Preparation - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 32

Gas and Water
Like many boats, we used LPG gas for cooking and consequently had to deal with different
systems and standards as we crossed the Pacific. Standard North American propane bottles
are handy since they can also be filled with butane - provided you have the right adapter.
However, local businesses in French territories are only permitted to fill blue butane bottles
(the type used in Europe). A typical way around this is for several crews to buy one large
butane bottle together and gravity feed their propane bottles, then return the blue bottle to
recover the deposit. In most other islands of the Pacific, you could practically show up with
a plastic bag and find someone willing to fill it with the local LPG mix. New Zealand re-
quires that gas bottles are locally inspected and stamped for a fee. North American steel
propane bottles will meet local standards but lighter weight fiberglass or aluminum models
may not.
Remember, there aren't many marinas in the Pacific, and it's often necessary to jerry-jug
water from ashore. Rather than carrying large jerry cans for transporting water, we kept a
large supply of five liter bottles which were much easier to carry and hoist from the dinghy
to deck. We found outstanding water quality on many of the islands we visited, with few
exceptions (the Galapagos Islands, Hiva Oa, and several dry atolls). Using our 70 gallon
supply sparingly, we were able to stretch our fresh water for over six weeks at a time.