Food for two guys for 15 days

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mackconsult

Fire Starter
Original poster
Apr 23, 2010
49
10
Vancouver, WA
I am off to do pacific cup this summer:

http://www.mackconsult.com/?p=2547

My partner is covering all the cost except food.  I need to come up with the menu and preparation of food for two grown men for 15 days in the open ocean.  We will have water and a small gimbaled stove, but no refrigeration at all.  The boat has an outboard so there will be no spare power to speak of on the boat. 

Soon at home I will have a mini fridge cold smoker.  Planning on investing in 1/4 pig over the coming months, and catching some salmon.  Have a vacum bagger also.  Here is what I am thinking on food:
  1. cured and cold smoked salmon
  2. cured and cold smoked pork & bacon
  3. dehydrated vegetables and fruit
  4. granola bars
  5. instant oatmeal
  6. canned soups, stews, and fruit
  7. instant soups
  8. nuts & trail mix
What are your thoughts?  Any other good meats I could cure and smoke, then vacum bag to bring on the boat?  Any suggestions on the dehydrated stuff?

This is going to be an adventure and a learning experience.
 
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I think one thing you may learn is that you are a long way from home if you get sick.  No refrigeration?   You may be fine with the smoked meat but remember you will be in the worse possible situation to be in if the meat is not properly cured and stored.  You are also probably in a hot humid environment.

I would eat the smoked meat within the first couple of days and then rely on canned meats and preserved vegs and fruit for the remaining time.   Fresh vegs and fruit are good for 5 or 6 days
 
Even Cured Cold Smoked Salmon, Ham and Bacon should not be out of refrigeration for an extended period of time!...Your best option may be Dry Cured meats like Prosciutto, Coppa, Sopressata, Speck and Bresaola. Your Boat should have 12VDC for Radio and Navigation, why can't you get a 12V powered Refrigerator/Cooler? Like wise hearty vegetables like Beans, Peas and Celery will last several days at room temp, but your only other option for week 2 is Root veg like Potatoes, Beets, Carrots and Onions or the Dehydrated stuff you mentioned...Good Luck and stay safe, food poisoning in the middle of the ocean can Kill You!...JJ
 
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Even Cured Cold Smoked Salmon, Ham and Bacon should not be out of refrigeration for an extended period of time!...Your best option may be Dry Cured meats like Prosciutto, Coppa, Sopressata, Speck and Bresaola. Your Boat should have 12VDC for Radio and Navigation, why can't you get a 12V powered Refrigerator/Cooler? Like wise hearty vegetables like Beans, Peas and Celery will last several days at room temp, but your only other option for week 2 is Root veg like Potatoes, Beets, Carrots and Onions or the Dehydrated stuff you mentioned...Good Luck and stay safe, food poisoning in the middle of the ocean can Kill You!...JJ


x2 Curing in and of itself is not enough to make meat shelf stable without refrigeration.

sprky and AZShane have some good ideas. You could always rehydrate the dried meat.
 
I'd go with the MRE's. A Santa Cruz 27 isn't a huge boat, so space will be at a premium. You'll have no refrigeration or AC, and the Pacific in summertime in a small sailboat is an incredibly harsh environment. Risking food poisoning or worse while at sea and already involved in a life or death situation isn't my idea of a good time. The MRE's are stable, actually quite tasty, can be eaten cold or heated and a one month's supply (2 weeks for 2 guys) can be had for under $400. They can be stuffed into any available space aboard, and since each pouch contains a complete meal, that time spent hunting for all the ingredients for dinner is avoided. You can always bring along food for a few special meals to be prepared when time allows, or instant oatmeal and other stuff for breakfasts but for the most part you're both going to be busy, so an easily accessible quick meal will likely be preferred.
 
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Afraid not.  Not a-lot of space or power on the SC 27.  Between our auto pilot, light, weather fax, laptop, & instruments we have to manage power very closely.  We have a solar panel on the back of the boat that should give a bit of a charge each day.  But we have a spreadsheet put together that details power consumption and we have to stick to the plan.
 
Even Cured Cold Smoked Salmon, Ham and Bacon should not be out of refrigeration for an extended period of time!...Your best option may be Dry Cured meats like Prosciutto, Coppa, Sopressata, Speck and Bresaola. Your Boat should have 12VDC for Radio and Navigation, why can't you get a 12V powered Refrigerator/Cooler? Like wise hearty vegetables like Beans, Peas and Celery will last several days at room temp, but your only other option for week 2 is Root veg like Potatoes, Beets, Carrots and Onions or the Dehydrated stuff you mentioned...Good Luck and stay safe, food poisoning in the middle of the ocean can Kill You!...JJ
 
Does this look okay?

www.thereadystore.com/mre/mre-entree-variety-pack-case-of-24
 
I'd go with the MRE's. A Santa Cruz 27 isn't a huge boat, so space will be at a premium. You'll have no refrigeration or AC, and the Pacific in summertime in a small sailboat is an incredibly harsh environment. Risking food poisoning or worse while at sea and already involved in a life or death situation isn't my idea of a good time. The MRE's are stable, actually quite tasty, can be eaten cold or heated and a one month's supply (2 weeks for 2 guys) can be had for under $400. They can be stuffed into any available space aboard, and since each pouch contains a complete meal, that time spent hunting for all the ingredients for dinner is avoided. You can always bring along food for a few special meals to be prepared when time allows, or instant oatmeal and other stuff for breakfasts but for the most part you're both going to be busy, so an easily accessible quick meal will likely be preferred.
 
