For a Great Shower, Start Here……

I remember being surprised as I prepared to take a shower during my first ocean charter.  A boat mate handed me a bottle of dish soap and wished me well.  I didn’t have any idea that regular soap would not foam in salt water.  I also didn’t have any idea what the implications were for me, the boat, or the environment if I was showering with dish soap. 

Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Savon de Mer; a shampoo and body gel that foams in salt water.  I haven’t been fortunate enough to charter again since I made this discovery.  However, I have tried the product in my conventional shower at home.  The gel provides just enough lather and left me feeling clean but not stripped or oily after the shower.  I was also surprised by the scent.  It is fresh and clean without being too frilly or overbearing. 

Photo Courtesy of Stephen Layden - BVIs Oct 2011

During the Annapolis Sailboat show; I had the opportunity to talk with Savon de Mer president Paul Roy to learn more about that product.  You can watch that video here:

 Additionally, a few of my friends recently chartered in the BVIs (October 2011) and had the opportunity to take Savon de Mer gel with them.  Here is what they had to say:

From Kate — ” what a great product! Really does lather well in salt water. It was strong enough to clean off bug spray, and sun tan lotion, but gentle enough on my hair that I didn’t need conditioner. And a great value cause I used only a tiny portion of the bottle on an 8 day trip in the BVIs. Will always have a bottle on the boat…”

From Steve– “I was sold at the prospect of a salt-water soap that would allow me to clean off without using gobs and gobs of fresh water.  In that respect, it worked great!  Feeling clean and refreshed with only 2 Liters from the boat’s tank saved lots of hassle since we didn’t have to bring the boat to a dock and refill.  (In fact, the four of us on the boat only used about 1/4 of the 90 gallons onboard.). What I didn’t expect was that I would enjoy the smell–it’s relatively unisex. One bottle should be plenty for one week with four people aboard.”