How did pirates drink water?

During the Golden Age of Piracy, it was very difficult to find fresh and clean drinking water, even on dry land. For pirates on the open sea, it was almost impossible to transport and maintain an adequate supply of fresh drinking water onboard. Because of this, many seamen drank grog, beer or ale as opposed to water.
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How did sailors drink water?

The earliest European sailors used barrels laced with alcohol to keep algae from growing. Whenever a ship reached land, replenishing its fresh water was usually the most important task. By the 1700s, inventors had created distillation plants that used a heat source to boil seawater.
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How did pirate ships get water?

Eventually a ship would have to land somewhere and search for a water source to refill their supplies. This could be a river or a small freshwater spring and it could then take several days to fill up each barrel and ferry it back to the ship.
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How did pirates have fresh water?

In the early years of European piracy, sailors would use barrels containing alcohol to protect themselves from algae. In most cases, it was the responsibility of ships to replenish their fresh water upon landing.
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Did pirates drink watered down rum?

Of course, sailors and pirates didn't just drink rum straight. To make it more palatable, they would mix it with a bit of water to make grog; or water, sugar, and nutmeg (to make bumbo).
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Why Did Pirates Drink Rum? (Pirate History Explained)



Why do pirates say Arrr?

Have you ever wondered why pirates say "Arrr"? We answer this burning question with help from National Geographic and American Profile. Pronounced also as “Yarrr!” and “Arg!”, the word “Arrr!” is traditionally said by pirates when responding "yes" or when expressing excitement.
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Did pirates really drink a lot?

Strong alcohols such as rum and brandy were often used on long voyages to disinfect stagnant water, and to sweeten the flavour. So you see; pirates were always drunk because even their water had alcohol in it.
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Did pirates ever shower?

Pirates Had No Option But to Bathe With Seawater

But bathing didn't involve freshwater; that was saved for cooking. When it came time for pirates to clean themselves, they most likely jumped into the ocean. Despite the abundance of seawater, bathing wasn't a common occurrence amongst the pirates.
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What did pirates smell like?

It smells like musty chlorinated water and synthetic fog (like that from a fog machine).
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Where did they poop on old ships?

The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or "after" cabin, also known as the "poop cabin".
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Where did pirates pee?

Urination was either into buckets or directly over the side. Some men did urinate against the side of the ship or onto the deck. If they were high up in the rigging it would be impractical to climb down to carry out a simple bodily function. Look out below!
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Why do they call it poop deck?

We quote verbatim: “The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or “after” cabin, also known as the “poop cabin”.
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What did real pirates drink?

Grog, Beer and Rum

Because of this, many seamen drank grog, beer or ale as opposed to water. Fresh water on board would often become tainted by green scum and slime, so a small amount of alcohol was often added in order to improve the bad taste of old water. This water and alcohol combination is better known as grog.
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How did Vikings carry water?

The ships were made watertight by filling the spaces between the planks with wool, moss or animal hair, mixed with tar or tallow. The ships were all the same long narrow shape, with shallow draughts. This meant that they could be used in shallow water. Vikings used longships to make raids and carry their warriors.
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Did sailors drink beer instead of water?

This is largely the reason it was considered a staple in the diet aboard ships, often called “liquid bread,” in many accounts. Beer and other distillates on ships would not have been as high in alcohol content compared to today's standard and were often diluted with water.
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How do Navy ships get fresh water?

Fresh water is generally produced on board using the evaporation method. There are two things that are available in plenty on ship to produce fresh water –Seawater and heat. Thus fresh water is produced by evaporating sea water using heat from any of the heat source.
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Did pirates ever brush their teeth?

Pirates Did Not Brush Their Teeth!

The toothbrush that we use today was not invented until 1938; long after pirates sailed the seven seas. If pirates ever did clean their teeth it would have been using a "chew stick" which was not a very effective way to keep teeth clean and free of plaque.
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How did pirates not get sunburn?

Ideally, sailors would deal with sunburn by not getting it. Traditional dress for sailors would include loose pants, long-sleeved shirts and broad-brimmed hats, and sailors would stay out of the sun under awnings and other shade if possible.
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Do pirates drink coffee?

Surprisingly enough, tea and coffee were drunk aboard pirate ships. But, like Captain Jack, most preferred rum.
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What do pirates sleep?

Pirate captains and higher-ranking members had private sleeping quarters, while common sailors had to sleep in one room. Some of them slept on hammocks. Others slept on the floor. It was easier for them to sleep on hammocks because they swayed and rocked with the ship's movements.
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What kind of diseases did pirates get?

There were quite a few nasty diseases that pirates would have to contend with including scurvy, which occurs due to a lack of vitamins in the diet, yellow fever, malaria, gangrene and even dysentery.
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What alcohol did sailors drink?

A Brief History of the Rum Ration

This was especially true on long voyages at sea, when water supplies could turn rancid (or run out). A gallon of beer was the original rationed drink for sailors, but it too could spoil easily at sea. Around 1655, many ships switched over to rum rations instead.
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What food do pirates eat?

Dried meats, like jerky, were extremely popular. But dried plants could offer up a surprising amount of protein as well. Beans were a major item on pirate ships. Beans and other pulses also ensured that the average pirate had some fiber in their diet. Fruits and vegetables tended to go bad fairly early on in a voyage.
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Why did pirates have parrots?

A colorful talking bird would have been expensive, so pirates probably stole them along with other valuable cargo. The crew on a pirate ship may have been glad to have these intelligent birds onboard to entertain them on long, dull voyages.
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