[Rhodes22-list] Cooking

Tue Feb 24 00:51:01 EST 2009

Herb,

Thanks for the encouraging words.  Other people's cooking always tastes better.  I'm concentrating on the one-pan style of cooking.  The everything-in-one-pouch dried meals I have used when backpacking will be my refuge if more complicated things get out of hand.  I'll have a couple in my bag just in case.

My bags just keep multiplying.  I don't want to look like a fancy girl going to Europe with 17 suitcases.  I can do it, though.  We have toured for thousands of miles on a bike with two saddlebags and a small trunk on the rack.

Sincerely,
Blanche DeFord

--- On Mon, 2/23/09, Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:

From: Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta Potty
To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 5:05 PM

I'll bet he appreciates the offer to cook. Even if he's a great cook, 
the offer is still a good thing. If he's NOT a great cook, it's good to 
have someone willing to take that on.

I did a gulf crossing a couple of years back on a friend's boat. There 
was an older gentleman who came with us. He'd recently had heart 
surgery, and wasn't up to manning a watch, but wanted to do another 
trip, so he came on as cook. The trip was a little rough on him, and 
when we had to stop for some repairs in Mobile, AL, he had us finish 
without him. However, while he was there, the food was GREAT. It was 
fantastic not to have to worry about cooking, but know we had good meals 
coming. When he left, since I was the "youngest one" on board, I took 
over the responsibilities. Trust me, everyone preferred his blueberry 
pancakes to my scrambled eggs, and his shrimp scampi to my tuna-fish 
sandwiches.

