Should I be ashamed?

[Cheechako]

Hold it in harbor, pump it outside. That's pretty much what occurs where there are no pumpouts (or should occur as some people flush their debris right where they/you are anchored... nothing like baby ruth's floating around your waterline!)

[Simply Sailing]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Just a practical issue, will you ever return to the states? Florida in particular gets a little draconian in thier enforcement. If they find you with no tank, I would expect a ticket.

Actually, Florida does allow composting heads. No tickets and no problems, even without a holding tank.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

The quantities of waste involved are irrelevant in terms of nutrient loads and algea blooms.

The only issues would be if you were in a small cove and people were coming into contact with the water shortly after a release.

A lot more stuff comes out of the city sewer pipes in my region. When it rains hard, thousands of litres of untreated sewage flows directly into the lake.

[Cheechako]

I can tell you, even in a fairly large anchorage with quite a few boats (30?) the sewage debris from boats is all over if you get in the water. Spent 1.5 hours trying to find a winch handle that dropped overboard in Georgetown Bahamas..... there was sewage, chunks of toilet paper etc all over moving in the water. It's a big bay, this was over towards Stocking island.
After doing this I was a bit sick for a couple days with chills etc. Ditto for Luperon DR..... even though I moved out toward the entrance to clean the bottom.
It can be far worse than "the fish do it.."

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by micah719

Could be worse........

Thats not 'emptying sewage'.., thats giving her a kick in the guts with the rudder hard a port in shallow water....

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by mserafi1

976,452,778,078,333,009,431 fish do it. What's one more?

I'm assuming you are smart enough to know that fish do not carry human pathogens. Neither do cattle. The Old Testament truth that human waste is different than animal waste seems to be lost on many. Basic sanitation, nothing new, but also nothing that modern times have made us somehow magically immune (ironic) to.

While the nutrient comments were true and interesting, they are not the major problem. The native bacteria that grow will not generally be pathogenic.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

Actually, Florida does allow composting heads. No tickets and no problems, even without a holding tank.

I was refering to the OP's direct overboard approach if he pulls the holding tank.

We also have a composter and it's a great option.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by hamburking

A lot more stuff comes out of the city sewer pipes in my region. When it rains hard, thousands of litres of untreated sewage flows directly into the lake.

Storm sewers, sanitary overflow during storms, farm runoff, industrial waste. Even in the busiest harbors, the nutrient loads from boats is so small as to be irrelevant.

Pathogen and generall ickyness in a small harbor where people swim is a different matter.

Hold it and dump where people are unlikely to come into contact.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I'm assuming you are smart enough to know that fish do not carry human pathogens. Neither do cattle. The Old Testament truth that human waste is different than animal waste seems to be lost on many. Basic sanitation, nothing new, but also nothing that modern times have made us somehow magically immune (ironic) to.

While the nutrient comments were true and interesting, they are not the major problem. The native bacteria that grow will not generally be pathogenic.

You are very wrong about human pathogens, except for Cholera I believe, the pathogens can't survive even for a couple of minutes in salt water; which is why most cities through the world dump raw sewage into ocean... and there are no wide spread epidemics as a result of the practice.

Read some basic biology.

[ryon]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Thats not 'emptying sewage'.., thats giving her a kick in the guts with the rudder hard a port in shallow water....

Your comment will be lost and forgotten. It's all about the narrative.

[micah719]

Thats not 'emptying sewage'.., thats giving her a kick in the guts with the rudder hard a port in shallow water....

Either way, I don't want to swim or sail in that spot of sea while it's doing that. Someone here posted an underwater vid a while back of a boat dumping a holding tank, it looked much the same. Now if only one could pump out at high pressure through a directable hose, one might have a useful security implement against midnight boarders....a nicely marinated poo-shower. Don't drop the hose....

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by mserafi1

976,452,778,078,333,009,431 fish do it. What's one more?

That's funny riiight ther, I don't care who ya are

Sent from my SM-T700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[hamburking]

While at the dock at English Harbour, Antigua, big chunks of poop would float by. Most noticeable when in the dinghy. The locals tried to tell us a tidal current flushed the sewage away from the harbour, but the poop said otherwise.

[Sailing416]

I am with "thinwater", above.

[kapnkarl]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't agree with the thought that dumping untreated human waste ANYWHERE is a good thing. Sure, it may be legal based on antiquated laws of various governments, but let's wake up people! Do you want to leave it up to chance as to whether you're swimming or rinsing dishes in human effluent? Or, would you rather have a major effort made by EVERYONE WORLDWIDE to contain their "stuff" in holding tanks and pump out at marinas, regional pump-out stations or (as the case is in the waters I boat on), have local, state & federal governments provide funding for a few pump-out boats to cover frequented areas during the boating season for no fee to the pumpee (except maybe a small gratuity or not, to the captain of the pump-out boat)?

Waste treatment works!!

My local waters (and others as other posters have indicated) are significantly cleaner, support more variety and higher numbers of marine life and don't put the fear of E. Coli in me when i contemplate diving in. A little collective effort goes a long way.

Ocean County Pumpout Boat Program <-- Here's an example

ok, i'm down off the throne umm soapbox (and going to pump out)