UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I)      Myths is Provisioning for the Caribbean, Yes they eat food down there!

    What we learned from cruising versus the recommendations and myths perpetuated by all of the cruising magazines, books, and websites we read over the years.

II)     What is Next

III)    What we will do different next out (there will be another trip) 

Myths is Provisioning for the Caribbean, Yes they eat food down there!

When we made the decision to quit work and go cruising it was time to put all of the reading and dreaming to work.  For us the decision was made in September 2003 to depart for the southern Caribbean in March 2004 and be below the hurricane belt before July 1, 2004.  Since Makai was a new boat we had work to do.  Research, buy, install new systems and, of course PROVISION!

Makai is a Voyage 380 catamaran built by Maxim Yachts for Voyage Yachts in Durban South Africa.  We officially owned her when splashed in Feb 2003.  Makai was then delivered on her bottom by Captain Ron!  Yes Captain Ron.  Shipwright Harbor Marina in Deale, MD work out a slip that would accommodate us.  We had kept Feng Shui, our prior mono hull, there and was a good place to dock and sail on the Chesapeake Bay.  We sailed the Bay with a five year plan to go cruising.  The idea was to continue to learn, read, and build up Makai in preparation of a long term cruise.  Things changed when Sharon's boss pissed her off one day in late fall and she called and asked if we could sailing, for a year!  It took about a second to say yes. 

The planning begins. We set the date we needed to be clear of the hurricane zone and where we wanted to be and started to work back at the same time we worked forward on the preparations list, equipment, charts, and food.  For many years I had been reading everything available on cruising.  So it was time to put some of into practice.  With lists in hand we started to hunt for parts and cruising cuisine.  From the years of reading it was learned that one should take foods that store well and keep for a long period of time. One of our conditions was that we eat with variety and well.  I didn't want the same meal over and over, we weren't camping and eating is part of enjoying life.  One of the big myths we learned a cruisers heading south should carry at least a year’s supply of food, rice, flour, canned foods, canned meat, and more and toilet paper, because things are expensive and hard to get in the Caribe. 

Makai was loaded to hear waterline to ensure we would not starve.  Some canned goods had to be removed as they put us over the waterline which we were not going to raise.  After final loading, at sunrise on a beautiful March day we cast off our lines and started to make our way south down the Chesapeake Bay.  It was a sunny, but windless delight.  For Biff and Katra, the newbie boat cats, this smooth start was easier but not as much fun for us.

We worked our way south, through the US, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, all the way moving when the weather windows made the trip reasonable eating “Travel Food”.  Travel Food consisted of reheated homemade chili, a Sharon specialty enjoyed so much by the family her aunt snagged one of our bags, canned Ravioli, Spagettios, and some of the Blue Mountain Backpacker meals.  All easy to heat, eat, and dispose of while underway.

After a couple of months of travel and passage-making we made our first Below the Belt landfall and place of extended relaxation, Bonaire.  When we got to this remote little desert island we learned something that many cruising manuals overlook.  They eat and use the head there too!  The more islands we travel with populations the more we learned that everyone eats in the Caribe, amazing.  As we met experienced cruisers we learned where to get food a reasonable price and when and where to stock up, because the next set of islands may not have anything or be unreasonable.  This is where the ships stores came in handy.  We could spend weeks at out islands and still have a variety of meals.  The process was to eat through the fresh stuff before it went bad and then into the stores.  Sharon (Admiral, that is) really put her cooking skills to the test and made many a fine civilized meal form stores.  Pizza, chili, fish, and on.

Though we had a bit of an overkill of the food load it provided us with a secure and guaranteed source of food.  We met a pair of Germans bringing their boat from Columbia while we were anchored in la Blanquilla, Venezuela. After they were settled we cruised over to introduce our selves and to see if they were interested in any of the Wahoo I just caught.  It was a 5 foot monster and it would provide us with many meals.  They were excited and gratefully accepted.  Over drinks on their boat they told us they had been eating canned tomatoes and canned potatoes for about 2 weeks as all of there other provisions were gone.

When they left Columbia they loaded only the supplies onboard they thought they would need for the trip east.  The logic was since they were going to Margarita, Ven, where supplies can be much cheaper than the US and definitely cheaper than Columbia, they would save a bunch of money reprovisioning.  Well they ran out, this is where the back pack meals would have paid off.

Our provisioning plan included several types of food. 

Short term food: Fresh veggies, fruit, and breads

Long term: dehydrated, canned, and frozen

Travel and emergency food: instant cinnamon rolls and back packer meals

Finally, one of the most important the Butterfinger group.