Blanche DeFord wrote:
> Mary Lou,
>
> It would be handy to have a little PineSol on board.  
> I'll mention the seal-bleach issue if it seems appropriate.
>
> Hardly "marlinspike seamanship" though.  I look
> forward to that part once we get past the very basic 
> housekeeping.issues.
>
> I did offer to cook, and am boning up on that now.  The 
> word is that alcohol stoves have their own personalities.
>
> Wish me luck - we'll be going out in a month or so, when 
> he gets some time off.
>
> Sincerely,
> Blanche DeFord
>
> --- On Mon, 2/23/09, Mary Lou Troy <mtroy at atlanticbb.net> wrote:
>
> From: Mary Lou Troy <mtroy at atlanticbb.net>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta Potty
> To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 6:21 AM
>
> Disinfectant:
> Usually Lysol or Pinesol. Diluted bleach would work. Not sure if it 
> would affect the seals over time. I find that rinsing it really well, 
> disinfecting and then letting it dry out between uses has worked the 
> best. We currently have two holding tanks for ours (when the flush 
> bellows went on one, the tank was still good so we bought another of 
> the same model). Useful on extended cruises. One of the tanks is more 
> than 10 years old.
>
> Mary Lou
>
> At 08:01 AM 2/23/2009, you wrote:
>   
>> Mary Lou,
>> Great response as always. My only addition to your routine would be using a
>> mixture of water and bleach to disinfect the holding tank between uses. You
>> mentioned using a disinfectant, but were not specific. What do you use?
>> Plastic will absorb odor over a period of time and this helps to 
>> eliminate  odors
>> onboard.
>>
>> Rummy
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 2/22/2009 6:02:51 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>> mtroy at atlanticbb.net writes:
>>
>> We've  cruised for more than a week on a R22 with a porta-potty. no
>> problems, you  just have to find a facility to dump it.
>>
>> A porta-potty consists of two  parts: a lower part which contains the
>> sewage tank and a valve which opens  and closes (usually a very simple
>> manual open and close) and an upper part  which contains the fresh
>> water tank, the seat, the bowl and a bellows  device for pumping
>> water. The two parts mate together with an O-ring type  seal. It is a
>> very simple mechanism. Generally some sort of chemical is  used in the
>> sewage tank to reduce odors.  We tend use a product  called "Oderlos"
>> which does not have the formaldehyde and other nasty  chemicals that
>> are in the "blue stuff". Some people say it doesn't reduce  odor
>> enough but we have rarely had a problem with it. We use toilet tissue
>> that is made for porta-potties and RVs. It disintegrates faster
>> (sometimes under use so use with caution) which makes emptying the
>> porta-potty easier..
>>
>> Using a porta-potty is pretty straight  forward. Pump a little water
>> into the bowl (not strictly necessary if you  are only going to pee).
>> Do your business, wipe and flush. Everyone using  the porta-potty
>> should leave it (at least) as clean as they found it. This  may entail
>> a bit of extra time wiping the potty itself if you are not  dainty
>> about its use. We just use tp for this job because we can throw it  in
>> the pot. If you are using the porta-potty underway and conditions are
>> less than calm, you may want to empty the bowl quickly to avoid  sloshes..
>>
>> Once the sewage tank approaches full you have to find a way to  empty
>> it. Some porta-potties are plumbed for a deck pump out and you have
>> to find a marina with pump out facilities to empty them. Most have to
>> be emptied manually. The upper and lower parts are separated and the
>> lower part containing the sewage tank is taken to a dump
>> facility.  We've found marinas that have a dedicated sewage dump for
>> porta-potties (mostly those marinas catering to powerboaters with
>> smaller boats), marinas that tolerate you dumping in the toilets and
>> marinas which discourage dumping at all. On short trips we just bring
>> it home and empty it in a household toilet, using hot water to rinse
>> the tank (just add it to the tank after you've dumped, close
>> everything up, slosh it around and dump again) and finish off with a
>> little disinfectant diluted in water - again sloshed around and
>> dumped. We then leave the tank open to dry out between uses. You do
>> have to proceed carefully to avoid drips and splashes.
>>
>> On a cruise  of several days you have to find a place to dump. We
>> generally stay at a  marina every second or third night and dump then.
>> I try to find a time  when the restroom is not in use so I don't
>> disturb other patrons of the  marina. I like handicapped bathrooms
>> with sinks because of the extra room  and the access to water. I
>> usually take an empty water jug that we keep on  board to help with
>> the rinsing process as many restroom sinks won't  accommodate a
>> porta-potty. I follow the same procedure (except the  disinfectant)
>> that I use at home. Because I am using someone else's  facility I try
>> to be just as mindful as I would be at home of drips and  splashes. If
>> we are using a marina that discourages emptying of  porta-potties, we
>> have large black heavy-duty garbage bag that I use to  disguise the
>> tank and I make sure I empty it with no one else  around.
>>
>> As to personal hygiene, be aware that a boat with a porta-potty  may
>> have only a limited amount of water available for washing. You may
>> want to ask about the situation on the particular boat you will be
>> sailing on. If you routinely use wipes or feminine hygiene products I
>> would plan on not putting them in the porta-potty - collect and
>> dispose of them separately.
>>
>> That's about all I can think of. You  will want to have the owner of
>> the boat show you the features of the  particular porta-potty on that boat.
>>
>> Best,
>> Mary Lou
>> 1991  R22  Fretless
>> Rock Hall, MD
>>
>>
>> At 07:52 PM 2/21/2009, you  wrote:
>>     
>>> Help me out here, girls -
>>>
>>> A gentleman (really)  friend has offered me a chance
>>> to go on a week's trip with him.   To avoid questions -
>>> my SO has no heartburn with this, and I forsee  no
>>> problems either.  It's an ideal opportunity to  learn
>>> about sailing.  On to the real issue.
>>>
>>> What's  good, bad, and ugly about porta potties?  I
>>> don't want to  embarrass myself or the gentleman with
>>> ignorant mistakes, and I need to  know how to use and
>>> take care of the potty - to do my share of the  dirty work.
>>>
>>> Issues:
>>>      Cleanliness -  Mine and the potty's?
>>>      Odor - How much and what  kind?
>>>      Safety - Splash?  Spills?
>>>    Maintenance - What do I need to know?
>>>
>>> In general,  how easy is it for a woman to maintain
>>> herself over a week while using  this sort of facility?
>>> I can handle rough camping - cat holes, etc. -  but
>>> this is a new on on me.  Seems somewhat the
>>> same  though.
>>>
>>> Advice?
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Blanche  DeFord
>>>
>>>
>>>
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