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How many times have you heard it? “ICE RUN! How many bags do we need?” Whether camping over dirt or camping on the water, it’s the age old problem of having enough ice. Making ice last the duration of your trip is rare. Paying the inflated price at the marina for it is not the only drawback. You end up burning precious vacation time as well as fuel.
I think I’d rather take a nap out on the bow instead. Over years of trial and error my wife and I think we have come up with a good solution to our ice worries and woes. We have a system and it works better than we ever expected. At the end of a week long trip with temps into the hundreds we’re tossing chunks of the white gold overboard before we walk up to the car and go home. The secret? Block ice. Even better, "free block ice". Ok well it’s not all free but it’s pretty darn cheap. Way cheaper than the local convenience store. (That's highway robbery!) We bought a small upright freezer to keep in the garage. Every night a week before a trip, I’ll remove 3 large blocks of ice from 3 plastic molds. I stack the new blocks of ice in the bottom of the freezer and refill the molds. In no time I have a fair cash of ice, instead of paying un-fair cash for ice! No lines. No delayed departures. Just a winter wonderland of ice!
You never can really know the temperature of the ice you buy. It may be only just below the freezing point? Barely holding together! I know the ice I get out of my garage is straight out of the deep freeze. Well below zero Fahrenheit. This makes for longer lasting blocks.
Having good cold ice is only the part of the strategy. Keeping it cold is the other side of the coin. This may come as a shock to you but that tired old ice chest you have and love (The one that’s older than you, maybe even belonged to your father?) has got to go. Or, stay behind that is. With new equipment comes new technology. Better insulation. A better, stronger seal. Plus they usually look better too. Force yourself to go and buy a new one. Don't go cheep either! Remember the next one you buy may be handed down to your children. Just get a good one, you’ll be glad you did. Now all you have to do is keep the kids out of it. If you’re going out with a load of people for an extended trip of course you’ll need more than one ice chest and a strategy.
Here is our system for ice conservation on the River Queen Refit, honed over time. We use one 52 quart ice chest and one 150 quart ice chest. Plus we have a 110 volt refrigerator. Of course the fridge does not run all day. Up in the freezer compartment we have several large jugs of frozen water. When we cast off and the power is removed, at least three of the jugs of ice get moved down into the refrigerator. Place a towel in the bottom and put a tray under the jugs to catch condensation (an aluminum turkey roasting pan works great). In the refrigerator we keep the medium cool things like salad, pickles, produce, mustard and chocolate kinds of stuff. Then you must threaten all aboard with the loss of limb or life to not open that door! Cooks and cooks helpers only!
We run our beloved generator only about one hour twice a day, usually breakfast and dinner. When the power is back on the jugs get moved back up to the freezer and have no problem refreezing right away.
The 150 quart ice chest is for all the drinks. Beer, soda and water. (The Merlot lives down in the bilges below the water line.) The ice blocks make good dividers and stack nicely in any configuration you want. The 52 quart chest is reserved for the main meal stuff, like meat and potato salad. I’m not even allowed to open that one.
Nine times out of ten we come home with ice to spare. That’s even after we give the big chunks away. Well worth the cost of a small upright freezer and a new ice chest. Here are some more tips to help the ice last longer:
1. Pre-freeze meats that will be used later in the trip and store them in order to your menu plan. That way you don’t have to dig to find what you want.
2. Pre-freeze your water bottles as well.
3. Pre-chill drinks before they go in the chest.
4. Keep ice chests out of direct sun light. We use a foil windshield screen to cover the chest if it has to be out in the sun.
5. Do not drain off the water unless you have to.
There you have it. This may not be the best way, but it’s our way and it works very well. It’s been years now scene we’ve had to make an ice run. Now if only I can figure a way to bring some ice cream…
Please boat safe and give a hoot and don't pollute!
Mike Wolfe “The River Queen Refit” Written 2005. Posted July 2006http://www.mikewolfe.us/
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