Practical Boat Owner January 2022

I brushed the dust off my RYA logbook the other day and saw the names of skippers and boats long forgotten. At the time that little booklet was just a way to clock miles towards qualifications. I realise now, 20 years after the first entry, it’s a diary. Inside those neat rows are some of the best times of my life – some of which appeared in these very pages. My disastrous honeymoon in Greece, my RYA Coastal Skipper – plus the first article I ever wrote (for Yachting Monthly) about a voyage from Brighton to Conwy. There were tall ships and quarter tonners, racing yachts and cruisers. Some I’d worked on, others I’d crewed on – a few I’d been lucky enough to skipper. It was Max Liberson’s article (page 38)…

MDL marina group has already switched from E5 Petrol to E10 with up to 10% renewable ethanol, boatfolk’s fuel suppliers are in the process of doing so, while Premier Marinas is delaying the transition. A boatfolk spokesman said, “Since recently becoming the accepted standard in the UK, our fuel suppliers have started switching to E10 across the country. This switch has been communicated to our customers and we advise all boat owners to check compatibility with their engine manufacturers before fuelling.” A Premier Marinas spokesman said: “Many of our customers needed additional time to prepare for the arrival of E10. “Following discussions with our supplier, we have been able to maintain the supply of standard E5 petrol on fuel berths across all our marinas at this time. “We recognise the importance of fuel…

I brushed the dust off my RYA logbook the other day and saw the names of skippers and boats long forgotten. At the time that little booklet was just a way to clock miles towards qualifications. I realise now, 20 years after the first entry, it’s a diary. Inside those neat rows are some of the best times of my life – some of which appeared in these very pages. My disastrous honeymoon in Greece, my RYA Coastal Skipper – plus the first article I ever wrote (for Yachting Monthly) about a voyage from Brighton to Conwy. There were tall ships and quarter tonners, racing yachts and cruisers. Some I’d worked on, others I’d crewed on – a few I’d been lucky enough to skipper. It was Max Liberson’s article…

Experts and boat owners are growing increasingly concerned that the new E10 fuel will damage and affect engines over 15 years old. Fears are that older boat petrol engines – both outboard and inboard – filled with E10 could be caught out in a dangerous situation. In September 2021, the UK government mandated the introduction of the use of E10 petrol. ‘E10’ refers to the percentage of ethanol mixed into the petrol. The UK’s previous baseline fuel mix was E5 with 5% ethanol. Diesel fuel is not affected, although lower sulphur and higher biofuel content in recent years has seen an increase in the risk of diesel bug. Claims that E10 petrol will see carbon dioxide (CO2) production cut by as much as 750,000 tonnes annually are made but there…

Experts and boat owners are growing increasingly concerned that the new E10 fuel will damage and affect engines over 15 years old. Fears are that older boat petrol engines – both outboard and inboard – filled with E10 could be caught out in a dangerous situation. In September 2021, the UK government mandated the introduction of the use of E10 petrol. ‘E10’ refers to the percentage of ethanol mixed into the petrol. The UK’s previous baseline fuel mix was E5 with 5% ethanol. Diesel fuel is not affected, although lower sulphur and higher biofuel content in recent years has seen an increase in the risk of diesel bug. Claims that E10 petrol will see carbon dioxide (CO2) production cut by as much as 750,000 tonnes annually are made but there are downsides. Firstly,…

MDL marina group has already switched from E5 Petrol to E10 with up to 10% renewable ethanol, boatfolk’s fuel suppliers are in the process of doing so, while Premier Marinas is delaying the transition. A boatfolk spokesman said, “Since recently becoming the accepted standard in the UK, our fuel suppliers have started switching to E10 across the country. This switch has been communicated to our customers and we advise all boat owners to check compatibility with their engine manufacturers before fuelling.” A Premier Marinas spokesman said: “Many of our customers needed additional time to prepare for the arrival of E10. “Following discussions with our supplier, we have been able to maintain the supply of standard E5 petrol on fuel berths across all our marinas at this time. “We recognise the…