I lived aboard my 20′ Pacific SeaCraft Flicka for 5 years in the tropics without refrigeration and didn’t suffer a bit. I relegated the ice box (referred to as the “rot box”) to dry goods storage and hung nets to store fresh vegetable with good air circulation.

To make the transition, take a serious look at what you have in a refrigerator:
- all that stuff in the door: condiments that don’t need refrigeration – Catsup, pickles, mustard, etc. Take ‘em out.
- Fruit: buy fresh more often (walk, bike to the market) the stuff lasts longer than you think.
- Vegetables: put them in hanging nets or baskets in a cool dark place (bilge if you have one, basement otherwise).
- Milk: buy fresh at market (see Fruit) OR buy Nido brand powdered milk or Paralot aseptic milk.
- Yogurt: Here is my favorite – I would serve fresh yogurt when friends with refrigeration would come over while anchored 300 miles from the closest island store (no yogurt there!) and 1,000 miles from a health food store! It is simple – make it. Make up some milk from powdered milk (Nido is my favorite). Heat up to the temperature of baby formula (test a drop on wrist like mom did); put into a preheated thermos (a little hot water, then discard and put in warm milk); add a dab (about a tablespoon or two) of yogurt from last batch [[or, have on hand some a packet of yogurt starter (can be stored for ages in bilge/basement, for when you eat the last of the batch]]; let sit for 3-5 hours. Impress friends! Best Thermos is wide topped – easy to clean.
- Meat: On the boat I speared lobster, grouper, snapper, small barracuda, and the like. But if landlocked, there are markets, fishing, hunting, etc. I made a salt brine, soaked excess fish in brine and dried in the sun – like making jerky – it lasted for days, because it got eaten quicker than it ever could go bad. There are many ways to preserve meat, I just haven’t done it myself.

Well, just some thoughts.

Denny

Oh, did I forget! The most important:

Cold ‘sundowners’: Having a rule aboard – be at anchor with a nice rum drink in hand at sunset whenever possible – I wasn’t willing to give up a cold one – so here’s what I did- Made rum drinks with Mango Tang then I put a handful of marble in the tumbler – works every time! Sounds like ice and convinces the mind it is a lot colder than it is!

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/