Victualling And Food Care

/ Ben Starling

Next up at the Cruising Association last weekend, was a lecture on ‘Victualling And Food Care’, with Sandy Duker. O my!

Food is my personal favourite and my own specialty. I do love to organise the First Mate to a well provisioned yacht! Preparedness for every exciting milestone in the day (ie. every meal time) is a top priority.   

As Sandy approached the lectern, I leaned forward on the Can Opener’s shoulder to catch her every pearlescent word. I knew I indeed had a secure grip on my perch to get me through her lecture when the First Mate let out a mighty yelp.

Sandy revealed all her secrets of food care aboard yachts and the Can Opener wrote ’em down:

Assumptions 

  • You are catering for 2-3 weeks,
  • refridgerator exists,
  • but no freezer.

Consider 

  • likes of the crew
  • medical conditions eg diabetes
  • allergies 
  • is the boat ‘dry’ or ‘wet’? 
  • people eat more at sea – out of boredom, because they are cold, on watch… 

Meal Structure / day
  • 3 meals
  • 3 snacks
  • Happy Hour!   

Planning Provisions

  • overcater for drinks
  • plan meals sequence to match freshness of the fruits/vegetables
  • make a daily planner… and convert it to your shopping list
  • plan to grow your own sprouts, herbs 
  • leave big roasts till end of journey as they take longer to defrost 
  • overestimate how much water you need – do NOT rely on watermakers. These break down regularly.
  • overestimate hot beverages needed
  • plan for every eventuality – assume that you cannot rely on the fridge, the watermaker etc…

Good Things To Include In Your List
  • lemons
  • limes 
  • dried fruit
  • squashes – they keep forever
  • beans, chick peas
  • patés in tins
  • freeze dried meals – found in moutaineering shops, can also be ordered online
  • fish – do not rely on fish caught at sea. You may catch ’em, you may not… 
  • cereal bars (better than chocolate for snacks which melts in the heat)
  • fresh herbs growing 
  • tinned olives, nuts
  • fruit cake

 
Note: packaging

  • flour and grains that are pre-packed (ie not loose in bins – more likely to have insect eggs in them that will later hatch…)
  • soups in packets (take up less space)
  • tomato sauce in tins (not in tubes as these are often badly crimped and leak) 
  • choose packaging that squashes flat (eg UHT boxes) as you will be carrying all that garbage to the next port…
  • no carboard!


Fishing 
  • need a fish hook/gaff to bring the fish aboard
  • make sure the fish is really dead before you bring it aboard – or there will be an awful mess in the cockpit
  • PUT A SIGN next to the engine to remind yourself to bring in the fishing lines before you start the engines
  • consider any fish you catch to be a bonus, an extra to provisions. Don’t rely on them!

How to Shop

  • if in a rally eg ARC, where there are many other people provisioning at the same time – you need to buy earlier
  • shop in the markets yourself – don’t arrange for delivery
  • choose both ripe and under-ripe produce
  • supermarkets near yachting centres will often vacuum pack your meat in portion/meal-sized eg Las Palmas, Canarias 
  • be careful – some countries leave the ribs in meat which can puncture the vacuum packing
  • look for Cruising Association members discounts at stores eg Jolly Harbour in St Lucia
Water Conservation 
use salt water for:
  • washing hair with dishsoap and a freshwater rinse
  • washing dishes
  • washing vegetables with salt water in the middle of the ocean – water is clean

Food Care

  • yoghurt – make your own
  • eggs – turn them daily
  • remove packaging 
  • double wrap pasta and grains in your own plastic, seal and date
  • wash all fruit and vegetables, and air dry in cockpit before storing
  • store potatoes, onions, carrots in string bags in cupboards – for airflow and its easier to check them through a string bag
  • use ‘stay-fresh’ bags
  • inspect food every day – because it will suddenly go off in one day and must be used immediately
  • store cheese in boxes in fridge, and/or wrap in a vinegar cloth

 
Managing Inventory

  • date and label all tins and bags with permanent marker – contents and date
  • name each of the lockers eg SFP, saloon forward port (to refer to in inventory lists)
  • NOTE: if boat hull is dark then storage lockers will get very warm/hot
  • inventory list: product, package type, number, location
  • do weekly physical inventory check
  • update provisions inventory list every time something is used

Cooking

  • pressure cookers are:
    • faster
    • use less gas
    • easier for washing up – only 1 pot
    • good in rough weather as are sealed

The Cruising Kitty’s Favourite Books 
on Provisioning and Food Care 

  1. Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew, Lin Pardey
  2. Sail Away!, by Paul and Sheryl Shard

 

 

Wow! A ton of good advice from Sandy. We’ve heard much of it before from others, but it’s always good to hear it again and to know that this stuff really works!

–Captain Cat 
 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

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