Shake-Out Cruise Provisioning...

[ProteusRising]

Fat-fingered the response above before I was finished.

These are the tips I was needing, I believe! Space+Water+Energy. Yes. Now I can wrap my head around it a bit. In my dirt-dwelling kitchen, I can whip up something without regards to much thinking about that.

We're big coffee drinkers as well as tea, so this is a great tip about water. Funny as I read this as I started putting together out First Aid/Med Kit that will live on Elli. (Be sure to have more burn stuff....clearly!)

Not necessarily overthinking, just I'm the main planner in our partnership between hubby and I -- he even calls me The Project Manager. So just trying to make sure we can concentrate on learning and passing our certs without stressing over food.

Thank you for your kind response. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Suijin

I follow Tillsbury's routine for breakfast and lunch, for the most part. Sometimes I will eat leftovers for lunch as well.

The constraints to consider when planning dinner are for the most part A) Space B) Water C) Energy. Space because you can quickly turn the galley into chaos with too complex a meal. If you have to chop 10 different things and use three pans/pots to cook things can quickly get out of hand to the point of being irksome. Water because more pants/utensils requires more water to clean. Energy in terms of the propane required to cook it. These are not hard and fast rules, just sort of general considerations to keep in mind, and they lead me to lean on a fair number of one pot meals. That can include everything from red beans and rice to grilled fish with a salad.

For a one week trip you have the option of preparing stuff in advance and freezing it; chili, soups, casseroles, etc. One benefit is that more you pack into your freezer the better it will stay cold.

In general I would not overthink the whole thing. You'll learn what YOU are comfortable and what works for you during the course of your trip. If you're concerned about wastage plan your meals for the expected duration then add canned goods as backup in case the trip is extended.

One word of warning as a new cruiser going on a longer trip; be VERY careful about handling boiling water/fluids while underway. Making coffee can be particularly dangerous just because you get so used to it and do it so often that you can become lax about it. I know more than a few extremely seasoned sailors who end up pouring boiling water on themselves when the boat lurched just the wrong way at just the wrong moment.

[ProteusRising]

Have a propane gimbled stove and oven. There's a stern-rail grill that we haven't even uncovered yet; but hubby is keen to use her when we're able to fish. No microwave. I'm a big lover of crock pots on land, and am trying to figure out space-wise how to use that. But maybe not for this trip. I see a lot of Bacon Sandwiches in our future. LOL. Best suggestion yet.

I suppose I should have noted that we don't eat a lot of carbs, or have been trying to stay away from them; however, many sailors I've talked to say that they tend to need more calories and the carbs when sailing. So, there's that.

Appreciate your tips. I didn't mean to come off sounding all harried; but rather needing a starting point to problem-solve.

~Casz

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Your only "steep learning curve" is probably about the sailing part. Cooking is cooking.

Depends on your capacity to stock foods of various types. We've found a cooler for ice and sodas can help take the strain off of small fridges and freezers (but we don't usually need that on this boat). Also, a vacuum bagger seems to help make small freezers more effective. Then fresh veg and pastas and the canned stuff become somewhat about your overall storage plan, ease of access, etc.

You might mention what actual cooking capabilities your boat offers: propane, alchohol, or electric cooktop? outside propane or charcoal grill? microwave? traditional or convection oven? electric or traditional pressure cooker? electric slow cooker? (genset and/or inverter?)

FWIW, we've just planned most of our meals around whatever physical capabilities might be available at the time. IOW, up to two "somethings" on the two-burner cooktop, one "something" in the microwave/convection oven, maybe one "something" in the Instant Pot or slow cooker (or both), another "something" on the outside propane grill if it's not raining...

Of course, we usually don't go all that overboard (pun!) when it's just the two of us, but we used everything but the outside grill for Turkey Day and it was easily enough for 4 of us that day.

Otherwise, we generally eat whatever we eat at home.

