Ocean crossing rationing food - how much to bring

[dave81]

Hi all,
I'm at the beginning stages of building a Northern marine 57. After shake down runs the one ocean crossing I am planning is to Boracay Philippines. Should I consider a second frig or freezer? What other resources should i be taking under consideration?

 

[Frosty]

When I was making passages we had no fridges or freezers, so I can't speak to that. But as far as planning food (we didn't "ration" except for treats of course so they wouldn't all be gone the first week ), we basically brought as much as we could fit. This included canned goods (fruit, veg, beans.... anything you might actually eat), dried beans and the like, plus things you could use to make fresh food out of non-fresh food (so baking supplies, yeast, flour, etc.)

Nuts, eggs (not refrigerated - we just turned over each dozen every few days), peanut butter, olives, sardines, etc.

Then some treats: Cookies, crisps, chocolate, candy. Jello, pudding (if you would eat them).

Fresh stuff for as long as we could keep it: Cabbage, potatoes, onions, apples, oranges, limes, etc.

Condiments and special stuff: Horseradish, olive paste, pickles, dried tomatoes, hot sesame oil, vinegar, oil, peppercorns, salt, you get the idea.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.

Also: Tuck away some food/treat/surprises. They take on a value all out of proportion to what they normally have ashore on, say, day 22.

Paper towels and toilet paper (cases).

I know many people say "Don't worry about it; people eat the world over!" And that's true of course. But we figured well, we have a car and shops we know now -- it's never going to be easier. Never regretted stocking up as much as possible in advance.

I guess with a 57-footer maybe "take everything you can fit" would be too much (?). We never had that problem (32'). I can't imagine you'd need to ration (unless maybe you have a large crew).

 

[dave81]

Thanks for your insight.

 

[mvweebles]

A deep freeze is very handy, but I wouldn't go too big. Chest freezers are more efficient but stuff tends to get lost in them. Upright freezers are much more usable....if you have the space.

I read your other thread and sounds like you're fairly new to this so if you do a crossing, you'll have crew aboard. Total of 4-5 is about perfect. For provisioning and meal planning, important to understand there really aren't 'meal times' because the boat runs 24/7 and someone is always asleep. People tend to forage so picking food works better than meals. @Frosty gives some good suggestions for nuts, cookies, etc. Microwave popcorn is a good add. Sandwiches seem to work pretty well too. I found a crock pot of chile or stew cooking in the sink worked well - folks could grab a bowl whenever they got hungry. Tray of frozen lasagna always went over too - leftovers were easy to freeze or re-heat (a good friend who used to crew for me a lot still talks about "Lugger Lasagna" reheated on the engine). For breakfast, yoghurt and granola with fruit worked well as it doesn't 'slop' and yoghurt has a very long shelf life. We carry aluminum foil lasagna pans from Costco - they are cheap and super easy to make "dump dinners" in the oven (dump whatever you have in the pan and bake for an hour or so - seems to always turn out and cleanup is easy).

I can almost guarantee you'll bring way too much food. Passagemaking is a sedentary activity and folks don't eat much.

Peter

 

[BruceK]

We found the freezer useful on our 36ft Island Gypsy just on regular 8 day trips. Surely it would be a mistake to omit one in a new 57ft ocean crosser.
Boracay would be a great destination.
An aside on reheating left over originally bought frozen lasagna. One brand warned against reheating. I suspect it relates to the dairy content, a restaurant here reheated a cream based sauce more than once, poisoning and killing 2 diners. Mind you, we`ve reheated lasagna despite the warning. Still here to tell the tale.

 

[O C Diver]

Nobody ever said, "my chest freezer is too big, wish it was smaller and held less".

For a boat that big, I would have two 10 CUFT. chest freezers. One for refrigerator overflow and one for freezer. At least one company makes a chest freezer with a thermostat for refrigeration or 0 degree freezing.

Regarding stuff getting lost in a large freezer: tape a current inventory list on the top. It keeps people from looking for things that aren't there.

