For ages, a few smart cruisers have used a pressure cooker onboard their boats, but for many of us, a pressure cooker seems like more of a joke; a throwback to our mom’s or even our grandmother’s kitchen as kids.
We've all heard the stories of a pressure cooker exploding and spewing dinner far and wide, but things have really changed.
Pressure cookers now are virtually all stainless steel construction with much better pressure valves and far better cooking control.
Grand summer meals on board should be light, colourful, easy to prepare, sumptuous and most importantly, best served with great friends around your table!
For years, my family has savoured over summer meals of mouth-watering flank steak, the long lean muscle taken from the under belly side of a cow. There was a time not that long ago when flank steak was considered a lesser, inexpensive choice of meat and much underrated, but this misconception has changed in recent years as fancier restaurants have increasingly slipped it on to their menus and marinating recipes have become easily accessible on the Internet.
Read more: “Flankly” Speaking…How Hard is it to Cook a Steak?
Teach him to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
It could have been during the cocktail hour at The Bitter End Yacht Club, or maybe it was later at the bar at Leverick Bay…my memory is a little fuzzy, but it was definitely the British Virgin Islands and only a few weeks ago, but I do remember Sandy and Elinor Marr of Nutmeg Charters describing how they always drag a fishing line when they are cruising and often their dinners come in right over the transom. One of their favourite delicacies is landing a tuna, then cutting in into strips and hanging it with clothes pegs on the stern lifeline for a few days to dry. On the flight home, I began thinking how few of us take advantage of the savoury delights that lay just beneath our boats.
In the ongoing and fabled fight for truth, justice and a better life for yachtsmen, Galley Guys recently had the opportunity to be in St. Maarten and to enjoy a great culinary delight – a catered dinner aboard a Swan 48, in one of the nicest settings imaginable.
The word “catered” on one hand – implies that the food is prepared, packed up, and delivered warm or cold, to a social engagement, more often than not – a bit of a compromise. This would however be a catered event with a difference. And while we were guests on the Dutch side of the island, it would take a decidedly French twist.
In our quest to encourage boaters to dine and entertain with fun and flare, the Galley Guys showed up at the Halifax Boat Show this past Valentine’s Day, February 14th to join in the “Cooking Onboard” presentations being made by Michele Stevens at the show.
Michele is a 4th generation sailmaker and her loft, called Michele Stevens Sail Loft in Second Peninsula, Nova Scotia is the official sailmaker to the Bluenose II. With her all-woman team, they produce sails as well as upholstery, cushions, sail bags and custom work.
That famous east coast hospitality opened its arms to the Galley Guys last month during a trip to Nova Scotia.
We were visiting some of the Nova Scotia Boat Builders: Covey Island Boat Works in Lunenburg, North Atlantic Yachts in Halifax and Big Pond Boat Shop on Cape Breton Island on Bras d’Or Lake.
After spending the day onboard the latest 42-foot trawler from the Big Pond Boat Shop, boat builders Pat and Keith Nelder said,
So how do you objectively review a powerboat galley? Well for starters – more or less the same way you would look at any galley or kitchen; counter space, storage, access to guests, lighting and overall functionality are key components. As with any galley, it also depends on the type of entertaining you will be using it for. Most buyers want a galley that affords easy access to everything needed for meal preparation and encourages interaction with on-board guests.
At the 2008 Toronto International Boat Show, I got to explore the different types of powerboats and their galleys. For those of you who have been to the show, you know that the power side of the show far outweighs the sail in numbers.
The Galley Guys gave me a daunting one-day assignment while at the 2008 Annapolis Boat Show: determine which sailboat, currently available in Canada, had the best and possibly the ultimate galley. Have you ever attended the Annapolis Boat Show? Seen an aerial shot of it? Daunting! Amazing! Thankfully, limiting the assignment to boats available in Canada made the job a tiny bit easier.
So what are the key considerations when determining who has the ultimate galley? I opted for the basics. I considered what kind of storage was for dry goods, cutlery, serving wear, glasses and so on.
Cheerful and very enthusiastic were the first two things that struck me as I entered the Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal booth last January at the Toronto International Boat Show. “Come to Montréal”, they said. “See what we have done to our harbour. Get immersed in the port’s new life and sense the energy that is everywhere around the Old Port.”
