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Drinking Water for Extended Cruises
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Any water that is brought aboard for such purposes as drinking,
cooking, or even that used for brushing your teeth, should have some
type of purifying compound added before it is used. There are
commercially prepared tablets and powders meant for this purpose, or
you can use regular household bleach which contains a 5% solution of
hypochlorite, or chlorine.
The formula for adding chlorine bleach to water to make it drinkable
for long periods of time is:
8-10 drops per gallon
or:
1 teaspoonful per 1O gallons
These amounts are for clear water, and if cloudy or discolored, double
this. Always allow water to stand about 30 minutes after being
purified before using it.
If you have no products with which to treat your water, then you may
boil small amounts prior to use. Bring the water to a rolling boil and
boil hard for at least five minutes. When it has cooled, pour the
water back and forth between two containers to aerate it and give it a
"fresher" taste.
While cruising, rain water can be a good supplement to your supplies.
Take along some gear meant especially for rain catching, or you might
be able to improvise from things that are suitable that you happen to
have on board. Rainwater is a fine supplement to your water supply,
and can be used for drinking, cooking, washing, and other Purposes. It
is important to take the same precautions with this water as you would
with any other and add some type of purifying agent so that it is
usable for as long as your supply lasts. It might be a good idea to
store any water such as this in a separate container, that is not in
your permanent tanks.
For emergency purposes, you should have among your survival equipment
(see section on SURVIVAL ESSENTIALS) a few solar stills. Hopefully,
these will never have to be used, but if the need arises to distill
sea water in order to survive you will be able to provide a very
minimum amount of fresh water for drinking with the use of these
stills. Ideally, you should include one solar still for each crew
member.
In calculating your original water supply for the cruise, figure first
your longest passage and then add a few days. Then allot one gallon of
water per person for each day at sea. You can use this formula:
CREW x DAYS = WATER SUPPLY
This will provide what is considered a very minimum amount of water
for your daily needs.