifted quite a way.  I could clear Dumb Joe on a tack, so I sailed off slowly, at around 2 knots.

Round Dumb Joe, at round 2 pm, the wind died away.  Andrew had vanished and was just a dot heading back to Altona. I started the Torqeedo, which told me I had 56 minutes left at around 3 knots.  The GPS told me I would be back at Altona inaround 45 minutes.  I figured that I might squeak it in.

I was about a mile away, a bit off the red stick, and the readout told me I had .12 hours left, when I got an error message, and battery stopped.  Luckily there was no wind, and I can row the Core Sound at around 2.4 knots, so I got home ok.  Andrew waited for me which was kind of him.

I guess the moral is that I need to keep above around 15% battery to be sure. The pressure is on when you are out with someone else.  I would have drifted home eventually I am sure.  Still, it was a great day.