How not to starve to death and prepare for a long transition. Part 1

[Craus]

Preparing provisions and yachts before a long voyage is a key step in the journey. Predicting with precision what might happen is sometimes not something that is simple, but impossible. This is why always have a plan "B"! It's time to familiarize yourself with 20 simple rules, which, if they do not save your life, will definitely make your trip easier and more enjoyable.

1. Start with the big picture and develop a plan.

To understand what and how to prepare, it is necessary to highlight the key details. This will facilitate the initial preparation. To make sure you choose those same key details, ask these questions:

• how long will the cruise last?
• how many people does the trip involve?
• how many of them will be tourists?
• Do your guests and crew have any allergies or special food preferences?
• Are all the people on board ready to take on the duties of a cook in shifts?
• will people on board feel comfortable?

It is important that guests and crew feel comfortable during the long journey. Sudden but long transitions can be LONG. That being said, tasty and nutritious food can lift the team spirit.

After you have answered all of these questions, you should draw up a meal plan. Don't forget the freezer and fridge space. Decide what kind of food should be canned and how to store cereals.

2. Collect these recipes to cook in portions

This will save you time and effort. Gourmet meals are good, but it's even better not to spend too much time cooking. Set aside a day or two for preparing food and cooking.



Chop vegetables in advance, prepare several types of meat. If you do this in advance and in sufficient quantity, then further cooking becomes extremely simple!

Leftovers / surpluses immediately put into the refrigerator or freezer, use in a couple of days.

3. Create Batch Sets

Specifically here, we mean a set of several products that are part of the final dish. Some of the components of such a kit may already be ready for use, while others need to be prepared.



What should such a set look like? Ideally, this is a zip-lock bag with a portion of the food inside (for example, chopped chicken, onions, and peppers). Instructions for preparation can be placed on the package.

The kits can be made both frozen and suitable for storage outside the refrigerator.

4. Exchange provisions

It is known that some cruising ships can make double or triple batches of certain meals for exchange with other ships and yachts. It is not uncommon for yacht crews to do the same.



One boat cooked three large portions of chicken stew. Another boat cooked three large portions of Moroccan lentil tagine, and the last boat cooked three meatloafs. As a result, all three boats received one portion each. Make sure, however, that you try how your sailing friends prepare the dishes before you exchange!

5. Inventory and location of food

It's amazing how quickly things get "lost" or go missing on board. You know you have a jar of cranberries, but where did you put it? When planning a long voyage, it is helpful to put together a spreadsheet of all the foods on board and their locations.



For example, all spare canned food, sauces, dressings, oils will now be stored under a small sofa in the salon. And in the closet in the galley rests the most commonly used canned food. The same goes for sets, and raw ingredients, and ready-made meals. Make a table!

6. Recipes

At this point, we will be brief and laconic - in advance prepare or download a recipe book! Several are desirable. Keep in mind that a few hours after you leave the earth, Google will not work!

Elon Musk's Internet satellites are still being tested, it is not a fact that somewhere there will be a good stable connection. And it's not a fact that an Internet connection will allow you to download a book “weighing” several tens of megabytes.

7. Make a cooking schedule

Decide in advance who will cook and when. Although maybe there is a person on your team who loves cooking as much as the sea? Deal with this as early as possible to avoid future conflicts.



For example, you can agree that tomorrow the yacht will work according to the system “serve yourself”. During the day, lunch and dinner are delegated among several people. There can be many options, just figure it out in advance!

And another small rule - who cooks, he also cleans... Don't leave a pile of dirty dishes behind you.

8. Filling the freezer

Nothing complicated here either. Everything is in order! Use pouches with a zip lock or equivalent to simplify storage and access to products. Always attach a sticker to the bags themselves with a description of what is inside. Another advantage of a zip lock is the ability to deflate the air from the package.



Product groups should also be separated. For example, meat should not be stored with milk. This, we think, is understandable even to not the most experienced yachtsmen. 

9. Vacuum packing

In the previous paragraph, we mentioned the possibility of pumping out air. Or simply - vacuum packaging! There are many shops where you can buy such packages.



Yes, they will cost more than their classic "counterparts", but their advantage is different - they keep the content longer. Provisions last longer in a vacuum and retain nutrients longer. Ideal for a long journey!

10. Good food for freezing

Here are a few examples of foods that survive freezing well. More to the point, freezing these ingredients will even make them easier to prepare later on.

• Want to shorten your rice cooking time? Freeze it. The Internet is full of ways to freeze it and further use it. So, after defrosting, the rice will become more crumbly and can be used in other dishes!
• It is better to buy a lot of fresh milk and freeze it than to use a powdered equivalent. We assure you that the presence of milk may not drastically affect the cruise, but it will brighten it up for sure. Plus, milk survives the freezing-defrosting process well.
• Both butter and cheese freeze well. Again, these are not essential foods, but high-quality fermented milk products will qualitatively improve your diet. The stomach will say thank you!

That's all for today! Thank you for reading and we hope we were able to help you. A continuation of this article will be released very soon, where we will look at 10 more everyday tips for long transitions. Fair wind and goodbye!

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