Viral

Take Two has gone viral, and not in a good way.  On the eve of a long-planned family vacation, the unthinkable happened: a stomach virus.  With half the crew already affected and the other half sure to follow, we had no choice but to cancel the trip.  It’s a huge bummer, but like I always say, a day spent on the bathroom floor is best spent at home.

Doctor Mom thinks she has the bug identified and of course there is no option but to let it run its course.  I like to play the “where did we get this” game.  I’m not looking to blame anyone for our misfortunes.  I just want to know who to avoid in the future.

One of the possibilities that I had to consider was that we got it from Take Two’s water supply.  This was easily ruled out, but it doesn’t seem all that unlikely.  Many people are shocked to learn that we drink Boot Key Harbor.  Yes, we really do.  No, we really don’t think that was it.

Apparently some cruisers only make water in lagoons of clear gin.  We don’t have that luxury.  Our water usage is such that we have to put water in the tanks daily, and ferrying it from shore in jugs isn’t practical.  So unless we’re tied to a dock we’re running the watermaker, and unfortunately the water under the boat isn’t always as clean as we could wish.

Although it sounds unsavory, I haven’t read anything that leads me to think it is unwise.  The watermaker is intended to remove salt, and those parts are smaller than most bacteria and viruses.  Our water is probably cleaner than city water.  In fact, I think the only health risk with drinking reverse-osmosis water is that it is effectively demineralized.  Like drinking distilled water.

In any case, a little extra caution couldn’t hurt.  Who knows what could be lurking in our tanks?  So I’m planning to equip Take Two’s drinking water tap with a WaterFixer ultraviolet water sterilizer.  It will cost $400, take 24Ah/day @ 12VDC, and need a $20 bulb replacement every year.  That’s a small price to pay if it helps avoid this kind of misery.  

Brb.