The 15 AH/day was solely their estimate for the frig only.

They also have installed LED lighting and have some sort of battery amp/ use gauge that they swear by daily. With a the wind generator(I don't know the brand) that is also a towed gen, plus the solar panel while anchored, they didn't seem to report running the engine to charge batteries with any regularity.

I agree on the CP, I'd have a small one. The 5k 10" was just how Iain justified not having the added expense etc. of a CP over their laptop. Also, Iain is 38 so his sailing has been later tech driven than many of us a decade or two older.

This info was all off the cuff and answers were fast and often disagreed upon by each of them. I'm fascinated by these personal accounts.

What stuck me was they were not so set in their ways. Buying Ruffian, outfitting, was a rapid affair tempered by their experience's, much of it ocean racing. They said crossing from off Africa to the Caribbean was the easiest 16 days. The hardest day was just leaving.