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Date: 22 January 2017. Watermaker Wish Coming True.

© janice142
 

Side Note: A lot has been happening around the boat of late. To keep things in chronological order, I'm posting as I wrote so friends can catch up with all that is occurring in my world. Life afloat keeps getting better.
 

Great News!!! I was offered a Katydin 40E watermaker. This comes complete with the world cruising kit and the spares kit too along with a pre-filter assembly I read about. It was an amazing coup. I am truly blessed. My friend Ken is taking it off his sailboat and will install it in mine. I am beyond excited, thrilled, joyous, happy, and cannot stop smiling. True friends are an amazing gift.
 

This is Ken's boat. She is a 40' Rhodes Bounty2 set up for world cruising.

BOB from Time Stopped, HIPPY PAUL, KEN and me.


Since before I found my Seaweed I have lusted after watermakers. Originally I wanted a Spectra with Z-Brane. The cost nine years ago started at $6,000 and quickly moved north with accessories and such. I could not justify that expense. Nor could I splurge as there was not enough in the coffers to pay for such a thing.
 

But a girl can dream, and boy oh boy have I dreamed of finding a watermaker I could afford.
 

Hauling water is physically very difficult for me.
I'm not getting any younger. It is not getting any easier.


One of the downsides of having a small trawler such as Seaweed is that the space for tankage does not exist. Though she carries fifty gallons of water, that is not enough without economizing. Keeping hydrated is critical to health especially in the south where the heat can be oppressive.
 

 

Filling the water tank on Seaweed:

 

FIRST: Get permission before you take any water. Not all places allow you to fill your water tanks. It is boater's responsibility to find out who has the authority to permit you to take water. Then abide by their rules.

 

To fill the tank on Seaweed while at anchor I had to go to shore in Algae with water jugs. Mine are small because water weighs eight pounds per gallon and I could not lift a 40 pound five gallon container. Physically I simply do not have the strength.
 


Because I do not have upper body strength I use smaller water bottles. That necessitates multiple trips to fill my tank. It is exhausting. Once back at Seaweed I have to balance myself on the seat in Algae. Then I lift the jug to the bow, open the fill and pour in the water. Hopefully I will not spill much.

This whole process is not easy. When it is hot the chore is just miserable. However I do like showers so this is one of those "glamorous jobs" the travel writers cannot describe accurately.

 


Hauling water is not fun. Ugh. I hate it. Worse yet, I dread so much the whole procedure that it can take on enormous proportions in my mind. That probably seems silly to you men-folk. For me getting water aboard is something to be endured.


Because of Ken and Bill, now is the dawn of a new era. I will have a watermaker up and running  very shortly.


Note: I am woman. Cruising is supposed to be fun.
With the accoutrements of a comfortable life, it is!
 

Sparrow* is the same person I bought my Air-Breeze wind generator from years ago. He understands and knows my boat quite well from that install. Ken also knows I have been wanting a watermaker for years. I missed one once and that pinged my soul each time I dragged the water jugs to shore.
 

*Sparrow is the name of Ken's boat. Out here folks tend to call each other by the name of their boat. You will want something that is easy to hear over the VHF radio, easy to spell (nothing cutesy) and for god's sake, nothing vulgar. Crude boat names are regarded with derision by all but the most immature.



A watermaker has been on my wish list forever and a day. I do know realistically going to a marina is the "better" (more cost efficient) route. That said I prefer out of the way places without a lot of facilities. Having the ability to make water will make all the difference in the world to me.



I love remote areas with wildlife and lots of stars.
 

The ability to see stars is directly proportional to people.
A place with lots of people means far fewer visible stars.


Hauling water is a real pain in the transom. It is back breaking and shoulder aching. I was hit by a drunk driver in the 80's and my left side is not-so-great... All the work bringing water to Seaweed is behind me now.



This is Cheryl and Fred's Island Time.


A couple I know on Schucker Island Time, a 40' motorsailor, have a Spectra watermaker. They bought it at a boat show. Cheryl and Fred HAVE to wash their boat every few days with fresh water because they need to use their watermaker. Watermakers are happiest when used frequently. How cool is that?!?!
 

I want that to be me, and soon it will be.


This is possible because of website reader friends.
 

Donations to the Cruising Kitty make a Big Difference. When this opportunity to own a watermaker came up I had the funds in my Paypal account to Seal the Deal.

Until you have hauled water as often as I have you cannot know how wonderful it was to have access to the gifts from readers. That has made a HUGE difference in my life. I cannot say thank you enough. I truly am blessed by the best website friends on the planet!


 

 

The relief of knowing that I can avoid lifting eight pound bottles of water is beyond the scope of imagination. Think of it this way: My water tank is 50 gallons. Fifty times eight equals 400 pounds. To refill my water tank means moving 400 pounds. Ouch.

And now those days are behind me. It has been a long journey. The dreams I had back in 2008 are coming to fruition. I am so fortunate.

 


I have the craziest, best, absolutely most amazing 23' home of anyone.


Truly I am totally blessed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank YOU!!!
 


Do you have a watermaker?
Has it made as big of an impact on your lifestyle as you anticipated?
 

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