Sarah HeleneUK

Can I ask a rude question, how much did your 200 litre barrel cost, I've not found any commercial supplier offer that little, most have said 1000 litres minimum, Crown said they might do 500.

Well as you say, we use very little diesel anyway so don't mind paying extra to please the authorities. We've done St Vaast pontoon to pontoon (74 miles through the water) in under 12 hours and less than an hours engine running ( maybe 2 litres ). I've not ventured further than Belfast ( where I bought my boat ) but intend to when I retire in 2 years or so. I've been to Gosport every month to fulfill insurance requirements under essential checks and maintenance, especially keeping the tank topped up with the heater burning a litre a day. Well good luck with the weather for your planned maintence, then warm fair winds aft of the beam for the season ahead.

Hi Alan, Yes I appreciate this is an inland waterways forum, but the post came up in a google search, so I joined to get info. I've since discovered that some "Harvest Fuel" garages now have HVO on their forecourts. I'm quite happy to drive 50 miles each way to fill a years worth of 25L jerry cans. Yes I've been using Esso "retail" white diesel for about 18 months, but the FEME is now causing some issues I think with my Eberspacher, it's getting noisier and the exhaust is dirtier than with red diesel. Yes I've been keeping receipts and until we cross again this year I want to see first hand how the French are going to be towards us, the last thing we need is any hassle going into "a port of entry" like Le Havre or Cherbourg. Of course we do pay tax on the "traction" % part of our red diesel fuel anyway as liesure (non commercial) craft, but eliminating red from my boat completely reduces any possibility of challenges. Regards, Sarah.

The issue there for those of us who want to cross the channel ( I own a yacht on the lumpy water ) is the EU rules not all;owing red diesel of any kind to be used on recreational craft. They'd been trying to stop the UK from using it for years. The last few years quite a few yachties have been fined in Belgium and Holland for having red in their tanks and reserves. France till now never bothered to check anything, but that will change for sure now we are a 3rd nation.

Im just about to attempt the leap to HVO on my yacht, which has a Volvo Penta 2003 and an Eberspachër D5000 heater. My boat is in Gosport and love crossing the channel to France. Post Brexit I'm concerned about using red diesel in the future with EU rules on pleasure craft, and knowing visitors to Belgium and Holland being fined for having red diesel. 18 months ago I switched to retail Esso diesel and have been running engine and heater on that. However, my heater has been making odd noises, it runs 2 x 1hr a day December till May every day. I recently read about issues from using FAME diesel, simultaneously reading about HVO, which I'm going to try. Volvo says all their engines run happily on HVO .. it's only the Eberspachër I'm worried about, but happy to give it a try. I've read that HVO is closer to paraffin than Mineral diesel, and that Eberspachërs run better on paraffin anyway. Any advice welcome .. Best reguards, Sarah.