Ted

 

[BDofMSP]

When I brought my boat from Ft Myers to Lake Superior with two crew, it was when covid had just reached full lock down mode. We had very little probability of resupply based on our route (interior river system) and schedule (14 hour days) .

So I bought the Whynter FM-85G 85 Quart Fridge Portable Refrigerator and Deep, AC 110V/ DC 12V, Real Chest Freezer with-8°F to 50°F Temperature Range, from Amazon. I used it in freezer mode and it worked wonderfully, resupplying the fridge as needed. Once the trip was over, it simply converted over to beer fridge, and now also allows comfortable storage for other long trips (like the 18 days we just did in Canada). I couldn't recommend it more highly.

BD

 

[READY]

Chest freezer would be highly appreciated on such a long trip. Enough stress without adding concerns over whether you can eat a normal diet. Ice cream in the middle of the ocean will taste extra special!

 

[dave81]

A deep freeze is very handy, but I wouldn't go too big. Chest freezers are more efficient but stuff tends to get lost in them. Upright freezers are much more usable....if you have the space.

I read your other thread and sounds like you're fairly new to this so if you do a crossing, you'll have crew aboard. Total of 4-5 is about perfect. For provisioning and meal planning, important to understand there really aren't 'meal times' because the boat runs 24/7 and someone is always asleep. People tend to forage so picking food works better than meals. @Frosty gives some good suggestions for nuts, cookies, etc. Microwave popcorn is a good add. Sandwiches seem to work pretty well too. I found a crock pot of chile or stew cooking in the sink worked well - folks could grab a bowl whenever they got hungry. Tray of frozen lasagna always went over too - leftovers were easy to freeze or re-heat (a good friend who used to crew for me a lot still talks about "Lugger Lasagna" reheated on the engine). For breakfast, yoghurt and granola with fruit worked well as it doesn't 'slop' and yoghurt has a very long shelf life. We carry aluminum foil lasagna pans from Costco - they are cheap and super easy to make "dump dinners" in the oven (dump whatever you have in the pan and bake for an hour or so - seems to always turn out and cleanup is easy).

I can almost guarantee you'll bring way too much food. Passagemaking is a sedentary activity and folks don't eat much.

Peter

Your feedback is much appreciated.

 

[Diep]

Here is how I would think about it:

Most refrigerator stuff only lasts so long. How many people do you plan to supply for and can you fit provisions for that many in the fridge. Say a 2-week supply of produce plus a trip worth of less perishable items. I would think a medium to large household-size fridge packed to the gills will probably suffice. Adding more refrigerator space beyond that isn't useful unless you plan to have a lot of people on board. Maybe a small dedicated drinks or wine cooler if you desire for convenience.

I would want a small amount of freezer space in the galley to keep things handy. Could be part of the fridge or a separate drawer unit. After that the sky is the limit and the more freezer space the more options you have for preparing meals ahead, storing quality meat and fish and all kinds of stuff. I would want at least one mid-sized chest freezer somewhere on board but could be hidden away. It all depends on what works with the space available. I like the idea of two small-medium units over a single large one. Then you can scale your storage and energy consumption to the needs at hand. Freezers work better when they are full.

Don't forget about ice making and storage. Either part of the above or stand alone depending on your needs.

 

[Mambo42]

I have 2 fridges and 2 freezers onboard and normally I have enough frozen meat / fish / vegetables onboard to last us 2 - 3 months. After we buy it I portion and label everything in separate zip lock bags and put it into the freezers, so the only thing I need to do is grab any zip lock bag out of the freezer and move it to the fridge in time.
Next to that we have a lot of rice, pasta / pasta sauce (duck and salmon) to be able to feed ourselves for about 1 month in case of an emergency. Instead of bread we have a lot of dry bread (or toast as we call it here), plus we have a bread making machine onboard.
We also have a 1 month supply of canned vegetables as well as dried mashed potatoes (just add water).
In addition we have a complete wine cellar with around 200 bottles of red/white wine as well as prosecco. There is no such thing as running out of wine on our boat ! However, we don't carry any cola or other soda's, we don't drink that at all. Instead we carry water and a lot of different tea flavors plus a year supply of coffee beans.
Things we don't have onboard are snacks, cookies, chips, chocolate bars, candies, those items are not our thing. The only cookies we have are Dutch Stroopwafels, don't need anything else.

