MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Could it be the Water Restrictions?

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Shower Cape Town Style
MyPE Editor demonstrating the water savings possible from a Shath – Shower Bath. YES that is the cutest Hello Kitty face cloth!

Four yachts have completed Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race to Cape Town from Lisbon:

  1. MAPFRE – Elapsed time: 19d 01:10:33
  2. Dongfeng – Elapsed time: 19d 04:02:39
  3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing – Elapsed time: 19d 05:37:53
  4. Team Brunel – Elapsed time: 19d 10:14:47?

At 07h00 UTC this morning three of the fleet were making their slow (er) way to Cape Town and on a course approaching the finish line well south of the first four finishers.

A mere 2 Nautical Miles separates the backmarkers from each other:

  • Team AkzoNobel – 231.3 nm to finish
  • Turn the Tide on Plastic – 233.0 nm to finish
  • Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag – 233.3 nm to finish

The Volvo Ocean Race team has done a sterling job to highlight the curent water crisis – as sailors we are aware of how important it is to preserve water and energy as we cross oceans.

With Cape Town experiencing a major drought the city has called for each resident to aim for a maximum daily consumption of 87 litres per person per day – regardless of where in the city that water is consumed and for what purpose.

The ‘magic consumption figure’ aimed for by the City of Cape Town is 500 Million litres per day. Each litre saved will push D-Day back further and further from May 2018 when the City may run out of water completely.

In the spirit of water saving and in a way to pass on what sailors such as I have learned about water saving on long trips I have introduced the Sister-in-Law who has kindly hosted me during the Volvo Ocean Race to the concept of a bucket bath.

The steps are simple – whilst waiting for the the hot water to warm up collect that in a bucket, use the hot water for a shave, add more hot water to the bucket, use a face cloth to bath/shower with and then (because you timed your bowel movements so well) use the left over bucket water to flush the toilet.

Yesterday I used 18 litres of water for this exercise, today I am down to 12 litres and; “Challenge Accepted!”

The backmarkers are expected to arrive in the middle of tonight so bang goes the opportunity for great sunny images with the Mountain in the background.

Some more water saving tips:

  1. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, as this can save 6 litres of water per minute.
  2. Place a cistern displacement device (such as a plastic bottle) in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush.
  3. Take a shorter shower, as they can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute. Consider getting an aerated shower head, which combines water and air; or inserting a regulator in your show, which puts an upper limit on flow rates.
  4. Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher to cut out unnecessary washes in between.
  5. Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5500 litres of water a year.
  6. Install a water butt to your drainpipe and collect the water in tanks and use it to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows.
  7. Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This would mean that you do not need to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.
  8. Go SAILING.

WHY? It is a little known fact that Port Elizabeth has been approached TWICE to bid on becoming a stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race – the first attempt was stopped by our local Port Authorities and we await the outcome of the second. The home of Volvo Cars is Gothenburg – the second-largest city in Sweden which is twinned with Nelson Mandela Bay and which has provided incredible support and promotion for our Metropole.

MyPE is running a series of articles about the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race to: 1. Acknowledge and thank Gothenburg for their support, 2. Showcase a sport that Alan Straton is passionate about, 3. Demonstrate to citizens of Port Elizabeth just how much exposure a city like Cape Town receives from the VOR and 4. As a gentle reminder to the TNPA and our city of the great value that such an event can bring to our city.

The start city of the VOR – Alicante, Spain – estimates the economic value of each leg to be R960 Million. Click here to read very Volvo Ocean Race published on MyPE.

The local Algoa Bay Yacht Club has hosted many international sailing regattas, the most recent being the 60th 5O5 World Championships and, along with requests from the Volvo Ocean Race, have also recently been asked to host the 2019 stopover for the Clipper Around the World Yacht Race.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.