The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew

Book excerpt: The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew, despite the title, is hardly a cookbook; rather it’s a primer on successful cruising. Certainly, anyone contemplating, or preparing for, off shore passages would want to read and then keep this volume aboard. A 50 day passage from Japan to Victoria, Canada in 1979 provides Lin a base for discussing everything from menus to clothing, to choosing a fresh chicken, to dealing with port officials, to preventing sea sickness, to buying liquor abroad as well as the best material for underwear. Lin and Larry have been full time cruisers and professional sailors for some 40 plus years, it’s all that they do. They’ve learned a lot and a great deal of their wisdom appears in this book, where specific situations mix with general guidelines. As a bonus, Lin writes very well. She’s able to seamlessly tie one subject to the next in a style that seems like great conversation rather than reading a how-to-do-it text. By structuring the flow of information in and around the process of food preparation while experiencing the joys and travails of a very long passage, she provides the reader with a good cruising tale enhanced with a thousand useful tips. Tips vary from entertaining aboard to coping with money transfers. There are great tips on provisioning in foreign ports as well as a strong suggestion to only go a short distance before anchoring following a farewell party. Excellent chapters will help insure your crew stays healthy and well rested. Others deal with creating an ideal galley. From big ideas to small tips, all are presented logically and with useful illustrations. Learn why credit cards are safer to use than debit cards, how to keep eggs for up to 3 months without refrigeration. How you can determine which engine parts are likely to fail, which plastic material makes the best water jugs, how Lin outsmarted weevils and learned to bake fresh bread. Find out which galley layout works best offshore. Rain water catchers – how to make the best kind. On board trash collection and dealing with "black water" in boats lacking holding tanks. Which cutlery and dinnerware holds up best. Standing watches, getting rest and using Dramamine as a sleeping aid. The book covers everything from the value of "a little black cocktail party dress" to the safety of double sinks. Finally, intertwined in the cornucopia of wisdom is meal after nourishing meal sure to lift the spirits of a weary crew. Those recipes and cooking tips alone make for a book of great value. All the other info is just priceless gravy. This fourth edition of The Care and Feed of Sailing Crew incorporates ideas and information gathered by Lin and Larry during their more recent voyages through the Line Islands and south through the Pacific to New Zealand. The majority of chapters have been expanded to include the most up-to-date information on sources, supplies and new technology. Additional recipes and cooking ideas for use on cruising boats of all sizes have been added to ensure this valuable reference source continues to be relevant for all sailors who venture away from home, be it for a weekend cruise to nearby islands or a voyage around the world.