Back at Pirate's Cove, on our way home

Sheeet. Still having issues with my batteries. So last night was another chilly night. I ran my generator before going to bed to bring the batteries up to 100%. My freezer and refrigerator combined draw 6 amps, 3 amps each. Of course that’s not all the time, but rather only when they cycle on. Not sure what my Cpap draws, but it’s less than an amp. The Webasto heater glow plug will draw about 8 amps as it’s starting the heat cycle, and stopping the heat cycle. It is off once the fire is going, and again when the fire is out. Batteries at 100% at 9pm when I turned the generator off. Then at 6am this morning, the Webasto faulted out again due to low voltage! This was the issue earlier this spring that caused me to switch to AGM’s. I never use to have problems with an older set up flooded Lead Acid batteries. This seems to have started happening more when I replaced those batteries last year with the same brand and model newer batteries. All have been group 31 and I’m running two of them in parallel for my house bank. The flooded lead acid did have a higher amp hour rating than these newest AGM’s. Reading at my Victron Battery Monitor, which comes right off the battery, I was somewhere at 13 volts last night. This morning, with everything turned off, I was showing 12.6 vts at 85%. As soon as the refrigerator and freezer kicked on (6 amps), voltage went down to 11.9. I don’t understand why the batteries read high with no load, but then the voltage drop with 6 amp load. Do I need some higher capacity (higher amphour) batteries? I will have to look later, but think my Walmart flooded LA batteries were each 115 amphours, whereas I think these AGM’s are 85 or 90...
Anyway, off the dock this morning around 8:30. I did get a few photos last night of some rowers and of the sun setting. The dock there at Rome, Bellamy Park, is right next to where the Mohawk River enters into the Erie Canal. At this point, we are between locks E20 and E21. Lock E20 is a drop east bound. However, lock E21 is a drop west bound. I was trying to figure out where the water was coming into the Erie Canal that allowed both those locks to drain from this section. Duh, I asked the lock operator at 21 and he said it comes in from the Mohawk River back there at Rome. Didn’t really seem like that much water coming in from the Mohawk River for all the water used in the downstream locks. As soon as we departed Rome and just beyond the Mohawk River, there appeared to be a cool mirage. A very calm path right down the center of the canal. See the photo for what I mean. In reality, it was the trees reflecting on both sides of the water, with just a tad bit of whispy fog. Only passed three boats going the opposite direction today, and we shared our last lock, E23, west of Lake Oneida, with a pontoon boat. Saw my first Anhinga tree today. Lol. (Five Anhingas were roosting on a high tree branch. Usually they are on the water or floating branch.) The real excitement of the day was finding out there was at least 100 Formula speed boats at Sylvan Beach. Glad we decided to stop at Rome last night and weren’t planning on spending time in Sylvan Beach today. Apparently they were having their annual Chicken Wing run. Nothing notamed about it, and no announcements being said on VHF Marine Ch 16. Long story short, C-Traveler was caught up in the middle of a frickin speed race. SO much for the calm water I expected in Lake Oneida with the light easterlies. Those boats are fast. I’m guessing we’re talking 80 or 90 mph. Maybe more.
Got back to Pirate’s Cove Marina around 2pm. Unloaded some items from the boat to the truck, and put it back on the trailer. Took the usual hour or so to get everything put away and strapped down for the long drive home. We were on the road by 3:30. Drove 80 miles and stopped at a Cracker Barrel this evening in Rochester, NY. For you John. What broke. Looks like the Kicker needs a new fuel pump and carbureator. Lost one of my fenders, (a blue one I found a year or two ago floating on the water somewhere…) out on Lake Oneida I think. All the bouncing around must have caused it to come untied from the boat... Tom, Joyce or Bill, if you see it on your way through Oneida, please pick it up for me...) And pushing back in my helm seat has cracked the hinge. Everything but the fender, on order to replace when we get back home. Final numbers for this trip, 66.9 gallons of fuel burned and 321 water miles. 13 days cruising. A lot more mileage and fuel burned in the pickup truck!Baca selengkapnya