On the morning of departure, one of the last jobs at the quay is water. The hose comes aboard, the deck fitting opens, and a hollow sound rises from below — as the tank fills the note thins out; the man filling listens to that note rather than watching a clock. The deck gets wet and dries quickly. Nobody photographs this part.
But a good deal of the week’s comfort is decided here.
The arithmetic
How much water goes per person per day varies enormously with the habits aboard. Showers, washing up, and the rinse after a swim — that last one surprises people most. A gulet will typically carry a few tonnes, which with a group of eight comes to three or four days before she has to take on more. So routes are shaped not only by wind but by where water can be had. If you see a marina in the middle of a route, the reason may not be the view.
On boats with a watermaker the arithmetic loosens but doesn’t disappear. The unit runs off the generator, wants clean water around it, and needs servicing; it isn’t run inside a busy harbour. Most captains run theirs in a cove, early, while everyone is still asleep.
What the water says
When you look at a boat, looking at her water system tells you how carefully she was thought about. Separate tanks or one? Do the gauges work, or does everyone live on guesswork? Does hot water come off the engine or a calorifier? Can you hear the pump in the cabin at night? None of this appears in a brochure, and all of it is what you feel over a week.
There is only one thing for a guest to do, and it is small: turn the water off while soaping. No one mentions it. Everyone notices.
The hose is coiled, the cap goes back on. The engine starts.
YACHT BROKERAGE →