THE DOMESTIC WORKINGS OF LIVING ON BOARD

This post has been in the workings for a month or two as I have attempted to point out a few concerns for those that are planning on living on their boats and also for some of you who might be interested in our new life. As we spend more time aboard Whiteshell we continue to modify our style and we continue to learn as well making at work in progress. I will attempt to share points of interest and appreciate and look forward to any questions or comments.

 

Fine tuning the workings of the galley—kitchen in "boat" language.

• The first concern is space—there is not much of it which means that every piece of equipment must be very efficient and follow the ship' rule: everything must have two purposes. Having said that, initially a number of items were loaded down to the boat at the dock in Comox only to be brought back up and discarded. I just did not know what I would need or not need???? As the weeks went by of us living on the boat then later when we sailed still a few items were found not to be useful and were left in the "free" stores along the way. There are a small number of items that are still tucked away in the back of the cupboard just in case we need them or perhaps some lady I meet along the way may just love to have it----such as the black iron skillet that sits on top of a bbq or stove!!! We have carried that around for the last 31 years and have used it perhaps once. Claes does love it though! (as I update this post have since used it twice!!!! Hahah! Once for the Thanksgiving breakfast we cooked for our sailing buddies and last night for a pot luck—I made pork fried rice. It is now in service!!)
  
• The next concern is efficiency—what items can be useful and energy efficient? Even though we have been very pleased with our production of energy with our two solar panels we still do not wish to use much electrical power. Our refrigerator/fridge is a total blessing and has continued to run since we left home. (I am defrosting it today in anticipation of re-provisioning as we approach La Paz. This is apparently the most economical and best offerings in the Sea of Cortez and we look forward to the fresh fruit and vegetables available in the market place. Most everything we use is manually operated and multipurpose.
  

So the question is than, what sort of items are working well?

• Utensils: are vital and in my opinion need to be of good quality for ease of cleaning and longevity. My palate is learning to enjoy the simple fare of the area but continues to appreciate –good solid cutlery. The other tools such as egg flipper, tongs, slotted spoon, soup ladle and knives are all stainless steel (so they don't rust) and are kept at a minimal ; each item having to be be very useful in order to stay on board. ( I do use a very small – and I mean small-- flipper a lot for numerous things. It's easy to use and will flip all sorts of things as well as clean the black iron pans , we use it a lot.)
  
• Pots and Pans and things: I have two black iron fry pan, one small and one large, both being very versatile-- I even make cakes in them as well as warm tortias.
  

(Coming soon a recipe corner) I have one small orange iron pot with a lid that my girl friend Judy gave us that I use all the time………..for soups, beans, stews and more. The roasting pan is a small one and works well for chicken and larger roasts……….remember that my stove is lovely but the oven is small so must be considered for size of pans. My muffin tin makes 6 small muffins and I just fill them up to overflowing to make bigger sized muffins………..actually making some banana spice ones as we speak. Hmmm smells pretty good. The bread pans I have are small and am thinking I would prefer them bigger so may change them when I can find them perhaps at the next Wal-Mart in Cabos, maybe???? (actually went to Costco and did not find them) I do make some artesian bread which is shaped and baked on a pizza pan again providing a dual purpose. Now that the weather is getting warmer, we purchased a small pressure cooker in order to reduce the heat and time in preparation of certain meals, as well as saving propane. We have a large one as well that we hope to use for canning later when have an abundance of fish and fruit………….can't wait. I have a set of pots—one small, one medium with a steamer and a wok that I have just not begun using. Of course we have a BBQ which now that the weather is definitely warmer we will begin to use. Bowls consist of one very large for making bread, two medium and three smaller stainless steel for preparing things as well as for serving…..they are a bright red so add some color to the "stainless steel" grey that is predominate. You know that we have replaced the coffee pot and are now down to making campfire coffee as I lost the innards of the new pot. Right? We do have a water kettle on board as well as a campfire toaster……..you know the type that goes flat on the burner??? Works very well.

 

• Our dinner ware is a mixture of dishes and plates, mostly stainless steel and a few melamine. The cups and glasses are slowly breaking so we will need replacements soon at which time I will buy stainless…it cleans up really well, keeps things cold and if dropped wont break. Criteria : usefulness, ease of use and bright and enticing! There is a lot of nice pieces at most West Marine outlets in the states………….but wow are they expensive. I would like to get some of that fancy glassware that is actually plastic but feels like glass. I think the Otter Shop in Comox has some but of course it is pricey too…………so perhaps when I get home next summer I will case it out………in the mean time we use what we have and usually the meal is so lovely one does not dwell on the dishes………ha ha. That is what I am going with so there.
  

  
   

• Appliances: I love my kitchen
  . My intent is to keep us well fed and nurtured and spend a lot of time preparing delicious bites and appies and full deal meals for the Captain. I have been blessed with a magnificent set of appliances, a water maker, a brand new hot water tank and a pretty good selection of food stuff, consequently, no one starves aboard the Whiteshell. It is such a treat to have our own water; many cruisers do not and I totally appreciate it. Claes went through a lot of effort to purchase, install it and now operating it (that seems to be the easy part). The maintenance does not appear too complicated; having cleaned the filters once so far…………they were rather yellow looking but nothing to gross. It is an amazing exercise making good clean potable water out of the ocean water!!!! The fridge/refrigerator is also so rewarding. We are able to stock up on meats and when making extra I can store items like soups and such so that when we are under sail and not wanting to cook we can eat quick and easy meals yet be well nourished. (The cook does not always want to make full meals either and there are no fast food outlets at sea!!) My Princess stove is just that: royalty in the galley. She is efficient as she is propane and I am getting to know her well so we as a team produce some pretty tasty things. I have learned to adjust recipes and have become rather versatile ………………I have promised you a section on the blog of recipes and will do that hopefully in the new year. These recipes will be interesting for you that are out cruising, boating and camping as they offer you new and different ways of making some of your old favorites' even if and when you don't have all the ingredients are appliances………..stay tuned!!
  

 

• Energy/Power: lighting
  sets the ambiance for any home and aboard the Whiteshell is no different. We use the oil lantern often for our supper times and card playing sessions. I as some of you know love candles and most often will burn some. We have a lot of rechargeable batteries on board and use them a lot in our flashlights which are used during the night and or when we set sail early in the morning. Have recharge able is the best way to go and we recharge when we are under power of the motor—which seems to b e a lot as the wind has not been plentiful. We have a 12 volt fan which we have used a few times so far—it is great just clips on the window ledge and brings in fresh air as well. Our solar panels (two 130's) afford us all the power we need including the most taxing appliance the fridge! Then of course the computer and lights—we seem to be content and the Captain has not made any restrictions as yet.
  

 

As you can see living on board our boat is very comfortable and becoming our home. Different but good! God has certainly blessed us and He continues to do that we become more in tuned with our WHITESHELL.

 

The Galley Gal, Lue