Approx Fuel Usage

[JT101]

Hello
I am posting another message regarding transatlantic sailing.

Assuming one would stop at Iceland and Greenland if taking the northern route of approx 6480Nm, or the Azores if taking the southern route of approx 5000Nm, roughly how much fuel might one consume on either route.

I know it is a complete guess, so maybe you can give me a range e.g. 600L - 1000L for each route.

That's assuming something like a 45ft average offshore cruising yacht with a modest onboard engine, and assuming you have to battle some winds (not storms), and you go into and out of port at the above mentioned places using the engine.

I know it's difficult, I just hope that's enough info to get a ballpark figure. Don't worry, I won't hold anyone to this.

Kind regards

James

[Arghiro]

Well, you will want a few litres to get out of port each time (although, you can refill at every port) & maybe allow 10 for getting in so that you can control your time of arrival. How often do you expect to run the engine for charging? Allow a couple of litres per hour for that. Now see how far you can get on what would be left in the tank & estimate how many miles you might wish to motor - is it enough?

Many people do not motor at all on ocean passages except for getting in & out of port. It can be boring if becalmed, but it can also be a good opportunity to do some repairs, bake some bread, read a book, do some fishing - whatever.

Personally I would fill my 100ltre tank & add 2x25ltr containers & keep at least one container for getting into port.

Or are you planning to motor all the way?

[tcm]

Hello
I am posting another message regarding transatlantic sailing.

Assuming one would stop at Iceland and Greenland if taking the northern route of approx 6480Nm, or the Azores if taking the southern route of approx 5000Nm, roughly how much fuel might one consume on either route.

I know it is a complete guess, so maybe you can give me a range e.g. 600L - 1000L for each route.

That's assuming something like a 45ft average offshore cruising yacht with a modest onboard engine, and assuming you have to battle some winds (not storms), and you go into and out of port at the above mentioned places using the engine.

I know it's difficult, I just hope that's enough info to get a ballpark figure. Don't worry, I won't hold anyone to this.

Kind regards

James

I don't of many going via Iceland, but i do know of lots going via Azores. It's about 2400nm direct from St martin and fuel tankage can be a big problem for smaller boats - cos at the time that they go (april-June) there can be calms, sometimes for a week or more anywhere north of the tradewinds( which die sometimds only a few hundred miles out) , and then again calms especially for the last few hundred miles into the azores.

A (not wild) guess is that a 45footer with (say) 50hp motor would manage 6knots at 2000rpm and 3 litres per hour. 2400nm at 6knots makes 400hours for the whole trip and 1200litres. I take about 1100 - bit less than the 1200 cos I've just got to be able to sail the first couple of days, altho the first few days isn't direct to the azores. I'm likely bit more guzzly cos i reckon i'm likely 3.5 litres perhour including generator, tho usually i still have the option to bypass the azores if it looks bad and go on to madeira instead.

But this is for a "i'll definitely be in the azores in 14 days and likely have a few hundred litres of spare fuel" luxury gig - not one where i'll just hang about if there's no wind, which many many boats do, and effectively have no option but to do if they have small tanks and using the engines to charge batteries, so can't use anything last few days cos they need to keep some back to get in. I reckon i'd be fine with 1000litres really, or a fair bit less, but since i have the tanks, what the heck. I'll probably run with emptier water tank next time, instead of nearly-fll tank, and that saves a quarter of a tonne or so.

If people go without the extra fuel then of course they ned to take extra water to last a nice long time bobing about at 2-3 knots. The extra water of course actually gets them nowhere at all. So (sort of) they may as well have taken the extra fuel..

.A mate arived in st martin a few weks ago having taken 39days (!) from Las Palmas.