So you have set your compass, run through your mental and formal checklists, said your goodbyes at the dock. Before long you are far beyond the sight of any land mass. By now the sea is whispering in your ear and sea spray is a constant reminder of why you love the ocean so much. Eventually, your own body will begin to send out its own reminders, some more subtle than others, that YOU NEED TO EAT!
What does a skipper eat on a 40,000 nautical mile voyage, especially sailing solo? Well, it depends on a variety of decisions that are unique to the voyage and the skipper. There are many commercially packaged products available (we will allow you to research those as we cannot promote unsponsored brands). However, my tastes are unique depending on mood and so I really want to take along a wide variety of dried foods. I have elected to utilize a vacuum sealer to package lots of free-dried foods for my voyage around the world. When I am leaving port, I can take along a given amount of meats and fresh veggies. However, with the design of my boat (racer not a cruiser) I am not going to be able to keep it cold for long and so that is a luxury of sorts. So what will your skipper be eating and drinking on the boat?
Estimated Time On The Water 8 months (This can change quite a bit depending on a number of variables).
Note: I actually have not one but TWO nutritionists on our team to ensure that the daily/weekly food plan is adequate for this event. There is no guesswork here. 🙂
Food:
Each week there will be a sealed container marked for that week which will contain an assortment of dried, beans, meats, fruit, candies, protein bars. There will be exactly enough rationed food for that week. If I want more happy food (sugar) I have to wait until I open that container for the following week. No, I cannot cheat. That would create a very bad situation toward the end of the voyage.
Much of the food will be prepared and vacuum sealed by myself. There will, of course, be “love packages” from some of our closest followers, which I will have no idea what is in them until I am at sea. I will post online as often as I can and let everyone following the voyage know how the food supply is going. There is NO WAY to send more food. That would count as outside interference. I can only use what I already have on the boat. There will, however, be a fresh supply of water waiting for me at each planned stop.
Water:
Water for the voyage will be provided by FIJI, that is my favorite water and should keep the skipper happy and hydrated 🙂
Soda:
You’re not going to get this skipper thousands of miles from any land source, for a day much less than 8 months without his own favorite carbonated beverage Coca-Cola. Some people have to have their coffee, their daily dose of caffeine. For me, my pick me up and happy beverage is Coca-Cola, has been my entire life. Want to put a smile on my face, hand me a coke and I am good to go!
Disclosure: I will be crushing all plastic along the way to conserve space and properly recycling it at each stop. No plastic will find its way into our oceans, nor will it end up in the trash. We are part of the movement for attempting to turn the tide on plastic. We are attempting to be able to get our products in pouches instead of plastic bottles, but either way, we do have a response plan in place to protect our marine wildlife around the planet. Even vacuum pouches bags will be recycled at each stop. Again, no plastic goes into the trash/landfills.
Check back next week as I discuss further uses on the boat for vacuum sealing.
Cheers
Eddie Davis
Skipper: Hands of Grace / Rae of Light
Welcome To My World 