2025-12-14 2025 By The Numbers

While there is a chance I will get out once or twice before the end of the year it is not likely.

So, once again, it is time to summarize my year on Faraway.

Here are the numbers for 2025, with some notes to go along with them.

Number of trips: 24

Nautical miles logged: 2,058

Gallons of fuel purchased: 1,507.4

Cost of fuel: $6,194.83

Average cost of fuel per gallon: $4.11

Cost of maintenance, repairs, and parts: $20,981.67

Cost of moorage: $2,081.88

Cost of insurance: $2,422

Cost of shore power: $935.33

Notes:

The number of trips in 2024 was higher at 36, but the miles logged is significantly higher in 2025 with fewer trips due to the Glacier Bay trip. It counted as just one trip, but it lasted 3 weeks and covered 769 miles.

Cost of maintenance and repairs went down slightly, but not much. The boat is over 17 years old now and I have about 4400 hours on the engines. They are diesels so they will last a long time, but you still have to do certain things to keep them running smoothly. I am not a mechanic, so a lot of these maintenance costs are labor costs. I don't skimp on preventive maintenance, and I don't put off necessary repairs. If I see something or if the mechanic sees something that needs attention, we deal with it right away. I want the boat to be safe and comfortable.

The moorage rates here in Ketchikan are on an upward sliding scale which will eventually result in them being about triple what they were just a few years ago. Our City Council hired some consultants, and they did a study and decided the moorage rates in our harbors needed to increase exponentially over the next 6 years. I think we are now in year 2 of the 6-year plan.

In late 2024 I hit an object in the water while running (very slowly) in the dark. I submitted my first and only insurance claim in 17 years. The insurance company had to pay out approximately $2,000, after I paid the deductible. They immediately canceled my insurance, so I was forced to find another carrier. The amount you see here ($2422) represents paying the annual premium in one payment, which resulted in the cheapest annual cost.

Owning and maintaining a boat like the Faraway is not cheap. It is not a commercial vessel, so it does not generate any income at all; it is all recreational. When I take friends and family out, I do not expect them to contribute to trip expenses. The trip is my gift to them.

I am 75 now and I don't know how much longer I can continue to run this boat. I go out alone on most of my trips, and it is getting harder each year for me to handle the boat alone. I treat each trip as a blessing because I never know how many more trips I will be able to make.

If you own a boat here is my advice to you. Do not skimp on maintenance and repairs. This is the platform that will keep you and your family and friends alive and comfortable on the water.