Fresh-Produce

Potatoes, onions and cabbage were a staple diet aboard Franda II; being farmers, "meat and three veg" were typical meals. Dad would not consider chicken as meat, and any sort of pasta or rice was just barely tolerated.

Every Grocery item had its own little procedure for buying and stowing.

Selecting and storing vegetables was done with care to prolong their lives. It was often a month before Franda II found a shop to visit, and sometimes, it could be two months before fresh produce was available.

What if we were stranded at sea, dismasted, or "lost?" We felt it prudent to always have six months of food on board. This was mainly dry food and canned. Water was another issue. Even on a proposed three-week trip, we used water sparingly. Franda II had two water tanks. The smaller eighty-gallon (360-litre) tank was never touched at sea. This was our emergency tank. The main tank, at 120 gallons(540 litres), was never down to half empty, even after a twenty-two-day trip. The importance is you need the water when (if) you become stranded. This may happen a few days out of port. Therefore, after a two-week trip, you may still need the water and food for potentially another few weeks or a month. It's not a good idea to plan to arrive in port empty.

We girls did most of the market shopping. First and foremost, a price was agreed upon. This may take 10 minutes and a few cups of tea or coffee. It all depended on how much was being bought. If lucky, we girls would find a stall holder with enough clout to get a runner to get more of an item from another stall. We carefully selected potatoes and onions. One by one, they would be inspected and either accepted or rejected. They would be paid for and then carried carefully back to the yacht. Any that were bruised would be left out to use first. If we purchased them in a 50kg sack, they would be cheaper per kilo but of unknown quality. These we would sort carefully back on the boat. The potatoes and onions, in perfect condition, were put into cardboard boxes under the galley floorboards. They were then below the water line and kept at a stable, cool temperature. Any damaged ones were placed together in another box and used first.

Unfortunately, cockroaches live on the glue in cardboard boxes and lay eggs there. Therefore, most cardboard boxes were unpacked on the jetty, and only their contents came onboard. The occasional box that we would keep was first spayed with Bagon surface spray to kill any cockroaches and eggs. Once cockroaches take hold onboard, it is tough to wipe them out entirely, so it is easier to avoid having them on board in the first place.    The potatoes and onions were inspected regularly, looking for any that were turning bad. One bad one could turn the whole box rotten unless discovered early.

Once, when I was doing this task, my finger slid into a wet, mushy potato; the smells that then escaped made me rush topside for a breath of fresh air. The stink of rotten potato at sea was like the smell of diesel to others, making me feel very ill.

Cabbages were chosen with the same loving care. Next, they were wrapped in several layers of newspaper and put below the galley floorboards. These would last many weeks and, in my opinion, too long.  Pumpkins were placed in boxes by themselves, gently jammed in place so they could not roll and bruise. Any bruise and the vegetable or fruit would rot.

Franda II's crew seemed to have coleslaw most days for lunch on an ocean passage. It was nutritional, but I did not like it, especially as it reached the bottom of the bowl, where the raw onion rested. I did not like raw onion, so I tried to serve myself first from the top layers.

Carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes were all kept in the fridge. Dad often stored the tomatoes in rigid plastic containers to prevent them from squashing.

Franda II had a massive amount of storage space. The aft cabin was dominated by five huge windows. Each window had external bars over them, dividing them into 9 smaller squares. A bit like the stern of Captain Cook's yacht "Endeavour". The bars were designed to break the force of a wave before it hit the window. We happily did not test this theory. This Cabin was the salon, galley and chart table. It had extensive storage under and behind the "U" shaped, 12 seater table seats and backrest. Which was reserved for dry goods and books that couldn't get wet.

While seated at the table, underfoot was storage for canned goods, about six months' worth. Every can that came aboard had its contents written on the lid in texta. We had heard many stories of potluck dinners where the cans had all lost their labels! The bilge here was shallow and lined with soft rubber so the steel cans would not mark the hull and cause rust. The cans were stood or laid down in such a way that they would not roll around. The ones most likely to be used first were placed in the forward and deepest compartments, which were the easiest to get to. If we found cheap canned corn, all the older cans would be moved forward to use first, and the newer ones would be placed further away. The time spent sorting and packing made everyday life so much easier.

The chart table and galley bench were on either side of the yacht, between them, and where the steps came down from the cockpit were deep spaces(bilge) under the floorboards where the spuds, onions, cabbages, pumpkins and fruit were kept.

The eggs, however, were kept in the locker in the crew's head. The eggs received special treatment. Where possible, eggs were purchased before 24 hours old; this was sometimes difficult to achieve. They were then taken individually from their tray and lovingly massaged with Olval or Vaseline. The idea was to stop air from entering the shells and aging them. The eggs must be 100 per cent sealed by Vaseline. Preserved this way, turned every week and kept cool, the eggs could last four or five months. Although usually, by then, the crew had consumed the eggs. Towards the end of their life, admittedly, the eggs were not much good for frying, as the yellow and white tended to mix, but still excellent for scrambled eggs, quiches or cakes.

Drygoods, flour, rice, pasta, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda, etc., had their own special spot behind the settee seatbacks. We thought this would be the last place to get wet if everything went wrong. Rice and flour bought in bulk were divided into plastic bags and sealed, and smaller items were put into plastic boxes before stowing.

Word of mouth spreads, and you learn what is good and/or cheap to buy in which countries. So when you arrive, stock up on those goodies, whether it be French wine, canned chicken, New Zealand lamb, canned butter, canned beans, light French flour, cheap duty-free or just great fruit and vegetables.