The Petrol Crisis ...

... and other liquid matters

Yesterday I blithely stated that we'd have fuel on board for 24 hours and implied that this would be sufficient to allow us to motor any one leg of the planned cruise.

On reflection and after reconsidering the matter, I reckon I was a tads optimistic

We currently carry a 23 litre outboard tank and a 10 litre reserve Jerry can. Then there's a final last ditch reserve of a litre in the built in outboard tank (a "luxury" we didn't have with the old engine). So based on our tentative consumption estimate (and it is very tentative at that) of approx. 1.5 litres per hour that's actually just about enough for 22 hours of running. In reasonable condtions our cruising speed under motor would be 4 knots giving a range of 88 miles.

However, in less than ideal conditions (and especially batting into a choppy sea with the wind and tide against us) we'd be lucky to make 4 knots and we'd probably be burning closer to 2 or even 2.5 litres an hour

At 2.5 litres per hour we'd have fuel for less than 14 hours and potentially a range as low as 40 miles. That's less than half the distance of the longest 90 mile leg from Scarborough to Wells.

Now there's simply no way that we can more than double the amount of fuel we carry, even temporarily. However, I'm very much minded to squeeze another 10l jerry can into the fuel locker which should then ensure that we have at least 50% more fuel than we would need to make for the nearest safe harbour - even if that meant a diversion into Grimsby to refuel!

And whilst the subject of liquids on board was excercising my thoughts in the depths of the night, I remembered that we've started on the last 5l bottle of meths so I got on the bat phone and ordered two more 5l bottles. Should ensure that the stove doesn't run out of fuel even if the boat does!

And that has set me thinking about another essential liquid ... water!

In the days of sail and the press gang, the Royal Navy used to reckon a gallon a day per man for all purposes. General guidelines for the modern sailor, camper etc. is pretty much the same. Round it down and call it 4 litres per person per day. That works out at 12 litres a day for the three of us.

We threw out one of the two collapsible 20l containers after it went mouldy, black and horrible inside. The other one is still on board and should be usable. That plus the 20l tank in the forepeak is enough for over 3 days. However, we've got into the habit lately of using the big 5l bottles of water from the supermarket for drinking due to the tap water in the yard tasting bloody horrible in a cup of coffee! Add say four of those (they'll stow either side of the water tank quite nicely) and we're up to 30 litres although finding somewhere to keep the folding water carrier when it's full is a pain.

That's enough water for 5 days of normal usage and given that we're out for four days solid it's a wee bit tight for comfort. Could do with another 20l on board really. So, the easy option is to buy four more of the big bottles from Tescos and shove them somewhere out of the way. Stowing them shouldn't be a major problem.

In fact, I've just had a look at prices and 2 litre bottles of Tescos value still water are half the price per litre of the 5 litre bottles. However, whilst easier to use once opened that's a lot of bottles to stow and it's surprising how much space the fresh air around those bottles would take up

Right, that's it for liquids

Ah, yes, hmm. Booze.

I'm fed up with tinned beer on board. It keeps leaking into the bilges and it's always me that ends up dealing with the resulting stinking mess. Henceforth, tinned beer and cider is banned. These days, I often prefer to put a hefty slug of rum into a cup of coffee rather than drink beer anyway.

I shall consult with the crew as to what they'd like on board booze wise but drinking will be strictly limited when we're under way. Not banned outright, a single beer or shot of spirits is fine by me, but definitely no more than that.