Solent - Effluent Holding & Discharge?

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SiteSurfer

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Right.. following on from my thread about anchoring/mooring I had another question from SWMBO which I was at a bit of a loss to answer, we were talking about calls of nature and the effect on the anchorage water etc.
Both of us accept that direct discharge in coastal areas is pretty unpleasant and thus far we have a policy of nothing down the loo (bin it) and if you want a number 2 (or its daylight) - walk to the toilets. All of which is straight forward but not when on a bouy or anchored.

So we got around to talking about holding tanks, I checked with the leaflet I got from Yarmouth a couple weeks ago and the amount of pumping out stations are low in the Solent, I know there's not one at our boatyard etc. This led to a question about how far offshore is 'well offshore' when pumping out. To my mind the Solent isn't offshore.

So... given that we are coastal cruising, have a pretty good regime for when on a pontoon, are unlikely to be 'offshore' any time soon (still cutting our sailing teeth as it were) and would have to make serious diversions to pump out - should I be looking at a holding tank as a matter of priority? Obviously I do recognise that any fetal matter over the side is massively unpleasant - but given our current cruising pattern, whats a reasonable compromise? Should I just fit a tank anyway? What do you guys do - who are not blue water / ocean crossing / passage making / liveaboards etc but weekenders a few times a year.
 
I have never used a holding tank in the Solent. Any nasty that come from my boat is dispersed quickly and over a wide area by the strong tides.

I don;t see it as an issue in UK waters.
 
Like you, it is walk ashore whenever possible, even if it means a dinghy trip. We occasionally pass through the Solent but I don't think we have ever needed to discharge solid waste. We do have a holding tank and use it as effectively as we can but I don't think it is reprehensible to discharge waste very occasionally and where unavoidable. If caught out in such a situation I would discharge from the tank on the ebb tide, in the hope that it would be taken into open water.
 
Never bothered with a holding tank - we were buoy based - so any pump out would be a trip to a marina ...

Had similar rules to you though - if available, use the local facilities - it's generally more plesant anyway ...

other than that - just used the toilet ... the maccerator does a pretty good job of breaking it down anyway and a few odd bits here and there is far better than disposing of 20+ litres in one go (seen the effect of that in the Med!). The water flow is enough to disperse it all.
The solids from waterworks are generally used as fertiliser on our fields anyway ...

Obviously, you didn't really want someone to be using the loo if you're swimming astern!
 
In 5+ years I've only had the #2 "issue" once and I just disposed over the side.... for the reasons described....

B.t.w .. no on-board loo, I bucket and chuck-it... line the bucket with a bio degradable bin bag (from Tesco)...
 
The lack of pumping stations reflects the lack of demand. as suggested the solent has strong currents and any occasional waste you discharge outside of harbours and marinas will disperse very quickly (and provide lunch for the fishes and crabs). When in harbour use the shoreside facilities.

While installing a holding tank may make you feel righteous, not only is it a difficult and expensive task in a boat not designed for it, you will find you rarely need it.
 
SiteSurfer said:
Right.. following on from my thread about anchoring/mooring I had another question from SWMBO which I was at a bit of a loss to answer, we were talking about calls of nature and the effect on the anchorage water etc.
Both of us accept that direct discharge in coastal areas is pretty unpleasant and thus far we have a policy of nothing down the loo (bin it) and if you want a number 2 (or its daylight) - walk to the toilets. All of which is straight forward but not when on a bouy or anchored.

So we got around to talking about holding tanks, I checked with the leaflet I got from Yarmouth a couple weeks ago and the amount of pumping out stations are low in the Solent, I know there's not one at our boatyard etc. This led to a question about how far offshore is 'well offshore' when pumping out. To my mind the Solent isn't offshore.