And all of this when we don't even go that far off the coast, however in summertime it is difficult to get to a supermarket and on top of that they hike the prices dramatically. So with our food supply onboard we don't need to get to a supermarket for a very long time. I think you should be able to cross any ocean in three months time and our boat is just 50' as well, but it fits.

 

[dave81]

Hi all,
I'm at the beginning stages of building a Northern marine 57. After shake down runs the one ocean crossing I am planning is to Boracay Philippines. Should I consider a second frig or freezer? What other resources should i be taking under consideration?

I want to thank everyone for sharing their knowledge and insight....Thanks!!

 

[dave81]

I have 2 fridges and 2 freezers onboard and normally I have enough frozen meat / fish / vegetables onboard to last us 2 - 3 months. After we buy it I portion and label everything in separate zip lock bags and put it into the freezers, so the only thing I need to do is grab any zip lock bag out of the freezer and move it to the fridge in time.
Next to that we have a lot of rice, pasta / pasta sauce (duck and salmon) to be able to feed ourselves for about 1 month in case of an emergency. Instead of bread we have a lot of dry bread (or toast as we call it here), plus we have a bread making machine onboard.
We also have a 1 month supply of canned vegetables as well as dried mashed potatoes (just add water).
In addition we have a complete wine cellar with around 200 bottles of red/white wine as well as prosecco. There is no such thing as running out of wine on our boat ! However, we don't carry any cola or other soda's, we don't drink that at all. Instead we carry water and a lot of different tea flavors plus a year supply of coffee beans.
Things we don't have onboard are snacks, cookies, chips, chocolate bars, candies, those items are not our thing. The only cookies we have are Dutch Stroopwafels, don't need anything else.

And all of this when we don't even go that far off the coast, however in summertime it is difficult to get to a supermarket and on top of that they hike the prices dramatically. So with our food supply onboard we don't need to get to a supermarket for a very long time. I think you should be able to cross any ocean in three months time and our boat is just 50' as well, but it fits.

Thank you.

 

[ksanders]

Lots of cruisers have a chest freezer on their boat wether they are coastal or crossing oceans.

Having extra space is handy and allows you to buy things you like to eat when you see them on sale, or just extra space so you have choices.

 

[rslifkin]

Lots of cruisers have a chest freezer on their boat wether they are coastal or crossing oceans.

Having extra space is handy and allows you to buy things you like to eat when you see them on sale, or just extra space so you have choices.

Exactly. Even if you don't truly need to be able to provision for 4+ weeks without seeing a grocery store, carrying more is helpful as it lets you only need to reprovision in the places where it's easiest to do.

 

[Moonfish]

Reading this, and considering we have a household-size fridge and three freezers, I am even more impressed with South African sailor Kirsten Neuschafer (whom we had as a guest on The Boat Geeks in episode 6). She won the 2023 Golden Globe Race in a Cape George 36, a fairly heavy full keel cruising sailboat. It took 235 days sailing around the world by herself and had to bring all her food with her from the start! WITHOUT A FREEZER! Crazy...

 

[Marco Flamingo]

A freezer would be very low down on my list. Canned goods and dried goods (properly stored) don't need electricity and freezing temperatures. Yes, icecream is nice, but only as a special treat "if" all goes well. If it doesn't, then a can of beans (straight out of the can) is nirvana.

Get a vacuum bagger and oxygen absorbing packets (similar to the dessicant packets that ship with everything). Package staples. Once you have that taken care of, then you can think about a freezer full of frozen strawberry cheese cakes.

I still have some Sailer Boy Pilot Bread (Google it) that I vacuum bagged +25 years ago for a wilderness whitewater kayaking trip in the Yukon. I get them out when we have a reunion (of the still surviving members). Still "good" as they ever were. They would be great with cold beans out of a can.

