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…
- 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…
- 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!
- 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
- 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
- Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew, Lin Pardey
- 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!