The Things They Don't Teach You In Cruising Seminars

Part of The Underway Gourmet by Suzy O'Keefe

Published in Latitude 38, May 1995

First year cruisers - often called the "New Kids On The Block" - have prepared for cruising by reading everything they can get their hands on, attending seminars, and talking to experienced cruisers. Even so, there are still things they won't figure out until they've been in Mexico for a while. Here are a few pieces of information you might appreciate knowing NOW!

• Ladies - don't give up shaving your legs to save water or because it's cold and the goose bumps get in the way. Using only about a cup of water and any cheap lotion (in fact, the cheaper the better because it won't clog up the razor). Coat your legs with the lotion and dip your razor in the water as needed. There's no mess and no soapy residue to rinse off your legs. You'll be done in no time and your other half will greatly appreciate it.
• Men - you probably do most of the fish cleaning, but I believe that the ladies should do it. Personally, I "do it" in the nude and find that it makes for easy clean-up and an attentive mate.

  Photo: Fish Killing is best done by the woman of the boat. In the nude no less! Such is the advice of Suzy.

• Sooner or later you will get cockroaches, earwigs, or some other crawly critter on board. The first impulse is to spray or bug bomb to get rid of them, but DON'T. Using poison on bugs of this type triggers the laying of eggs as their dying act. Before you know it, you have more bugs. Bug bombs can damage your varnished surfaces. The only tried and true method to eliminate bugs is with the sticky (so called) "hotels". The bugs crawl in, get stuck, lay their eggs, the eggs get stuck and hatch there, the young get stuck and the cycle is broken. No dead bugs in the bottom of lockers either! Bring the sticky traps with you because they generally are not available in Mexico.
• For those of you who are lucky enough to have a freezer on board, you may be able to maximize your space by using zip-lock baggies instead of ice cube trays. You can clothespin the baggies to the outside of the evaporator unit and get good results without taking up the precious space inside. If you do use the metal ice cube trays, be careful about always putting them in the same place in the freezer box. They tend to chafe the capillary tubes over time and may cause you to lose all your freon.
• Like frozen yogurt? Buy small containers of drinkable yogurt and keep them on hand in the reefer. Put a couple in the freezer a few hours before you plan to eat it. They just about keep forever in the reefer and don't take up any freezer space in the meantime.
• Awnings are a must in Mexico but don't make the cockpit of your boat look like a cave. You should be able to move around freely and have a good view of your surroundings. Don't make your awning so elaborate that it takes forever for you to put up and take down. Chubascos, those sudden 60 knot winds, strike without much warning often in the middle of the night so practice your Awning Drill and try to de-rig your "horizontal sail" in less than two minutes.
• Shellfish are restricted in Mexican waters. We are not permitted to "take" them, but often the local fishermen will trade for T-shirts, candy, toys, cash, etc. The recommended technique for cleaning lobsters is to break the lobster apart so that you are only dealing with the tail. Don't throw away the feelers, though! You'll need to use one of the feelers to clean out the lobster's digestive tract. Do I need to be any more explicit?
• Don't eat raw oysters, scallops, clams, etc. UNLESS you collected them yourself or know for sure where they came from. Hepatitis is a real danger in Mexico... we know!
• Cruising also involves a fair amount of "parking". In our favorite spot, we might be anchored for a couple of months solid. By the end of that much bottom time there is substantial growth on the anchor chain. The easiest way to clean off the barnacles and other hard growth is with a small sledge hammer and a brush. What we've found is that, when you tap the chain, the barnacles just disintegrate. Even the "foot crumbles into powder. The residue brushes away easily. As you might have guessed, this technique also works well on dinghy bottoms, fenders... even rope rode.
• And speaking of anchoring, anchoring in Mexico isn't quite like southern California. You don't have to anchor in your neighbor's face! There's plenty of room here. So remember, please don't practice the "Banana Theory of Anchoring" (also known as "Anchoring in Bunches").
• Medicines of all kinds are readily available in Mexico and are usually quite a bit less money than in the states. In addition to all the things you already carry, look for these two Mexican items: "Domoboro" (Burrows Solution) and "Violeta de Genciana" (Gentian violet). Both are excellent for fighting infection in cuts and bites. Part of the reason that they work so well is that they dry out the wound. That's particularly important in a moist tropical climate.
• Cilantro is a wonderful fresh seasoning. It doesn't last long in most tightly packed boat refrigerators though. I've found cilantro keeps best when stored upright in a solid-sided container with a lid. Wash and dry the cilantro and cut it to a height that fits the container. Put a small piece of paper towel in the bottom and stand the cilantro upright. It can rattle around now with all of the other things in the reefer and last as long as 3 weeks!
• Several of the larger Mexican cities have huge supermarkets that rival anything you'll find in the states. La Paz, Guaymas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Manzanillo are the ones we are familiar with thus far.

Written by Suzy O'Keefe aboard the S/V "Scallywag" while in Zihuatanejo, Mexico 1/1/95