Race 14 - Day 5
Crew Diary - Race 14 Day 5
25 July

Food, glorious food

What’s on the menu on a Clipper Race? I can’t speak for the other boats, but I have to confess I think we eat pretty well on CV30. It’s remarkable what can be produced from the small galley, with just a hob, a small oven, and a bit of imagination.

We have tended to work to a 7-day menu, trying to get a balance between the right nutrients, sufficient energy for tired sailors, and accommodating various likes and dislikes and allergies. This latter requirement has often resulted in a deconstructed meal, such as quinoa salad with a selection of toppings (olives, sundried tomatoes, gherkins, cheese, etc) that can be added according to taste. Of course, on the longer legs, fresh fruit and veg are almost non-existent, so we rely on a trusty range of tins – sweetcorn, beans (green or otherwise), tuna (definitely a love-it-or hate-it ingredient) to combine with pasta, rice or noodles. Meat can be kept in the freezer so we have been well catered for on that front, with chicken fajitas (always a bit of free-styling involved as we don’t have actual fajita mix), beef noodle stir fry, and many curries. We also tried to come up with some meals that can be served cold, particularly popular on the hotter leg through the Caribbean: potato salad, sandwiches, quinoa salad. Breakfast can sometimes be a competitive sport, as some crew members vie to create the most delicious pancakes, or bacon and eggs. Porridge is almost universally popular, but just don’t ask Greg for peanut butter with it.

As I write this there is the heady smell of baking cakes wafting through the boat – we know that when Vasi is on cookie duty we will be treated to all sorts of delicacies that she just rustles up from whatever ingredients she finds, with no recipe to speak of. Her spicy feta is my personal favourite – I’ll be asking for the (imagined) recipe. There has also been some competitive breadmaking, with Ella, our AQP, coming out as the champion… no wonder she left it so late in the race to show her prowess, so as not to set a precedent.

Bon appetit!

Cat Lister