Holding Tank from Germany

A few weeks ago we ordered a holding tank at the Chandlery here in Ottawa, but when it arrived it was black, not white as shown in the 2007 catalog (you can see the liquid inside when it's white to know when it's full). So we told them we wanted the white one. We received a call back that they only came in black and the suppliers didn't know why the catalog had them in white. We called two suppliers and got the same answer. Ruth finally called the manufacturer in the Netherlands and was told that the old type was black and all the new ones were white! So the suppliers were trying to get rid of old stock. Back to the Chandlery - no, their supplier couldn't get white until they put a new order in... So, since we were going to Germany for a vacation anyway, we decided to try to buy a holding tank in Europe. We found a Chandlery in Ruth's home town (about 2hrs from the North Sea) and, sure enough, they could get one for us.

So what did we bring back from our vacation? A waste water holding tank - or a "fecal tank" in German!

Frequently Asked Questions

People keep asking us similar questions so we thought we'd post some of them here with our answers:

• How long will it take to get to the Caribbean?
  
  We don't really have a timeline on how long it will take us as we have no schedule in mind - if we are having fun we will stay in different places along the way longer. Winter will be pushing us south (along with lock closures), but hurricanes may keep us north. Given all of this, it will most likely take a month or two to get to Florida, where we plan to do more work on the boat. We will head off to the Caribbean after that.
  
  
• How do you shower?
  
  We will shower using a solar shower filled with sea water and then do a quick rinse with fresh water from our tanks. A solar shower is simply a black bag with an attached hose and small shower head. It is filled with water that the sun heats up over the course of a few hours.
  
  
• Will you have your cell phone?
  No - we will be using our SSB radio for communications when at sea. We will use a laptop with Wi-Fi for e-mail and Skype phone calls when we are in harbours or use internet cafes.
  
  
• What about pirates?
  
  There aren't any! .... Well at least there aren't any that go after small boats - they prefer the large freighters that have large amounts of money on board.
  
  
• What does SVGeru stand for ?
  
  SVGeru stands for : Sailing Vessel GEoff and RUth
  
  Many people when cruising are known by their boat names, so we thought this way our names might get remembered too ;)
  
  
  
  

More to come as the questions come in...