How do you get fresh water in the middle of the Atlantic in a tiny boat, with no storage tank? We won't have room for water storage for or 4-6 week Atlantic crossing, and each crew member will need 2-4 litres a day for hydration, cooking and hygiene. This magic bit of equipment will turn seawater into freshwater.
It uses a high-pressure pump to push seawater through a membrane of which only water particles can pass. Anything else gets discarded as 'brine' and goes back into the sea.
Each day we'll run the watermaker for an hour or two (during peak solar panel input) to top-up our water cans with clean, fresh water for cooking, drinking and hygiene etc.
The Katadyn 40E can also be used manually if the pump or power fails.
This is kindly on loan from our friends Mactra Marine Equipment and will mean we won't have to carry single-use plastic bottled water on our Atlantic crossing. This helps fulfil one of our goals for sustainable and ocean-friendly sailing as part of our commitment to The Green Blue.
These watermakers are also very popular with Ocean Rowers, we've seen a few when carrying out Ocean Rowing Boat Surveys Will My Boat Float over the past seven years.
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