Let me address the last group first; The Butterfinger Group.  Having a variety of sweets onboard and stashed in an easy to reach place is help and enjoyable.  Many a time on a night watch when a little perking up is need, there is nothing like a delicious chocolate bar.  A bit of sugar, caffeine, and the wonderful taste can bring you back to attention without the work of prepping a quick meal.  The send advantage of the Butterfinger Group is every now and then at anchor a candy bar for dessert is a great pleasure.  We both found the less available candy is the more enjoyable it becomes.  At home candy is everywhere and it becomes an unhealthy convenience.  On the boat it becomes a useful treat.  Vacuum bag and stash a few dozen pounds, ok just a few pounds, and enjoy a taste of home.  Candy also makes good trades in some of the out island areas.

Fresh foods.  In many publications were informed that any fresh veggies and fruits carried into the Bahamas will be confiscated upon clearing is so we actually left the US with very little onboard.  Since we were passage making travel foods were what we consumed mostly.  Though a fresh salad or two would have been nice.  Sandwiches and Sharon's homemade vacuum packed chili along with cans of Ravioli given to us by our friends at our good bye party was the main course.

Long Term foods fell into the bulk and vacuum packed

A vacuum sealer was purchased as recommended by several cruiser websites and was invaluable.  Also purchased for storage were air tight food safes.  Since we were working under the myth that food is hard to get and expensive in the Caribe we focused on bulk dehydrated (survival) foods and since we had a dependable deep freeze, beef! 

In another life I was a hiker and was familiar with backpacker meals.  In the old days they were expensive and not very tasty, but Mountain House has solved that.  They still are a bit pricey; by they are tasty with a large variety. Turkey tetrazinni was one of my favorites.  The back backer meals have several advantages for cruisers.  They are light as they are dehydrated; they keep, can get wet, and store just about anywhere including the emergency ditch bag.  These meals are cooked by adding 1-2 cups of boiling water in there own bag.  Mix and let stand for 10 minutes and open they handy zip lock top and start eating.  These are balanced meals that can be eaten cold, but are great on overnight passages or in stormy weather when getting a good filling meal can be tough.  A quick trip to the galley and hot self contained filling meal can be had.  Once done just zip the top closed and a very small bag is left over.  We bought over 50.  Yikes, but it gave the 2 of almost 2 solid weeks of meals.   2 years later we still were snacking on them in lieu of dinners underway. 

Buying food in bulk was another way to add food to the larder.  Bulk foods come in different ways, pure bulk, like rolled oats, and bulk dehydrated veggies and meats.  The bulk foods like rolled oats (25 lbs), cinnamon roll mix, pancake mix, and more were broken down in amounts we estimated we would use a month or so at a time and then vacuum bagged in these amounts then stowed.  The vacuum bagging did several things.  It made easily storable packages in sizes that were opened as needed.  A few months worth could be stored where they were easy to get while the balance of our years supply could be stored in the deepest dungeon on the boat.  This way we had a bit of everything on hand and didn't have to clear the boat out to get more of the mix when we ran out.

A second great advantage is foods keep well we vacuum bagged they are also impervious t o bugs and water.  But the biggest thing is the small separate bags is if one is damaged you don't loose you whole supply.  Many a cruiser we met has stories of whole batches of flour be invaded by bugs or food being water damaged.  Waste of food and potentially a problem when in an out island where food is not easy to get.

The other advantage is cost.  We did save a lot of money when buying bulk.  Such as a #10 tin of Hershey coco powder cost less than two grocery store bought cans. Big savings and the Admiral could bake chocolate with abandon with the worry of running out and being unable to replace.

We (ok “I”) bought 70 pounds (3 bags) of rice.  In this case it would have paid to do more research on the area where would be living and traveling.  We found that rice in the Caribe was as plentiful and cheap as the USA. It is a staple in the Caribe.  Though rice is cheap, only bringing one bag onboard would have saved 50 lbs of weight on the boat.  As Makai is a Catamaran weight is bad.  But with 70lbs we would always have food if somewhat boring.

Many lessons were learned. Know your cruising area.  Many items can be purchased locally cheap and easy. From our little experience if you are going to the Bahamas and will be staying there it makes sense to load the larder.  Things there are expensive and can be hard to get. But to help you stores last don't be afraid to experiment with local staples like cristafine and be creative. So instead of carrying a fully stocked mega mart pack what you need or must have, then see the islands and go shopping.

 

Resources:

Freeze dried and bulk foods: http://waltonfeed.com/

Backpacker meals:  http://www.saratogatradingcompany.com/

Vacuum bagger: