Bilge Water: Salt or Fresh

[Roc]

I saw this tidbit of information in the latest USPS Ensign.  Rather than dipping your finger into the bilge water and tasting it, you can spit into the water and if your saliva disperses quickly, it's salt. If it hangs together, it's fresh.

[lazybone]

Spitting is just so vulgar. 

Would pee work? 

[David Sanner]

... give it a try and let us know ...

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

It's good to know that spit is good for so many things...........

Once when we were taking a hot air balloon ride, the balloon pilot kept spitting over the side to see which way the wind was blowing under us to see if he could descend to go a different direction.

So, now you know that you can even steer with spit!

[Exodus]

Rule #1 Always spit (and pee) to leeward! 

[Ken Heyman]

Hey Mike,

In a hot air balloon isn't the wind always "behind" you? I didn't think they tacked upwind very well.

Best regards,

Ken

[lazybone]

Spitting out of a balloon tells you differences in wind strength and direction at different elevations.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Ken,
You're absolutely right! The wind is always behind you, but then a balloon is omni-dirrectional so there's really no fore or aft.

I also don't recall the pilot yelling "ready about" either so you are also right about the lack of tacking.

Mike