The Continuing Biodiesel Adventures in
"Putting the 'Bean' in Caribbean"
"Putting the 'Bean' in Caribbean"
THE GIFT OF GIVING
(SALINAS, PUERTO RICO) - When your house is a sailboat, you learn to be resourceful. Everything you own does double duty to earn its place in a small space, and when your budget is limited, you create new ways to use and reuse what you've got.
That's been the case with Capt. Jim MacNeil and Rebecca Payne, two Maryland sailors off on a Caribbean cruise since late 1996. It's their dream vacation, and one that's been helped along by an unusual "crew"—soybean farmers in Maryland and Ohio, and a big biofuel plant in Lakeland, Fla.
Soybean farmers pay a "checkoff" assessment at the point of first sale, which is used for soybean research, promotion and education. Through the checkoff, new soybean products are developed and commercialized, helping to increase the demand for soybeans.
Biodiesel, a diesel fuel made from soybean oil, was researched and developed and now, commercialized, with soybean checkoff dollars. MacNeil and Payne have been burning a 20-percent blend of biodiesel called B20 in their 41-foot ketch, Beyond, since they left the Chesapeake. Regular shipments from NOPEC Corp., a biodiesel manufacturer in Florida, helps them maintain this long-term, long-distance test of B20.
For convenience's sake, the biodiesel is shipped in five-gallon buckets—the same packaging available to boaters and others looking to use the biodegradable, nontoxic fuel neat or blended. (Web shoppers should visit www.nbb.org to find local sources or do mail order.)
Since '96, Beyond has accumulated quite a stack of buckets. For sailors on a budget, that's actually a good thing.
The buckets make convenient storage containers and tool caddies, stack neatly when empty and—when it rains—become the most valuable items on the boat. Set out across Beyond's teak decks, they collect rainwater—precious, clean, clear freshwater—that's useful for bathing and cleaning. Freshwater from cooking and drinking almost always must come from onshore, where it may or may not cost money to fill Beyond's tank.
Right around Christmas, the sailors found another use—as fire buckets. In the weeks after Hurricane Georges, many Puerto Ricans, especially those near the coast, remained without power. Destruction was widespread and rubble more or less blocked many streets. Cleanup was slow.
"I was not surprised when Rebecca announced there was a fire ashore," MacNeil says. "I told her they were probably burning trash from the storm."
"I don't think so," Payne replied to him. "I heard fire extinguishers being discharged."
The binoculars confirmed their fears. Flames were licking from a window onshore.
A bucket brigade had been started, and there were plenty of men—but only three buckets. Because of the hurricane, the phones were not working. Someone had been dispatched to the local fire department.
Without hesitation, Payne loaded the biodiesel buckets into Beyond's dinghy as MacNeil put on long pants. In seconds, he was on his way across the harbor.
Before rushing to tie up his dinghy, MacNeil grabbed the stack of buckets and flung them over to the bucket-filler. For a moment, it was literally "raining buckets," MacNeil recalls.
A cheer went up from the brigade and their efforts redoubled. Within a half-hour, the fire was subdued.
Most of the damage was contained to the pump house, where the fire had started. The main house suffered blackened siding and some melted items on the interior from the intense heat, but was repairable. Injuries were minimal—just some pulled muscles and minor burns.
Buckets lay about the yard, all emblazoned with NOPEC's BioBooster label. As MacNeil gathered them up, a member of the homeowner's family asked him why he kept so many buckets.
MacNeil explained his voyage and that the buckets are useful for catching rainwater. The man listened, then pointed to his house and said, "Mi casa es su casa."
"He added that as long as we remained in the harbor, we'd never again have to worry about fresh water," MacNeil says.
In the weeks following, the Montserrat family and the sailors have become fast friends. They went sailing on Beyond and enjoyed dinners together.
Manny and Carmen and their daughter Rocio welcomed MacNeil and Payne at Christmas dinner—a native island feast including hot pastales (meat wrapped in green bananas); pumpkin and squash rolled and tied in paper or banana leaves; mocilla (a strong, dark blood sausage); spit-roasted pig; various rice dishes, and desserts of candied papaya, flan and coconut rice pudding. To wash it down, they shared cool glasses or Coquito, a coconut rum liquor, and steaming espresso.
"The family now calls me 'half Puerto Rican' and I'm sure we're a bit rounder now thanks to Carmen's fabulous criollo cuisine. With friends like these, Salinas, Puerto Rico is no longer just a place to visit, it's a place to call 'home.'"