Some of the Things I’ve Learned
I have a new appreciation for skills of the cooks on the Mayflower who provisioned their boat for both the crew and passengers for their extended voyage. Provisioning for just the two of us has challenged my already well honed organizational skills.
I’ve been in “grocery store withdrawal” for a week. It’s difficult to imagine not being able to jump in the car and pick up whatever I need whenever I need it. Once we set sail, our land transportation will be folding port bicycles and our groceries will be carried back to DeLaMer in our backpacks. Now that is downscaling!
Thinking about what we’ll eat was the easy part. How to store it with our limited space and refrigeration was the much bigger challenge. I am appalled at the amount of wastefulness there is in food packaging! Advertising the product seems to take almost as much space as the item itself! As I’ve brought things aboard, I’ve removed all excess packaging and discarded it. The weekly garbage removal service I’m used to doesn’t service sailboats.
Once stored, the next issue becomes, “Where was it I put that?” While removing five pillows and still not locating the item I’m looking for, I have yet another opportunity to test my patience and tolerance for inefficiency.
Retrieving the food from under the salon settee (couch) seats and behind the settee backs requires the flexibility of a contortionist. Much more time consuming than opening the kitchen cupboard.
As departure day approaches I am finally becoming familiar with where I have stored what. Most of the time I can locate the item I need. Over the next few days I'll be organizing the freezer and refrigerator and preparing the meals we will be consuming during the 4 days (or more weather depending) at sea.
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2 comments:
Hollie and Bob: Another reason to discard packaging comes from a tip given to me by a liveaboard buddy of mine who told me (when I made the move to live on my 40' Hunter full time 1/2 hour from Manhattan) that the first thing he and his wife did upon returning with groceries was to discard all the cardboard and paper bags...apparently they are hiding places for cockroaches even when your purchases are from a 'high end' store.
I'm sure you've thought about this, but just in case you haven't: I've used a labeler (black print on transparent tape) to label what's in my various storage areas. I've also taken the 'cut away' view that most boat manufacturers provide and listed what's located where on that diagram.
Finally, for you and your readers, please visit my blog http://liveaboardjournal.blogspot.com/ and share your problems and solutions.
Finally, Finally...Hollie, your biggest challenge is going to be Bob. I've known the lad for 30 years and I speak from experience.
Enjoy and safe travels...I know you're going to love this lifestyle.
Jack
It's not too late to sell the boat and buy an airplane:-) 6 knots!!! A single engine airplane will get you there in 3 hours instead of 3 days, and you won't have to repack all the groceries. Seriously, have a safe, relaxing and educational voyage. I'm jealous!!!
Fred
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