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Old 24-02-2014, 14:34   #1
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Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

We are bareboat chartering in the BVI soon and are wondering whether it's considered reasonable to drink water from the boat's storage tanks.

We have done so without issue in the Marlborough Sounds of NZ but it's considerably cooler there and the boats were privately owned which we are thinking is not the case with Horizon Charters in the BVI.

If not, is the issue biological or something else?

Thanks much for your input!

Cheers, Suz
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Old 24-02-2014, 14:51   #2
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

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We are bareboat chartering in the BVI soon and are wondering whether it's considered reasonable to drink water from the boat's storage tanks.

We have done so without issue in the Marlborough Sounds of NZ but it's considerably cooler there and the boats were privately owned which we are thinking is not the case with Horizon Charters in the BVI.

If not, is the issue biological or something else?

Thanks much for your input!

Cheers, Suz
The very fact one needs to ask answers for me. I would not personally drink water from any boat anywhere that I didn't know was ok. There is just no way to know without testing. We carry many cases of bottled water with us always.
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Old 24-02-2014, 14:53   #3
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

I agree, we used it for washing, showering and brushing teeth, but that's all.

Have a great trip, you'll love.

Drink rum, anyway, who needs H2O?
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Old 24-02-2014, 14:58   #4
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

I think the water in the BVIs is RO so its safe to drink.
Just checked Google and Tortola and Virgin Gourda are both RO water, so more pure than your bottle "spring" aquifer water.

Not being a Greenie, but drinking bottled water unnecessarily really is pillaging the earth.
The only places i have used bottled water, and they were 20 litre jugs added to the msin tanks were Galapagos, Indonesia and Thailand.
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Old 24-02-2014, 15:13   #5
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

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I think the water in the BVIs is RO so its safe to drink.
Just checked Google and Tortola and Virgin Gourda are both RO water, so more pure than your bottle "spring" aquifer water.

Not being a Greenie, but drinking bottled water unnecessarily really is pillaging the earth.
The only places i have used bottled water, and they were 20 litre jugs added to the msin tanks were Galapagos, Indonesia and Thailand.
It's not the quality of water in the BVI that concerns me. It's the quality of water in the boat tank. One has no idea how long it's sat, how much bacteria, history of the tank or the water. The BVI part really played no role in my choice. I would have said the same thing if the question was Fort Lauderdale.
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Old 24-02-2014, 15:18   #6
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

The water in BVI is fine. The question is whether the tanks in the boat you charter are fine. Nobody here can answer that. We've never had problems when we chartered there. Of course, we didn't drink too much water. Try a painkiller or two.
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Old 24-02-2014, 15:32   #7
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

consider one of these if you want to drink from the tanks

Amazon.com: Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter: Sports & Outdoors
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:03   #8
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

Before you book your charter ASK them about the quality of their water, do they have a RO unit, and is their tank water safe for drinking.

Honestly, if they say no...or hesitate don't charter with them and find someone else because why would you shower, do dishes, and wash your hands with water you would not drink?!?

This is a charter boat....not the SS Minnow right!
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:08   #9
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

If you are worried put 1 ounce, thats 30 mils of bleach in each tank.

It doesnt need more.

Charter boats cycle through more water than any other boat on earth.
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:10   #10
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

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Before you book your charter ASK them about the quality of their water, do they have a RO unit, and is their tank water safe for drinking.

Honestly, if they say no...or hesitate don't charter with them and find someone else because why would you shower, do dishes, and wash your hands with water you would not drink?!?

This is a charter boat....not the SS Minnow right!
+1 Chartered twice, Moorings and Sunsail and drank equal amounts of beer and water... no issues with either
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:17   #11
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

We spent several months in the BVIs, on our own boat and I was sick off and on from RO water in our tank. My husband and son were fine. My issues went away when we doubled the amount of bleach in the tank. Who knows how the tank on a charter has been maintained so definitely put bleach in the tank and if you are particularly sensitive drink bottled water.
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:19   #12
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

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Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY View Post
Before you book your charter ASK them about the quality of their water, do they have a RO unit, and is their tank water safe for drinking.

Honestly, if they say no...or hesitate don't charter with them and find someone else because why would you shower, do dishes, and wash your hands with water you would not drink?!?

This is a charter boat....not the SS Minnow right!
Rich, It’s a charter boat in the BVI’s that the OP is asking about. The popular ones are turned around in < 24hrs. Do you really think that flushing and treating the house tankage is high on the list?
Use the boat water for cleaning and if you want use anti-bacterial soap. Drink bottled water to avoid those nasty consequences.
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:28   #13
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

So I gotta pay $6-$8K a week and be worried about the water I'm drinking...and people PAY for this...
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Old 24-02-2014, 17:31   #14
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

As a general rule, water in the tank is NOT for drinking. One will never know what was "added" to it or what "growth" is in it. Use it only for washing/shower. It might help to empty a bottle of rum in the tank; still, not for drinking. Bottles of spring water are to be used for cooking and drinking. Bad water will spoil your vacation; don't risk it.

To illustrate my point...Egypt's tap water, in large metro areas, is as clean as it gets; govt follows international water purification protocols. If you were born there, you can drink that water without any harm. Tourists, on the other hand, develop diarrhea if they drink the same tap water. Outside the US, stick to bottled water!

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Old 24-02-2014, 17:33   #15
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Re: Drink from tanks on BVI charter boat??

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So I gotta pay $6-$8K a week and be worried about the water I'm drinking...and people PAY for this...
Ya betcha
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