{"id":740,"date":"2005-06-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-06-16T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/?p=740"},"modified":"2009-04-21T09:11:15","modified_gmt":"2009-04-21T14:11:15","slug":"provisioning-past-and-present-and-wind-horse-chili-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/provisioning-past-and-present-and-wind-horse-chili-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Provisioning Past and Present, and Wind Horse Chili Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other day I was talking to my longtime friend and cruising buddy, Cheryl Schmidt, about provisioning. She and her husband Jim are preparing their 73-foot ketch Wakaroa<\/em> (an early Deerfoot design) for their annual four- or five-month cruise. A typical passage for them would be a five-day trip from Auckland to Fiji. We are sea trialing our new non-sailboat, Wind Horse<\/em>, in New Zealand and will be leaving for Fiji ourselves in about a month’s time.<\/p>\n

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\nJim and Cheryl Schmidt, with our daughters Elyse and Sarah, in New Zealand in 1977.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cheryl always pre-cooks enough meals for five or six days at sea. She freezes them in individual-size containers that she can take from the freezer to the microwave. The Schmidts like to spend a lot of time in the cockpit, and it’s easy for her to pop down below and heat up dinner – they can even eat out of the containers. A variety of plastic containers are available in supermarkets – you don’t need the expensive kind – the throw-away type works just fine for this, as long as it can go from the freezer to the microwave. She usually prepares comfort foods: soups, chili, lasagna and homemade chicken nuggets. She bakes cookies (as do I) and carries the pre-washed cut salads that are now available. For eating salads during the passage, she carries stainless steel bowls. This trip can be boisterous.<\/p>\n

When Steve and I were bringing Wind Horse<\/em> up to the Bay of Islands from Auckland, in 30 to 40 knots of wind, we realized that we too should be carrying some plastic mugs, bowls and plates to use while passaging. Wind Horse<\/em> is really stable and comfortable, but still you never know when you might get popped by an errant wave.<\/p>\n

Back to Cheryl’s thoughts. While cruising, she organizes the fridge storage so certain items are always stowed in the same place. Soft drinks, beer and juices might be on the left bottom shelf; butter, jam, eggs and cheese on the top right, etc. This way Jim and their sons J.P. and Mike always know right where to find what they’re looking for, which eliminates leaving the fridge door open for long periods of time.<\/p>\n

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\nMore cruising friends in decades past – Brian Marriott and his daughters Deanne, Cherie, and baby Belinda, along with our daughters and another friend, at a birthday party in the Solomon Islands.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s getting easier and easier to find most things in major cruising centers these days. This is a huge improvement over the olden days when we started cruising. I’m told that almost anything is available in Fiji – I know from past experience that Tahiti and Panama have great stores for provisioning. And the Caribbean islands, with all their chartering businesses, are a dream for finding fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wines, and all.<\/p>\n

An exception to this, as of last year, is Tonga. Cheryl tells me that it was very hard to find anything fresh in Tonga…but this could change. It’s best to check for local knowledge.<\/p>\n

We recently flew over to Sydney and visited some other old friends, Carol and Brian Marriott and their three daughters, Cherie, Deanne, and Belinda. We spent several happy years cruising with them when we were aboard Intermezzo<\/em>, when our daughters Elyse and Sarah were little. Their girls are basically the same ages as ours, and they had a lot of fun together. When we first arrived in Tonga in 1977 with the Marriotts, we went to the local outdoor market and found that everything was priced at one dime – from a bunch of bananas to limes to lettuce. Carol reminded me of how we used to keep limes fresh – by wrapping each individual lime tightly in foil, and then storing it in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n

From an economic standpoint, it’s good to stock up on basics while you’re in the “jumping-off spots” – the United States, New Zealand, Australia, etc. You’ll want to buy all your paper goods and basic stores where the shopping is easy and affordable. You can usually find fresh produce in large cruising centers, but you should be prepared to be totally self-sufficient if you plan to spend much time in remote, out-of-the way places. Many villages get their supplies by small freighters, and then only every few weeks.<\/p>\n

Cheryl keeps unwashed lettuce for up to 6 weeks by wrapping it in newspaper and then stowing it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. She did this last year, just as we did in the 1970s. Something we didn’t used to have are the “smart bags” – green, re-usable bags designed for storing fresh produce in the refrigerator. (One brand is the Evert-Fresh Bag.) I’ve seen them in the supermarkets and marine stores in the States, and found some in the supermarket in Auckland. They say you can keep a carrot in an Evert-Fresh Bag for 50 days, and it’s still good. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to keep anything for that long. Also, Tupperware makes a line of containers called Fridge Smart. They come in a variety of sizes and are designed to keep your fruits and veggies fresh for much longer than normal shelf life. I’ve been using these at home and on the boats for years and they really work. Put your fresh berries in one and a week later they will look and taste as good as the day you brought them home from the store (or in from the field, if you’re so lucky). Our friend Chrystal sells these over her web site at http:\/\/my2.tupperware.com\/tup-html\/C\/chrystalfunderburk-welcome.html<\/a> (Chrystal used to work in the office at SetSail, so some of you may be familiar with her).<\/p>\n

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\nCherie and Deanne Marriott, with Sarah and Elyse, dressed up for Halloween in Fiji.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m happy to see that Auckland has a large variety of long-life milk products. I’m stocking up on lactose-free milk, soy milk, rice milk and goat’s milk. There’s so much good food available in New Zealand – it’s a real joy to do provisioning here. We’ll be stocking up on their long-life juices too, and of course their wonderful lines of wines and coffees.<\/p>\n

You can read what I have to say about provisioning in greater detail in the Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia.<\/p>\n

As for recipes, one item I always like to prepare ahead of time for a passage is chili. I’ve been making this dish for so many years that I no longer use a formal recipe, but loosely, this is how I prepare it.<\/p>\n

Wind Horse<\/em> Chili (no Blazing Saddles<\/em> pun intended)<\/h4>\n