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An eye in the sky

shaft. So this presented an easily accessible ‘always on’ 12V supply that I
could use to power the time switch. I mounted it on the wall of the engine
bay. I then dismantled a car USB plug and soldered the 12V boat supply to
it, and plugged in the USB lead of the Tracker, before protecting all with
tape. I could now program the switch to turn on for 1 hour per day in order
to charge the battery of the Tracker, which proves ample. The time switch
itself only draws a really tiny amount.
3) How to keep a literal eye on the boat (Fenders in place? Nothing flap-
ping?, Dinghy ok? etc)

Solution:
Fit a camera mounted up the mast. This was also surprisingly easy. Again, I
didn’t want to rely on a wifi signal and I was anxious to avoid wires up the
mast either, so I wanted a solution that was completely independent. I
bought a Reolink Go camera and solar panel and sim card (all in one pack-
age for £235).
This is extremely neat. It also uses a
Vodafone sim card, so it was just a
question of extending my contract
for another £2 per month. (Both of
these contracts for these devices
are for unlimited use.) The camera
works day and night (infrared spot-
light), includes a mic and speaker (if
you want to speak to the boat –
takes all sorts!), and I have found
that the battery stays 100% charged
from the panel even in February, based on me checking in once each day.
Mind you, it made a huge difference orientating the panel correctly, as be-
fore that it was beginning to run down quite significantly. The picture quali-
ty switches to high or low res depending on the mobile signal, but either is
adequate. Using the included sturdy mounts, I attached both the camera
and solar panel on an old plastic circular chopping board, then attached the
board to one of the flag halyards. It now sits just below the cross trees look-

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