I haven't bought MRE's in a very long time. But that looks to be about right for cost.  Your going to need 4 cases to make it 15 days. 
 
It says there good for 5 years incase you get lost...carry extra...good luck...there is no way that I would even take a chance on smoked or dried meats...I take it you have never had food poisoning ?
 
I never been on a trip like that but first thing I would say is make sure you have plenty of drinking water. And when you think you have enough, take more. If an emergency comes up you can survive without food longer than you can without water, and you sure don't want to drink or even rinse your mouth out with ocean water! You could even take some powdered Gatoraid to mix with your clean water.

I think the MRE's are a great idea, canned food, pasta since you have a stove to cook on, a can of tuna and a box of mac and cheese taste pretty good when you are hungry lol! Bread, rice, etc.,,,,,,It is roughing it since you have no ice supply or refrigerator.

Also make sure you have plenty of safety material and know where on the boat it is located, life jackets, water proof flashlight, flares in a waterproof bag, etc.

When I first came to Florida them football players died out in the gulf, 1 survived. A day of fun fishing turned into a nightmare, they never thought that would happen, but you have to think ahead.

Again, don't forget safety equipment and lots of water!

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/how-long-can-you-survive-without-water
 
Monty said it best  spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam   plenty of variety

d37ee3e3_spam.jpg


almost one diffrent can per day
 
If you are confident in your smoking abilities I would go with the smoked meat and fish, I mean isn't that the reason they smoked meat and fish was because there was not refrigeration a long long time ago.........Don't be stupid but don't plan for failure either.....This is just what I would do if going on a once in a lifetime adventure...........Good luck and Godspeed
 
If you are confident in your smoking abilities I would go with the smoked meat and fish, I mean isn't that the reason they smoked meat and fish was because there was not refrigeration a long long time ago.........Don't be stupid but don't plan for failure either.....This is just what I would do if going on a once in a lifetime adventure...........Good luck and Godspeed
The Smoked meats of the Past, that required no refrigeration, were nothing like the Smoked Salmon and Ham or Bacon we eat today!...They were more heavily Salted and Dried longer. Most items required some refreshing and desalination in fresh water, a luxury these guys don't have...This is risky advice!...MRE's are the safest choice...JJ
 
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Again it goes back to you and your ability. Would I pack 15 days worth of smoked meats and fish .........no most likely not.......... but you can bet I would have something smoked in there because I have eat'n my fair share of MRE's and after a week of them you will wish you had something to break up the "mood" of your food............... Tabasco sauce is a must if you do decide to go down the MRE route...................... JJ is the man so I would definitely weight his opinion heavily....................I tend to live life a little closer to the edge then most people so please weight my advise with a grain of salt so to speak.........Either way you go have fun and enjoy yourself....
 
Again it goes back to you and your ability. Would I pack 15 days worth of smoked meats and fish .........no most likely not.......... but you can bet I would have something smoked in there because I have eat'n my fair share of MRE's and after a week of them you will wish you had something to break up the "mood" of your food............... Tabasco sauce is a must if you do decide to go down the MRE route...................... JJ is the man so I would definitely weight his opinion heavily....................I tend to live life a little closer to the edge then most people so please weight my advise with a grain of salt so to speak.........Either way you go have fun and enjoy yourself....
LOL...Thank You for the vote of confidence...Think of it this way...It's 95*F with 100% humidity in the house...You just cured and Smoked up 10 lbs of Salmon, 10 lbs of Bacon, a 15 lb Corned Beef Brisket, 8 lbs of Ham and a 14 lb Turkey. You know what you are doing and all is perfect...Now let it all sit out on the counter or even in a Cooler, will be 100*+, for 5-10 days, then cook it over a stove that is only a little more powerful than a can of Sterno...Oh yeah and you live a hundred miles from the nearest Emergency Room and no car to get there...You going to eat any of that stuff?....
help.gif
....JJ
 
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I haven't bought MRE's in a very long time. But that looks to be about right for cost.  Your going to need 4 cases to make it 15 days. 
Make sure and order the heaters for your MRE's. here's a lil tip . The heaters take about a tbsp or two of water to activate. Salt water makes them heat

faster and hotter. If the heaters are the same ones that come with Military MRE's do not use them in a small inclosed space as they emit hydrogen gas as a byproduct of the mixing of the chemicals and water.
 
 
this is great .... thanks so much for the comments and concerns .....

I still might play around with doing some smoked and dried meats, then do some packaging ideas with dry ice and custom made packaging to see how long I can keep things cold.  Heating packs using salt water is a really great idea.  Spam is definitely being added to the list along with pastas.

We won't be in warm conditions for about 6 days, so i think its possible to have a staggered diet based on how many days out we are.

Yes I have had food poisoning ..... and not I will not risk poisoning on this race.  If one of us even becomes slightly under the weather it could make for a very dangerous trip.

BTW .... we are covered on water(2 x 1 gallon/day x 15 days = 30 + 2 emergency gallons = 32 total) and safety gear (8 min life raft with EPIRB).  Sailboats have been racing from the west coast to Hawaii since the 50's and people have done it double handed in boats smaller than the one we are doing it in.  The have been a couple of deaths over the years but they were mainly due to things like heart attacks or dehydration seizures.
 
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