Originally Posted by
McBTC
The Puritans got a bad rap?
"One of the things we understand now is that the initial ship that came over from England to Massachusetts Bay actually carried more beer than water," says Bruce Bustard, senior curator of Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History.
The folks used to drink all day long...
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31741615
Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die was the saying as I recall
If one survived to adulthood (21) in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, one might live to fifty. Healthy, upper class and elite individuals lived longer then as they do now. Less physical stress and more protein in diet.
Of course one could not really sell imported water in America then, though one could sell beer.
And there was no reason to haul extra water along, just catch rain as you sail. It's naturally distilled after all.
