END OF THE SEASON THOUGHTS OF AN ELECTRIC SAILOR

BIANKA is back on land and stored for the winter. It was a fun season though I did not cruise as much as in previous seasons.  I did spend a lot of time on the boat pretty much living on board for the past six months. The electric propulsion system is still going strong and has once again been maintenance free all season. The AGM batteries are still holding up after six seasons as well.

A lot of projects I thought I would finish never got started. That's just the way it is when an hunting Osprey grabs your attention or a refreshing swim and a nap take precedence on ones day on board. Though I did manage to rewire the solar Bimini  a project which was long overdue.  I did add a few new items on board. I decided to replace the Honda BP 2 outboard that got drowned by Superstorm Sandy last fall. It was replaced by an Electric Paddle outboard which I will post a review about in the near future. I also installed an AIMS 48 volt 1500 Watt Pure Sine Wave  Inverter. The inverter was purchased to be able to charge the Electric Paddle battery from BIANKA's 48 volt propulsion battery bank but, I bought a larger wattage unit  than those needs in order to use it for other devices in the future. I will post an evaluation on that soon too.

Most of this years action centered around the galley. A spring outfitting discovery of a corroded Gas header in BIANKA's twenty four year old stove caused me to rethink how I use propane on board.

That yikes moment caused me to experiment with alternatives to using the stove on board and I am happy that both Plan A and Plan B both worked out well for my cooking needs this season and so I will probably use them in the future. Another advantage of my new propane usage plan is some energy savings. I plan to spend some time this winter dismantling parts of the old stove to see if I can incorporate the new cooking burner into it's space.

Another discovery from the gallery was using some freeze dried items in meals for the first time. Namely freeze dried Blueberries and  Bacon Flavored Textured Vegetable Protein TVP .. Both products look likely to be items I will carry on board in the future as they mean less trips to land for provisions when cruising. The Blueberries tasted good straight out of the can for a quick snack and also worked well when one has a hankering for Blueberry pancakes:

The Bacon flavored TVP added some nice bacon flavor as well as being somewhat healthier than meat based bacon. Also it won't spoil as rapidly and and has no grease to get rid of. It worked well mixed in with scrambled eggs and especially added some nice flavor and texture to old standby meals of Ramen Noodles. With the success of these two freeze dried products I plan to expand the selection on board next season. Though the smaller can of Blueberries runs out quickly the two pound can of the Bacon flavored TVP was still half full at the end of the season. A double order of Blueberries and dividing up the TVP into smaller containers may be the plan for next season.

Now that the off season is here I hope to get a started on some of the projects I never got to during the summer. Because "messing about in boats" is always good no matter what the season.

IN BIANKA'S GALLEY: Freeze Dried Blueberries

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I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill

On Blueberry Hill where I found you

The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill

And lingered till my dreams came true

-Fats Domino

When I'm out on a cruise with BIANKA I prefer quiet secluded anchorages over active harbors. Since I converted to electric propulsion there is less need to go in search of a gas dock which is good. But, provisioning and the need to find food is still a concern.. I'd still prefer to stay in the serenity of where the boat is anchored. To that end I have been trying out some products that may reduce the need to find a grocery store and make staying put more of option.

The first product I tried is some Freeze Dried Blueberries . The 4.23 oz can is about half the size of a one pound coffee can and contains delicious freeze dried dehydrated Blueberries. Because they are dried they have an intense flavor that even taste good straight out of the can. Which is dangerous because one could easily pop them into the mouth like candy and not have enough for cooking if one is not careful. But, it does make for healthy snacking. So far I have been able to resist the temptation most of the time. It's a pretty versatile product. Instructions say to add three parts water to one part Blueberries to rehydrate them. I've also used other liquids like soaking one tablespoon of dried Blueberries in a cup of milk for twenty minutes before adding vanilla ice cream to make a Blueberry Milk Shake with a very intense Blueberry flavor.

I've also had great success with making Blueberry pancakes with the freeze dried Blueberries. Except rather than rehydrating them first I just whip up a batch of pancake batter and put about a quarter of a cup of the freeze dried Blueberries into the batter and let it sit in the cooler over night:

In the morning I give the batter another stir before pouring some of the batter out onto my cast iron pan:

After the pancakes are cooked I plate them and drizzle them with some Maple Syrup. Added a cup of coffee and enjoyed a very flavorful breakfast experience in the cockpit:

A can or two of these freeze dried Blueberries will definitely be a staple in the galley of BIANKA from now on.  I'm also trying some other freeze dried products on board that I will be reporting on from time to time here on the blog in the near future.
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