Holding Tank in Spain - a Must Have?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Without a holding tank, what do you do with your poop?


Holding tanks or some other means of preventing discharging poop into the water near shore have been required in the USA for 40 years or so.

The question was for Spanish waters, not US. FYI Spanish waters are crystal clear unlike most US waters, but that's a different issue more related to water temperature and plankton.

What do you think we do with the poop? The same thing the fishies, Dolphins and whales do with theirs. Duh?

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

The question was for Spanish waters, not US.

Yes, I understand that. I was asking what people in Spanish waters do with the poop.

What do you think we do with the poop? The same thing the fishies, Dolphins and whales do with theirs. Duh?

If you don't have holding tanks or treatment systems, I have to assume that you just dump it into the water next to the other boats in the marina. I asked because I wanted to confirm that. It seems a little uncivilized to me.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Yes, I understand that. I was asking what people in Spanish waters do with the poop.

If you don't have holding tanks or treatment systems, I have to assume that you just dump it into the water next to the other boats in the marina. I asked because I wanted to confirm that. It seems a little uncivilized to me.

Brace yourself Mr. Greenjeans.... In Spanish waters, we do what everyone else does including the fellow pictured.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Always had holding tank in the med , never used it once

Dave

You mean, when you are on anchor on a nice small cove with other boats do you just **** on the water where others are taking bath?

That is the kind of thing that can ban yachts from anchoring near public beaches, as it is often the case.

What you would think if users of a public beech just went to the water and **** there whenever they have the need?

[Dauntlessny]

Forget the Med.

What do you think happens in the French Canals!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Polux

What you would think if users of a public beech just went to the water and **** there whenever they have the need?

I really envy you your innocence... or is it Naiveity...

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I really envy you your innocence... or is it Naiveity...

Is it really necessary to insult someone for asking a simple question?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Is it really necessary to insult someone for asking a simple question?

Is it an insult..??
Or is it a fact... how many times on the beach do you see folks wade in up to their waists and then just stand there for 3-5mins... then walk back to their towels.. come on.. the coffees perculating.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Is it an insult..??
Or is it a fact... how many times on the beach do you see folks wade in up to their waists and then just stand there for 3-5mins... then walk back to their towels.. come on.. the coffees perculating.

Im not keen on percolated coffee.

[NornaBiron]

I think most people in a marina would use the shoreside facilities when they need to.

People are very squeamish about black waste. Fresh, untreated poo is eaten very quickly by fish. We should be more concerned by the grey, sink waste containing detergents etc - that makes a lovely mess to swim through.

We have holding tanks (black and grey), the black is used rarely as pump out facilities everywhere (including Turkey, where it is monitored) are rare throughout the Med.

Common sense prevails in anchorages.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by weavis

Im not keen on percolated coffee.

Not crazy about Expresso myself.. but hey.. I'm an Instant Gratification guy..

[weavis]

I have a seatoilet with no holding tank. I also have a chem toilet for marinas. My marina has great facilities so I use them but if caught short or somewhere else.. I have the chem. My clean out of the chem toilet due to infrequent use is about every 4-6 weeks and the matter has percolated nicely into a pourable slurry......

My colvic Watson has a holding tank........ I had to clean it recently.

That was something else. Febreeze is your friend.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Polux

What you would think if users of a public beach just went to the water and **** there whenever they have the need?

I hate to be another to break the news to you... That's precicely what happens. Can't tell you how many times we've been anchored off a beautiful beach looking at the many hundreds or thousands of people using the beach. No restroom facilities in sight, or certainly far too few to handle the masses. Do you really believe that the vast majority of beach goers are "holding it" all day?

[Polux]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I really envy you your innocence... or is it Naiveity...

I prefer you call it civility. There is a big difference between pee in the water (pee is 95% water) and to poo on the water. I was talking about poo.

I don't say I did not ever make it at anchor but then there were a lot less sailboats and we did it or very early on the morning or at night when nobody was in the water and I must say I was always unhappy about the situation that never did looked right to me.

But on the last 13 years on any of my boats nobody made poo on the water on sheltered anchorages. We used every time the black water tank that was emptied away from the shore.

I can tell you also that I hate to be on crowded anchorages because I know that some just don't care and poo on the water. We use to look very carefully to the clear waters before having bath...and some times we just don't have a bath due to very suspect wastes on the surface. I just hate it and I will support any law that brings an end of what it is clearly uncivil to me.

The problem with laws to prevent something that is disgusting to most boaters and to the beach users is that they tend to be abusive and what could be simply solved with emptying the black water tanks away from shore is now by force of law much more complicated with countries like Spain or Sweden demanding the black water tanks to be emptied out of territorial waters, many miles away (12nm).

I am not in favor of all cruising sailingboats to have a blackwater tank but I am in favor of a ban from anchorages of all without one and in favor of a control on that. Also in favor of heavy fines to the ones that use anchorages having blackwater tanks but not using them (not very dificult to verify that). Some have them but don't use them because they can be a bit smelly sometimes.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by NornaBiron

...
.. concerned by the grey, sink waste containing detergents etc - that makes a lovely mess to swim through.

We have holding tanks (black and grey), the black is used rarely as pump out facilities everywhere (including Turkey, where it is monitored) are rare throughout the Med.
...

Yes, I agree that only biodegradable detergents should be used with all the others banned by law.

No problem with emptying the black water tank away from the shore even if things continue like they are now, without a massive voluntary civil attitude from cruisers, the mandatory pump facilities in large quantities and electronic control cards will be the future.

Not a problem for the governments since it will be you and me and all cruisers that it will pay for them and it is good business to the country and to the marinas that will see their income raising since it will be necessary to go frequently to marinas with pump out facilities (more marinas and more marina clients).