Provisioning for a passage...

capta · Dec 21, 2009

On a 9.5 year circumnavigation, provisioning was a matter of staples & stuff to break the monotony.
Usually we purchased & stored about six months worth of staples (rice, pasta, beans & canned foods. The most we managed to keep fresh food (potatoes, onions, eggs) for was 2 to 2.5 weeks in the tropics. Things like cabin biscuits, canned chickens, cheese & butter really helped w/ the boredom but were space consuming & expensive.
Offshore, I think it necessary to carry at least 30 days more food, than the proposed trip (consider the most drastic scenario; dismasting).
Also, though it sounds ridiculous, taking the labels off the cans & using a permanent marker to label them is pretty important. We began that way, but got lazy after a few years & hit a hurricane which tore off a couple of hatches & we got a lot of h2o below. The labels came off the cans & fouled the pumps.
You must also consider some things to break the monotony of canned food. We made mini pizzas using cabin biscuits, canned cheese & tomato sauce w/ seasonings, baked in the oven for a few minutes (it's too hot to have the oven on for any length of time in the tropics).
Get good @ fishing & carry a good quality olive oil.
Do not count on refrigeration; if it breaks everything in it should be luxuries, not necessities.
Good luck.

Ross · Dec 21, 2009

For a very long passage I would carry my pressure canner and a supply of new lids.

serenisea · Dec 21, 2009

As a veteren of two trips from San Francisco to Hawaii, as well as a few Mexican voyages, you need to plan for the unexpected (your water tank leaks underway, etc.). Therefore, you will want to have communication available via rented sat. phone and/or SSB for a trip of that duration and scope. I have a lot of checklists and procedures I can send you.

If you want to discuss details offline, you can reach me at serenisea@comcast.net.

Gary Scheier

Ron20324 · Dec 21, 2009

Per se, you don't need to plan a menu for sixty days. Just figure a cycle, say a week or two, then use it for however many cycles you will be gone. Like, take a ten-day trip and see how the variety of foods is. If good, multiply your provisions times 6 (or more).

Ross · Dec 21, 2009

Ron20324 said:
Per se, you don't need to plan a menu for sixty days. Just figure a cycle, say a week or two, then use it for however many cycles you will be gone. Like, take a ten-day trip and see how the variety of foods is. If good, multiply your provisions times 6 (or more).

I would further recommend that your planned menu be tried at home for a cycle to check that you have all of the ingredients and condiments and can be happy with the choices. We tend to reach for a spice or an herb for seasoning because we always have it on the shelf. Divide all of the provisions into smaller than store bought packages. Five pounds of flour will make a lot of bread but you will use it in one pound batches.

capta · Dec 21, 2009

I really do not think that menu planning will work very well offshore;
heavy weather & being tired from watches can interfere with a lot of plans. And how boring would it be to have the same meal each week? Meals at sea are a very special time, especially dinner. A time for all on board to chat, share experiences of the last 24 hours, dream verbally of your destination. Keep the cooking simple, yet interesting. Experiment!
We would throw some rice, fish (if we had it), canned chicken or corned beef etc. into a pressure cooker. After it's cooked, add some canned veges & seasoning (curry works very well @ sea) & viola; a tasty, simple meal.
As for sat phones & the like you'd better be able to rely on yourself, 'cause out there help is, at times, non-existent.
I've crossed the Indian & Atlantic oceans w/ only 60 gallon h2o in tanks, & 10 in 1 gal jugs for emergencies (three adults & a child). You learn to catch rain h2o. Shower in salt h2o; no body odor!
Definitely keep a good inventory, w/ the location of each item (this includes food, parts, tools etc.) so you know where the corned beef or green beans are located & you won't have to search every locker for what you're seeking.
As much as your life & the lives of your crew depend on good planning & proper outfitting, this is supposed to be fun. Don't over-plan, worry about the unforeseeable. Ocean sailing is a lot safer than coastal cruising; less traffic & rocks sink boats.

Mulf · Dec 21, 2009

I found the lists at the end of this document....

A Seven Month Cruise from the Chesapeake Bay to the Southern Bahamas and Back

http://cblights.com/cruising/SignificantDeviation_ICW-Bahamas.pdf

to be extremely detailed and a great foundation for creating your own lists. The whole document is a great read but page 196 of the pdf starts an extremely detailed parts and equipment inventory and page 220 of the pdf is an equally detailed provisioning inventory.

