Wrightsville Beach and What do you eat on a boat?

We are now in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and have been here about 4 days. The overnight passage from Charleston was uneventful. We have not fully explored the area so we'll talk about one of our favorite subjects - food.

How are we managing to stay alive while spending so much time on a boat? We eat 99% of our meals on board. There are a lot of times when we are not even near a restaurant. Cooking on a boat is similar to cooking at home with more of an emphasis on conservation of water, gas and electricity. Filling up the propane tanks or buying food takes more time than at home so these stops are avoided as much as possible.

The starting point is the galley on Jade. It's similar to a kitchen in a studio apartment. It has a range top, oven, microwave and front opening refrigerator and freezer. Out on the rail is the all important gas grill. The refrigerator/freezer runs off the batteries. The oven and grill heat with propane gas. Food and drinks are stashed all over the boat but the food locker is the main storage area. It has been especially helpful to have a wide variety of staples and spices on hand plus canned goods, snacks and sweets. Powdered milk and powdered eggs come in very handy.

Right before a journey you stock up on fresh produce, dairy products and meat. We purchased a lot of food before leaving St Pete and then again in the Keys. That way we avioded buying food in the Bahamas which is very expensive, for example $6.00 for a head of romaine lettuce.

On this trip we did not have time to plan meals ahead so we did what our friend LuAnne does "stock the freezer". With cookbooks on board and memorized recipes we cook based on the food that's on hand using the freshest things first.

It's more fun to cook on a boat because there is time to plan and cook without being rushed. Al likes to use the grill and Frances usually cooks in the galley. It's really nice to have fresh baked goods. We have made scones, quick breads, cookies and Frances even made a chocolate cake to celebrate an arrival. To save propane we usually make things that cook in 40 minutes or less and we also use a pressure cooker to save cooking time.

So as you can see no one is starving on s/v Jade. Cooking has been part of adjusting to a new way of life but has turned out to be fun and like everything else is getting easier and easier all the time.