Is it safe to drink the water?

DRINKING WATER ONBOARD CHARTER YACHTS | What to know and understand

"It takes everything out but the wetness.”

My husband, who is also a yacht captain, has always loved to make this joke describing water makers onboard yachts.

It's a funny quip that has captured attention when speaking about the process of creating fresh water from salt water (desalination) onboard yachts.

And in reality, the journey of providing fresh drinking water onboard yacht charters follows the evolution from manual to automation through engineering advances.

So - is WATER safe to drink onboard yachts?

Short Answer: YES…with the correct processes in place, water onboard charter yachts is safe to drink

The Yachting Industry

The yachting industry efforts to reduce plastics has been widely impacted by the continuous evolution of onboard water makers now providing fresh, clean, pure, safe drinking water with essential minerals.

Crewed yachts worldwide are aiming to be more sustainable and eco-friendly implementing ‘green boat initiatives’ in a variety of ways - to be and do better to support the ocean and the world that provides for us all.

ONE of these ways is that crewed yachts now make huge efforts to reduce plastics and unnecessary waste onboard - while continuing to offer water that is safe to drink.

While we have been able to provide fresh water for decades through RO Water Maker systems, turning the sea’s salt water into fresh water, the latest major shift in the progression of these systems along with additives allow RO water to be further promoted as fresh, safe and tasty enough to drink.

Beyond glassware and cups, yachts offer reusable water bottles throughout the charter; some even go so far as to gift guests onboard new branded reusable water bottles or mugs to promote drinking onboard water as opposed to buying plastic water bottles.

Crews are further being inspired to create tantalizing flavored designer waters and some yachts have soda-stream units onboard to carbonate these waters.

Particularly while traveling in locations where fresh drinking water is a scarcity - and comes at a premium, this evolution onboard charter yachts is special and quite extraordinary.

The Process

What is RO water?

RO stands for Reverse Osmosis which is the process of desalination by which salt water - from the sea - is drawn in and pushed through a semi-permeable membrane, using a multi-filtration high-pressure reverse osmosis system to desalinate the sea water into clean, pure water, essentially stripping it of all bacteria.

• Removal of large particles & debris
• Separation of salt from water
• Removal of particles 500,000 times smaller than a human hair (purification process)

Thus, the quip - 'everything out but the wetness'.

In addition to the basic RO system, each yacht maintains their own version of post-treatment filtration (additional carbon filtration, re-mineralization, ph-balancing, additives and more) to ensure an effective amount of taste, benefit and softness have been achieved for enjoyable water which is safe to drink.

The History

Historically, yachting and boating required filling up water tanks from the nearest water dock (sometimes via jerry jugs) when getting low, allowable to drink ONLY in areas where one could trust the local water or by adding the best drinking filtration.

In areas where water could not be trusted (many), one was required to buy jugs of fresh water or cases of plastic bottled water dedicated to drinking.

We are waving goodbye to the cases and cases of plastic water bottles that used to be schlepped onboard each week to ensure safe drinking water for guests, thanks to these reverse osmosis water makers implemented as part of each yacht's onboard systems.

The first practical and widely recognized water desalination method, known as reverse osmosis, was developed in the 1950s. However, it took some time for this technology to be adapted for common marine use.

The widespread implementation of watermakers for the public started gaining momentum in the late 20th century and became more common in the 1970s and 1980s. As technology advanced and became more affordable, watermakers became a valuable addition to boats, especially those undertaking long journeys or sailing in areas with limited freshwater resources.

Since then, watermakers have continued to evolve and improve in terms of efficiency and compactness, and are now implemented on all charter yachts and many private yachts, where guests are ensured their water is safe to drink and enjoy.

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