Three Circumnavigations and 250,000 Nautical Miles: Enrico Tettamanti’s Offshore Experience with HP Watermakers

In the world of long-range cruising and expedition yachting, practical experience often carries more weight than specifications alone. Few people embody that experience better than Enrico Tettamanti, the veteran sailor and yacht consultant who has logged more than 250,000 nautical miles and completed three circumnavigations of the globe.

Today, Tettamanti advises yacht owners and shipyards on fully custom projects designed for ocean passages and remote exploration. Drawing on decades spent living aboard and sailing through some of the world's most challenging waters, he has developed a clear understanding of the equipment required to achieve true autonomy at sea.

A Lifetime Dedicated to Offshore Exploration

Now 50 years old, Tettamanti spent 25 years living aboard his boats while pursuing the Kamana projects, whose philosophy was simple: making extreme destinations accessible by sea. Throughout his voyages, he guided guests to some of the planet’s most remote regions and navigated demanding routes including the Arctic and the Northwest Passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Although he no longer sails full-time, he remains deeply involved in the industry through project management, yacht sales and refit consultancy. He also continues to cruise aboard his Hallberg-Rassy yacht, equipped with an HP Watermakers SC 140 desalination system.

Watermakers Are Becoming Essential

According to Tettamanti, desalination systems are no longer reserved for large yachts.

"You don't need to cross oceans to appreciate the value of having a watermaker onboard," he explains. "Owners increasingly prefer quiet anchorages and remote bays rather than crowded marinas, making freshwater independence a necessity."

He also points out that modern yacht design leaves less room for large freshwater tanks. High-performance sailing yachts and long-range explorers are designed to maximize interior living space, making onboard water production more important than ever.

Automation Makes the Difference

Among the features that distinguish HP Watermakers, Tettamanti highlights automation as one of the brand's greatest strengths.

"Weekend owners often use their boats intermittently and may not always pay close attention to maintenance. Systems such as RP-TRONIC and AMCS are extremely valuable because they help ensure reliable operation with minimal supervision," he says.

RP-TRONIC automatically maintains the optimal operating pressure, eliminating the need for manual adjustments and ensuring efficient desalination regardless of changes in seawater salinity or temperature.

Working alongside it, the Automatic Membrane Conservation System (AMCS) preserves the membranes by automatically dosing sodium metabisulfite during flushing cycles, significantly extending membrane life and reducing maintenance requirements.

The Importance of Reliable Support

Even the best systems require support, particularly when yachts remain inactive for extended periods.

"Automation helps tremendously, but unexpected issues can always arise," says Tettamanti. "Fast and efficient after-sales support is therefore essential."

Based on his personal experience, he praises HP Watermakers for its responsive technical assistance and ability to guide owners remotely through troubleshooting procedures, regardless of their technical expertise.

"The simplicity of the systems and the quality of the components make them accessible even to owners with little mechanical knowledge," he notes.

Choosing the Right Watermaker

For most yachts, Tettamanti considers production capacities between 150 and 300 litres per hour to be ideal, with the 220 l/h models currently representing the most popular choice.

Energy efficiency is another critical factor.

"No one enjoys running generators all night, so maximizing output in the shortest amount of time is extremely important," he says.

He also notes that real-world performance matters just as much as advertised figures.

"In my experience, HP Watermakers consistently deliver the production capacities they promise, something that cannot always be taken for granted."

Complete Control from the Helm

As onboard systems become increasingly interconnected, managing energy consumption efficiently is becoming a key aspect of sustainable boating.

Through Part-NET, HP Watermakers systems can be integrated directly with chartplotters from Garmin, Raymarine, Furuno, Simrad, B&G and Lowrance, allowing users to monitor and manage operations directly from the helm station.

"And needless to say, avoiding constant trips to the engine room is an enormous convenience," concludes Tettamanti.

For a sailor whose experience spans three circumnavigations and a quarter of a million nautical miles, reliability, simplicity and autonomy remain the defining qualities of any equipment intended for life at sea. In that respect, HP Watermakers has proven itself to be a trusted companion for modern explorers.