Below are the latest readings and updates from our scientific FCS crew on board Challenger 4 as they sail the Atlantic in the ARC Rally whilst seeing if their supplies of fruit will stay fresh in the long-life bags from Wikaniko.
(If you want to read the background to this story then click here)
Final Crew Report No.7 (8th Dec 2018)
Stores are dwindling and there has been little change in the fruit crate over the last few days. The apples, tomatoes, kiwis, lemons and mangoes are all ripe but not deteriorating.
When taken out of their boxes and bags and placed side by side it is clear that the apples and mangoes and possibly the kiwis have stayed plumper and in better condition inside the bags while the lemons and tomatoes are indistinguishable.
I suspect if weighed they would have lost less mass. This is a late victory for the bags, although some of the effect may be the physical protection it gives the fruit not rolling loose in the crate.
Overall: Bags 5 No Bags 4 unclear result 2
Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.6 (6th Dec 2018)
FRUIT FLASH: There has been a win for the green bags. The carrots and the bananas in fresh air have succumbed to dehydration and over-ripening respectively and have been cast out of the experiment. The samples in the green bags are still plump and edible.
Score so far Bags 2 Fresh air 3 with six fruit left in the experiment.
Fruit monitors Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.5 (4th Dec 2018)
FRUIT FLASH: The news from the Focsle fruit store is that the Red Peppers are succumbing to the heat and the worst decay is in the green bag. The rest of the fruit may be actually made from plastic going by its total resistance to decay.
After the evidence suggested that bananas ripen more slowly in the green bags we have put all our banana collection into them.
Weighing of fruit has ceased as it is nigh on impossible on a rolling boat.
Fruit monitors Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.4 (2nd Dec 2018)
FRUIT FLASH: Pressure has been exerted on the fruit monitors to scrap the experiment as it was not turning out as hoped for. Also the time taken to estimate the weight on a rock and roll boat was excessive. As true scientists we will not drop the experiment just because initially it is looking bad for the green bags.
This has been justified as today the bagged bananas are clearly in better condition that the free ones, and the same is true of the carrots. The rest of the fruit, including apples tomatoes red peppers mango kiwi and lemon are in good condition and placed neck and neck. We have however abandoned the weighing as it was making us cross eyed and nauseous!
Unbribable fruit monitors Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.3 (29 – 30th Nov 2108)
FRUIT FLASH: The pears and persimmons are OUT of the experiment. In both cases the samples in the green bags were wetter and more degraded than the samples in fresh air. A pattern is emerging. Fruit need fresh air! We are about to enter a period of fruit glut as the hand of bananas is almost all ripe and the tomatoes persimmon papayas and oears have all reached the point of no return. We cannot emphasis enough how impossible it is to weight fruit in a rocking rolling boat!!
Fruit monitors Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.2 (28th Nov 2018)
FRUIT FLASH: Due to advanced deterioration the Avocados have been expelled from the experiment.
Despite exemplary fruit care they have turned black and soft and are close to inedible. There are considered a hazard to neighbouring fruit. The other ten fruit are bravely continuing their journey.
Kate and Bev
Crew Report No.1 (26th Nov 2018)
The fruit experiment is underway now. After washing and displaying our fruit and veg on deck to such effect we stowed it all away in nets or bilges. All that is except for a handful of special samples chosen at random that will have closer attention on our journey.
11 species have been collected and weighed . These include apples pears carrots mango kiwi persimmon banana tomato red pepper lemon and avocado. Half of each has been put in a special green bag while the rest takes its chance in a plastic crate.
The difficulty of weighing fruit on a rolling boat had not been anticipated but we have evolved a technique that seems to give reasonable results. Subjective impressions of firmness dryness wrinkledness and attractiveness are being recorded daily along with the weight.
Two days in we can see the fruit is losing weight already but no perceived difference between the bagged and unbagged samples. It will be interesting to see how this progresses.
Fruit monitors Kate and Bev
Preparation (Day 1)
Fruit and veg on board and setting up the experiment.
The scientific process is under way and as you can see our resourceful crew have a makeshift lab set up on Challenger 4.
These will be checked everyday and record kept of how the fruit prospers in both environments – in the bag or left to their own devices.
You can read more about our environmental project here: Turning Our Yachts Green