Chill. You already know how to do it. Enjoy!

-Chris

[ProteusRising]

That's something I do on land, too. So, yay. Pizza!

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We make pizzas on tortillas.

[redhead]

At heart I'm a "project manager" too. It gives me the illusion of control which calms me down, and also I love being able to live well in a small(er) space.

I second tortillas - I use them for everything now for several reasons - they last a lot longer than yeast breads and they make great "hand food". You can have one hand on the wheel and still hold a tidy meal in the other.

I'm in the Puget Sound as well and you will definitely be able to keep some fresh veg in a collapsible milk crate out in the cockpit or in one of the cabins without refrigeration. I keep all my potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions in one up in the cockpit with a cover and then use that as my footrest!

You can get a small net hammock to store fruit and sling it from the overhead.

You will work out what works for you as you go along. By the end of the first week you'll have answered all your own questions. Good luck and have a ball!

[Copacabana]

Since it's only a week, you can prepare most of the meals in advance at home and bring them to the boat frozen (dinners like stews, curries, pasta sauces etc.). Then you just have to worry about breakfasts (put out bread, granola, yoghurt and fruit). Lunch can be leftovers or just a plate of cold meats and cheeses and a salad. The more you prepare at home in advance, the more time you'll have to enjoy the trip and learn about the boat. It's also handy to have pre-cooked meals in case you feel a little queasy on board.
Oh, and snacks too- peanuts, crackers, granola bars, cookies, salami and cheeses etc. These are great for those who like to eat between meals.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Since it's only a week, you can prepare most of the meals in advance at home and bring them to the boat frozen (dinners like stews, curries, pasta sauces etc.). ... The more you prepare at home in advance, the more time you'll have to enjoy the trip and learn about the boat.

Yep, I'll second that. For our last winter cruise, I made up some spaghetti sauce, some chili, and some bean soup in advance... then pre-froze portions of those in freezer containers that were measured to work best in our particular freezer... so they went into the boat freezer already frozen. Augmented the sauce with fresh (i.e., not dried) spaghetti and garlic bread made on board, and augmented the others with diced onions, peppers, some grated cheese, sour cream, soda crackers, etc.

Could have done beef stew, chicken curry, etc. too but I ran out of time beforehand... and it wasn't critical, since we knew we could shop every few days or so...

-Chris

[JPA Cate]

Tillsbury was the poster who first mentioned the bacon sandwiches.

Here's a few other thoughts.... Stuff like cookies come in wrappers, and make lots of trash. If you have good, airtight containers, you can consider offloading cookies and crackers into them. People also do this with cereals. You will want to squash any cardboard you bring flat before putting it in the trash. If you set it up right, you can separate out recyclable, compostible, and other, but it will be a chore.

If the boat has a holding tank, make sure it is pumped out before you leave.

Normally, I do dishes only once a day, to conserve water. As a new cruiser, you will be astonished how fast you can run out of fresh water. If your sink is plumbed for sea water, you can wash in salt water using regular dishwashing soap, and dry and put away, the towel will remove the salt. And you'll wash it when you're somewhere to do laundry. Use about one cup of water each day, for a "duck bath". Use drinking water as if you were backpacking, sea water, freely.

Take it upon yourself to always check that all hatches (except the companionway) are closed, and all the ports, before you get the anchor up. That way you avoid wet bunks, which I hate.

On some boats, you also need to close the drains, because when the boat heels to that side, the salt water comes in to fill the sinks. If there's a valve right in front of your eyes when you look at the drain hose, close them as part of your pre-sailing routine.

Above decks, you'll want to have your winch handles out and in their pockets, or if they're locking, in the cockpit winches. Do not leave them in mast winches, cause the jib sheets can get under them and toss them into the sea.

All of this undertaking builds on skills you've already developed, no reason you shouldn't do just fine! And learn heaps, too. It'll be intense, and you'll sleep well.

