Back in 1975 Blacksmith Gangerl Clemens started building himself a 15 metre steel boat. Twelve years later he set off on a voyage that would never end. He’s still sailing today…

There have been many achievements and many dramas during his 100,000 mile adventure: Gangerl has visited a hundred countries – he was the first yachtsman to visit the pacific island of Nanumea; he has been imprisoned; faced pirates; been robbed; dived among dangerous moray eels – there are more than 60 warships lying on the ocean floor in Chuuk Lagoon – and he has survived Dengue fever. Ashore, he and his backpack have trekked across a hundred-thousand miles.

The boat Gangerl built was eventually lost in the Seychelles.  These day he sails a 35′ Dufour. As he approaches his 82nd birthday, Gangerl shows no sign of slowing down. His main concern – when marine energy system and lithium battery specialists GS-Power caught up with him – was that his electronics were in a dangerous condition – threatening the continuity of his extended voyage.

To facilitate his continuing adventure (which you can follow on Gangerl’s webpage) with a more reliable and safer power system he asked GS-Power to upgrade his vessel’s energy system with the latest equipment in energy management – including LiFePO4 battery technology. This would allow him to be more self-sufficient, reduce the time he spends on maintenance, and to ensure that his beloved yacht continues to plough a furrow through the ocean waves with safety and comfort.

A Marine Transformation

GS-Power’s marine expertise has revolutionised the power system on board. The original electronic devices have been seamlessly integrated with the new power management system resulting a new level of performance and reliability. The installation was carried out on location in Malaysia at the Dalac Marine Engineering & Services SB.

These days, a Victron Cerbo GX is Gangerl’s central monitoring device – the nerve centre of his vessel. It provides real-time insights into his power consumption, harvest, and voltage levels which can be read from a neat touch screen display and user-interface – the GX Touch 50 – or straight from a smart phone.

Using real-time and historic information it becomes simple to manage power harvest, storage and usage.

Offshore Power Harvesting

Gangerl’s boat now has six bifacial solar panels of various sizes, each connected to an individual SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 charge controller. This configuration guarantees a power generation capacity of 800Wp, ensuring efficient energy harvest even with reduced sunlight or in the shadow-mottled conditions typical aboard a sailing yacht.

An existing wind turbine with a 12V output has been integrated into the new energy system.

Gangerl’s boat now has a robust, energy-dense battery bank consisting of four 12.8V 100Ah Lithium SuperPack LiFePO4 batteries.

A Victron MultiPlus-II 12/3000/120-32 Inverter/Charger converts 12VDC to 230VAC, providing a power supply for his domestic and hobby equipment. Gangerl cooks with electricity, is a keen diver, video maker, and drone photographer.

When motoring, the 12V system is charged by an alternator via his starter battery. An Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger Isolated ensures the charging process is ultra-reliable and delivers controlled, isolated charging. The Orion protects the alternator from over-heating which results from overwork. When the engine is stopped, the Orion will automatically detect that new circumstance and protect the starter battery from accidental depletion – a mistake common in manual systems when the user forgets to isolate the starter battery after charging and leaves both ‘starter’ and ‘house’ battery banks in parallel, supplying power for domestic loads.

What are the highlights of the new installation?

• Real-time Monitoring with Cerbo GX: The Cerbo GX with its GX Touch 50 screen plays a pivotal rôle in Gangerl’s power journey. Offering visual data and real-time monitoring, it simplifies the task of tracking power consumption and voltage levels, allowing Gangerl to focus on his true passions—diving, adventure, and exploration. 
• Enhanced Connectivity: The Cerbo GX harmonizes Victron Energy’s electronic devices yet integrates with third-party devices, presenting a unified system overview. This enhanced connectivity ensures a comprehensive understanding of the vessel’s systems, from navigation to power management.
• Lithium chemistry’s low internal resistance allows fast re-charging, light weight, small size, and deep discharging …you can use virtually all the battery capacity between charges.

Systems Reliability – worry free

With GS-Power’s meticulous installation and Victron’s advanced peripherals, Gangerl’s vessel has undergone a transformation. Now, as he sails through the seas he does so safe in the knowledge he has a reliable and efficient power system. It’s a synergy between technology and adventure.

Gangerl is the author of several books and has just finished taking part in a film documentary which tells the story of the last forty years of an extraordinary life. Listen out for more news and follow Gangerl on his Instagram channel:  @gangerlclemens

Gangerl is currently sailing in Indonesia.

All Pictures provided by Rainier Ramisch, Styx Media GmbH