Scurvy

A couple months ago, we connected with a fourth grade teacher who was teaching her students about explorers. She invited us to join her class as a modern day example via Zoom. We loved hearing what they were curious about and sharing more on route planning, animal sightings, duties onboard, and more. One student asked if we have had scurvy, and it inspired me to share an update from the galley. Short answer: so far, so good!

Our fresh provisions are getting a little low, so we decided to spend the evening transforming the remaining hardy veggies into pickled onions, beets and kraut. I made a turmeric chickpea stew, a standalone favorite and quite pantry friendly. Scott recently made this new carrot salad recipe to bring to a taco night down the dock. Mujadara (Middle Eastern lentil and rice dish) and enchiladas are up next this week. Canned goods + onions + garlic keep us eating well. We stocked up at a grocery store in Morro Bay, added more produce at a farmers market in Santa Barbara, and see a jaunt to the store in Ventura in our future.

After 6 years living aboard, we’ve adapted to the small kitchen (galley). Storage can be a challenge, but everything is at hand and there’s less to clean. We once used every bowl on board to make a delicious tiramisu! Our galley has a a giant sink, a top opening fridge, and a gimbaling oven + stove for cooking while underway. We have two small propane tanks, last filled in Monterey.

Emergent Strategy is a powerful book that explores human relationships to change for personal, societal, and planetary help. One of the guiding ideas comes from fractals and states: “small is good, small is all”. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. A few examples include tree branches, lightning, circulatory systems of animals, and river basins.

This trip is a big endeavor and a collection of small moments, just like any other year. I love that voyaging on a boat makes it easier to enchant small moments – shopping for staples at a new spot, having more time to make things the slow way, and carting our propane tanks a mile down the beach for a refill. We trade the comfort that can be found staying in one place for another emotion that can be unlocked by grounding in a moving landscape.

For more explorer inspiration, check out the women on this list.

Currently reading: The Fate of Food by Amanda Little and The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson.