Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Thanks Tom,
390$!? That sounds like a steal. I have my eyes on the Kokatat dry suit that Tim bought, But it retails for $750. I can't take that bite right now. I would like that level of comfort and security for winter and foul weather.

So if anybody's got a steal of deal on the Kokatat GoreTex lightweight paddling suit . . .

[keyhavenpotterer]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

I've got a Musto HPX Ocean Drysuit and the side bits go up and cover your ears which is nice to keep the wind chill off and noise of the wind out. Also the face coverage is really good. Also it can be inflated through a pipe, for more insulation and buoyancy and longer survival times.

I got mine from Ebay, and its worth keeping an eye out at certain times of the year, as they are compulsory to carry by all the round the world, pay for a leg, race sailer type events. Typically they don't get used accross the atlantic or pacific more than a day, then they sell them back home with sometimes very minimal use. Paid £3-400 for mine. when they are £1000 new. Same price as a dinghy drysuit I know but they are top quality and well featured. Its heavily built compared to 'dinghy' drysuits which also work well though. Anyone looking in the UK, I can recommend Ravenspring as they are made to measure and a good price. Definately get one with dry feet, and bigger shoes to get the whole clobber in easy else you can rip the feet. After you put one on, bend over and hold the neck seal open to evacuate most of the air inside. otherwise swimming can be even harder. With a drysuit and life jacket, swimming speed is reduced, the only potential negative, but it allows winter sailing in the UK to be much more comfortable and safer. That and a fleece black balaclava.

Got a top Henri Lloyd drysuit the same way a few years back and any repairs were done free of charge. Very good after sales from them. That was a very good suit also.

Ed

[James McMullen]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

I'm still using the paddling drysuit I got way back when I was a whitewater kayak bum. It's on its second or third set of gaskets everywhere by now . The goofy thing is that it's still got the extra flap that you tuck over the top of your sprayskirt to deal with, something which is irrelevant and kinda in the way for a sailor.

[WI-Tom]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Thanks Tom,
390$!? That sounds like a steal. I have my eyes on the Kokatat dry suit that Tim bought, But it retails for $750. I can't take that bite right now. I would like that level of comfort and security for winter and foul weather.

So if anybody's got a steal of deal on the Kokatat GoreTex lightweight paddling suit . . .

Eric,

if you go second tier Kokatat, you can get this suit (the one I have): http://www.outdoorplay.com/Kokatat-M...Kayak-Dry-Suit for about $500 new. I lucked out and found mine on the clearance rack, the last one left, in my size. No goofy spray skirt thing either.

Tom

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Thanks

[darroch]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Nice thread...

I kinda thought you hardcores rowed at least 5 miles before breakfast each day but it turns out this was just a glorified fishing expedition.

I've been rowing my butt off trying to get in shape to hang out with you guys.

Clearly, I've been deceived.

[Yeadon]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

You can pretty much play catch between the islands there in Barkley Sound. The distances just were that great, and anyways, we sailed 90 percent of every day. In fact, I bet we gained weight during the trip.

But then, I really like Nutella.

[smithb9]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Man, you guys are living the life up there, makes me want to move to Seattle.

Not much that is similar around here in Boston, we have harbor islands, but they all get daily visitors courtesy of the island ferries. Shellfish in the harbor are essentially banned for consumption, although my uncle tells me he's been eating them all his life and is fine. I suppose further out in the outer islands might be better, but then again the sewage treatment plant on Deer Island pumps out that ways through an underground tunnel. We don't seem to have many fish anymore either, I suppose you could find some Stripers (rockfish as you call them) if you get lucky, and the random cod/black sea bass gets caught every now and again (I could also just be a terrible fisherman too I suppose ).

Maybe Maine might be more comparable, I've never really been up that far though to explore. Either way, I'm currently working on a sail/oar boat myself to join in on the fun, even if I am 3,000 some odd miles East. Keep up with the expedition threads, they are highly enjoyable to read.

PS - to Yeadon, I found the dog collar holding the boom to the mast both hilarious and a great idea that I'll probably steal!

[smithb9]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

A question that I don't think I've seen answered before (although I'm sure it has been at some point). What or how do you guys pack for food on these multi-day trips? Cooler of ice? dry ice maybe? Just wondering how caught fish, dutch-oven-biscuit stuff, etc is kept prior to cooking (and the beer's gotta stay cold too, right?)

[TomF]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

My memory of the waters off Vancouver Island was that it was a great temp to sink the beer. Aside from a couple set aside for emergencies, I'd prolly keep cooler space for other stuff.

Worth noting too that the daily temps aren't exactly Texas-like in that region either ... especially right on the water. When we were fishing just for that day's eating, we'd often just keep the fish in a tub in the shade somewhere, covered with wet cloths. Wouldn't be too surprised to hear these guys do the same.

