No water maker no drink?

[John marven]

Hi guys.
Sailing around the med with no water maker do you still drink the tank water regardless of what country you topped up in ? Do you treat the tanked water? or do you carry massive amounts of bottled mineral water?
Thanks in advance.

[Alex_V]

We didn't drink tank water while sailing the chartered boat in Greece. Not to say that you can't. Gut feeling is not too. My .02

[atoll]

Originally Posted by John marven

Hi guys.
Sailing around the med with no water maker do you still drink the tank water regardless of what country you topped up in ? Do you treat the tanked water? or do you carry massive amounts of bottled mineral water?
Thanks in advance.

never had a problem filling the boats tanks with good clean drinking water.
most fuel docks will let you have it for free as well

people in europe drink bottled water as it has no chlorine added and presumably contains beneficial minerals.

tap water that is for the use of the public in general is safe to drink,unless it is marked as non potable.

filling from streams or springs is also possible,but local knowledge is best sought first

adding a few capfuls of bleach will kill bacteria that might have grown in a boats tank

[JPA Cate]

As atoll suggests, it is possible to not have a watermaker and survive quite well. Although our previous boat had a small one, this one does not, and we've been sailing her around, living aboard her for 16 yrs. Even with the old boat, we hardly ever used the watermaker, preferring the ease of jerry jugging water as needed. We did always treat the water with regular household bleach, 1 tablespoon to 10 gallons, and never had an issue. We also fitted a charcoal filter for the drinking water.

Ann

[John marven]

Thanks for the feed back.
Yes fitting a charcoal filter between tanks and maybe main tap in galley would be a good idea.

[John marven]

Hi how Cate.
I see you are currently in Australia. Where abouts are you and what are you sailing ?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by John marven

Hi how Cate.
I see you are currently in Australia. Where abouts are you and what are you sailing ?

This is Jim Cate replying, John. If you look at Ann's (or my) profile, you will find the answer to your questions.

And while you are thinking along t hese lines, please fill out the "about me" portion of your own profile. It will help all of us tailor our answers to any questions that you pose. Every new member should do this!!

Jim

[roland stockham]

If you are in an EU country the tap water is significantly better than bottled water. But it is often advisable to have your own hose and clean it periodically by soaking in clorine.
An interesting point is that when I worked in British NHS hospice for cancer patients with poor immunity staff and visitors where allowed to drink bottled water but we where not allowed to give it to patients because it did not meet the water saftey standard for potable water. The idea that bottled water is 'better for you' than tap water is purly a marketing ploy pushed by the companies that sell it. The reqired standards are far lower than those for tap water in any industrialized country and there is generally no check on quality after bottelling. It may have been stored in an uncontrolled environment for long periods. Tap water is usually monitored many times per day or even continually. There is also an issue of potential leaching of chemicals from plastic bottles, even food grade plastics can leach chemicals if stored for long periods in warm conditions. Less of an isse for large tanks such as on a boat are the ration of water volume to tank surface is much lower and they dont generally sit on a truck backing in the sun for long.

[De.windhoos]

Originally Posted by John marven

Hi guys.
Sailing around the med with no water maker do you still drink the tank water regardless of what country you topped up in ? Do you treat the tanked water? or do you carry massive amounts of bottled mineral water?
Thanks in advance.

The EU has very strict standards regarding tap water. There is no need to buy bottled at all. the reason people in south EU (the Med) drink bottled water, is simply because of bad water in the past and it has become part of their culture. Although more and more restaurants/bars start serving cooled tap water instead of the bottles.

Use your own hose, and let it run for a couple of minutes before filling your tanks.
when leaving your boat for an extended time, empty your tanks, and flush them with a bit of chlorine once a year.
Also, you can add a filter to your hose, just to be sure.

[SteveSadler]

Watermakers were scarce, expensive and unreliable while I sailed in the 70s. Only slightly better today. Water has always been easy to find at a dock in all the cruising destinations i've been to including Mexico, the entire Med, Caribbean, Galapagos, Marquesas, Societies, Tonga.
A little clorox and a carbon filter is all anyone needs unless you're allergic to salt water.

[OneHullPaul]

Water Makers are always optional, but onboarding water dockside will become harder and harder as the effects of increased storm damage and sea levels take their toll on the land/sea interface.

Originally Posted by John marven

Hi guys.
Sailing around the med with no water maker do you still drink the tank water regardless of what country you topped up in ? Do you treat the tanked water? or do you carry massive amounts of bottled mineral water?
Thanks in advance.

[JPA Cate]

^^^^There have been some places where the water has a lot of particulate matter after storms. We used to let that sit a few hours, and decant only down to the darker concentration. Did use bleach and filter as stated above. The process works quite well, and the water tastes fine. I'm a tea drinker, and if the chlorine doesn't get filtered out, it better get boiled out before you make the tea, but it does outgas. Truly never been a problem for us.

While in Oz, we water up either at marinas or some public docks that have water. Here, no treatment is needed...so far. I'm not worried about it at all.

Bottled water can be a huge ripoff. Plus it puts more and more plastic into the environment. Therefore, drinking it is unattractive to me.

Ann

[atoll]

Originally Posted by OneHullPaul

Water Makers are always optional, but onboarding water dockside will become harder and harder as the effects of increased storm damage and sea levels take their toll on the land/sea interface.

you are assuming you can get past the pirates first

[joelhemington]

A perfect excuse to drink more beer if you ask me. But seriously, even though many don't use or find the need for a watermaker, I'd consider at least having a hand held unit if heading for the south pacific where many of the atolls are on a water catchment system.

[Quadrille in JB]

While sailing many years in the Med and thru France from Marseille to Amsterdam we always filled up at any available marina or city docks. Never had a problem. Sold our water maker after crossing the Atlantic.