What would you do?
You’ve planned a week’s summer cruise out of your local area. You must be at your first port-of-call by 1600 to get in. To allow for a leisurely passage with a lunch at anchor along the way, you set an ETD of 0800. But what with getting the kids out of bed, delivering your cat to the neighbours and dealing with heavy traffic, you have finally arrived to find a long queue for the fuel pontoon.
Departure is now delayed until 1100. There’s an eight-knot breeze against you but the weather is forecast to remain reasonable. Your sportscruiser has a fuel capacity of 140gal (635 litres), giving a normal cruising range at 28 knots of 165 miles with a 20% reserve.
The first leg is 150 miles directly west to a marina with a tidal lock. Your boat’s maximum speed is 34 knots, so if you run flat out all the way you can just make it in the time available. Or can you? Your engine handbook shows that at full throttle you will be burning 27gph. What now, skipper?
Send your answers to paul_ashton@ipcmedia.com .
