Slow Boat

Croquet, the sport of kings--and captains of industry

Yesterday, we were docked at Jekyll Island, Georgia. A mandatory place to see is the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. This grand hotel opened in 1888 as a private playhouse for famous millionaire captains-of-industry, including William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, Everett Macy, and J.P. Morgan.  

Sir?  Your car is ready . . . .

The hotel is an elaborate Victorian confection, with a turret, and gingerbread trim, and--yesterday--a croquet game in progress on the lawn, with the players properly attired in white flannel. The place looked like a movie stage set (which, indeed, it has been). 

In our grubby boater duds, we've been mistaken for homeless people. In this more egalitarian age we ate lunch at the grand hotel . . .  in the sandwich shop, at the back. 

Afterward we biked around on the island's plentiful bike paths, under the arches of the grand old live oaks weeping with Spanish moss, and one of the most interesting places we stopped was . . .  the airport.  

It's quite a small airport, so there are no shops or concourses or baggage claim or rental car counters.  What you DO find is something a bit unexpected: An alternative energy rental car agency called Red Bug Motors.

The owner, Rich Van Iderstyne, says his business was inspired by the original millionaire inhabitants of the island.  During Jekyll's heyday as a winter retreat for the wealthy, the transportation of choice was tiny electric cars called Red Bugs. "Gasoline engines of the day were noisy, and those millionaires liked their peace and quiet," Rich explained.

Signs of spring: Crabapple tree in full bloom in St. Augustine. And did you notice Nissan is leafing out?

First the answer to the "Where ARE you?" question.  We spent two days in St. Augustine . . . and Thursday, we grabbed a rental car and zoomed inland to Gainesville, visiting friends who recently launched an aquarium biz that aims at sustainability. (More on THAT anon).  

The last time we heard spring peepers, the boat was still up on blocks next to the Erie Canal, and the Cap'n was busy installing solar panels.  

At the time we had no idea whether boats powered by electricity were common, or rare. Costly, or affordable. We were making it up as we went along.  

In the course of this trip, we've learned not only that electric boats have a 100-year history in America, but that they're more common than you might think. And fairly easy to get your hands on.  You don't have to be do-it-yerselfers (like us) to go electric.  And you have quite a few choices!  

We visited Sarasota Monday and found it highly hospitable to boaters.  You can anchor overnight, for free, in Sarasota Harbor, just a few dinghy strokes from downtown.  

I bet kids don't skip class when it's on a boat!

We got a kick out of watching the boat come in and discharge students carrying buckets full of marine specimens.  When OUR voyage is over, Cap'n hopes to turn our boat into a similar floating classroom, where kids can study freshwater systems.  

So far, we've escaped the rainy skies that are deluging the East Coast.

Today, less travelogue and more information.

You've been following our slow, solar-powered perambulations, and you've been thinking to yourself, "A solar boat is very nice, but how about my HOUSE?
Can solar power run a TV? Air conditioning? Garbage disposal? None of which that crazy boat has! If I put some panels on my roof, what's it going to cost me? Those puppies are expensive! What's the payback time?  Is it worth it?"

Here are a few resources to help you explore those questions.

The limestone bluffs fringing the water add interest to the scenery.

In southwestern Illinois there are a number of roadways where, to get across the river, you take a ferry--there is no bridge.  

Some of these ferries are operated by the Illinois Department of Transportation, and you can ride them at no charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It's just part of the state transportation system

Early one morning outside of Grafton we passed this ferry, giving kids an unconventional ride to school.

Son Ben helps test systems

We’re docked at our home port, Macedon Landing, while we make our final preparations. Today Bill piloted the Dragonfly out of the harbor and up the Erie Canal, making a successful test cruise under electric power.

The weather has been perfect and our solar panels had our half-ton bank of batteries fully charged.

Notice that the GPS in the photo below reads 2.3 miles per hour . . . but don’t let that fool you; at one point we were motoring along at a blistering 5 mph (exceeding expectations!)

Bill writes...

Spent this past weekend installing our electric motor.  The Dragonfly now has electric propulsion, which is very exciting, albeit with one unexpected wrinkle. Turns out that to reverse the propeller (that is, back the boat up or slow it suddenly), I need a piece of specialized electrical gear (a “reversing relay”) that I didn’t think we needed.

I ordered the part on Saturday and it is supposedly air-shipping from China today. The company predicts that I will have it by Friday. It’s a rather essential piece of equipment because  without it, I can’t reverse the boat if I’m running on electric power..