Year 3 -21 March 2026 - Stormbird -Another busy day in Kochi - India
It was another early start and I decided to polish the chrome. I had been so busy the day before that I had not been able to do it. I therefore armed myself with a clean cloth and my cup of tea and started work. It was about 7.00am, quiet and cool and the chrome came up a treat. It is quite satisfying but it was quite hot by the time I finished. What was not satisfying was to see the wind arrow instrument and reflective rear pieces lying on deck broken. It was one of those b Brahminy Kites. This is very annoying and although not essential gives you a quick direction of the wind and is quite useful, particularly at night. I will have to get it replaced in South Africa.
It was time for breakfast – pineapple, banana and granola – no yoghurt today unfortunatley.
I was going off to provision or to break the back of it at 9.30am with Varghese. I therefore wrote the blog, had some coffee and put the additional distilled water in the batteries as I had run out beforehand.
Varghese was on time and I had calculated (having discussed it with him the day before) how much bottled water I needed. The reason for this is that we have been using the marina water in the Starboard tank and therefore cannot use it for drinking water. I have been using bottled water myself and using up some of my emergency supply which I have should the water maker not work. In addition when the crew come they will be in the same situation and I calculated 4 lts a day drinking water per person which we will need for a number of days until we leave and until we can switch over to the port tank which is Stormbird made water (drinkable) and the rest for the emergency supply. This I calculated would be about 168 lts. Varghese ordered this in the car and the man said he would deliver it at 6.00pm this evening.
We first went to a bank and an ATM and with that machine you can take 25,000 rupees a day but only a maximum of 10,000 at a time. We then passed a battery shop so I got some more distilled water. The pledge polishes had arrived too and I got some more 9v batteries.
We then drove to a big supermarket in a mall and spent a couple of hours going round and I got most things I needed including chicken and mince which was good. This filled 2 large trolleys and we managed to bag most of it. Then we went to another shop called Host which was good and I managed to get most of the things I had not been able to get with the exception of ginger beer and proper sausages (they only have chicken here or frankfurters). The rest of the provisioning with fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy can be done nearer our departure date.
The last stop was a petrol station where I got grade 95 petrol (otherwise everywhere is selling E20) for the outboards. I had given my other old fuel away and so was able to fill the dinghy petrol container plus two spare containers with new right grade fuel. I was quite pleased as very few stations sell it here.
E20 petrol (20% ethanol blend) is generally not suitable for most outboard engines, particularly older models. While modern, specifically designed outboards might be compatible, using E20 in standard marine engines poses significant risks, including engine damage. So there you go make sure you buy the right fuel.
When talking about fuel the only thing I was not able to get was Diesel Bug preventative as they do not seem to know about it here. Diesel bug is a microbial contamination (bacteria, fungi, yeast) that grows at the water-diesel interface, particularly in biodiesel blends. It forms slimy deposits (like black tar) that clog filters, corrodes metal tanks, and cause engine failure. It requires water to grow and is best treated by removing water, using biocides, and maintaining high-quality, fresh fuel. It is sensible particularly in the winter to keep your tanks full as it lives on condensation and I have been using a preventative since leaving the UK when I refuel and I had run out. I will have to ask someone to bring some out. I had asked for the best quality diesel here and had used my special water filter so it should be ok. However, it is always good to use diesel bug preventer as there have been many stories on many WhatsApp’s I have been on of people have got bad diesel in various countries and islands and they were having to change filters frequently and in some cases the engines ceased to work. This will then require a clean of the tank and removal of the old fuel and new good diesel added or what they call polishing the fuel.
Fuel polishing is a multi-stage filtration process that removes water, sediment, and microbial contamination ("diesel bug") from stored fuel to prevent engine failure and improve combustion efficiency. It is essential for long-term fuel storage, such as in backup generators or marine tanks, by cleaning and recirculating fuel to restore it to pristine condition. So there you go. – You should always if you can get good fuel and filter it properly before it goes into the tanks and then use a diesel bug preventative.
We returned to Stormbird and then had the delight of transporting the fuel, distilled water and all the shopping bags to the boat along dodgy boarding with holes etc. We did it and it was extremely hot. I thanked Varghese and off he went. I always think when provision and you see all the bags-where am I going to put it all? However, with experience I can generally fit everything in and then you think- where is everything as you cannot see it. The important thing was to get the freezer stuff in the freezer and the dairy into the fridge. I had a quick sandwich during all this as time was getting on.
By the time everything was stored away it was about 3.30pm. I then packed away the fuel and armed with the pledge and more Cif attacked the heads and cabins to make sure they were all clean and ready. I also did my own and packed away the distilled water under my floor where the bow thruster battery compartment is. By this time it was 5.45pm and I had had enough. I jumped in the shower and cooled off.
Then water man came (I had forgotten he was coming) and so we had 14 x 12 ltr packs to carry to the boat as well. Although the man helped me it was 7 journeys (like the shopping earlier) and water is quite heavy and it warmed me up again!!. Where was I going to put 168 lts. Well I have managed to store it in the saloon so we had that as well. The cost of all this water was £16 -so 10.5 a ltr and it was proper quality water. Just think about that when you buy water bottles in the UK. I ltr is about £2.75-3.50. We are being ripped off.
In all it had been a very good day and I had got most things I needed and what I had planned to do. To put the icing on the cake the laundry came back about 7.00pm with the help of Varghese so I can now make up all the beds.
I had time to make the cassoulet (which I thought of doing a couple of nights ago) which I had with broccoli. I know it is out of a tin but the flavours are very good and I enjoyed it. Another long but satisfying day. However, there are 2 days left and there is still quite a bit to do. No peace for the wicked!
The picture of today is the wind arrow instrument found on deck from a b brahminy kite -ahhhh – they look nice but leave havoc and mess in their wake.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.
I am looking for one crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town (mid June to end of July). If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com