How We Live on 12 Gallons of Water Per Day

Many cruising boats have a watermaker, a device that turns seawater into drinking water. Hygge does not, so we rely on jugs and tanks for our drinking water needs. Our fresh water tank holds 145 gallons, and we carry another 25 gallons in jugs that are tied to the deck.

In the United States, fresh water is readily available and free. We usually fill up our water tanks when we stop at the fuel dock. In the Bahamas, drinking water is harder to find and usually costs between $0.20 and $1.00 per gallon. The less water we use, the longer we can go without a trip to the fuel dock or having to lug heavy jugs by dinghy.

In more remote areas of the Bahamas, we could go almost two weeks on a full tank of water, using about 12 gallons per day. Looking back at our water bills from land life, we used about 5,000 gallons per month (wow!), or more than 165 gallons per day when we lived in our house.

With two water jugs slung over each shoulder, Tom takes another long walk down the dock at Staniel Cay Yacht Club

How did we go from 165 gallons per day to 12? Here are five ways we conserve water on Hygge:

• We don't have a dishwasher. We take our dishes to the swim platform and scrub them in seawater. Then we wash them in soapy water and finish with a fresh-water rinse. And with a two-burner stove and small oven, our meals tend to be simple.

• We don't have a washing machine. We live in bathing suits and wear each outfit more than once. If rain is in the forecast, we hang our clothes on the lifelines for a fresh rinse, or we use the bucket-and-plunger method, which only uses a few gallons of water. Every 2-4 weeks, we come across a laundromat and declare a true laundry day!

• Marine toilets are different. The toilets on our boat are "dry," meaning they don't have standing water in the bowl. Seawater can be pumped into the toilet before use or for flushing. Although flushing with fresh water improves the aroma, seawater works well for us.

• We don't shower every day, and we don't have a bathtub. Rather than washing daily as a matter of course, showers are based on the activities of the day. Salty and sandy from a trip to the beach? Sweaty from carrying jugs or groceries? Covered in oil or diesel? Definitely a shower day. A rainy day playing boardgames? A cool day at anchor? A night at sea? No so much. Either way, showers are always short, and sometimes cold. Long, hot showers are a luxury reserved for the rare occasions when we're staying at a marina or hotel.

• We're careful. Docking the boat and lugging water jugs by dingy can be stressful and strenuous. We'd much rather be hunting for sand dollars and shells on a remote sandbar, so we're careful with our water use and always looking for ways to conserve more.

We thought we were doing really well using only 12 gallons per day, and then we talked to the water delivery man in George Town. He thought 12 gallons per day for a family of four was generous. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.