Food & Living

I always say sailing on Good Dog is more like caravanning than camping.

Mainly because we have two hot showers on board and importantly, lots of water.

When I thought up this challenge, I always knew I would need crew to help me, and no one likes to be uncomfortable.

Yes – the photo does prove that the sun does shine in Scotland – even if the water is rather chilly.

This is called Good Dog breakfast.  Invented in order to cook a “full English” in one pan.

First, buy good quality bacon.

Chop it into strips using a pair of scissors and fry it up keeping the lid on the pan.  There is nothing worse than fat spitting around a clean galley!

Once cooked, take off the heat, add a knob of butter, and break the eggs into the pan.

Replace on a good heat and stir until scrambled.

Concurrent activity is to “toast” some bread in the next door pan – an alternative “toaster” suggested by my genius brother-in-law Nick. 

Before you say it crew…… “Don’t drop any crumbs please.”  (Skipper’s favourite expression!) 

The one thing I can cook are lobsters.

We have been lucky enough to have been given some lobsters, especially in Scotland.  We have also been able to buy them for a fair price direct from a fishing boat or close to where they have been landed.

My main tip, after they have been cooked for about ten minutes, is to place a chopping board on top of a tea towel inside an oven tray.  This catches any liquid that escapes as you slice the magnificent shell fish from top to toe.

You then use various tools from the tool box to break the claws and extract the meat, placing it all in a large bowl.

Serve cool with lots of lemon,  marie-rose sauce, fresh brown bread and crisp white wine. Yum.

At the other end of the culinary scale is “instant breakfast on the hoof”.

Maybe for boys only, it consists of adding milk to the cereal container, sharing a spoon and passing it around until finished.

Only employed in an emergency when it is too rough to go down below!

Pictured here is my crew Pete on our way to St Kida in 2020.  

Crew Mutiny

The only time I came close to a mutiny was when I had three very experienced skippers crewing for me all at the same time…..  only joking – they were very compliant. 

When I started the challenge, I had previously owned a Drascombe Lugger and done a small amount of flotilla sailing.  So as a “beginner” yacht skipper I am extremely grateful for all the help I have been given by a number of kind friends – you know who you are! 

One thing I try and do as skipper, is get my crew to do the helming and as much of the navigation as they wish to do.   

If you are reading this and you would like to crew for me, please get in touch.  Contact details in footer.