A quick provisioning tip or two...

Just another monkey doing the wrong monkey dance, in the "Need to know" department, and just in case you missed this...

In case you were unaware, things in America's Paradise tend to be quite a bit more expensive than in the US of A. That said, the USVI is quite a bit cheaper than a lot of other places in the Caribbean so, in general it pays to provision in the USVI rather than Antigua for instance. Still, I have to admit that the total on our grocery shop at the local Cost U Less can be downright painful.

Did you know that Walmart will ship groceries free to the USVI with their Shipping Pass program? The deal is you pay them $50 to join and then you qualify to have most things shipped to you "free". Which can be a huge help to the provisioning budget.

Of course, this does not include booze, fresh meat, fresh vegetables, and oddments but, as it does include most staples like canned goods and other packed foods, it is a great way to save some serious money if you need to do some heavy provisioning.

Another quick tip is that I'm pretty sure that anything you need or use regularly that comes from Mexico (engine parts and tequila jump to mind) is going to get a whole lot more expensive in the near future so you might want to stock up...

Listening to Dan Layus

So it goes...

For want of a proper pantry...

Ian Welsh making some sense, a book review on the subject of slow violence, and some passionate words about austerity...

I can't help but notice that the cost of gas/diesel keeps going up and, while I'll admit that the resulting lower traffic of weekend warrior cigarette boatfolk is kinda nice but, the resulting spiraling costs that higher fuel prices cause in other areas like transport is somewhat worrisome...

You might not be aware but quite a few people in the USVI do a lot of grocery shopping with Walmart. Online grocery prices at Walmart are scary cheap in comparison to Caribbean/USVI prices plus the fact that it is not hard to get free shipping (sent via US Mail) makes it something of a lifesaver. Which, I suppose, is something that boatfolk who visit and provision in the US Virgins when they're here should keep in mind as an option. For a USVI address all you need is to have stuff sent to General Delivery. It works just fine.

Which, in a way, brings us back around to the subject of cruising boat design...

If there is one single aspect of sailboat design that drives me nuts it is the fact that storage/stowage on a modern sailboat is simply crazy. It's almost like the designers involved never gave a thought to the idea that a cruising couple or family might actually need to store food, spare parts, fuel and other such needful stuff when they take off for an extended cruise.

This is actually important...

Being able to stock up when and where stuff is cheap is a major factor in being able to cruise on a tight budget. Having a full larder allows one to be able to cruise areas where the prices are silly expensive and, more or less, stay on your chosen budget.

The thing is, on a modern sailboat of say 30-36 feet, where do you put those cases of green beans you found at thirty-nine cents a can so you don't have to pay $1.39 or more a can on some paradisaical island? Most boats can handle a month's worth of provisions but to really start saving money you need a capacity of something more akin to at least six months of staples.

So where are you going to put it?

Listening to The Wailin' Jennys

So it goes...

About spearfishing...

In the hmmm department, worth a listen, and some days I just hate opening the news...

I thought about writing this over on our sister blog "Fishing Under Sail" but off hand I expect the people reading "FUS" already know all this...

So, here's the thing... Spearfishing has a seriously bad rap and a very undeserved knee jerk reaction with a lot of cruisers and folks who should know better.

Let's say you go to the local fish market and buy a pound of fish... Chances are that the pound of fish you're buying represents an additional four to nine pounds of by-catch and if you throw in some of the other tactics and unsustainable bad practices commonly used by the commercial fishing industry, it's safe to say that your Mahi Mahi filets represent some seriously heinous ecological practices.

Canned tuna AKA death in a can... well, it's even worse.

So, how about hook and line? I fish and when I catch fish that I don't want I practice catch and release but the fact is that catch and release often results in a damaged or dead fish no matter how careful you are. That said, since the amount of damaged/injured/stressed fish is so minute to the hell that commercial fishing entails, it is still acceptable and preferable by comparison in terms of scale...

