Stop shell Today!
Stop shell Today!: hit your local beach today to be part of our social movement of solidarity with nature and the Wild Coast. Stop Shell Today!
Today, the 5 December 2021, from Cape Town to Kosi, a peaceful show of solidarity will take place. This is to heighten awareness and to build more accurate public perceptions. To be in line with the truth and not the bullshit propaganda that Shell uses to smokescreen the public, courts and the gullible government officials that they lobby.
Moving to renewables
This is where we should be exploring and investing. Especially at government level. Advances in solar energy harvesting and use, grow every year. Many home and industry installations are now ten years old and still going strong.
Paying for themselves.
The form and function of solar panels are also being improved upon. As solar panels get incorporated right into the construction phase of many modern buildings, more costs benefits are becoming apparent.
Solar roof tiles are a great current example – being produced and installed right now in some places. And surely it won’t be long until solar panels clip together to form a waterproof roof?
Solar Powered River Cruiser
Yip, for over a year now, and many hundreds upon hundreds of hours, our big old river cruiser on the Umzimkulu, has been solar-powered!
We run a 47lb thrust sneaker motor. Two big batteries. A neat little charge controller (featuring USB charging ports). And a solar panel from Takealot. This is enough to get us about 3 or 4 knots. Which is all we need to do our river tours. We charge on the boat whilst on the move.
The cost saving of this feat alone comes dangerously close to already having paid the investment off. Every trip that we do, a circuit of the lower estuary, would usually take 2 or 3 litres of pre-oiled petrol. Comes to about 10 to 20 litres per week. Multiply that by 12 months worth of weeks, and we have 500 to 1000 litres of possible fuel being burnt.
500 x 20 = R10 000.
1000 x 20 = R20 000.
Considering two batteries, a solar panel, charge regulator and an electric sneaker, comes in at R10 000 to R15 000 – I think I have finally made a good business decision!
Sound of Silence
Yip, it’s silent. As in, you cannot hear the motor at all. The power unit is in the bottom housing of the motor. Completely submerged.
All you can hear, is the water being displaced and lapping against the hull as you move along effortlessly and peacefully.
Nature really appreciates this too. The aquatic animals that we encounter on the Umzimkulu River, get a real surprise as we sneak up on them in absolute stealth mode.
Birds, turtles, otters, eagles – they all love the sound of silence.
Download the Umzimkulu Adrenalin App to your phone! For offline reading when you are out in the sticks. For staying in touch with us. And to book trips or adventures, as they come available. Many of our activities are seasonal and very weather dependant.
To install the app, the Add to Homescreen option does it all for you. On Android, it pops up as you load https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za/. Or use the browser menu (three little dots). On iPhone use the Share button to find the Add to Homescreen option.
Allow notifications to be part of all the fun we are going to have with this app.
FREE money for App users – coming soon!
Hahaha for real!
Other fun apps…
Get your very own app for your business, from TLC right here.
