Fuel

The Importance of Units

When cruising, you will frequently encounter countries that use imperial or metric units. These units are very important!

We started our journey in the United States, where fuel is sold by the gallon. Fuel prices when we left were around $3-4 per gallon. Our next stop was in the Bahamas where fuel prices were more expensive, ranging $4-7 per gallon. Our last port before heading to Bermuda sold fuel for $5.40 per gallon.

We use fuel to power the generator to keep our fridge running should cloudy, windless days persist and run down our house battery bank. Keeping our food refrigerated and frozen is worth buying 10 gallons of gasoline!

I was relieved when we arrived in Bermuda and found gasoline to be sold for $2.19! Being a former British colony, I assumed that they would also use the gallon. Our next stop when we leave Bermuda is the Azores, about 1800 miles away! So we decided to purchase an extra 5 gallon (20L) jerry can.

Bermuda is famously expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as people had led us to believe. We could still eat out and have a wonderful meal for about the same prices as stateside dining. I think the real kicker comes when cruisers tank up before leaving. This is usually their last purchase in Bermuda and therefore the one that is freshest in their mind when they reach home.

The fuel we bought was $2.19 per liter. At 3.8L per gallon, this meant that fuel here was $8.32 per gallon!

Our meager purchase of 15 gallons and a jerry can was $150! Yeah.

Now I understand how people can complain about prices when they need to buy hundreds of gallons of fuel to get home.

The moral of the story is: pay attention to the units because it can radically affect your experience.