Ann

[evm1024]

I like to make Scottish Shortbread when at anchor on a cool evening or morning then dip it into Coffee in the morning or on watch. The baking warms the boat up nicely.

4 sticks butter (better quality is good)
1 cup sugar
3 and 1/2 cups flour

Butter at a cool room temp (chill if it gets too sticky)
Mix sugar into the butter then blend in the flour 1/2 cup at a time

When all the flour is mixed in kneed the dough for at least 5 minutes. 7 to 10 is better.

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes.

If you place a layer of foil on the cookie sheet you can slid the whole thing off the sheet and onto a cutting block.

poke with a fork to make the holes and then while still hot cut into 1" x 2" bars. Let cool.

You have to monitor the typical boat oven for temp and of course you do need to keep an eye on the shortbread as it bakes.

Pop the shortbread into a storage container and you are good till they are gone. Never very long....

PS My dog loves shortbread.

[boatman61]

Dogs love everything..

[Seabeau]

An old canoeing technique was to precook stews and casserole type foods. As the cooked food cools pour it into zip-loc bags and attempt to mold the cooling food into the size and shape of the pot in which it will be cooked in, then freeze. As stated by Miss Ann this greatly lowers the strain on your boat's refrigeration system or ice box. To cook food, thaw food then lower still bagged food into pot, cover with water and heat to required temp. Remove still bagged food and dish it out. The existing hot water can then be used for cleanup. Pre-prep makes all the difference.

[Catapault]

Caveat: Fairly sure we are not 'typical liveaboards' as defined here. Decent sized boat, lots of electrical power. We decided near the start of this that is was a home afloat, not camping...

Your limitations are Power (Electric or Gas), Water, and Storage (Chilled or otherwise).

We cook pretty much like we did at home with a few exceptions.

- Long oven meals (anything over 90 mins in the oven) is likley out. We don't like the boat oven, and don't like chewing up that much gas.

- A Microwave is GOLD. Lots and lots of things get done in our MW. We have a Panasonic convection MW/Oven, which will also act as a perfect good electric Oven. Just uses power.

Breakfast: Generally cerals or bread/toast with spreads. Cooked will be Bacon, Eggs and Baked Beans, or Pancakes. (regular).

Lunch: Generally whatever is in the fridge or cupboard someone fancies at the time. Find this meal is where each of us eats our preferences.
Often Toasted Sandwiches of some variety. Sometimes this is evening, if 'Dinner' is midday.

Dinner: Mostly any meal we would cook at home. I cook Steak (BBQ) and Wok Stirfrys (various) quite a bit. (rice done in the MW). Admiral cooks all sorts of meals.

However, we find they tend to be 1 or 2 pot meals of some form, with a 3rd out of the Microwave. For example,
- Stir Fry Anything, with Rice,
- Steak, Chips (Frys) and Salad. (Frys are done in an Air Fryer, brilliant device)
- Mince based anything and Pasta. (Bolognese, Chilli, etc)
- Caserole & Vegetables. (Steamed in MW)

Most meals are 30-45 mins end to end from Prep to eating. (Jamie Olivers 30 min meals cookbook gets a lot of use).

We cook fresh most of the time. You can get fresh Vegtables everywhere, and they last up to 2 weeks from a single provision. We have not provisioned beyond that as yet.

Washing up is done once a day, as the biggest constraint there is HOT water. We either dump the afternoon solar into the heater, or boil a couple kettles.


My wife makes bread regularly, and bakes a dark fruit cake in the MW/Oven every few weeks. (I'm addicted to fruit cake). We recently splurged on an IceCream Machine, and now make 2L of gorgeous Ice cream onboard in about 4 hours. (For very little power usage btw).

I strongly advise getting a copy of "The Voyagers Handbook" by Beth A Leonard. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...d-306764982380

GoldMine of information on this sort of thing.

Happy to provide more information if interested. PM me.

