I took water earlier today.

took water earlier today.

Most people in the United States don't even think of water at all. They just take it for granted that when they turn on the tap that clean water will come pouring out in unlimited quantities, and I suppose that anyone hooked up to city water can expect this. So can most people with well water in most places, however they are probably a little more aware because they have to occasionally replace a pump or pressure tank and when that happens they lose their running water for a little while.

I have lived for quite a while without running water while I was living in Alaska unless you want to define running water as me running down to the laundromat for a shower. It wasn't too bad once you got used to it, but I can sure say that living with it is a pretty damned good deal.

I have almost run out of it at sea one time while crossing the Pacific in a 42 foot sailboat because one of the crew was wasteful with it. The last several days of the trip were touch and go and I damned near had to beat the guy senseless to get him to understand the gravity of the situation. I still don't think the imbicile understood what was wrong. I think he started to behave himself and stop sneaking his two gallon sponge baths because I had made it clear to him that he was going to suffer some real pain if he wasted any more water.

Summers in the Pacific make the body need a lot f water and I had no intention of perishing of thirst or having to drink the water out of a can of green beans just to stay alive. Being out of fresh water at sea is a most serious business.

Of course, the instant we tied up in the mainland I was off the boat like a shot an headed straight for the nearest shower where I took a long warm one.

Out here moving oil at sea we have a water tank on board and every change we get we fill it. The tank is big enough so we can live like civilized human beings. Still, we fill it every change we get because one never knows when the day will come that we can't get water.

One of the things I notice by living so much of my life out at sea is that it makes one grateful for the most basic of things that so many take for granted.


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