Spearfishing, on the other hand, is the only method of putting fish on your table that lets you select your catch. This means you can harvest a meal sized grouper or a medium sized wahoo or mahi that reflects your needs rather than catching fish that would be better off left swimming and breeding.

While a lot of places we visit have made spearfishing or even owning spearfishing gear illegal (and we always follow a country's laws in the matter or simply do not visit them), we find most of those laws are based on fairly spurious logic and bad science. Sure, some spearfishermen in the past have ignored laws, exceeded limits and cleaned out reefs of fish but so do commercial fishermen who have used everything from bleach to dynamite to show that extra profit, which after all is the real problem... Greed! Where spearfishing has been problematic it has almost always been in the hands of commercial fishermen...

Just saying...

Listening to Kitty Daisy & Lewis

So it goes...

Mommy's alright, daddy's alright...

They just seem a little weird...

I've become somewhat obsessed by a fish...

I went diving this weekend (lobster being on the menu) and both dive sites were heavily infested with Lion Fish. Lion Fish are sort of the evil mother-in-law of the fish world as once they get a foothold they simply won't go away.

They are kinda pretty though in an evil-don't-touch kind of way... But pretty as they are, they are spreading like cancer through the Caribbean and as they have no natural enemies things are looking somewhat dark. Sort of a weapon of mass destruction with fins/spines for reef life as we know it...

On the plus side... They taste good and can be excellent as Sushi or sub for any white fleshed fish in your normal fish recipes.


Making Lionfish Safe to Prepare from Marine Resources on Vimeo.

Need I say more?

Listening to Ox cover Cheap Trick...

So it goes...

A quick word about our fishing and food sites...

Here at Boat Bits Central we still get a lot of mail asking why no fishing and cooking stuff anymore...

Well, that's because we wanted to give the fishing and cooking stuff their very own blogs to better cover a couple of our favorite things!

Fishing Under Sail is 100% fishing, spearfishing, and other assorted critter-catching mayhem from sailboats. In the not too distant future... Well, I'll leave you with one simple phrase that sums up the future of Fishing Under Sail...

"It's going to get radical"!


Island Gourmand on the other hand, is about food on boats and you might say we cover the galley... Some of our best friends are charter chefs and they will be sharing some of their best recipes but it won't be all frou-frou and napkin folding lessons! Island Gourmand will touch on all the various subjects that make cooking in a small sailboat galley just a little bit easier... From provisions and galley gear to mind-numbing libations.

Tasty!

A quick note... Island Gourmand

Just a quickie note to let those with an interest in frugal cruising that our companion blog An Island Gourmand is doing  a series on the cost of cruising...

Saving a few bucks is always nice...

We really like Harmony House products and they are the backbone of our long range provisioning plan. So it is always nice when you can save a bit when stocking the larder and as Harmony House is having a 15% discount through Sunday... It's kind of a no-brainer for us.



Just use the code MOM

Saving money provisioning the galley...

Since we keep talking about sailing in hard times department...

Harmony House Foods who sell all sorts of neat foods of the dried and freeze dried variety that work finest kind on boats is having a Mothers day sale and in hard times who can't appreciate a discount? Just add the coupon code MOM for a 15% discount (good only through Sunday!)

What's nice about the HH stuff is they sell in a variety of sizes from small sampler kits to sail around the world non stop size! We find that for cruising having a supply of dried vegetables, beans and fruits is a great way to keep costs down and our waterline happy.

What makes me happy is NO RUSTY CANS!!! Not only is the food good but the packaging is perfect for boats...

a thought on food and boats...

Sad to say but a lot of people think of Spam when they think of food on a sailboat... Spam and all manner of food that most people would not dream of eating in their shore bound existence somehow become acceptable while afloat.

Except, the problem is, if you don't eat spam on land there is bugger all chance that you will develop a liking of spam or reasonable facsimile and be eating it afloat. What you will do is have a bunch of cans that from time to time you have to throw away as they begin to rust or worse!

