Programs Blog

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Position: 41° 45.989’S  X  175° 25.053’E

Ship Heading: 255° / Log: 1200 NM

Ship Speed (knots): 3.2 knots

Wind Speed: 15 knots

For today’s installment of life aboard the Robert C Seamans, I’d like to give a huge shout-out to our fabulous chefs, Kat and Natalie!  Running a galley aboard ship is not a task for the faint of heart.  Yet, somehow they also manage to be the cheer and morale department also.

Obviously, there is cooking (to a standard that much exceeds my abilities), but our dauntless Chefs do so much more.  Keeping track of provisions stored throughout the ship in cubbies, holds, hammocks and bins on deck to use everything at the right time in nutritious meals is a feat unto itself (and in far more reasonable meal combinations than I would come up with).  The intrepid Kat and Natalie make up breakfast early before everyone else is up, and are still working into the evening to have a hot satisfying dinner for those coming in from watch at 1900 or gearing up for the evening watch, without including midrats, snacks, and unofficial “hutch” snacks.

As noted earlier, the weather we’ve been having over the last few days has been a challenge on deck.  (Applause to students for dedication and sticking it out). What may be less obvious is the extra challenge of working below deck in the weather.  There is no steadying horizon to look out at.  While you get all of the motion of the ship, without being able to see the waves, you are not able to prepare for each one and brace yourself accordingly.  Lots of guessing and lunging.  As one who routinely uses the smoke alarm as an oven timer, if I tried to cook on a ship like this, my vocabulary would favor all the words that have been banned from the blog.

Instead, our chefs have shown amazing and infectious cheer (Medieval hair style day!).  The galley is filled with laughter, sometimes because a roll of the ship has triggered an unintended dance move, but often just because.  Indeed, the rougher the weather, the spunkier the sing-alongs coming from the galley.  Natalie and Kat check in with everyone who comes through the galley, sincerely caring about each person’s well-being, have been known to make a special dish that someone is craving, and pull out all the stops for a birthday onboard (dinosaur decorations in the galley!)

Going to sea might prompt images of standing at the wheel with full foulies and so-wester, but we would not be here, especially as a cheerful community group, without the dedication of the galley.  So, thank you Chef Natalie and Chef Kat for being great shipmates, taking care of us, and keeping up the cheer while reminding us not to take things (ourselves) too seriously.

Side note – ALBATROSS! Are seriously amazing and just incredibly majestic, and I am particularly thankful that we have been getting to see a good number of them in the last several days.  (Hi, Estella! – You should check them out.)

–Beth Adams, Assistant Engineer, Port Hadlock, Washington