<Jim wrote: I AM amazed that 260 gals can be run through in 4 days.> Fresh water flush toilets, dishwashers (the mechanical kind ;-)), washing machines, washing the boat down weekly, washing the pilothouse windows after a days run, a couple of showers daily (no operas but a few short tunes) all of these do add up. Soon the 5 gal/person/day that we used to figure for use on the sailboats is up to 10, 20, 50 or more gal/p/day. Heck, when you are living, cruising and making frequent passages aboard and have no other home or place to encounter "real civilization" for months or years at a time we choose to "take it with us". Boating for us isn't a "get away" from our normal life...it is our normal life. So we adjust to the changes required, add some "luxuries", such as plenty of water and power, so that we can enjoy the nomadic life. Even if we tie up to a dock or marina we seldom use shore side facilities (sanitary, power & water) as the ones on Swan Song are cleaner, closer and much better equipped. Questionable dock water, poor/intermittent or 50 HZ power and crude sanitary facilities aren't things we care to or in some cases can use. So a good passagemaker is both a seaworthy, long legged vessel but even more so it needs to be a complete, standalone full time liveaboard vessel, IMO. Ample fuel, water and power are the basics which allow one to make this happen. We all can get by with less but we and others have chosen not to.....bad boys/girls ;-) As always YMMV..... Dave & Nancy Swan Song Roughwater 58