As I approached retirement, I was cruising along at altitude in the Learjet 60 doing 480 knots. I commented to my copilot that we're now cruising at 8 miles per minute and soon I'll be enjoying 8 miles per hour. He asked, "Well, is that boat 60 times more efficient?"
"Good question!!" So I pulled out my calculator and ran the numbers. They came out something like this...
Learjet 60: 200 GPH @ 480 Kts=2.4 NM/Gal
Californian 34 LRC: 3.1 GPH at 7.5 Kts = 2.4 NM/Gal
It was hard to believe that the largest Learjet had the same fuel efficiency as my slow trawler! I explained that I also get to enjoy my boat 24 hrs a day, even if the engines are not running. In the Learjet, we never enjoyed our time aboard when the engines were not running!!
So I guess it's all relative, but sometimes the time saved or the weather avoided by a fast run is worth every extra penny spent on the fuel. It's nice to have options, something my current boat does not afford me.
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