[James McMullen]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

No cooler or ice, nor any room for such overcivilized decadence. But the water is cold, that helps. For the fresh fish thing, you only catch as much as you are going to eat, and eat it that very same day. And dough is better when you let it sit out for the yeast to ferment and really do its duty. For beer, the British style ales work perfectly at "cellar temperature" (the cellar of course being the water under your boat)--and I'm not particularly a fan of the nearly frozen vaguely beerish swill variety of brew in the first place. I'm pretty sure why they serve crap like MGD or Bud ice cold is to try and numb your taste-buds a little so you won't be so quick to notice how blandly mediocre and forgettable that stuff is.

For other foodstuffs, the typical rice and pasta dishes that just need boiling are easy on the camp stove, as are those boil-in-the-bag goodies like the great Indian curries from TastyBites. I think Tim and I each had about a third of our foodbags stocked with channa masala and palak paneer. All shelf-stable stuff that needs no refrigeration. Cheese and crackers and peanut butter and sardines and stuff for lunches.

Tim has his portable espresso maker, and Alex actually grinds his own coffee beans fresh every morning. I've been on more of a Japanese green tea kick myself mostly, though I also tend to bring instant cocoa.

For fresh veggies and fruits, some things are very much more durable than others. Lettuce don't work, but a cabbage lasts just fine for a week, and fresh coleslaw is pretty nice after days of preserved stuff. Likewise, carrots, onions and potatoes last better than cucumbers or tomatoes. If you bring those, you'll need to eat them within the first couple of days. For fruit, oranges and lemons come with their own wrappers. Apples do okay. Bananas are a disaster waiting to happen though. You want to try to keep all of these things cool by keeping them right next to your hull, and do your darnedest to avoid squishing them, cause a bruise will make the whole fruit go south much, much quicker.

I don't generally bring meat or anything that needs refrigeration on any long trips, though for a single overnight trip, if you pack something like bratwursts frozen solid ithe morning, they won't have time to thaw enough to go bad by dinnertime.

It's definitely all part of the game for me to try and eat as well as possible and cook stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect to be able to have on these boating trips. I've been on enough backpacking and backcountry ski trips where you were so very limited by what you could carry on your back that I really enjoy the extra room and weight allowance that sail and oar camping allows.

[Paul Pless]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

Most excellent James.

It's definitely all part of the game for me to try and eat as well as possible and cook stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect to be able to have on these boating trips. I've been on enough backpacking and backcountry ski trips where you were so very limited by what you could carry on your back that I really enjoy the extra room and weight allowance that sail and oar camping allows.

I used to be an avid back country hiker. I gave it up for the comparatively exceeding luxury that canoe camping allows, followed by a progression of small fishing boats that I owned. I will confess to sometimes carrying an ice chest, both for keeping stuff cold on the way in and then packing fish in on the way out. Dry ice is a good option for this, and in a proper cooler can last five days if you only open the cooler once a day. In a boat such as yours I can't imagine the extra weight would be too noticeable.

[AJZimm]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound

. . . and Alex actually grinds his own coffee beans fresh every morning.

I'm willing to put up with a lot of things when kayak and sail and oar camping, but bad coffee is not one of them.

I also find that bagels (the real kind that are boiled first then baked) will last at least a week at the temperatures encountered on our shores. They just get progressively a little chewier. Hard cheeses ( moisture content < 35%) will last a week too. If you don't fish up your own fresh protein every day, jerky and/or dried sausages also work well.

Wine in a box also works well - the box/bag can fit in odd corners. Wine shouldn't be over-chilled either and the seawater in our area is just about right.

[Yeadon]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe &amp; Rowan do Barkley Sound

I've had some amazing meals out on our cruises. James fed us so much fresh seafood on our last trip that I think everyone was a little embarrassed at just how well we were being fed.

Inspired by the trip, I've gone ahead and bought a collapsible crab trap, which Kara and I deployed over the weekend during a quick Sat/Sun cruise from Shilshole to Blake Island and back. We caught a pair a dungeness keepers, which we promptly boiled and ate fresh. Fresh crab is amazing.

I also have a few fishing rods that I've collected over the years, but really don't know what type tackle I need for jigging or trolling. Anybody have an opinion on that?

[callsign222]

Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe &amp; Rowan do Barkley Sound

Wine in a box also works well - the box/bag can fit in odd corners. Wine shouldn't be over-chilled either and the seawater in our area is just about right.

Pfff any sailor on the New England coast knows that sharp cheddar will last forever and bait bags work best at chilling wine so we dont' have to stoop down the box level. Plus, you can tow them behind the boat so they are chilled to perfection on arrival.



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