Fact of the matter is almost all the people I know on boats out cruising are really pretty discerning on the subject of food and what they cook and provision with... If there is one thing you can count on in the cruising fleet is that most of us are pretty serious about our food and you are much more likely to overhear two cruisers comparing the merits of pan seared vs grilled Wahoo or homemade salsas than you will comparing the relative merit of Spam vs Velveeta...

So if you are in that starting to make lists phase of preparing to cruise and sail off into the sunset... Take a good long look at what you eat and leave off the things you don't because if you don't like it on land you ain't going to enjoy it anymore while sailing!

In the galley...

Since we we were talking about money well spent...

Just about the most used item on the boat in the galley department is our pressure cooker and we use it for everything from chili and other bean dishes to BBQ ribs and roasts. Lately we have been cooking breads and cakes (Check out Simply Spicy for this great Walnut Bread recipe). Fact is, there is so much you can do with a pressure cooker, that one of the things on my want list is a second pressure cooker/fryer!

Another thing that pressure cookers do extremely well is it makes cooking dried foods, like beans, easy. But these days with it getting ever harder to find decent and affordable vegetables while cruising, we are finding that a stock of dried vegetables is a great way to provision for long term voyaging while keeping our budget happy.

Of course getting used to using dried vegetables, just like pressure cooking, has a somewhat steep learning curve. So, before you take off into the sunset, it makes a lot of sense to work both into your cooking pattern and menus gradually. For example, the whole TVP (textured vegetable protein) thing is new to us so in the not too far distant future we are trying out some of Harmony House's TVP products to see how they work and taste for us. What is really nice about Harmony House is they have sample kits of all their various products so you don't get stuck with a lifetime supply of dried beets if you decide they don't work for you... YUCK!

We'll keep you posted...

Cocktail sauce...

For years I have been looking for the perfect cocktail sauce to go with crab, shrimp and fish but without any luck. A few close calls but never the sauce that was "just right". A proper cocktail sauce is a work of art and a far cry from the ketchup with a bit of horeradish concoctions you find pretending these days.

The problem was my Dad always had a few gallons of his secret Cocktail sauce around the house and back in those younger days I had scant interest in things cooking... A big mistake!

So the search continues... But in the meantime here is something that is very close, though not quite my Dad's, but now the official "So It Goes" cocktail sauce from the ever wonderful food blog Coconut and Lime... Homemade Cocktail Sauce!

Tostadas...

Homesick Texan has yet to come up with a single dish I do not feel the need to make for myself and eat...

Her most recent Fish Tostadas Vera Cruz style is all sorts of good ...and the salsa is perfection! Just the thing to make with all that Mahi Mahi you've been catching!

Speaking of catching fish...Because the various "My place in the food chain" posts have been so popular and people keep asking for more, I've added a new blog dedicated to things centered around fishing, spearfishing and similar mayhem done on and around sailboats. Do check it out... Fishing Under Sail.

Sunday Chicken...

One of my favorite food blogs is Simply Spicy and it certainly lives up to its title as just about all the recipes are simple and spicy. I'm all for spicy but the real treat is in being simple. Just about everything on the site works for those of us on boats where overly complicated is a no go area.

The other nice thing abut cooking Indian dishes in the Caribbean is that over the years there has been a large influx of people from the sub continent and a vibrant Indian community which makes finding the ingredients both easy and cheap!

Since today is Sunday what better than to point you towards a great Sunday staple...Black Pepper Chicken!

A new Blog...

Just a quick note.

Over the last few years I have received a lot of feedback on the various "My place in the food chain" posts. People seem to like fishing and spearfishing from sailboats it would seem and I get a lot of email of the "Why don't you do more fishing stuff " which does not always fit in the Boat Bits framework...

So it seemed like a good idea to do a blog devoted to the art and madness that is fishing and spearfishing from sailboats.

On the bonus side it also allows me to throw in the whole gamut of what do you do with that fish after you have caught it thing and as a couple of my great loves are eating and cooking I expect that the new blog will contain a lot of cooking/eating subject matter as well.