Hermit Scott · Dec 21, 2009

Buck420 said:
Tas,

Only a handful of people who comment on this forum have ever done any actual extended offshore passages on their own boats such as you are thinking of.... ( [FONT=verdana,helvetica,sans-serif]Henk Meuzelaar, comes to mind, as being one of the few[/FONT].)
Of those who comment here who actually do have any real offshore experience, most have done offshore coastal cruising or crewed on offshore races or rallys, typically with durations of a week to 10 days or less.
While I agree with other's posts, that reading the books suggested is excellent background information, provisioning a 31' boat to do an extended transPacific cruise would better be discussed with those who actually have done this type of cruising (like Henk, for example).

Many of the people who post to forums like this one have had your dream; VERY few ever actually achieve it... life somehow seems to get in the way.

So, ... Get the IP31; cruise the Gulf Islands for a few years to gain experience; keep the dream alive, and along the way, you will probably meet a few long range cruisers whose sun-dryed brains you can pick about provisioning, and a whole lot more.... ( if life doesn't get in your way,.. ie.. a job, a women, kids, your cousin Vinnie's wedding, etc. etc.. )

OR keep planning on how to provision for the boat you don't have and the trip that isn't possible YET, so it will stay on your mind keep you motivated and help you get your boat, make the trip and accomplish your dream.

zeehag · Dec 21, 2009

just came back from summering under sail in west fla---i provisioned for 30 days at a time in my brain as i only get paid every month--once per month...LOL.....in smaller boats is difficult to store that much food---i have been fortunate to want a 40 ft boat and have one---so is easy to store 60 or more days food supplies on board--i do that routinely as a norm....so provisioning for th etrips nice n easy and i sailed was fairly easy----finger foods or something easy like that is best for the weathery passages---lol---not have to cook them.....btw--we only did 3500ish miles under sail.......

Debra B · Dec 21, 2009

60 Days is a long time

I've never done 60 days, I have provisioned for a couple of weeks.

I don't think it is 60 days from the Galapagos to the next stop on the way south.... Still.

Coffee. Tea. etc. Juice.

I think you will need a water maker. 60 days worth of water is a lot of water. I guess you could count on collecting rain. Working hard in hot weather means a lot of water.

rice. beans (black beans, black-eyed-peas, split peas.

Small Polish canned hams. Though it is hard to eat a pound of ham before it goes bad.

There are Amish companies in Ohio and elsewhere (and companies that supply them) which sell quality canned meat. No gravy, not much salt. The trick is finding a small portion. Or you can can your own meat if you have the jars and the time.

Now that you can get "no salt added" canned veggies in small cans that is an option for veggies.

Varnish all cans. Don't assume they will last forever.

I like oatmeal for breakfast. Some folks like breakfast bars.

There is milk in the juice-box-style boxes. 6 month shelf life before you open the carton.

You can find canned bread in some markets in Florida. (Don't know about elsewhere.) It is near the beans. It is only dark, raisin bread, and it is a bit dry. Tortillas can last a while if you don't open the package. Otherwise you can store crackers. (They don't last once you open the package, so look for things like Melba Toast that are in small bags.

If you are going to make your own bread, consider a sour-dough starter or take a lot of yeast. Pack a bay-leaf in with the flour. (Traditional way of keeping the bugs out. Don't know if works.)

Vacuum packing stuff works well.

A few MREs are good. And a couple of heaters. If you get caught in a storm and are stuck at the helm (or want to be at the helm) a hot meal goes a long way. I try to buy only the entree and supplement with carrots for a veggie and an energy bar. (Basically what you find in an MRE, but cheaper.) Don't forget the hot sauce. The new MREs are better than the old, but they do need something. If you haven't tried MREs buy one or two to try them.

Snacks are always good. Sailing is hungry work.

Booze: Find something you can drink neat, since ice is usually a problem. Red wine is good. Bourbon or Scotch are easy to drink neat (get the good stuff). Rum is traditional. Don't drink unless the anchor is down.

A good daily vitamin is probably in order to be sure you are healthy. And don't forget an industrial-strength first-aid kit.

Harry · Dec 22, 2009

Some good rescources of information for cooking and meal planning are camping and backpacking books. Because you have to travel light and plan your meals. Their is a book that is referred to as the rock climbers bible. I think the name of it is Mountaineering? But I'm not sure... This book is very useful for sailors and trip planning... Sometimes we have to be reminded to look outside of the box, we get so used to looking at sailing that who would ever think of looking for camping or for that matter mountaineering... Best of luck...

