Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[osirissail]

In the same vein with boatman61's quote of goPrisko - the use of the word "MAY" is a huge modifier that makes almost anything possible. For instance: "An asteroid MAY wipe out the earth next year so why bother saving any money or even consider going cruising."
- - There are too many "MAY's" being used in the media along with "could's," "might's" and a few other conditional modifiers that make the most wild situation imagined seem possible.
- - Cruising is a very intense and labor intensive activity, so the more prepared you are both educationally, experienced and financially the better chance that you MAY really enjoy the experience. Heading out ill-equipped both with machinery (boat and systems) and insufficient knowledge and resources MAY result in a short, horrible experience.

[svrodeorm]

seems like this thread is mature, ripe, done....

no more input. Goprisko's suggestion seems appropriate.

Cut the BS out of here and then 'glue' the thread or whatever it's called. (sry, can't recall the correct word at this moment)

see you on the water!

[boatman61]

I'll just add that the www.frugal-mariner.com is a great site for 'doing it on the cheap...' I'm sure its been mentioned b4 but I'm buga'd if I'm gonna troll thro' to check...lmao.

[goprisko]

We've covered the basics of getting the boat organized, and the skipper trained.

Now let's think about places to go.

It seems there is lot's of interest in the Med, likely from those living in Europe. However, the world is much larger than the MED.

Some places .....

SE Asia... one of the cheapest cruising grounds ever..

Western South Pacific.... Solomons... Vanuatu.... New Guinea...

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, ... some great cruising in inexpensive places

Chagos... unspoiled... costing $33 / month for the permit..

Phillippines... dirty... friendly... and cheap

Malaysia... friendly... moderate costs... interesting..

Panama... no cyclones... year round cruising

Caribbean Coast of Colombia... Cartegena... lovely..

Ecuador to Peru... forgotten... cheap..

East Coast of US... Chesapeake Carolinas... Georgia... bays and sounds galore...

Bahamas.... for the small boat ... hundreds of islands... friendly people

INDY

[goprisko]

We are off the first of August.

We are going down island...

Likely we will not have internet access..

Fair winds...!

INDY

[Ram]

Originally Posted by goprisko

We are off the first of August.

We are going down island...

Likely we will not have internet access..

Fair winds...!

INDY

Let us know what countrys you visit and how much it costs to enter, customs, ect. when you return to the internet!

[OaklandSailor]

Originally Posted by goprisko

We are off the first of August.

We are going down island...

Likely we will not have internet access..

Fair winds...!

INDY

Indy, old son, we'll miss you while you're off the net. Till then, keep it coming.

OS

[goprisko]

Since I am on Social Security, and have before that knocked about from country to country, earning as I went, cheap food has been an issue.

Cheap does not mean tedious.

For those on a really tight budget, and those who need a fall back, I recommend Lynn Shawduck's Website

10in10diet

A few highlights....

Breakfast .............. Oatmeal..... a box costing $ 6 makes enough for two for a month... add some sugar, perhaps oil/butter... a smidgeon of salt and cinnamon, nutmeg and you have a healthy, cheap meal.

Lunch...... Cabbage soup or Miso soup with a sandwich

Cabbages keep a long time without refrigeration, and the rest of the ingredients likewise

Ingredients:
• 2 large onions
• 1/2 head of garlic
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 large carrots
• 1/4 cup olive or grape seed oil
• tablespoon of sea salt
• lots of black pepper
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 5 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• large whole cabbage (1 1/2 if they're smallish)
• parsley fresh or dried

Directions:
1. Boil two quarts of water in a kettle.
2. Dice 2 large onions and 1/2 head of garlic.
3. Slice 2 stalks of celery and 2 large carrots.
4. Cover the bottom of an 8-quart pot with olive or grape seed oil and stir-fry the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. Add at least a tablespoon of sea salt and lots of black pepper. When hot, not tender, pour in the boiling water and boil another kettle of water.
5. Add tomato paste, 5 bay leaves, 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the pot and boil.*
6. Slice a whole cabbage as small as you'll be comfortable eating. Put it in the pot as you get it sliced, and add the second kettle of water after it's boiling.
7. If you have fresh parsley, chop a good bunch in. Otherwise throw in a handful of dried parsley.
8. Cover the pot and boil the heck out of it. It's done when the celery is no longer hard and the thick parts of the cabbage are a bit translucent. The pot can cool overnight on the counter before you store it in the fridge.

Makes 10-12 bowls.

Supper

Big batches to freeze in single servings:
1. Black bean soup with either polenta or quick baking powder biscuits
2. Pinto beans
a) refried (mashed) served with salsa in corn tortillas
b) served over rice with salsa
Both ways can be garnished with a little grated cheddar cheese, or not.
3. Beet & Bean Stew - a kind of hearty beet borscht
4. Squash soup with hummus on bread or biscuits
5. Chili served with a dollop of kasha

Cook tonight in 45 minutes (2 or 3 servings) and have some leftovers

6. Black & Orange – black lentil stew and mashed rutabaga and sweet potatoes
7. Curried red lentils and veggies served on rice
8. Ratatouille, rice and lentils

Cook quickly tonight with one hour's notice

9. Falafel served either in pita with sprouts & yogurt or with quinoa or millet, gravy, and veggies

[goprisko]

Some of you may have to do without refrigeration... or Ice..

Vegetarian cooking is your answer... the ingredients keep a long time without refrigeration...

