Food: Packing for the Voyage

Food is a critical ingredient for a successful voyage. Since only Rich Wilson will be aboard for the race, and the race rules don’t allow the participants to stop overnight, Rich will be sailing around the clock and will need solid nutrition. For this 100-day voyage at sea, Rich adapted the food lists and menus that his mother developed for him for his last four extended voyages. Below are photos of Rich’s food planning and assembly from a past 15,000-mile voyage. You can also view the food lists and menus from that voyage: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!

How to Organize Your Food

Step One: Gather food items together.
Step Two: Spread the freeze-dried food out on the floor.
Step Three: Organize food into boxes by week.
Step Four: Bag each week in separate garbage bags (double-wrapped)
Occasionally, an order gets mixed up! Even with the physical demands that Rich will be under during the Vendée Globe, this is WAY to many raisins for him to eat.

Breakfast Menu options:

Orange Juice: 1 juice box/breakfast
Granola: 2 bags (12 cups)/week = 1 cup/person/day = six breakfasts/week
Scrambled Eggs: One breakfast/week (3 eggs)
Bacon Bits: 5 jars on boat (Can alternate with leftover ham for scrambled eggs)
Bread: 3 loaves for use with breakfasts/week
Milk: 3 packets dried milk packed with the granola. 1 packet = 1 quart for 2 days of breakfasts
Clarified Butter: 2 jars (13 oz. Each) put on board for all uses for 15 weeks.

Lunch Menu options:

Here are three different lunch menus that Rich will use throughout the voyage, depending on what week it is. This creates variation in his diet, which can prevent him from getting bored with his meals and encourage him to eat more.

Menu 1

Soup Options:
Knorr Minestrone
Lipton’s Chicken Noodle with White Meat
Knorr Tomato Basil
AlpineAir Minestrone
AlpineAir Split Pea
Knorr Minestrone
Campbell’s Chicken Noodle

Sandwich Options:
One can for two sandwiches:
Tuna
Deviled Ham
Chicken
Tuna
Deviled Ham
Chicken
Cheese Spread: three packets

Bread:
One sandwich/person/meal
Five loaves/week of dense German bread

Mayonnaise:
Two 8 oz. jars

Desserts:
Apples or oranges

*Drinks:
14 juice boxes (this amount covers dinner as well)
Coffee, tea, Gatorade, tomato juice packets

Milk:
14 whole milk boxes & 3 packets dry milk (this amount covers dinner also)

Menu 2

Soup Options:
Edward and Sons Organic Soups (several varieties)
1 package/day for 2 persons for 7 days

Main Dish Options:
Vegetable Lasagna
Freeze dried or dehydrated (almost all are 1 package for 2 people)
Three-Bean Chili
Zucchini Lasagna
Three-Cheese Lasagna
Spaghetti Marinara
Pasta Primavera (1 package/person)
Caribbean Beans and Rice

Bread: 2 loaves/week

Desserts: Apples or oranges

**Drinks: 3 cans juice to mix with water (this amount covers dinner also)
Coffee, tea, Gatorade, tomato juice packets

Milk: 5 Ensure, 6 Whole milk, 4 Soy milk. This amount planned to cover dinners also.

Menu 3

Soup Options:
Edward & Sons Organic Vegetable
Campbell’s Chicken Noodle
Knorr Tomato Basil
Edward & Sons Organic Potato Leek
Lipton’s Giggle (!) Chicken Noodle
Knorr Tomato Basil
Campbell’s Chicken Noodle

Sandwiches/Main Dish Options
(one can for 2 sandwiches):
Tuna sandwich
One Spaghetti with meat sauce (one lunch for 2 persons)
One Lasagna with meat sauce (one lunch for 2 persons)
Chicken sandwich
Mountain chili
Deviled ham sandwich
Pasta Primavera (1 package/person)
Cheese spread sandwich (3 packets)

Bread:
one sandwich/person/meal
three loaves/week

Mayonnaise:
One 8 oz. jar

Desserts:
Apples or oranges

Drinks:
4 cans juice to mix w/water
6 juice boxes
Coffee, tea, Gatorade, tomato juice packets

Milk:
A mix of Ensure, whole milk boxes, soy boxes, and dried milk