More Perishables

This morning I made my fruit 'n vegetable run to Chedraui.  I figured that I'd be returning with a heavy load so I took one of the duffel bags and caught a bus only a block away.

The principal items that I brought back were:

- 50 medium sized onions
- About a kilo of carrots
- 12 potatoes
- Garlic
- Limes (to honor naval tradition)
- 6 x 1 liter cartons of pure juice (pineapple and orange)
- 4 dozen eggs
- Bananas
- 2.2 kg of whole powdered milk

I purchased the extra milk because Brenda has provided me with her proven recipe for making my own yogurt out at sea.

Back at the boat I utilized the last untapped storage resource on the boat: the ice box.  I first purchased two blocks of ice from the cafe then cleared out the ice box and neatly fitted the two blocks at the bottom.  On top of that I place a basket containing the onions, then above that other baskets containing the other items.  The eggs would not fit so I had to put them in the oven. That is a great place for them given that they will have a sheltered and snoozy life in their gimbaled  cocoon where it will be convenient to reach in and roll them over every day.  However, in a few weeks I will begin to use the oven for baking.

Ice Box and Refrigerator

Today's effort represents the last provisioning run.  I must have made about 20 trips and carried literally hundreds of pounds of provisions back to the boat.  I was pleased to note that in my 18 months of humping groceries around La Paz I have not broken a single egg in transit.

The photo shows the ice box at the left and the refrigerator at the right, with most of the meat in the freezer compartment.  Between the two compartments you can see the large plastic jar of chocolate covered almonds that I am saving for dreary days around the Horn.
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I forgot to mention that I fitted the water paddle back on the Monitor steering unit a couple of days ago.  I didn't want to go to the trouble of launching the Zodiac so I tried to do it from the boat by perching on the Monitor frame.  That didn't work so I tied the paddle with ropes as close to position as possible then slipped into the water.  Clinging to the frame with one arm while trying line up the paddle so that I could slip in the locking pin with the other proved to be tricky and risky because one fumble and I'd lose the pin.  I finally managed to do this then had difficulty in opening the circular locking ring enough to slip it into the hole at the end of the pin with only one hand.  After a 30 minute battle the paddle was in position and I was grateful that nothing had been lost in the water.  I then tested the paddle and found ... that ... it was on backwards.  Fortunately I kept my cool and used my experience of from the first attempt to make a faster job of the second.

I  don't recommend fitting these paddles without either using a dinghy or backing the boat to a jetty.