Real-world watermaker usage on a Pacific crossing and in French Polynesia

For context on how much water a solo sailor actually consumes, Lauren Landers Sailing shares detailed numbers from her Pacific crossing and subsequent time in French Polynesia. During the entire ocean crossing she ran the watermaker for only about three to four hours total, having started with full tanks. Once in French Polynesia, usage jumped to roughly one hour per day on average, though some days required as many as seven hours and other days none at all. The biggest single draw on water is laundry: she completed nearly all the laundry that had accumulated during the crossing, plus some loads since arriving. The takeaway is that a watermaker keeps a solo cruiser self-sufficient, but laundry, not drinking or cooking, is the dominant load to plan around.