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Windleblo - Day Thirteen



Food -- its storage, preparation, and consumption -- occupies a large share of the time on an ocean voyage.

Just before shoving off from Las Palmas, we filled Windleblo's holds with all kinds of food. We ordered some meats for delivery to the boat frozen and vacuum packed and we got the guy at the deli counter at the "HiperDino" (the Las Palmas grocery store) to vacuum seal the lunch meats and cheeses we bought there. We managed to fit all the meats and cheeses in the two on board refrigerators, plus the ten or so packs of frozen pre-cooked seal-a-meal dishes. To keep things fresh, we try to open the fridges as little as possible. One is opened several times a day; the other only once every other day or so. So far, so good, as we've had very little spoilage in the meat and cheese department.

Fruits and veges are another story, however. The docks at Las Palmas looked like a vegetable market during the days leading up to departure. One by one, each boat displayed their fruits and veges on the dock as they prepped them for storage. The procedure is to wash and dry everything to get rid of dirt and pests before being brought on board, plus to help conserve water once under way.

Our spread was no exception. We ordered so many fruits and veges that passers by on the dock quipped that they thought we were running a vegetable market. With a bit of ingenuity, we found a place on board for everything, using previously undiscovered nooks and crannies below the floor boards and fruit hammocks swinging from the salon hand holds. We've incorporated as many fresh fruits and veges as possible into the menus early in the voyage to eat them before they spoil. At this point, though, we're finding more and more that need to go over the side instead of into our bellies.

Eggs present their own challenge. Following instructions from the experts, we are not refrigerating our eggs. They are supposed to last a good long time outside the refrigerator even in the tropics. The only catch is that you need to turn them every other day or so. Like with the meats, so far, so good, as the eggs seem to be hanging in there just fine.

We bought a fairly large amount of canned and cured goods for our recipes and as "emergency meals." Overall, we have enough food (and bottled water, just in case the water maker breaks and the fresh water tank empties) to last 30 days, 50 percent longer than our expected voyage duration. The canned and cured stuff is resting comfortably below the floor boards.

Along with checking the rig and cleaning the head, the daily regimen includes taking a peek at all the stored food. The idea is both to rotate the stock as often as needed, bringing new ingredients from storage to replenish those used in the galley, and to watch for any spoilage and cull out the bad actors before they have a chance to infect their neighbors.

As Chief Steward, John has taken the lead on most of this, though each day he is assisted by the Secretary of the Interior (i.e., the person who has responsibility to keep things clean below decks that day).

We've been eating really well, "restaurant quality," according to the Coach. While each of us can cook, John and Joules are particularly talented. We are lucky to have such chefs aboard.

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