Ross · Dec 22, 2009

I buy yeast in one pound packages at the wholesale clubs. At home it keeps for a couple of years in the freezer and sealed in a jar I am sure that it would keep for six months. I can 6 pints of meat at a time in my pressure cooker. Many of my jars were given to me by people who stopped canning. I use pints , half pints and quarter pints. I can turkey, beef, pork, corned beef, mushrooms in the small jars, meat spreads, soups of many kinds and broth.

jorgefife · Dec 22, 2009

provisioning for a passage

I cannot contribute with what you need to take for your trip, because I am learning myself all I need about sailing boats
But I can help you with a couple of recipes, one of them being a good curry, which is easy to make, and you can cook it on board, by adding sea food to it (fish on the hoof, for example) which you can add to your stew (curry)
A good curry is not easy to come by: in 11 years in Houston I still have not eaten one, or found one; I lived in South Africa 23 years and learnt from an indian woman how to make a genuine curry
Easy to make, just add to the same pot, (the suggestion of the pressure cooker, but used as a pot was excellent ! )
Incidently, my restaurant (I sold it) was once voted best ethnic in Houston (there are over 10,000 here)
My website is still active
Sp liet me know if you are interested, and I will give you the perfect recipe
And I will enjoy doing it, because you will thank me for it
Good luck with your dreams, we only live once!

panache tony · Dec 23, 2009

tasdevil said:
Does anyone know of a usefull guide to provisioning for an offshore passage.. something over 60 days ? All the books I have checked are very vague and full of generalisations.
I have made numerous land expeditions and am aware of the basic food and water intake we require, but in sailing weight would not be such a restriction and fresh food could be taken. And allowances would have to be made for delays - maybe twice as much as expected ?
Any suggestions ? Thanx.....

What worked for us was to make up a few weekley menues ,decide on the repete frequency ,then list the ingredents needed for each day.fresh and caned .then it is only a simple multiplication problem.We provisioned our C30 for our planded 30 day trip from L A to marqueses we had 45 days caned and fresh food on board panache tony

Mic Jones · Dec 27, 2009

Hi Robin.

Thanks for bringing up the subject of provisioning. I learned a lot of good tips especially with going mostly solo.

Drifting off course (topic) as I was unable to email you directly.

What is the VHF weather station reception like when on the Kootenay Lakes. Which are the best frequencies to get it if its possible. In Sum's log he wasn't able bring it up and relied on local marina input. I need to know, although our planned trip didn't materialize this year, next year we are hoping it will be possible.

Love your idea of Van Island sailing. It may absorb your attention enough to drop the Kiwi trip. There is a life time of adventures in that alone. My most attention getting moment was being trapped in an inlet by what I thought was an inlet wide rogue wave which turned out to be a school/pod of Orcas killer whales spread across the inlet corralling the salmon for supper. I powered up an ran for the shore (cliffs) and watched the once in a life time event.

Cheers MATE (matess ?)

Mic Jones Mac 26 D

Sumner · Dec 27, 2009

Mic Jones said:
.....................

Drifting off course (topic) as I was unable to email you directly.

What is the VHF weather station reception like when on the Kootenay Lakes. Which are the best frequencies to get it if its possible. In Sum's log he wasn't able bring it up and relied on local marina input. I need to know, although our planned trip didn't materialize this year, next year we are hoping it will be possible..................Mic Jones Mac 26 D

Mic since I e-mailed you the other day I've done some checking and it looks like Canada uses the exact same frequencies that NOAA uses in the states. I thought we tried everything from 1 to 10, but maybe we only tried the first couple since that was where we were finding the weather at Priest and Lake Powell and here at home.

I did some searches the other day trying to find which freq. to use by Nelson, but had no luck. It sure would of been nice to of had that while we were there,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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Sumner · Dec 28, 2009

tasdevil said:
I am at "12 Mile " , a designation set up by the paddlewheelers as the distance from Nelson docks. I live beside the Marina that's just east of Park ramp and have a slip there , so I get out most days from March through to October - well, this year I was sailing into November.
I used to live on the west coast of Tasmania , right in the path of the' Roaring Forties',and recommend you visit 'Tassie' if you can , it's a great place .........Cheers Robin.

I was confuse by the map we got at the store next to you when it had 'miles' on it and you guys are metric. I asked someone and he reminded me that Canada wasn't always metric and that the old timers still referred to distances on the west arm in miles. He said it confused the younger people though

.

When we were anchored between the ramp and the marina I could barely get on someones wireless Internet at times. Was that yours by any chance

?

If we can get over there we will make a point of getting to Tasmania, thanks,

Sum and Ruth

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

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Sumner · Dec 28, 2009

tasdevil said:
I'm usually on VHF listening watch , were you on 16 ? .................Cheers.........Robin.

I don't think we ever had the radio on except to try and find weather and we didn't have luck with that (did you see Mic's post above?).

Of course if we would have used the radio we would have been in violation of Canadian law I believe. I'm hard of hearing, can't hear those young un's

and also have a problem hearing and understanding someone on a radio.

We do need to learn how to use ours better though.

Is that your house in the picture?

Sum