Question asked by Ann:

My students would like to know what you eat on the boat? Can you heat your food? How do you brush your teeth or shower?

Answer:

I have 120 daily bags of food, and my target is to eat 6000 calories per day. That’s a lot of calories to consume, and I know that I’m not eating all of that. In the past, we’ve targeted 5000 calories, likely came close to eating it, and lost a lot of weight because of the extraordinary amount of exercise and stress that I experience aboard Great American III.

I don’t have shower, but I have a solar bag that I can fill with fresh water, and the sun will heat the water somewhat. However, down here in the south I won’t be taking any showers–it’s too cold. So maybe one sponge bath per week, here; then in the tropics, maybe a shower every few days.

I have small butane canister to heat water for the freeze-dried food, and I don’t do any other cooking. All of my for is “just add water”. One has to keep it simple, and yes, I can brush my teeth, and that’s very important here, because a dentist is a long way away if I get a problem. As Dr. Barnewolt wrote in his first Newspaper In Education piece, prevention is a big part of the battle here.