Stow, Stow, Stow Your Boat: Provisioning for an Ocean Passage
Organization is not always my strong suit, but good planning is essential to any blue water passage. It’s my responsibility to see that SV Hanalei is prepared for a 2300 nm ocean passage. We’ve repaired everything that warranted repair, inventoried spares, checked the ditch kit and life raft, researched routes and conditions.
No matter what else happens at sea, you gotta eat. It’s time to tackle food and drink..
We have two weeks until our friend Barb joins us, just enough time to make a flying trip to Peru beforehand. Because our provisioning window will be short when we return, I’ll buy and stow non-perishables now.
How Many Days?
To start, we have to know how many days to plan for.
SV Hanalei averages 150 miles a day on passage.
My baseline is 2300 miles ÷ 150 = 15.33 Let’s say sixteen days
Next I add twenty-five percent for contingencies, delays caused by mechanical, sail, or medical emergencies.
16 days x .025 = 4 more days. 16 + 4 = 20 days.
The passage is upwind, though. Not the kind of upwind that you tack through; this will be at least ten days on a long southwest tack. I can’t predict how far off course strong southerlies will force us before we can lay Valdivia to the east. For safety’s sake, I add fifty percent.
20 days x .50 = 10 days. 20 + 10 = 30 days
I could add shipwreck time, but the Chilean Navy keeps an eye on cruisers. They’d respond to radio.
If you are headed somewhere with limited food supplies, you should also stock extra of hard-to find items. Food in places like French Polynesia may be in short supply and definitely cost more. Not baguettes or subsidized chicken or French cheese, but most anything else.
If your budget is limited or there are items you cannot live without, consider taking advantage of mainland supermarket prices. I say if it won’t spoil and you have room, bring it. If you have kids (normal or adult-sized), it’s worth seeking out a supply of favorites. SV Delos went through a rough two years without peanut butter. (Thank you, Gibraltar!)
The goal here is to travel with enough, but not too much in case it’s confiscated. Countries like New Zealand and Australia forbid any animal product, including dairy and honey, as well as plant products like beans, seeds, and nuts. I researched Chile on Noonsite. There’s a new law requiring the declaration of any fresh fruit, vegetables, meat or other animal products on board. Any such item may be confiscated and destroyed. Since the law only applies to perishables, we’ll address that in the next provisioning post.
Pro Tip Noonsite will give you up-to-date information on which products are banned in your next port.
What’s Non-Perishable?
Think of these food items as your keel, the backbone of your food supply, You can’t be picky about fresh organic everything at sea. Ditto gourmet. It doesn’t matter if you never open cans at home. You’ll need something that can survive refrigerator failure, salt water inundation, a broken water pump or running out of cooking fuel. You know what I mean, stuff that’ll keep for months. Something you can live on if you’re shipwrecked.
That’s probably a bad choice of words, given that Robinson Crusoe Island isn’t far off our route to Chile.
Shelf-Stable UHT Milk, Soy Milk and Nut Milks
Long-life, UHT milk is a staple on Hanalei for cereal, coffee, and homemade yogurt. If you have space, consider long-life, boxed milk. Cold, it tastes like fresh and doesn’t need messy mixing at sea. A sealed box keeps for months and doesn’t mind how it’s stowed.
Whole milk is widely available. We stock up in larger cities with more selection. Shown here is my jackpot item, reduced fat (reducida en grasa) and lactose-free (deslactosada).
Another find is UHT whipping cream.
In larger ports, you’ll also find UHT soy, almond, rice and oat milk.
Cases are easier to transport by dinghy.
Special diets Non-dairy and lactose-free.
Refrigeration Required after opening.
Spices
Fresh spices make the difference between cafeteria food and satisfaction. They’re worth it. Bring basics and favorites. Try ginger, garlic, and tomato paste in tubes.
Pro Tip Sponges, rags and squeeze tubes help keep spice racks from rattling at sea.
