Where did all the water go?

Many of you are probably curious as to the conclusion of my facebook status the other day. Those of you who are not following my via facebook, my status on Saturday which said:

"Coming soon: how to run a Galley with no water... this should be interesting. Hoping the crisis is averted shortly."

Now, let's back up and look at the chain of events.

A few weeks ago, the Captain got on the PA saying that we need to conserve water because we were still running off of the water the ship received before the sail in South Africa. He said we were still looking for a water source so that we can get enough water to run the ship properly. Most of us listened and did well, but then we forgot about it, and somewhere along the line we thought that we were fine on water, and started using more and more- meaning instead of doing 1 load of laundry, many started doing 2, and instead of using the 35 minute cycle(which isnt' great) people started using the 55 minute cycle which does a much nicer job. For me, I hadn't washed my clothes well since Texas, and we eager to do so, so I took advantage. Many of us were kicking ourselves in the face later when we learned there was indeed still a restriction in place and communications had broken down somewhere along the line.

On Thursday the Captain came on saying that we were 'mission critical' and needed to use extreme caution when using water because we went from being in the 'green' level(safe) to the 'red'(danger) without even hitting the middle. Because of this, the captain let us all know that the laundry would be cut off until further notice.

Friday there was not much word, but that we received a small amount of water. The issue there is that it takes 48-72 hours to treat the water, but then if they test it and it is still not potable, they must re-treat it taking another 48-72 hours, which is a big problem. In the Galley, we put all of our dirty laundry(aprons, towels,etc) in huge buckets and put water in them to soak them...sounded like a good idea at the time...

Saturday felt like the day of doom while it happened. We were hard at work cleaning up the galley, which is what we do on Saturdays, since there is no hot breakfast or lunch, when the PA came on with the Captain. We were all hopeful that the news was good. It was not. The Captain told us all that the water would be shut off completely on board. No toilets, hand sinks, showers, laundry, the pool, crew galley(for all other crew), no dishes, cups, mugs.. NOTHING. So, being in the galley at that time I go 'WE NEED TO GET WATER ON BEFORE IT GOES OFF!!!' So, we filled up all of the sinks, steam kettle, and as many pots and pans as we could get our hands on. We filled up and lost water pressure at time went and then lost it all together. FORTUNATELY by the middle of the day, the Captain gave water back to the Galley because we need it to keep it sanitary and safe for crew, but we gave up salads for the day so that we didn't use unnecessary water. After a while the Captain decided to turn back on hand sinks, but nothing else. Thankfully the drinking water has never been restricted or a problem. Thank God.

Sunday, all was well in the Galley- we just cut back on the water usage, but the rest of the ship was suffering a bit because people hadn't showered in a while, no laundry, etc. Some got crabby due to the Starbucks being closed on night then it was open last night, but no frappucino's due to the amount of water it takes to clean the blenders, but most of us were fine with just putting ice in:) Last night, the Captain got on the intercom and said that we were allowed one shower, but to be respectful and keep it to a ship shower(2 minutes), which is normally what it is, but some people haven't been following the rules. Also, the water would be cold, but he reminded us that in order to keep the surgical schedule in tact they have to do these cuts.

I went to go get my nice shower after work because I hadn't had one after 2 days of work(oh man.. the galley makes you smelly)... and realized it wouldnt turn on. So, I used a cup and the sink to 'shower'... quite the task, but where this is a will there is a way. Later, I saw on of my roommates and she had wet hair. I realized in that moment that I had to turn the dial on the shower to COLD to get it to work... mannn. The dials on these showers are set by temperature on one dial and the other dial is the 'on/off' dial... silly me.

We are recieving more water, and hoping the treatment goes well. Laundry is not expected until tomorrow at the EARLIEST-and that's if the water tests as 'potable'.... We'll see how this saga ends in a few days(hopefully). Keep us in your prayers!!