Michael and Melinda tag-team the topic of food and water on the boat. What and how much to get, how to store it, how to prepare it.
We break out the discussion over larger and smaller boats, and cruise-oriented vs race-oriented boats.
Use the video link or just watch it here
When buying food for the boat or packing what you have prepared, there can be a tremendous reliance on single-use plastics. A certain amount of that is unavoidable, but with a degree of planning you can reduce the plastic impact as well as the trash content rolling around your boat.
Special considerations when it's just you two.
The primary goal when provisioning a fully crewed offshore race boat is to ensure that your crew, once underway, will receive maximum calories and adequate hydration to enable peak sailing performance for a minimum effort.
Yes. Under our rules, you do. Watermakers are great, but they do not substitute for having enough water to survive.
Enough for your expected passage time plus two weeks.
Sometimes the passage takes longer than you expect. Maybe the wind is light, or you sail too far north, or you have a gear failure that will slow you down (no mast, rudder, etc). The extra two weeks' worth of food should not be frozen and need not be real good. Heck, a case of ramen and a case of Dinty Moore will cover you.
Don't cut this too fine. You will be mocked if you run out of food.
How long will this race take you?
Before you can begin planning for how well you will eat on this trip you need to figure out how long it’s going to take. Note the phrase “eating well.” You are going to be occupied with three things on this voyage: sailing the boat well, sleeping and eating. With a little navigating and i-pod zoning out as well. So even the most basic of boats should pay some attention to making the process of fueling the crew efficient and enjoyable.
By Sylvia Seaberg/The Spinnaker Shop
MOTTO: make it easy, make it healthy, make it good.