It is without doubt the cook who has the most important job aboard any ship, large or small. Noel has been our cook for the last 8 years. He is responsible for, not only cooking, but ordering everything we need for trips lasting up to 3 months from any port. When we sail from Timaru the ship will be away from home port for about 7 months and it is important to store up with as many of the main brands, frozen and dry goods, to last that long. During port calls at Port Stanley (or wherever they may be) Noel will top up his supplies with fresh veges, poultry and fruit from places like, Santiago and Montevideo.
Dishing up 3 hot meals a day for 23 people is a demanding job even when the weather calm. The real test for any cook is to keep providing those meals during all conditions. When it’s been blowing 35 to 45kts South-West for days on end, dinner time and the chance to sit down and relax a little can be all there is to look forward to at the end of a cold wet shift.
Noel putting out breakfast for the 08:00hrs shift change. Juliet is just starting her shift, part of her cleaning duty is to help Noel clean up after mealtime. Once she has done that she heads below to join her team on the working deck for the next 8 hours.
Rgds: John B.
Tags: Colossal Squid, san aspiring
