Winter in the Bahamas

[gonesail]

we are planning a several month stay in the central bahamas (exumas) area next winter .. is there enough sunlight at that time of year for solar charging? i was going to mount a 130 watt panel horizontally above stern of boat. or would a wind generator make more sense? thanks

[Captain Bill]

That really depends on the energy requirements of your boat. I have a friend that gets along just fine on 220 watts of panels, but he only runs refrigeration (well insulated), a few lights and fans. I on the other hand heve electric heads, a windlass, electric winches etc., and found that my 300 watts of panels was not enough in Jan and Feb. I had to run the genset every couple of days for a few hours. My biggest hog was the incandescent anchor light. This year it will be LED. It's even worse when I'm sailing as the autopilot then becomes my biggest drain.

[mjwarner]

We were in the Exumas 2009/10 winter. Sun is abundant. We will be adding solar for charging and using it there also.
That being said, wind is also abundant. A wind gen would be most useful plenty of days.

[Greg S]

Had 160 watts of solar and a wind gen. Frig, LED lights for anchor and interior and a laptop. Never had to run the gen.

[gonesail]

ok i only run a small dometic frig .. led lights .. sounds like i need to move up to 160 watts? the weight may be a concern as i am mounting on a 1" ss bimini frame. not sure about wind generator due to cost but we will see.

[Dick Pluta]

There is often a lot of sun, but it's not unusual for a Norther to come through and and for there to be little sun for as much as a week.

Dick Pluta
AEGEA

[cherware]

Hi! We are new to cruising. We would like to take our cabin cruiser to the Bahamas. Where can we get information on planning a trip there from Florida?

[Lowcountry]

Cherware, look into some cruising guides. Steve Dodge has one on the Abacos that is full of useful into.

As for the OP, the wind in the Bahamas in the winter is a steady 15-20kts, usually both day and night. A wind genny can make a lot of amps over 24 hours when exposed to winds like this.

[cherware]

Thank you, Lowcountry. This is something we will have to learn as we go. The guide is an excellent start.