Mid-Chesapeake Ethanol

[John F.]

Those on the mid-Chesapeake (like me) have been able to dodge the ethanol bullet by fueling in Talbot County or south on the Shore. I've been told that the Easton gas stations are pumping E-10, and called the marina I've been getting fuel at, and was told that there supplier is also going to start delivering E-10. He's looking for a new supplier (the non-E10 thing has worked for him), but my local marina tried that also and it wasn't economical for them. Sooooo, it looks like I either run the boat on E-10 and see what happens, repower to diesel, or get a new tank. I'm not happy.

[John F.]

Just got off the phone with a fuel distributor--the lower shore has had E-10 for about a month.....that's it.

[Mack]

Obviously the least expensive route is changing the tank. Based on what I have seen you do to your boat in the past, I am confident you could do it yourself for slightly more than the cost of the tank (+/-$2,000). Though I did no change my own tank, I saw it done every step of the way. It is even easier to do than it appears.

Based on what I saw inside my tank after it was pulled, I would consider changing the tank if you go down the diesel path. You certainly wouldn't want to put new diesel engines at risk if you didn't change the tank. Besides, the ethanol movement may push into diesel eventually anyway.

Going to go work on the boat tomorrow. Two more weeks and we are back in for the season.

[John F.]

Who made your tank? When you get Mako back to Annapolis, I'd like to take a look at the install. Thanks.

[In Memory Walter K]

If you go diesel, your present tank will be fine. If you stay with gas, you have no option except to change your tank, which will be the cheapest (for now) way to go. The difference will be in your fuel consumption, (ie: 28 gph+ vs 14 gph for a 20 kt cruise). At $4.00+ per gallon of either gas or diesel, the decision of whether it's the move for you is really personal. As of now, resale of your boat will be higher, and possibly easier with diesel power. Sorry the goddamned Ethanol got to you, but until the public, Congress and the DEC decide it's an environmental and economic mistake, they're going to distribute it further and further. Sure as hell won't be discussed until after the elections. Walter

[mike ohlstein]

You should see what Ethanol is doing to the price of a slice of pizza.....

[dougl33]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pizzeria owner Joe Vicari shakes his head as he prepares to rip open a 50-pound bag of flour for another batch of dough.

"That's 37-bucks. $37. I couldn't believe it!" says Vicari.

Since opening Mariella Pizza in mid-town Manhattan 30-years ago, Vicari, says he has never experienced such a jump in the cost of his ingredients.

"I can't even believe how much the flour [goes] up. When I see the bill I can't believe it, that's too much," says the veteran pizza maker, who emigrated from Sicily. Only four weeks ago, Vicari says, he was paying just $16-a-bag for Gold Medal brand flour, which at $37-a-bag now seems more golden than ever.

Executives at his supplier, Cremosa Food of Melville, New York, did not return CNN's repeated phone calls, though a source at the company confirms there are plans for a price hike to $40-a-bag in the next week. Cremosa, the source said, is allocating flour to restaurants, refusing to allow customers to buy more than they had purchased the prior week.

Vicari struggles with the thought of raising the price of a slice, which he lifted to $2.50 only a few months ago due to an increase in cheese costs.

"Over here people come to buy pizza, working people. How much [am] I going to raise the pizza now?" asks Vicari. "Somebody come in here for two slices, and I take $5. I feel very, very bad for the person."

But, he concedes, if flour rises a few dollars more, above $40-a-bag, he probably will pass along the higher expense to customers.

The cost of cereals and bakery products climbed at an annual rate of more than 9% last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to a rise in the overall Consumer Price Index during the past 12 months of 4%.

Issue #1: America's Money
Indeed, it's not only pizza that's becoming more costly. Baked goods of all kinds are heading higher as the price of flour rises due to the fact that wheat is trading near a record high.

At the Chicago Board of Trade a bushel, 60-pounds of wheat, now trades for more than $1100, more than two-and-1/2 times what it was just a year ago.

Why? You can lay part of the blame on ethanol. Huge demand for ethanol has farmers planting more corn to produce the fuel when they could be growing wheat.

"Ethanol was competing against wheat for acres in 2007," said Joe Victor, grain analyst with Allendale Inc.

Poor growing conditions last year also affected the global wheat crop, from a winter freeze in the U.S. to droughts in Australia and France.

And, the dollar sinking to a record low makes U.S. wheat relatively cheap for foreigners.

"Fifty-nine-percent of everything we raised in 2007 is leaving the U.S.," said Victor. "That's 9-10% greater than normal." As a result, Victor said, U.S. wheat supplies are at their lowest level since the end of World War II, another factor pushing prices skyward.

The good news for U.S. consumers is that high wheat prices have led farmers to plant a large crop of winter wheat, which could temper retail prices later this year.

But, for now, it appears likely the cost of baked goods is heading higher.

"It's killing us, it's killing us. It's forcing me to pass it on to the consumer," said Frank Karalis co-owner of Europan Bakery Café in Manhattan. Karalis was holding a menu on which he had just crossed out every price and written in new, higher prices he plans for next week: Bagel with butter $1.30, up 20-cents; Muffins $2.25, up 25-cents; Paninis $7.20 up 25-cents.

"Someone's gonna buy a croissant here for $2 and tomorrow they're going to pay $2.50. They're not going to like that," Karalis said.

[CaptPatrick]

Dang, Mike, I was getting all fired up to do my quarterly pizza binge this weekend. Do I need to stop by the bank before the parlor??

[mike ohlstein]

Hurry.....

It's only getting worse.

[neil]

do not run your boat on e 10 if you have not changed the tank ,it only takes a little bit to ruin that tank . i learned the hard way