Vorkosigan Saga: the rice ship has only a glancing mention, barely a paragraph! I was more amused to note that it's part of the saga's canon. That said, Miles and Bothari in Warrior's Apprentice might give you some of the vibes you enjoy? (And that's where the rice ship appears, anyway.) If that works for you, there's additional Bothari-and-Vorkosigan feelings in the novels about Miles's parents: Shards of Honor and Barrayar (collected in the Cordelia's Honor omnibus).

chiropteracupola's Hornblower Space AU: one, two, three. I'm still looking for the other artist I'm thinking of.

ETA: janirah ! Sci-fi Hornblower AU