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Sailing – Supplies
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink...
Remember Gilligan’s three hour tour? Bear this in mind the next time you set sail for an afternoon picnic. Personal experience tells me that water is the most important commodity to pack for your trip. (But then, I like to carry a case of it in the back of the van – I’d rather be hungry than thirsty. Thirst can really affect your judgment in a very bad way.)
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Those big water cooler type bottles of water are fine but if you are day-tripping cases of water work just fine. Otherwise you run the risk of having stale water sitting on the boat with bacteria and strange looking fungi developing in the summer sun that seems to penetrate to the very heart of the boat. Unopened bottles in a case seem to fare better.
Some of my sailing buddies recommend a desalinator on board. They would no more set sail without their desalinator than they would forget to strap on their lifejackets. In a pinch, the desalinator can turn ocean water into something drinkable enough to save your life. Other sailors who like to take longer trips also have a system set up on the mainsail to catch rain water that is then run through a hose into a holding tank. It is a little salty to drink because of the salt residue on the sail but it is great for cooking and cleaning up.
Other essential supplies to have on the sail boat include a can opener and emergency canned supplies, waterproof matches, a well-stocked first aid kit, flares, and a VHF radio (and the know-how to use it).
If you are a day-tripper you likely don’t need to think of supplies like waxed eggs that will not spoil but I think that a desalinator is one of the most essential items you can stash on board. Call me paranoid, but what if your 5 gallon container of water got punctured? (Another reason for bringing water by the caseload on board.)
My concerns go back to the days when I spent a summer on the Brandypot Islands in the St. Lawrence River (just outside Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec) where there was no fresh water. We had to carry big containers of drinking water out from Riviere-du-Loup. Once a week, we’d set sail for shore or take the motorboat and get supplies. A late spring storm that lasted for over a week has the credit for my fear of running out of water. I was catching rain water in a barrel for washing dishes and my hair and that was fine to boil up for drinking but it had a rusty taste as the rainwater was trickling down through some elaborate old set of metal drain spouts.
Remembering those old days also reminds me that you should consider having two can openers. If one breaks, you can get mighty hungry trying to pry open a can using any other implements. After all, a three-hour tour can turn into an overnight trip when you least expect it and I, for one, would rather be prepared than thirsty. Or hungry......
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