In true Galley Guy style, we couldn’t say no, especially knowing that Montréal is one the most sought-out cuisine centers in the world, with over 5,000 restaurants representing cuisine from over 80 different nationalities – a Galley Guy must-go destination.
The Galley Guys have been living high on the hog lately with last issue’s memorable Bouride à la Provençal and the mouth-watering curried shrimp in the June issue and just recently, we met with Ann Vanderhoof, the author of The Spice Necklace, to sample her island fare for the November Waypoint issue of Canadian Yachting. Her recipes made us want to book our trips right now!
But the Galley Guys – Greg Nicoll, Andy Adams and John Armstrong – are “guys” after all. Guys love gourmet food. Guys love great wines and guys get hungry. Really hungry.
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Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54
By Zuzana Prochazka
Beneteau saw an opportunity to add a little thrill to any cruising adventure, so they took the hull of the First 53 racer (introduced just last year), and with a few fashionable changes, created the Oceanis Yacht 54, the new entry-level of Beneteau’s swanky Oceanis Yacht line. The result is a performance cruiser that sails like a witch and looks like a grande dame.
Design
Roberto Biscontini is the naval architect and Lorenzo Argento created the details of the exterior and interior design.
Destinations
New Ottawa River destination opens
The new owners of L’Orignal Marina offer boaters a new destination. Located in a charming francophone village in Eastern Ontario, this joined marina and restaurant venue is the ambitious initiative of long-time entrepreneur André Chabot and biologist Alexandra Quester, both residents of L’Orignal.
The purchase of the L’Orignal Marina was made official in November 2020. The new year was barely underway when all 50 available slips were already reserved. No wonder the addition of member and visitor slips is already planned for the 2022 season – the 2021 count is up to 62 power and sail already. At the moment, the Riverest Marina offers boaters a stop where they can launch their boat...
Bruce Kirby - 1929 – 2021 (Bruce Kirby)
No individual had a greater impact on the modern sport of sailing than Bruce Kirby. Known and respected worldwide as the designer of the ubiquitous Laser that now numbers over 250,000, and is an Olympic Class in two configurations, Kirby had a yacht design career that spanned over forty years, with feet firmly planted in his native Canada and his adopted United States.
He was a successful journalist, sailor and designer, and a good friend to anyone who had the pleasure to know him.
DIY & How to
Ask Andrew: Corrosion – Part 1
It’s a scary thought – but whether your boat is made of wood, fiberglass, aluminum or composite – it’s slowly deteriorating under you. Part of this is the nature of the marine environment: Sun, moisture, waves, wind, movement and vibration all contribute to components breaking down.
But there are other factors that are much more concerning and act at a significantly faster rate that the environment can take credit for. One of these is commonly spoken of, but not terribly well understood: Corrosion. As boaters, we’re concerned with two main types of corrosion: Galvanic and Stray-Current. This edition will focus on galvanic corrosion – in two weeks, stay tuned for info on stray-current.
Marine Products
1ST MATE IS READY TO ASSIST IN OVERBOARD SITUATIONS
Wouldn’t you feel better knowing that your boat had a system to monitor and help in the event that anyone falls overboard?
Mercury Marine has introduced their new 1st Mate Safety and Security System. This has an intelligent hub, a set of wearable products and a mobile device app that integrate with your boat's propulsion systems to provide potentially lifesaving safety features and to help secure property. Its three main features are: 1) a boater-overboard monitoring and alert system, 2) distress-messaging capability, and 3) deterrence against theft of the boat and/or its engine(s).
News
On July 23 last year, CYOB published a piece on a beautifully restored 1967 Trojan 42 Motor Yacht in Oromocto NB. (That piece was also expanded in CY magazine later in the year.)
One of our Canadian Yachting contributors, Denise Miller, had shared the article on my social media and a young man reached out and asked if she could connect him with the owners of the boat, Dave and Barb. Denise leapt into action and Dave and Barb were thrilled. They concocted a plan that the young lady, Mia, thought she was coming to model for a sales brochure for Dave to do charter tours.
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