The apps are getting better. Columba is quite promising, as is https://github.com/thatSFguy/reticulum-mobile-app

And of course the chat aspect is only one of the things you can do with Reticulum. I’m hosting my “own GitHub” vai rngit for instance.

We have a Meshtastic repeater (CLIENT_BASE) in our sailboat mast. We’ve gotten ~12NM range with that

The cost development of solar is just incredible. We almost doubled the solar capacity on our boat this summer for just couple hundred euros.

For the past year, all of our electricity has come from renewable sources (mostly solar, though we also have small wind and hydro generators on the boat that do contribute when conditions are right). And this includes things like satellite internet, refrigeration, and making all our domestic fresh water through desalination.