Fishing Under Sail... (An evolutionary step above fishing with clubs)

Pita Bread

One of my favorite foodie blogs Smitten Kitchen has a great recipe for Pita bread which seems just the thing for those who want fresh bread on board without all the hassle...

The list...

Everyone on sailboats knows about "THE LIST" that ever present assemblage of stuff that needs to be done and no matter how hard you try and no matter how much you do it seems to have a life of its own. On boats it's the third leg of the old "sure as death, taxes and the LIST"

Of course right now its Heineken Regatta week so nothing to do (Spelled LIST holiday!) but fend off those errant bareboats who may be exceptional racers but whose anchoring chops are somewhat shall we say... lacking? Make note to self next year have a cannon...

On the something really, really different tack one of my favorite foodie blogs CooksDen on the galley gear front has a wonderful post on the taste difference between Organic and Non organic food. Video and out takes as well...Gotta love these folks!

First though...

...You have to catch the fish!

My Place in the food chain (Ongoing)

"It was the Law of the Sea, they said. Civilization ends at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always right at the top."

Hunter S. Thompson

The current Compass ( a Caribbean boat rag) has yet another anti spearfishing rant which would be OK if the ranting fellow did not eat fish or fish with hook or line...

Sadly I no longer fish or spear for any reef fish confining myself to blue water pelagic fish these days as ciguatera is so widespread that reef fish is something of a Russian roulette gig down here but over fishing whether by spear or line is equally bad but that does not make spearfishing evil in itself.

Responsible spearfishing is much more ecologically sound than line or commercial fishing as you are able to target what you want ( Mahi Mahi) and unlike a line fisherman you don't wind up with Barracuda, Puffer Fish, Angel Fish etc which even if released will be stressed and damaged by their encounter and whose survival is an iffy thing at best. Catch and release is certainly better than catch and kill for those unwanted critters but it is not so great from the fish's perspective. Spearfishing on the other hand if you are looking to catch a grouper of a certain size that is what you are going to get...A much more selective process. As to the spearfishing is bad for reefs canard... Do you know how much my spears and spearheads cost? Do you really think I "Mr Cheapseats" would shoot reefs or coral? DUH!!!

If you are going to catch fish for dinner the simple rule is be responsible....Harvest only for your needs.

It gets a lot harder where store bought fish is concerned...Commercial fishing is pretty much a rape/pillage affair and profit is the only rule that matters. So if you think the fish you buy at the local market is harvested in any sort of "Green" manner you might want to Google the term Bycatch and see just how wrong that thought is.

All the comforts of home...

Most people don't get the fact that living on a boat is a LONG way from camping, fact of the matter is if more people took the time to look at just how comfortable one can be on a boat with minimal but well designed space and systems we'd all be a lot better off.

To be honest though the hardest part for most people is the space thing...Most of us grew up in a lifestyle where space and lots of it as well as needful space for stuff ( lots and lots of stuff) is the cornerstone of what we do. George Carlin had a great bit he used to do on "Stuff" and a lot could be learned from simply listening to it from time to time especially when you have the urge to buy yet more..."STUFF"

Boats are a finite space...Just like the world and the sooner we get to the point where we understand that simple fact and embrace it we will all be a whole lot happier.

Of course embracing the finite space does not mean living in a cell and going without it simply means that if you think smart you can attain your comfort level by simply leaving out the stuff that does not work or really earn its keep.

For me eating well is a big part of the comfort level and a well designed and equipped galley is very much part of needful things on "So It Goes" but I am always looking for ways to improve and make my life easier while raising the comfort level bar at the same time... "Two Dudes, One Pan: Maximum Flavor from a Minimalist Kitchen" is just such a book and resource which you might want to check out...

Tall Ships and BBQ...

Chubby Panda is a Blog we like and approve of...We seem to have the same likes and dislikes on the food front jive, his recipes are right on and his restaurant reviews are simply the best I've ever come across!

His most recent post is about a visit to the Tall Ships gathering in San Diego which is always a good day out. Add good BBQ and it can only be better!