can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Starblazer - 12/01/2016 - Good and Bad



Let us get the ‘bad’ out of the way first. On New Year’s Day I had a
haircut, I say haircut but it was more like a scalping! To give you an idea
of the severity of it: John says he never realised how much I look like my
brother John. For those who know my brother I must point out that he no
longer has a beard. My haircut is not much longer than a 1950’s short back
and sides. No photos will be published before it has grown somewhat.
Notable ‘scalpings’ to date: St Lucia, Darwin about equally bad, Cape Town
the shortest yet.

The second ‘bad’ bit is the temperature. We are only about 60 miles south
of the Tropic of Capricorn but it is cold, especially during the night. It’s
not that hot during the day in the sunshine either. The reason for this is
partly the wind direction, south southeast. If you look on a globe you will
find nothing between us and the Antarctic. The second factor is the
Benguela Current, the South Atlantic’s equivalent of South America’s Pacific
coast Humboldt Current which causes the water to be cool even near the
equator in the Galapagos Islands.

The temperature has influenced our diet so I thought I would describe what
we have been eating. When we crossed the Atlantic with ARC 2009 at least
one boat stocked up entirely on tins, we had no freezer but had fresh meat,
vegetables and fruit for the whole 21 days. Similarly we have heard of boats
stocking almost exclusively with freeze dried meals and tinned fruit. We do
have tins, as you will see, but we rely first and foremost on fresh produce.
Obviously we do not carry much fresh milk, we left with 4 litres. We still
have dried milk powder from New Zealand plus 12 emergency litres of long
life milk just in case we run out of the pre-weighed powder as my scales do
not work when the boat is rocking. Before we cast off I try to ensure I
have weighed out enough milk powder for 1 litre per day which makes it much
easier to make the milk.

Normally we have cereal for breakfast but the temperature has suggested
something hot so we have had porridge most mornings but scrambled eggs on
toast has also appeared on the menu. Lunches are usually open ham or cheese
sandwiches with tomato and cucumber slices. Again, the hot option has
attracted us, whether normal sandwiches accompanied by soup, ‘Mug Shots’
bought from LIDL in Australia which are instant pasta in sauce or crustless
quiche with salad. The crustless quiche is baked in the oven in a silicon
cake ‘tin’ and comes out rather like a frittata without much effort!

Dinners are the highlight of the day and are usually accompanied by a glass
of red wine. The first night of a passage, to minimise the time the galley
slave is occupied below, I like to have a pre-made meal handy. This passage
I took a Bobotie (South African spiced minced beef dish) out of the freezer
the day before and just put it in the oven. I often cook two meals at the
same time when I use minced beef and had made the Bobotie some time ago.
Day 2 we had ‘Sosaties’, skewers of meat typically BBQ’d but in this
instance roasted in a hot oven. We had bought the marinaded skewers for
Tuesday evening’s meal but had takeaway fish and chips instead. The skewers
were accompanied by roasted vegetables comprising courgettes, aubergine,
yellow pepper and baby tomatoes served with couscous. For American readers
that should be zucchinis, eggplant, yellow Capsicum and baby tomatoes. We
are truly two nations divided by one language! The entire meal was quick
and easy to prepare and cooked itself so the galley slave was not tied to a
swinging oven in quite rolly seas.

Day 3 the swell and waves were more extreme and I didn’t feel inclined to
spend time preparing and cooking a meal so I resorted to opening tins. To
one large can of a thick chicken and vegetable ‘meal’ soup I added a small
tin of new potatoes and a small tin of chicken with cracked pepper in a
creamy dressing. The resulting meal was very tasty and quick.

Day 4 the winds had abated, the swell was reducing and normal service
returned to the galley. I cooked a double quantity of Venison Hotpot using
a spice mix I’d bought in South Africa, this was served with rice. One
‘ready meal’ is now in the freezer. Day 5 I prepared a typical BBQ meal,
largely in the oven: ribs in sticky sauce, potato wedges and sweet corn. I’d
bought the ribs, pre-cooked and vacuum packed, the corn cob was the last one
left in the freezer.

Yesterday, Monday, was a cause for celebration as we passed the halfway mark
to St Helena before lunch. How do we celebrate? With a good fillet steak,
of course! Boulangere potatoes in the oven, cauliflower in cheese sauce
finished in the oven and steaks cooked quickly in a dry frying pan, the meal
was excellent. It is possible to create interesting food with just an oven
and two gas rings, the grill has been busy rusting itself to death, not
impressive for a marine cooker bought 4 years ago.

I hope, from reading this blog, you won’t now think that crossing oceans is
just problem solving in uncomfortable conditions, something we need our
heads examined to enjoy; we eat well, however we get little exercise so it’s
not good news for the waistlines! That’s a problem for another day!

Joyce


Previous | Next