Provisioning the "Rest of the Boat"

Part of The Underway Gourmet by Suzy O'Keefe

There's more to provisioning than just the galley.

Lets start with the head. You already have the basics and your personal toiletries, but the items listed below may be things you haven't thought of... yet.

• Baby Wipes really make you feel fresher after the morning dump or any time you don't get to shower as often as you'd like. They also keep the bathroom trash from smelling quite so noxious!
• Loofa (not really a sponge, but a gourd) serves as a wash cloth but dries much faster and never has that stinky smell of a damp washcloth.
• Bath Brush reaches those areas you can't and, again, dries quickly.
• Bag Balm is not a well known product unless you happen to be a Veterinarian or a Dairy Farmer. Bag Balm is mostly lanolin with an antiseptic and some fragrance added. It is used (you guessed it) on cows udders to prevent chafe and promote softness. Long ago, milkers saw the benefits on their hands. It's a wonderful addition to any boat not only for hands, but even for the stainless. It acts much like your skin oils. Ever notice how nice and rust free the binnacle is?
• Waterless Hand cleaner is well known by auto mechanics as a grease remover. You'll use it in the same fashion, but will also find that it works wonders on fish blood and food stains that get on your canvas weather cloths and upholstery.
• Paper Towels, in the head? Of course!
• Witch Hazel and make-up pads are useful especially for cleaning the oils from your face during passages that don't allow you to shower daily.

Now for the Bail-Out Bag. Your life raft comes with standard emergency supplies that you refresh during the annual service, but you probably have an additional bag of goodies that you plan to take along if the worst happens. Again, here are a few things you may not have included.

• Spare eyeglasses or contacts.
• Prescription medicine
• 50 feet of Dacron line and a blue plastic tarp for rigging a sail using the raft's oar as a mast.
• Instant hand-warmers (small packets that slip into a pocket sold at camping stores)
• "Little Johnny" modified with a piece of hose long enough to reach out of the life raft's door so folks can pee without opening the door flap. Yes, of course include the "Lady J" adapter.
• Small Bucket for "more important" business.
• Baby Wipes (need I say more).

These are just a few of the things that I recommend you use to provision your boat.