Provisioning

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Here's a few tips on Provisioning.

In general, provisioning means "providing" or making something available. And whilst you are at sea you need things to be "available".

People have said that we are a little obsessed with provisioning and have suggested that where there are people there is food so why not get it there. That may be so but we are not always where people are. We tend to anchor for weeks in uninhabited places. When we are where people are, food may not be available in the quality or quantity we'd like, or, it may be priced higher than we're prepared to pay, think Hamilton Island.

Careful provisioning is key to the success of your extended passage. Full happy bellies makes for a happier crew.

Planing for food on a passage and provisioning for extended sailing can be time consuming, and hard work. However you will be pleased you put in those extra planning hours when you have everything on hand to make your favourite dishes and not be concerned about when you are getting to the next port of call.

Provisioning will depend on where you are sailing and for how long. Even if you are doing a coastal cruise for the season you don't want to be hauling groceries at every port. It is much easier to provision the heavy bulk items whilst you are in a marina and have the convenience of transportation. Than trying to load kilos of stuff onto your bike, into the dinghy and then up onto the boat on the day it decides to blow and rain.

Extra Storage.... Ensure its tied in well.

We like to have all non perishable food stocked prior to throwing off the lines for the first anchorage. We work our provisioning out in a Spread Sheet (see downloadable file). This file is a sample only and you can change it to your own personal needs.

Another reason for stocking up is we can usually buy in bulk saving us a few dollars along the way. Prices vary in the places you travel. So whenever there is a special we will buy in quantity. With a fully stocked boat we are not on a timeline to get to the next port before the food runs out, if the weather is not amenable we stay put enjoying the full pantry.

Here's a short piece I wrote when preparing for our 2015 trip .

So today we provisioned, packed and sorted the freezer on Our Dreamtime for our trip north starting in 13 days .... 56 mains, 34 lunches an assortment of vegetables, fruit and herbs. In the refrigerator we have cryvaced another two weeks of meat.

Meat Cryovaced ready for freezing

The provisioning continues on Dreamtime Sail ...... Lol .... Today it was the farmers markets to buy root vegetables. I washed peeled and chopped a selection to be frozen these vegetables I cryvaced into meal size amounts and packed with the weekly meal plan..... For vegetables that weren't going into the freezer I still use the technique of long term storage that my mum taught me. Paper towel and brown paper bags, potatoes and sweet potatoes in well ventilated, cool dark storage, onions stored separately away from potatoes in hessian, carrots and beets wrapped in paper towel and refrigerated ... Whole pumpkins last a long time, make sure the stork is still attached.

Fruit and Vegetables purchased from Farmers Markets

Soft green salad / vegetables such as lettuce broccoli, beans, I dry and wrap very tight in paper towel and store in vegetable bags in the refrigerator. I check for moisture and change paper when required. Celery I cut and wrap in aluminium foil.

Fruit ....... most fruit I try to buy on the green side so it will ripen along the way, only buying enough ripe fruit to last us a week. Berries I wash in one part vinegar to ten parts water. Dry well some I cryvac and freeze, these are used for baking and cooking. The rest I keep them in small containers with holes in the lid in the top of the fridge as they don't need to be really cold.

Some Fruit and Vegetables
Cryovac and Freeze well extending your supply

Apples oranges etc... I keep out of the fridge, I have a number of fruit bowls and a string hanging baskets and hammocks. Rotate fruit often, this will help with ripening fruit evenly and to avoid pressure bruising in one place. Banana I buy very green leaving them on the main trunk. As they ripen and taken off the main stem I wrap the stems in glad wrap they last much longer. Tomatoes again purchased green and not refrigerated last much longer.

Hammocks and string bags make for great fruit storage

We are cheese lovers so we carry a large range, I try to buy cheeses in wax coating and the good ol cheddar I put in Olive oil to preserve. Brie Camembert and blues have very long use by dates and we eat them to fast for them to go off. Cream cheese and cottage cheese containers are stored upside down in the fridge. I also preserve vegetables in olive oil with herbs.

Preserved Cheese and Vegetables in oil and herbs

We also make a range of Cheeses on board

Preserving Feta in Brine

Deli meats like Salami, Chorizo we cryvac and or hang.

Dehydrated food sources ensure that you still have quality ingredients for longer. We dehydrate a range of products. When we can buy a product in season very cheap half will be dehydrated for use later.

Growing your own food source. We grow a range of sprouts and beans on board with a simple aqua farm.

Along with a large range of dried herbs spices and blends, we have a fresh herb garden on board. Secured in the forward head when under way it is bought out on deck or into our cockpit for sun and watering.