Regards

Mark.
L450F - The Med...

[JPA Cate]

Suijin touched on it when he wrote to be careful with almost boiling or boiling water. How I do that is, coffee pot with ground coffee in the sink, kettle in hand, and then, pour parallel to the centerline of the boat. The water flow will follow the direction of heel, but if the spout is close to the center of the pot (remember, one hand for yourself, one for the boat, even in the galley), the majority of the water will go into the pot, i rarely spill.

Don't know if your stove has a guard rail, if not, put one on the to-do list: they help keep you off the stove if the boat takes a lurch. Also, a galley belt. This is something to lean against while you cook, and its purpose is to keep you save again, if the boat takes a lurch or suddenly heels more. Mine was about 2 ft. long, and had strong snap hooks and snapped into pad eyes on either side of the guard rail for the stove. I now have a U shaped galley, and don't need a butt belt.

Honey makes good burn ointment., but we keep our Silvadene Creme in the fridge--it's nice to put it on cold.

All will be well, Proteus, this should be way, way, fun!

Ann

[MLOI]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

breakfasts (put out bread, granola, yoghurt and fruit)..

Sorry to pick on what was otherwise a good post - but this is a pet peeve of mine.
There are only three of you on board. You can all eat the same breakfast on a given day - you don't have to cater for everyone's every whim.

For some reason, I like to get going in the morning. Up, bowl of cereal, glass of something, pull anchor. Washing is minimal and can live in the sink. Whereas my partner likes two half cups of coffee, a piece of toast, perhaps an egg later, maybe a breakfast burrito with bacon. Leaving a bunch of greasy stuff that needs to be dealt with. She used to complain that she hadn't got through the toast course yet and the boat was already leaning over. Worst day we had a 5 kilo tuna to deal with while she was still frying eggs - I wasn't popular.

Particularly if you are doing lessons, keep breakfast simple. Cold food, grab and go. Lunch likewise if it's not too cold - wrap some meat and cheese and vegetables in a tortilla and consume. Let everyone take their turn to help themselves from a few containers put out. Hommus does a good job of gluing all the ingredients together.

You want to learn the boat, not how to be galley slave. Get everyone to assemble their own meal from basics, then you can all get back on deck. Fruit is great as well, bananas with salt water still taste OK.

If you are anchored / docked at night, then it's time for something fancy and fun. Early in the day, food is fuel for the day.

Oh - one thing we found works well for rougher passages - especially at night when people are tired as well as a bit sick - is dips. Cut up some carrots, rip up some flatbread and have them and a couple of dips in a secured container at the table. let people eat how and when they like. (Ginger in Taziki became a favorite for my son when he was feeling a bit off)

Mike

[JohnT]

Normally, on the first evening out, I make a baked mac & cheese - you need something that is not acidic for those that are a bit queezie and prone to seasickness. Also, take it easy on the coffee for the first day. Keep a few bottles of water ready for those who feel the need to talk to Neptune and a roll of paper towel in the cockpit. Steer away from chilli anything also, until the crew have their sea-legs.

Besides what has been posted above, some pancake mix made the night before is a nice neutral breakfast, with whatever topping is going.

Lunch on my trips is normally a "fend for yourself" of snacks or sandwiches made with cheese & tomato, salami slices and some shaved ham with mustard. Normally our night meal is a hot one - mostly a one-pot meal to cut down time in the galley and simplify the washing-up process. But, whatever simple meals you make at home are normally good for the boat and crew.

Good luck - and let us know how everything went!

John.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Suijin touched on it when he wrote to be careful with almost boiling or boiling water. Ann

Indeed whilst sail training with the Royal Navy it was standard practise to wear foul weather salopettes and wellies whilst cooking underway even in hot climates. We all thought the skipper mad until a pan of hot spaghetti jumped off the stove and disappeared down the back of the cooker. Had the yacht lurched the other way the cook would have been wearing the spaghetti.