Well, this past week proved successful in terms of my cooking skills. I was officially on my own. After 2 3-day trips helping Gillian cook and learning from her, I was on my own for a full 5-day trip (the last Spring trip on the Pacific Grace before we leave on the big Offshore trip on June 3rd). It was pretty exciting! I was a bit nervous to begin, but after the first day, I felt a bit better and got myself into a "groove" of my cooking schedule. It was quite exhausting at times, but I learned to love it! My routine is very different than any of the watch officers' routines:
0530 Wake up and start breakfast (for 35).
0720 First breakfast sitting.
0800 Second sitting. Eat. Rest.
0930 Begin lunch.
1120 First lunch sitting.
1200 Second lunch sitting (sometimes one-sittting at 1200). Eat. Rest.
1400-1500 Begin dinner (sometimes before or after depending on what it is).
1720 First dinner sitting.
1800 Second sitting (sometimes one-sitter). Eat. Rest.
1930 Begin mug-up (dessert and hot drink).
2130 Serve mug-up. Clean up galley.
2200 Devos with crew.
2300 Asleep and rest for same schedule next day.
It's quite a schedule. But I love it! I think my favourite - and most memorable - meal I cooked was the last night (Thursday). I cooked a huge Beef Roast (this thing rivaled the one seen in How the Grinch Stole Christmas), seasoned with olive oil, Rosemary herbs, Montreal steakhouse pepper, garlic cloves inserted into the meatiest parts of the meat, and I think some thyme or other seasoning. But after having to defrost this chunk of meat for hours, and then cut it up in its raw stage - to be able to fit on the pan and into the oven - I can understand how some people are vegetarian! In order to have it ready for first sitting, I had to have it in by 2:30, just to be the perfect tenderness for 3 hours later. The roast was accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes (I threw some grated cheese in to liven the flavour, which the trainees LOVED), along with peas and yorkshire pudding. The pudding didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to (I used half whole wheat flour to make them more healthy, but that prevented them from rising). Skipper assured me it was okay, but that next time I should stick to the recipe. He helped carve the roast, which was quite a challenge as we were sailing and the whole boat was keeled over to the port side, then the starboard, then port, and then starboard again (we were tacking). You can imagine how difficult this was for cooking! I will have to get used to that, though, as we will be sailing all over the Pacific! Anyway, with some paper towel, sticky mats, and help from the crew and trainees who weren't heaving over the side of the boat, everything got under control, and the meal was served somewhat on time. Everyone loved the food. The mashed potatoes went the quickest (we would have had more, but some potatoes were lost overboard when I asked some of the trainees to help me with the peeling process). I lost a potato overboard too, so I guess next time I will have to begin with 70 potatoes instead of 60 to allow for mistakes. All in all, it was a great trip! My hands are proof of how much I used the stove (after cleaning it for an hour, I was left with a nasty black film under my nails). Food was good (according to the feedback I received), trainees were amazing for our last trip of the Spring season, and my crew was awesome, although they weren't the full crew I will be sailing with Offshore. I am really looking forward to getting to work with everyone, and seeing how we will all get along for the year! We all went out for dinner together last night and I got a little taste of how great everyone is and what each person will contribute to our overall community on the boat. It's truly amazing, and I thank God everyday for this amazing opportunity and such wonderful family and friends!
This next week we will be working on preparing for our Offshore trip and getting the final details put together (a LOT of things to do)! Karen and I will continue to be living in Victoria at the place we are renting from two of the sweetest ladies, so we actually get to shower and sleep in a stable bed for the next few weeks before we set sail. Please continue to pray for the strength, energy, and persevearance we all need to get everything that we need to get done before June!
All that is left to do is our fresh shop (fruits and veggies) and get our cabin ready (which is still awaiting a book shelf and - hopefully - some reading lights, as the one in there doesn't work very well (it decides when it wants to turn on). We are having more fun now that the food situation is taken care of, and are down to our final stages of preparing to leave. Everyone is in a state of a little nervousness, maybe some anxiety, perhaps some stress, and an underlying excitement. Families and friends are expected to arrive this week, as well as all the trainees for Leg One. Everyone boards on Saturday, but a few of us will be sleeping on the boat the night before. We set sail on this Sunday, June 3rd, but I don't think I'll feel like it's really happening until the following week, or so Skipper Tony tells me (he has sailed numerous Offshores, with his wife, and 6 children, and they are all coming - the most lovely family too)! I am getting nervous myself as the days draw nearer, but I am looking forward to seeing Matt, my family, and some of my friends, who are all coming out this weekend! 4 more days...WOW!
