Food provisions

[Manie B]

Gents

what do you consider a good stock of food supplies to stock for extended cruising

i would like to know days of food per person

would 90 days of food per person for two souls on board be over the top ???

just looking for a general feel
i dont want to know how many eggs you dont eat

[TeddyDiver]

So much depends on whereabouts. Sailing NE passage like Nordenskjöld and nothing less than a year is inadequat.. Maybe the worst case scenario with one meal a day. (or just allways a day before your mate is your meal. )

[masalai]

Plan your voyaging distance and time and use that as your needs - take (in a cat) dried and balanced diet and a good hand-reel to catch the occasional fish (not for sport so use a heavy line and tracers) and fit a watermaker (reverse osmosis) as for that duration you will need to make & catch water...

[Fanie]

Take salt and ginger cookies. You're going to need them

You get powdered mash potatoes, add boiling water and it becomes mashed potatoes. Light enough and filling.

The fishing stuff Masalai mentioned is totally underrated. You want to take lots of fishing gear and lures. You can even make your own lures. A small whale could feed 2 for a while...

Biltong, pea nuts, raisins.

You need green stuff ie green beans unless you plan to stop up africa and pluck some marog...

Powdered milk (yuk) or condensed milk or evaporated milk else take a cow.

Two tin openers

If you have freezing facilities, meat, meat and meat. You can live on it.

[longliner45]

of canned food ,,lable each as is with a marker,,many times I had to eat mystery food because of rough weather wash the lables off as the cans rolled around the deck,,,and there is a differance of a cold can of beans and a cold can of peas,,longliner

[artemis]

Speaking as someone who has cooked on commercial fishboats:
Take as much in tinned goods as you can, even if it costs more than goods packaged in cardboard and plastic. Canned Canadian bacon, canned bread, canned butter, evaporated or condensed milk. Plenty of chocolate. Talk to some who served in the military (US Army is best - our "C" and "K" rations were hated, but they really weren't that bad if but together with some spices, etc. and cooked). There's canned chicken, beef stew, all kinds of fish, oysters, clams, etc. -- And (it can't be said enough times) mark ALL CANS with a MARKING PEN!

[masalai]

Be aware that tinned or otherwise some countries you visit may "confiscate your stores" on various grounds - but probably hungry.... for something different? and you end up loosing the lot and nothing you can do about it.... Pays to check before departing and get the answer IN WRITING and witnessed by a "high official" (as opposed to an official who is high on something)....

[Fanie]

When you do get the radar one day you could maybe have it double as a chicken cage. Around here it may well serve a purpose, most african travellers have chicken cages on their mini-busses, cars, bicycles, they will know you're local and won't take too many chances, you get fresh eggs and chicken meat as well as chicken bait to fish with...

Masalai... getting anything in 'writing' here could be a mission. Seems the best way would be to keep some stuff from being visible.

[masalai]

Oh like them Kruger Rand gold coins in the bilges??? - sorry now you gotta find a new spot - that one was too obvious though...

[DanishBagger]

Originally Posted by masalai

Oh like them Kruger Rand gold coins in the bilges??? - sorry now you gotta find a new spot - that one was too obvious though...

Couldn't one epoxy a padeye to the outside of the boat, and then tow those krugerrands?

Guess one would have to make pretty damn sure no big fish came along and gulped the retirement fund, though.

[masalai]

Manie, this may interest you, and maybe Fanie or some of the other boatbuilders over there....? http://www.thecoastalpassage.com/barebones.html He is up to "part3" but there are more than 3 sections (I always knew accountants couldn't count...)

[Landlubber]

Manie B,

You seriously need to tell us how long you intend to stay onboard.
Cruising the Pacific, I always carried two weeks of food, there is only about one weeks sailing anywhere there really. If you could be more specific you would get better answers.

Do NOT rely on fishing, I can catch fish as good as the rest of the average fisherman, sometimes there are no bites out in the big blue marble, you will get fish close to land almost always, not so in the deep.

Cabin crackers, honey , peanut butter are all good foods to store, as well as dried fruits. Be careful of desalinators also, they are great when they are working, but if you are at sea for any length of time, you must carry the water for all thet time you expect to be there. Excess showers from the watermaker are great, not to be relied on though.

[longliner45]

good advice lubber,,,never count on machines,