Rice, Pasta, Dried Goods
An upwind passage means weeks of cold wind in our faces. Pasta, beans, rice and other grains provide hot meals that nourish for long hours on watch. They’re the basis of our go-to recipes.
Rice, lentils, quinoa and pasta don’t use as much gas. We’re in a mainland Ecuadorean city so I also buy foods I don’t expect to find far in the south: gluten-free pastas, flour, crackers, and pizza mix; granola; masa; polenta and corn tortillas.
When shopping, I carefully examine pastas for signs of weevils. When I encounter them on the boat, I microwave the flour or bake grains briefly in the oven. For pasta, pour scalding water to cover, followed by several rinses before cooking.
Special diets Gluten-free pasta made of rice, corn, quinoa and lentils available in cities.
“No matter what happens at sea, you gotta eat.”
Pro Tip Empty bags into Nalgene containers and add a bay leaf to discourage weevils.
Pro Tip Rotate through pastas and grains by purchase date.
Pro Tip When conditions aren’t too savage, a pressure cooker speeds up cooking time for dried beans.
Pro Tip Fatty and fried foods might make seasickness worse. Fried anything is tricky when you’re heeling 20 degrees. Brace yourself. Move slowly and deliberately.
Cans and bottles
They’re bulky and heavy, but reliable. We have a variety of beans, enchilada sauce, fajita mix, simmer sauces, chutney, vegetables, hearty soups, olives, pasta sauces, chopped tomatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, coconut milk, tuna, chicken, cooking oils, vinegar, hot sauces, soy sauce, peanut butter, jam, and crew favorites.
Pro Tip You never know what conditions you’ll encounter, and managing a plate of food at sea is awkward at best. Minimize dishwashing and potential disasters with one-dish meals served in a big bowl.
Pro Tip Corrugated cardboard makes a great condo for roaches. Even normal cardboard will break down and clog your fridge and bilge. Keep it off the boat.
Snacks
Snacks are more than munchies. They keep you energized and alert on watch.
During the first few days at sea, sailors may not feel like eating much. Hard candies stave off seasickness or counteract the dry mouth that comes from seasick meds.
Hot snacks are important, too, like popcorn and soup.
I figure one snack per watch or three per person per day. Then I buy double.
What’s in the snack locker?
The mom in me loves letting my crew be pleasantly surprised. Discovering their favorite treats midway through the passage can boost morale on a long trip.
Popcorn, protein bars, chocolate, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, trail mix, chips, crackers, rice cakes, cookies, hard candies, and gum.
How Much Hydration?
Good hydration helps prevent seasickness and keeps crew alert. In temperate conditions I assume we each need two liters. In tropical conditions like Ecuador, I assume three.
With Barb, there will be three of us.
3 crew x 3 liters x 30 days = 270 liters.
Water is important to drink, but we’re talking about a month at sea. Variety is welcome. UHT nut milks or juice, coffee, tea, soup, coconut water and soda all count. I’ll stock whatever keeps crew drinking their three liters.
Except beer and rum. That party has to wait until landfall.
Some of our drinking water could come from our 1,000-liter tank, but there’s a problem. The local water isn’t potable. We’ll use it for dishes and washing, not for drinking. (Too bad fixing the watermaker hasn’t floated up the to-do list.) We could catch rainwater but I’m not sure about rainfall this time of year. I can’t count on it. That means cases of soda and juice and many large bottles of water.
Pro Tip Decant water into bottles with your names or initials as a gentle reminder to stay hydrated.
Now, I owe a shoutout to one of my favorite cruising mentors, Beth Leonard, who taught me about provisioning. Her Voyager’s Handbook is a treasury of useful information and hard-won experience. Thanks, Beth!
I’ll talk about perishable items in the next provisioning post, as soon as we get back from Peru.
Fair winds,
Christine
Do Tell!
The learning never stops. What’s your best provisioning tip for me?
