Desert Messenger

February 3, 2016 www.DesertMessenger.com 37 Greg just returned from his 2nd trip to Greece following the footsteps of St. Paul. Come and hear Greg speak on this and other topics including: - The Truth of Scripture - Geography of the Holy Land - The Silver Scrolls - Archaology of the Temple Mount Community Bible Church of Quartzsite presents Greg Gulbrandsen Biblical Archaologist and Christian Apologist Thursdays at 6:30 pm 375 E. Sunrise St. Quartzsite RV refrigerators are smaller ver- sions of domestic refrigerators, and can operate with propane or 110 ac electricity. At sea or at anchor, many boats will have an inverter to produce 110 power, some powerful enough to op- erate coffee makers and microwaves. Ours is a smaller 750 watt invertor for light tasks such as charging our laptops, or operating an electric drill. Larger $250,000 to $500,000 yachts will have all the bells and whistles, including powerful generators for all their power needs including air conditioning, hot water heaters, elec- tric winches to raise and lower their dinghies or tenders, etc. For each of our boat and trailer we have a small 1000 watt Honda generator and two 85 watt solar panels. The solar panels are suffi cient for charging our bat- teries in the trailer, but not enough for keeping the batteries charged in the boat when we have the refrigera- tor running. We then have to use the Honda generator for a few hours every second day at anchor. Our compact galley has a deep single sink with hot and cold pressur- ized water, as well as a foot pump for overboard water. We have hot water available from a heat exchanger when the engine is running, or when we are plugged in to shore power. In the trailer we have a double sink with hot and cold water available, the hot water heated by either propane or electric- ity. We always have to conserve our resources of water, fuel, and battery power, as when at anchor or sailing at sea or along remote coasts or islands, supplies at marinas are hard to fi nd. Trailers are limited in their time of dry camping by the capacity of their water tanks and their holding tanks, but only need to be hauled to the nearest gas station or RV park. Our bed is located at the forepeak called the V birth (seven feet wide at the head and two feet wide at the foot), and has fi tted fl eece sheets. We have a dining table that when folded out can accommodate up to seven or eight peo- ple. The outer leaf can be dropped to make up a ¾ bed for guests. Our trailer has a large queen sized walk around bed with a large storage compartment beneath. The dinette can accommodate only four people. There is also a large full bed pull-out couch. A couple of easy chairs beside the large panoramic rear window provide a tranquil venue for relaxed reading and conversation. The cockpit is like an add-a-room in that it has bench seats on both sides and at the stern (back) with comfort- able Sunbrella covered cushions that allow us to stretch out reading or snoozing. It has a hard bimini (roof) and full side curtains, allowing us to sit out in rainy weather or at night. It has bimini mounted reading lights, steering and cockpit instruments (GPS chart plotter, depth sounder, wind indicator, and engine console), twin speakers from our radio/CD/tape deck and Sirius satellite radio, and a propane barbecue on the stern rail. Outside the trailer we have an awning, a couple of collapsible lawn chairs, and a barbecue mounted on the side wall. Summary - RV life is more expen- sive due to fuel and camping costs, whereas sailboats use less fuel and can anchor free of charge almost every- where. In RVs maintenance tends to involve a trip to a dealer as access to the systems on board usually requires a technician with the right tools and equipment. In sailboats the crew can usually do all the maintenance and replacement of defective systems. We know more about marine toilets than we ever thought we would know. We have rewired our boat, but to rewire an RV is far more tricky. One of my wife's favourite sayings is that "liveaboard cruising give you the opportunity to do maintenance in exotic locations." Inci- dentally, she is also a good mechanic, electrician and plumber. We are biased in favour of the cruis- ing lifestyle on our 38 year old 32 foot sailboat, but enjoy the convenience and spaciousness of our 8 year old 28 foot trailer. RV living is easier and more convenient. Liveaboard life on a sailboat is more exciting, dramatic, romantic, and fulfi lling. Aubrey & Judy will be making a presentation on their fi rst six years of sailing down the Missis- sippi, across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean and Black Sea at the Quartzsite Library at 7:00 pm, Thurs. Feb 11th. DREAM FROM PAGE 36 Quartzsite Desert Singles meet at the QIA every Friday at 10am for a short meeting. Then we go to different in- teresting places and have a cook-out. Join us and meet new friends. Desert Singles meet

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