Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Fueled up

A fast boat passed us yesterday on the Intracoastal Waterway and we ended up docked next to it last night in Brunswick. We were discussing itineraries and plans with the captain when I learned that the boat has a top speed of 35 knots and cruises at around 28 knots. At cruise speed it burns about 45 gallons per hour of diesel fuel, about 1.6 gallons per mile. Our boat only cruises at about 8 knots but fortunately only burns about 5 gallons per hour. So we get 1.6 miles per gallon instead of gallons per mile.

Our tanks hold a total of 1,700 gallons. I have bought 500 gallons of fuel twice since I got the boat more than a year ago, and it still had about 300 gallons in the tank this morning. But we spent the night at one of the least expensive fuel stops on the east coast, and we are heading for the Bahamas where fuel and everything else is very expensive. 

So we started our day completely filling my tanks with 1,415.68 gallons of fuel (roughly 10,000 pounds). The price, after a 10-cent per gallon discount for buying more than 1,000 gallons, and another 10-cent per gallon off for being a member of Boat US, was $2.359 per gallon plus 7% sales tax, or $2.524 per gallon. Not bad when prices at other marinas are running $3.80 and higher per gallon.
Golden Ray in Brunswick Harbor

Leaving Brunswick we passed by the capsized car carrier "Golden Ray" which will be gradually cut apart to be removed. It still has about 4,000 Hyundais or Kias on board. Recently, the prop and shaft weighing about 100 tons were cut away and added to an artificial reef off the coast of Georgia. See https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/golden-ray-s-propeller-added-to-artificial-reef.  This is some insurance company's worst nightmare.

ODK and I are underway in the ocean from Brunswick down to Fernandina Beach, FL. The wind is from the north behind us and is only at around 6 knots. Seas are one to two feet and we are very comfortable. We are just about five miles away from the ship channel that will take us in between Fernandina (Amelia Island) and Cumberland Island. We will spend the night at anchor and then I will drop Paul off to rent a car and head home tomorrow.

UPDATE @ 10:19 PM Wednesday night: We are anchored in Fernandina Beach and have feasted on lamb chops and salad. A perfect day.



1 comment:

  1. You and Sean are two peas in a pod when it comes to finding inexpensive fuel!

    ReplyDelete

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