I recommend you get several cook books on vegetarian cooking and those by Rose Elliot should top the list.

She now has a website

Rose Elliot, the official Rose Elliot Website,Home

There you will find her books for sale.

The Bean book was much praised by Annie Hill in voyaging on a small income, it is still available.

THE BEAN BOOK, Thorsons 2000


In The Bean Book, the first to deal comprehensively with beans and their related pulses – peas and lentils – Rose Elliot provides a complete range of recipes for this most versatile form of food that has sustained humankind throughout history. Beans are inexpensive, nutritious (rich in protein, low in fat, high in fibre, an excellent source of iron, phosphorous and B vitamins), colourful, and available today in an astonishing variety

I have her Complete Vegetarian Cuisine..

VEGAN FEASTS, Thorsons 2000


Rose Elliot’s first collection of recipes for the vegan cook is inspiring. Using the freshest of ingredients – without meat, eggs or dairy products – you will be able to create the tastiest dishes for every occasion.

VEGGIE CHIC, Hamlyn 2006


The publisher says: ‘Vegetarian cooking goes glam in this collection of beautiful recipes all perfect for entertaining. Rose Elliot, Britain’s best-loved vegetarian writer, brings you 100 inspirational recipes, all with the wow factor. Whether you’re planning an elegant celebration meal or want to whip up something for an impromptu gathering with friends, whatever you cook is guaranteed to impress!' Veggie Chic has been released in paperback under the title Sumptuous Suppers.

ROSE ELLIOT'S NEW COMPLETE VEGETARIAN, HarperCollins 2010


In this entirely revised and updated edition of her bestselling, definitive cookbook, Rose offers mouth-watering recipes for every occasion: simple pasta and grain dishes, healthy soups, salads and side dishes, warming curries and filling pies, plus delicious cakes and desserts. This is an essential companion for every kitchen.

[goprisko]

Managing on a micro budget means making your own sauces...

Food for thought was a cook book issued by the woman's club of Birmingham. It has many recipes for sauces, and the American Home Cookbook does too.

Amazon.com: Food for Thought (9780960781010): Junior League of…

There is a Missippi website with many resources for those seeking to eat local foods

Film & Book Corner | FOOD: For Thought, For Life

and
A vegetarian cookbook by the same name can be found at

Food for Thought | Cook Book

There is no need for the micro-budget cruiser eating poorly. Many resources are available to help one create nutritious, tasty meals using simple ingredients.

One need only look...

INDY

[ConradG]

With a presure cooker and the ability to can you don't have to turn vegitarian because you don't have refridgeration. Refridgeration is only a very recent developement in the scheme of things. There are other alternatives including drying or smoking for both meats and veggies but all fresh food is trying to make it's way back to the decomposed state. Refridgeration and freezing is convenient but doesn't kill the organisms that are working against us, it just slows them down. Canning is slightly less convenient but both kills the organisms and prevents them from coming back. With a little practice, a different headset or approach to things, living without refridgeration isn't all that hard. For istance when it is black bean time I cook up a bunch in the presure cooker. The majority go into jars with enough liquid to cover and are canned for use in chili (which might be made when ground beef is opened from a can or available fresh and the 'leftovers' subsequantly canned as ready to eat meals), buritos or whatever. The rest is made into soup for the meal at hand but also, while I'm doing it, enough to can for other meals. Of course I'm probably making balck bean soup because I have some onions, limes, carrots or other ingredients that I am wanting to use up before they turn...Anyway, the point is that there is really very little we need to refridgerate and even if you do have a freezer or fridge on board it can be a good thing to have the means to save your food stores by canning them up in the event of a fridge/freezer or power generating failure of catastrophic proportions...
That cold drink however....guiness from the bildge is one thing but that cold one certainly is hard to do without!

[goprisko]

As ConradG mentions, refrigeration can be done without. Certainly, most of the small boat voyagers of the classic era. Hiscociks, Roths, Smeetons, Moitisieer, Day, MacLear, Slocum, did without it.

In the later part of that era, pre 1970, many had ice boxes. Block Ice can keep a box cold up to several weeks, if properly insulated. Mine does..

If you are serious about preserving food without refrigeration, canning it is worth while.

AND

Also, plan on drying foods. They keep remarkably well for many years.

Dried Hamburger is something everyone should know how to make......

DRIED HAMBURGER.....................

Select the leanest ground beef available.. Locally killed beef is excellent for this.... the tougher the better....

Brown it in a skillet until it begins to become crispy.

Place the browned beef into a collander and rinse three times with hot water.

Place the damp, rinsed beef on a cookie sheet in a layer no deeper than
1.5 cm( half an inch).

Dry in a warm oven, 105C / 220 F until crumbly, stirring occasionally.

Once cool, store in ziploc bags.

Keeps for years.

Use in pasta sauces, chilis, and stews just as you would use fresh mince.


INDY

[osirissail]

Here are a couple of real world photos of a young couple on a 30ft Roberts steel cutter with two children who are doing the $500/mo sail.

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Here are a couple of real world photos of a young couple on a 30ft Roberts steel cutter with two children who are doing the $500/mo sail.

500/mo staying in a marina?

I wonder...

[osirissail]

Only for a day or two - they had the boat in storage and just launched it. And that is something to remember - you need to set aside money for a haul-out and bottom job every couple of years. Storage down here is fairly cheap at less than $300/mo for such a small boat.