How to Provision a Galleon
Looking to travel the world the way your ancestors did? Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the wooden galleon was the standard for brave sailors looking for fame and fortune on the seven seas. Keeping a crew fed for months on end was no easy task, and stocking provisions took weeks of preparation. Being able to provision a ship took a great deal of experience and know-how, not to mention a significant amount of expense.
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Instructions
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Calculate the length of your voyage at sea. Assuming that you will not be making supply stops along the way, you will need to have enough food to last each person on-board for at least several weeks.
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Determine whether or not you will be keeping live animals on board. Some galleons chose to keep chickens, pigs and even cows on board to provide fresh food throughout the journey. While having freshly butchered meat will improve the health of your crew, it also comes at a significant cost. Each animal will need to have enough feed to last them the journey, plus adequate space to be kept in.
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Check your ship for rats. Though these vermin are often inevitable, trying to keep your ship rat-free before setting sail is a wise precaution. Many crews through history have gone hungry due to sacks of flour or barrels of meat being spoiled by unwelcome rodents.
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Purchase your supplies. The variety of food you provide will depend highly on your budget and the length of your journey. Hard tack, salted meat and picked vegetables can keep a sailor fed for weeks, but such a diet doesn't do much for morale. Starting the journey off with fresh goods such as butter, fresh meat and soft bread will make the preserved food more bearable later on. Food stuffs such as coffee, sugar, ale and rum may not seem necessary, but they can make all the difference in keeping your crew from thinking of mutiny.
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Store your provisions in a dark, dry part of the ship. Make sure the storage barrels are tightly sealed to prevent air and insects from getting in. If you are taking along passengers, you may wish to station a guard near the food, to make sure nobody takes more than their fair share.
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Tips & Warnings
Though fresh fruit can be tricky to store during weeks at sea, having a healthy supply of citrus on hand will help to prevent scurvy.
References
- Photo Credit rigging of old sailing ship image by green308 from Fotolia.com
