How Much Fuel Does a Cruise Ship Use?

by Jonathan Hunt
I have no idea how much fuel a cruise ship uses, nor do I care - what I care about is getting your attention, so hopefully I can, give you advice to help further your preparedness level. You have to admit the title grabbed your eye, which was the intent. Now let's get started.

My fuel storage is small compared the amounts suggested by some other survival blogs and books, no 10,000 gallon diesel storage tanks or resupply trucks at my place. Mine is just some propane tanks and a few five gallon cans.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a huge set-up - unfortunately finances won't allow it.

My cook-stove, refrigerator and water heater all use liquefied petroleum gas (propane). When I bought my trailer it came with two 20lb tanks, which were fine for camping or other recreational use, but for full time occupation they weren't sufficient and were quickly replaced with 100lb tanks.

Used for cooking and refrigeration those tanks will last me about a year - longer if I do most of my cooking outside over an open fire or in my Dutch oven.

I also keep the two 20lb tanks that I replaced full at all times. I should have enough fuel to fire the cook stove and run the fridge for at least a year or more.

Propane is efficient and easy to store in the pressurized tanks supplied by the dealer, but can be extremely dangerous if leaks occur near an ignition source.

I don't know if it's true, but the guy working for the local LP dealer, told me about a man who was unloading one of the 100lb tanks from the back of a pickup truck and was blown to bits as soon when he touched the tank.

He said the tank had been laid on it's side and rolled around in the truck bed during transport, damaging the valve and causing a leak. When the guy took hold of the tank, static electricity from his fingers sparked an explosion killing him and his son.

Like I said, I don't know if this really happened or if it was just a warning from the dealer, but it made me think and become more cautious. Now I wear leather gloves whenever loading or unloading propane.

Propane tanks should be left in the open and not tightly enclosed. I have the 20lb tanks sitting outside on a platform made of concrete block and a half sheet of plywood covered with a tarp.

Gasoline is the hardest fuel to store for an extended length of time. I keep three, five gallon cans, full at all times - 15 gallons doesn't sound like much, but I don't plan on joy riding through town poking fun at those who didn't prepare.

My motivation for storing gasoline is to keep my chainsaws running. If you've ever tried cutting firewood with a crosscut saw you know how important a chainsaw is in your survival preps.

I treat my gasoline with Sta-Bil and rotate every 3-6 months, I don't know how long it would remain viable, but I think six months is a good cutoff period for rotation.

Kerosene and diesel (diesel Sta-Bil) are easy to store and have a longer storage life than does gasoline.

I store kerosene in blue cans and gasoline in red. Mistakenly pouring gasoline into a kerosene heater for instance, could have dire consequences. Following a color coding system helps eliminate this possibility.

The standard fuel container color coding system is blue for kerosene, red for gasoline, and yellow for diesel. I suggest you follow this system.

No doubt some of you have already worked out your fuel storage needs and have planned accordingly - please share what you've learned in the comments below.

Emergency Seed Bank Sale

I just got word that Emergency Seed bank is having a 2 for 1 seed bank sale. What was normally $119 for a seed bank is now $119 for 2. I've dealt with this company before and totally recommend their product (I have 5 of their seed vaults).

Will there be a shortage of vegetable seeds for gardeners in 2010?

by Jonathan Hunt

It is possible, says Barbara Melera , owner of the oldest seed house in the country, D. Landreth Seeds, formerly of Baltimore and now of New Freedom, Pa.

After back-to-back good years — 2008's salmonella scares and 2009's poor economy send homeowners into the garden to grow their own food — you might expect a backslide in seed sales, Melera said. New gardeners get discouraged or bored.

But, she said, “In 2009, we had the worst growing season in 50 years.” Rain and disease destroyed crops and with them, the seeds for next year's garden. “We are being told that many, many varieties simply won't be available.”

I don't know how bad this will be or even if it will even be an issue, but one thing is certain you need to stock up with Non Hybrid Seed now to be ready for the coming growing season.

What do you think - will there be a seed shortage in 2010?