Water Conservation
Like most cruisers, we practice serious water conservation on Belle Bateau, admittedly (and regrettably) much more than we do when living in our Annapolis home. Belle Bateau carries only 110 gallons of water, with a 65-gallon tank on the starboard side and a 45-gallon tank on the port. Our boat used to have three tanks, but we converted one to hold diesel fuel when we had a watermaker installed, which in theory should reduce our need for large water capacity. The watermaker is a luxury item that we can’t use in the muddy Chesapeake but look forward to using when we reach clearer waters. This magical device will turn saltwater into potable water. But until we reach cleaner waters, we are dependent on the holding capacity of our two water tanks, which must be filled at marinas along our journey.
During a rainstorm, Dudley scrubbed our decks so we could refill our tanks with rainwater.
Both of us observe strict water conservation on Belle Bateau, even when we know that a marina may only be a day or two away. First of all, it’s good practice (and green living), and second, we never know what delays may transpire, and we don't want to run short. We can go ten days on just 110 gallons of water, so about 11 gallons per day. If we had to conserve more, we estimate we could get by on 8 gallons per day. That would include all drinking water, plus washing, cooking, coffee-making, bathing, dish washing, clothes washing, and general cleaning.
In Fall 2022, we were stuck on a mooring ball for eight days of inclement weather and were running short of water. As tanks ran low, we watched the weather forecast and waited for a lengthy downpour. As soon as it began, Dudley ventured on deck in his foul weather gear and began to scrub the decks, loosening dirt and debris for ten to fifteen minutes until he was assured the decks were clean enough to metaphorically lick. We then turned our Y-valve, a handy Gozzard feature that allows rain water to enter our tanks rather than pass through the deck’s scuppers to the bay. We devised an additional filter to fit over the scuppers, using some nylon trouser socks I had on hand. In short order, our tanks were full and we eased up on our vigilant rationing.
Just for kicks, take a look at your average water consumption in a month. Pull out your last water bill, and look at total gallons in a month, and then your average daily usage. When I had a family of 4, we consumed 214 gallons per day on land. That’s almost twice the capacity of Belle Bateau’s water tanks! So what we used in an average day on land would take us 21 days to use on the water at our current usage rate. That’s staggering!
So how does water conservation happen at sea? We turn off the water between all latherings, teeth brushing, and dishwashing. We reuse cleaner water for rinsing. I even save the leftover water from the morning teakettle to rinse the dishes later in the day. To be fair, we do use laundry facilities on land when we can, and occasionally the bathhouses. But still, our reduced water usage continues to amaze me. I challenge our family and friends to consider trying something similar for one day, or one week, or a month. If you do, let me know.
Refilling water tanks on a boat is a time-consuming process. It can take over an hour to fill our two water tanks. We use a filter on a typical garden hose, and it calculates gallons of water as it fills the tanks. And the process is painfully slow. I move back and forth from the tank tender at the nav station below decks to check the estimate of tankage still remaining. I sit perched above decks near where the water hose enters the tanks so I can discern the higher pitch sound of water when it’s about to overflow , and then I shut it down.
It’s not a quick and easy process. Just one more example of how life is different on a boat. On days that we refuel, top off our water tanks, and get a pumpout, those three chores can consume 90-110 minutes. The equivalent of those three tasks on land takes about 10 minutes to refuel a car, and 0 minutes to get fresh water and flush a toilet. Everything seems to take longer on a boat! But it’s worth it (most days)!