MORE FROM OUR YACHT CHEF AT SEA

I managed a quick snorkel after lunch today. Trigger fish, angel fish a turtle and a parrot fish: Aquamarine in the shallows. The coral reef dropped off into the dark blue abyss, out to where our boat is anchored. You’ve got to make the most of every opportunity. I may never be here again.

Being locked down on a boat at anchor in the Maldives is probably the safest place to be right now. But the owner of the boat who is now unable to join us here is starting to look into getting his holiday home back to Europe.

The captain has to coordinate a plan and that involves many variables.

A headache made all the more difficult as ports are closing all over the world.

My job is to keep 15 people fed a healthy diet from the first until the 25th of April.

We will set a course to Cyprus after going the other direction to pick up four armed security guards in Sri Lanka, on through the Suez canal after refuelling in Oman.

I have dry store goods to last, meat and fish in the freezer and minimum dairy.

We need fresh fruit and veg and as there is a run on the shops in Male we’ve been informed the shelves are bare. There is a flight from the UAE arriving on the 1st so my order is on it.

We take delivery of the provisions with excessive hygiene measures due to the pandemic. Minimising the number of crew contacting the unclean items they are passed with gloved hands after removing packaging to the galley where everything is washed with sanitized water, dried and stored.

All crew in a chain so as not to bring the virus inside.

Doing this obviously reduces the shelf life of the fresh goods.

We need to leave! And bloody soon! as the huge puzzle of using the items before they perish has started.

How on earth can I make this last 25 days!?

It’s going to be very creative by the end….. Isn’t that how new recipes are born?