How We Nailed Provisioning for Our First Trip

How We Nailed Provisioning For Our First Trip

From Panic to Plan–here is how we provisioned for our first sailing trip:

After three nights at the crazy Friday Harbor, we left and went around the corner to Parks Bay, a secluded, beautiful anchorage—that is private, meaning my Humans couldn’t go ashore. That was OK because it gave my Female Human the perfect opportunity for more lists. These new lists were primarily dedicated to my efficiency, which is stellar, I might say.

I carry 190 gallons of freshwater. My Humans used 60 gallons in the first two weeks, which equals 1.42 gallons per Human per day. They did a lot of dishes, as my Female cooks a lot, used some in the head, and took showers. They were pleased because this was our shakedown cruise, and they hadn’t been that vigilant about conserving.

They tried to lower the lithium batteries by turning things on and off; the batteries only ever dropped to 66%, and then little Miss Sunshine Solar kicked in and brought them right back up within just a few hours. Those two are a tough team.

Trash Management For Our First Trip

Trash Management is a key thing on our live aboard adventure. In our two-weeks, my Humans had ONE Kitchen size bag of trash; which was great. It began to smell, which was not great, so, they stored it in Enzo, until they could dump it; which I thought was funny. Enzo has had a lot of playtime and it is his turn.

When my Female Human was preparing for our trip, she took all the food, snacks, and dry ingredients, labeled them, and put them in plastic containers. It was a lot of prep work—and another boater woman had told her that doing that was ‘bullshit.’ She explained to my female that the only reason for doing that much work was because of cockroaches, which would not be in the San Juans but in Mexico.

My Female smiled indulgently, nodded in agreement, and continued similarly. She was following the provisioning techniques of a very experienced duo of sailors from a boat called S/V Dellos. It’s good that she did. Trash build-up for a Virgo would have driven her crazy. Next time, she will rinse her neatly vacuum-sealed and labeled packets of meat before throwing them in the trash, as that is where the smell came from. Live and learn!

I hold 76 gallons of diesel. As a lady, I have learned to sip—not guzzle; so, despite all the motoring we had to do; including my bridge time–I had only used 14 gallons. We were all happy, because Diesel-tinis, my cocktail of choice, is around $4.00 a gallon! I am not a cheap dame, by any means.

Our next stop was Turn Island, where we tried to pick up a mooring ball, but the current was fierce.  My Female Human couldn’t hold that ball for her life—and it started to pull her over. My Male Human yelled for her to let it go, which she did—hook and all. We watched the hook bob and float around the ball, so my Male grabbed a broom, and by a stroke of luck and the good graces of the sea Gods, he fished it out! The key learning here was that we need more than ONE Boat Hook. So, hook in hand, we decided to move on. The current was not our friend.

We popped over to Spencer Spit. My Female Human had read the charts— (she is new to it but learning) and had figured out that some mooring balls were in deep water and some were not. I require a bit of water under my bottom; at least 10’-12’; because I draw 6’1”; which means that from the water line to the bottom of my keel is 6’1”—or that is how much of my butt is in the water. Oh, those sleek power boats indeed have less than ½ that amount of junk in the trunk; and that’s fine—because I understand the language of the wind, and that is a different Superpower altogether.

All of this is to say, that they accidentally caught a shallow mooring ball, and the depth sounder started going crazy.  One second, we were in 25’ of water, and the next 9’. We relocated to a deep mooring ball, and Spencer Spit turned out to be a great place; quiet and peaceful. My Humans took Enzo to shore and had a leisurely hike to stretch their legs.

They were able to hoist the mainsail and finish putting in the battens, tie in the Reef Lines— (I have two—one is a deep second), and they took measurements for a new stack pack with my name on it.  My Lazy Jacks work fine, but my sail cover is shot, filled with holes, broken zippers, and tearing apart from UV Rays. My Humans diligently recover my sail every time, but every time, a new hole or tear appears.

This is the last stop on the shakedown cruise before we head back to Anacortes to fix the things that didn’t work as well as we might have hoped. The major item is The Head and the second, is an even more cozy harness for Enzo! Can you believe that? As if he’s not comfy enough already. He is a spoiled child.  Oh well….the sun is out and my humans are enjoying a glass of wine.

Until Next Time!

Fear Less/Adventure More!

S/V Gypsea Explorer and her Humans: Heather & Chris

If you like this post, check out How We Traded Our Life on Land for a Life at Sea.

5 Songs Inspired by This Sail!

“Where I Come From”  Alan Jackson

 “Breakfast in America”  Supertramp

“Eat It”  Weird Al

“I’m Still Standing”  Elton John

“I’m Free” The Rolling Stones

And, if this tickles your propellor, grab Amazon Prime Music Here–FREE!

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