 

[Mambo42]

A freezer would be very low down on my list. Yes, icecream is nice

I have news for you, we don't have any ice cream onboard, absolutely nothing. But we do have a lot of frozen meat, sirloin, duck, turkey, chicken, shrimps etc.
For me the days of trying to be an astronaut are over. I was in the military and we had food rations more than I ever wished for, so am done with that.
My freezer uses 90 W at 220 V if it would run continuously, but since we open it once a day or once every two days it hardly uses anything. If I come to maybe 5 W (at 220V) or 0.05 Amps per hour it is a lot and that is perhaps 2.5 Amps at 24 V per hour. With 1400 Ah and 3.2. Kwp in solar, plus 400 Ah for the alternators, I think I can spare 2.5 Ah for a freezer, which will give us a decent meal.

Am getting the idea that some of you are scraping by on Amps when nowadays there is no reason to do that. If you invest in a little bit more Ah in your batteries you can improve the quality of onboard life dramatically. Canned food for us is just when our freezers and fridges would die or the weather is so bad that we simply cannot cook (e.g. pans flying through the galley because of a storm).
Whoever was in the Navy will agree with me that good quality food keeps up the morale, so that is why we are not resorting to astronaut style food. There is absolutely no need for that, with LiFePO4 batteries, good alternators, good inverters etc, the days of 'surviving on a long journey' are over.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I have news for you, we don't have any ice cream onboard, absolutely nothing. But we do have a lot of frozen meat, sirloin, duck, turkey, chicken, shrimps etc.

Right now, I have lamb dolmas, stewed venison, chicken teriyaki, shrimp, salsa Vericruzana (for the ling cod I caught today), etc. on board for our cruise. All the time and energy of cooking was done when it was home canned. No freezing (or even refrigeration) required.

Frozen meat just takes too much amperage, both to keep frozen and to cook. We now have 1,120Ah of lithium and solar. Still don't see fussing with a freezer just to eat frozen beef. I don't even eat that crap at home. I understand some like it.

My freezer uses 90 W at 220 V if it would run continuously, but since we open it once a day or once every two days it hardly uses anything.

And when the freezer stops running, it won't use any electricity at all! Not a problem when marina hopping. The OP is contemplating crossing an ocean. Maybe one could use the spoiled stuff in the freezer as bait?

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yeah, I do. Gonna stock some Bubba Burgers in the freezer and they can cook from frozen -

 

[slowgoesit]

I'm with you Mambo. Yes, we can survive on 1 gallon of fresh water/day/person, no fridge, no freezer, no radar, no radios, or any of the other improvements that have occurred in cruising boats over the last, say, 100 years, buy why would I want to?

Long gone are the days of rolling up in a wet poncho on the side of the road to try and get some sleep, been there, done that, have the t-shirt.

Not going to do it any more. There's no reason for it. We like to cruise comfortably. That term differs among different folks, but for us, it means water maker, fridge, freezer, Starlink, Radar, EPIRB, Depth Sounder, AC when needed, solar and LiFePO4 batteries, etc.

But that's just us . . .

 

[Mambo42]

Frozen meat just takes too much amperage, both to keep frozen and to cook. We now have 1,120Ah of lithium and solar. Still don't see fussing with a freezer just to eat frozen beef. I don't even eat that crap at home. I understand some like it.


And when the freezer stops running, it won't use any electricity at all! Not a problem when marina hopping. The OP is contemplating crossing an ocean. Maybe one could use the spoiled stuff in the freezer as bait?

It would only take too many amps if you cannot produce the used amps onboard. But if you can produce those amps your batteries will remain full, no matter what your onboard equipment uses. So the oven, the induction plate, the dish washer, the washing machine, the water maker, the microwave etc, air conditioning, heating, everything can be used without restrictions. The only thing I do is not run too much equipment at the same time. The inverter could handle it, but I see no need for it. Better to run it one by one.

And why would the freezer stop running ? Does the freezer in your house break down on a regular basis ? But just in case the freezer breaks down...........I have a second freezer (like I have 2 fridges onboard). On top of that, I am not the first boat that has large freezing and cooling capacity, many boats and ships have that and cross the ocean with it. Many small boats stay out of ports for prolonged periods of time and do that very successful with a large freezing and cooling capacity.
However, If you are happy with eating canned food all the time then you have every right to do so, but for me those days are over.