So... given that we are coastal cruising, have a pretty good regime for when on a pontoon, are unlikely to be 'offshore' any time soon (still cutting our sailing teeth as it were) and would have to make serious diversions to pump out - should I be looking at a holding tank as a matter of priority? Obviously I do recognise that any fetal matter over the side is massively unpleasant - but given our current cruising pattern, whats a reasonable compromise? Should I just fit a tank anyway? What do you guys do - who are not blue water / ocean crossing / passage making / liveaboards etc but weekenders a few times a year.
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I believe it is still 3 miles offshore before you can pump out holding tanks or flush straight to sea . . . . . . not always convenient as in your case if you continually hug the shore. 3 miles is not that far and once that far off you can discharge your FECAL matter . . . . . . if you are ditching Fetal matter I would imagine some questions may need to asked ;)
 
Scillypete said:
I believe it is still 3 miles offshore before you can pump out holding tanks or flush straight to sea . . . . . . not always convenient as in your case if you continually hug the shore. 3 miles is not that far and once that far off you can discharge your FECAL matter . . . . . . if you are ditching Fetal matter I would imagine some questions may need to asked ;)
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Or foetal matter even LOL. Yah spilling nat moi strang pint.
 
Ok thanks for the re-assurance. It would be a pretty awkward fit - requiring some extensive plumbing and the construction of a locker coupled to a Tardis.
 
Scillypete said:
I believe it is still 3 miles offshore before you can pump out holding tanks or flush straight to sea . . . . . . not always convenient as in your case if you continually hug the shore. 3 miles is not that far and once that far off you can discharge your FECAL matter . . . . . . if you are ditching Fetal matter I would imagine some questions may need to asked ;)
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That is only a suggestion. There is no law or regulation affecting leisure craft.

Of course it makes sense not to discharge in busy anchorages or where people are swimming, but there is no evidence that discharge from small boats outside of harbours is a health hazard.
 
When the boat was on a swinging mooring in the Menai Strait we never worried about pumping out the head directly overboard - there was always a current running to disperse the effluent. However, one of the jobs I did before heading for the Med was to fit a holding tank, as the lack of tidal flow means that any effluent discharged overboard tends to hang round then place, unpleasant for ourselves and our neighbours. The tank is emptied at sea: in theory when over three miles off shore, often somewhat less than that but always away from the major anchorages and beaches. Trying to find a working pump out station is a hopeless task in Greece.....
 
If the dolphins do it a few sailors wont harm too much in tidal waters.

Our marina is in a tidal lagoon so not too much of a problem as it gets flushed twice a day. Its the much that comes down the rivers from up country into the lagoon that is the worst.
 
pelicanpete said:
The fish eat it (mainly bottom feeders):nonchalance: and we eat the fish.
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I'd love to know where the myth that fish eat human poo originated from. It is often quoted but is simply not true. Micro organisms will process it, but it won't be eaten by any fish, even bottom feeders. Think about it, no one has ever caught a fish using poo as bait :D
 
CLB said:
I'd love to know where the myth that fish eat human poo originated from. It is often quoted but is simply not true. Micro organisms will process it, but it won't be eaten by any fish, even bottom feeders. Think about it, no one has ever caught a fish using poo as bait :D
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Don't know about human poo but fish love dolphin poo and if you dived near our local sewer outlet you can find the biggest crayfish around and ask your self why crayfish are not koasha.
 
CLB said:
I'd love to know where the myth that fish eat human poo originated from. It is often quoted but is simply not true. Micro organisms will process it, but it won't be eaten by any fish, even bottom feeders. Think about it, no one has ever caught a fish using poo as bait :D
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On the odd occasion when a visitor has failed to turn the diverter valve to holding tank position before pumping out, the resultant cloud often attracts a swarm of small/medium fish which happily feast on the solids.......
 
When I was a youth, there was a pipe of Calshot that discharged untreated sewage into the Solent with all the unmentionables that you could imagine (and some you couldn't....). I would think a few yachts pumping out their holding tanks, on the ebb, a mile offshore would be no problem.
 
CLB said:
I'd love to know where the myth that fish eat human poo originated from. It is often quoted but is simply not true. Micro organisms will process it, but it won't be eaten by any fish, even bottom feeders. Think about it, no one has ever caught a fish using poo as bait :D
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Crikey ...... I don't know about the Solent but in the Med, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean the fish absolutely thrive on what comes out of the boats. Occasionally I've seen someone do a No. 2 in an anchorage and not use the holding tank (pretty disgusting) and watched the fishies gobble whole lumps the size of walnuts in one go. I try not to eat those fish!

Richard
 
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