Here at Battle Born Batteries, our LiFePO4 technology powers rigs big and small— just ask Mark and Jennifer Prince of Sailing Luna Sea! They’ve been busy hitting the road and setting sail on the waters of the Caribbean, and we love to hear when people use our products and write their own experiences.
Meet Sailing Luna Sea:
Mark and Jennifer Prince first realized a minimalist travel life was possible in 2009 when Mark visited Europe on an extended business trip. They enjoyed being able to have a great experience and realized that they could do it with only 2 suitcases between them. Mark worked in the aviation industry for 20 years and Jennifer has a fine arts degree with a background in rental properties.
When they came back home, the Princes felt the burden of American homeownership. Chores like maintaining a pool, insuring cars and their house, and keeping it all going were becoming too much for them. As someone who grew up around workboats in Southern Louisiana, Mark knew living at sea was a viable option. But first, the couple hit the road and ventured into the nomadic lifestyle in a Class B Econoline van. They made the most of the rig’s small space, deemed “Creepy Van” by their friends.
“It consisted of not much more than a bed, loose camping equipment, and as much of our stuff that we needed to live,” said Mark. “Even though it was a blast and we made the most of it, we vowed to never try small-camper living again.”
For the most part, the Princes stuck to that principle, but then when they sold their first sailboat, they needed mobile accommodations for their time on land in the States. The couple then refit and modified their rig, a 1999 VW Rialta known as Lolo. They were looking into lithium batteries after originally selecting a manufacturer that wasn’t accommodating to their sailboat system. Describing it as a “trial by fire,” they admit that there were a few close calls with the electrical system such as blown fuses, and the added hassle of trying to source the correct parts on remote islands. When they eventually got the system figured out, Mark and Jennifer admit it was a lesson learned the hard way.
They caught up with our team at the 2020 Miami Boat Show event while looking for a lithium supplier, and it was a stroke of luck! They enjoyed how our team was able to assist and set them up.
“Quite frankly, we were exhausted and tired of talking about batteries, power curves, and charge cycles,” Mark said. “It was immediately apparent that these folks from Battle Born were different. Their enthusiasm for their product, their interest in our project, and their knowledge of our somewhat rare coach all re-energized us.”
Mark and Jennifer use the following in their RV:
- 2 BB10012 Battle Born batteries
- 200 watt solar panel
- Multiplus Compact Inverter/Charger 12/2000/80-50 120v
- Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor with Bluetooth
- Victron Digital Multi Control 200/200A
- Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A (360W) Isolated DC-DC Charger
- SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 Solar Charge Controller
- SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 Solar Charge Controller
- SmartSolar MPPT 150/85 Solar Charge Controller
- 6 BB10012 Battle Born Batteries