 

[Frosty]

I think the thread went in two different directions because the title and the initial post kind of didn't match.

Title: Ocean Crossing *Rationing* Food, makes you think of a simple boat (no redundant freezers, etc.), perhaps with limited stowage -- and likely with simple systems. With a need for rationing, hence the title.

Initial post: Vessel is a Northern Marine 57. You look this up and see it is basically a small (and newish) ship. In 2025, very few (if any) people buying such a vessel are going to be rationing anything! You'd expect it to have a big, capable electrical system with redundant everything. Freezers, refrigerators, watermaker, etc.

Maybe if there were going to be quite a large number of people on board, but that would be a little unusual.

Hence we went in two different directions with our responses.

 

[sunchaser]

One of the current Northern Marine ocean crossers (76’er) is M/V Star. You could search for their blog site and get some excellent input. I recommend you contact them for some hands on proven blue water experience.

Of recent, they’ve been cruising in the “South Seas.”

 

[Amos]

So what do you folks do with all that fresh and frozen food when entering another country. We had enough trouble with a dozen eggs and a couple lemons.

 

[mydacha]

Hi all,
I'm at the beginning stages of building a Northern marine 57. After shake down runs the one ocean crossing I am planning is to Boracay Philippines. Should I consider a second frig or freezer? What other resources should i be taking under consideration?

What’s your solution for electricity generation? Several small refrigerators will consume more power than one large one. Each freezer requires about two square meters of solar panels and 50–70 kg of LiFePO₄ batteries just to keep the balance.

 

[O C Diver]

What’s your solution for electricity generation? Several small refrigerators will consume more power than one large one. Each freezer requires about two square meters of solar panels and 50–70 kg of LiFePO₄ batteries just to keep the balance.

On my boat the engine had a second alternator, 12 VDC 220amps. Battery storage was 6 KW with a self imposed limit of 3 KW usable. Appliances ran off a 2,800 watt inverter. I had a 10 cuft. refrigerator and a separate 2 cuft. freezer. A rough guess was about 2 to 3 KW per day power consumption based on whether I was underway or anchoring and whether the microwave or crock pot were used.

3 KW of power was produced by the alternator at an additional fuel consumption of .3 GPH. If I were to do it again, I would have 4 times the usable capacity (12 KW) to avoid almost all charging without cruising.

Ted

 

[Mambo42]

So what do you folks do with all that fresh and frozen food when entering another country. We had enough trouble with a dozen eggs and a couple lemons.

Here in Europe nobody checks what you bring in or out of a country. Even when you go in and out of Schengen nobody cares, so we have our freezers and fridges full.
I know, from experience, that nobody will care when you travel in de Caribbean, nor in South America. Only in the US, Australia, and perhaps Canada they care.

 

[slowgoesit]

So what do you folks do with all that fresh and frozen food when entering another country. We had enough trouble with a dozen eggs and a couple lemons.

Two years ago, we left Seattle for Florida. Prior to entering Mexico, and checking into Customs in Ensenada, we disposed of/gave away about 150lbs of beef we had in the chest freezer, as well as a BUNCH of other stuff that the Mexican website said was not importable into Mexico . . . . .Got to Ensenada, continued the rest of the way down to Panama, across the Caribbean, to Florida, and you know what? Nowhere we went did any of the Customs people give a darn what we had in the freezer, or as food storage on the boat. The only thing we were causally asked about in a few places was the amount of alcohol we had on board (we were nowhere near any limits).
I know others may have different experiences, but from now on, our policy is to comply with local regs as much as possible, and if they want to confiscate our 12lb of Idaho Potatoes in Prince Rupert, BC, so be it. In that case we went up to the local grocery store and bought an IDENTICAL bag/brand/size/origin bag of Idaho potatoes . . . . and the Customs guy took ours home to his wife. . . .

 

[Amos]

Both the US and Canada seem to care what you bring across the border. We had to dispose of a couple fresh food items both directions although the US let us keep the eggs if we hard boiled them right there.