I have been asked by various yachties to write a more detailed idea of how I have set up the galley.

1.  Measure all the spaces under the sole and the entrance into the lockers under the sole.  These are great areas for storage.  Under the galley on this yacht I have two spaces, they are large in depth reaching right under and deeper, shallower near the entrance, the entrance is fairly narrow so you do have to make sure you can get plastic boxes in there to store things.

I put collapsable boxes in.  Two of which have my Asian products (soy sauce, Mirin, rice wine, tamarind etc.)  The third box in the larger space has my Mediterranean products such as sun dried toms, tom puree, anchovies, olives etc.  In the sole locker near the aft cabin door, I have baking stuff such as different types of flour, sugars, cornflour, bread making flour and dried yeast.  They are all in baskets and double wrapped in zip lock bags.  I also have a basket of different oils and vinegars.

The company I have used to get plastic boxes are :- www.plasticboxshop.co.uk 

2. Measure the freezer again I got rattan style plastic boxes for it and have managed to get 9 boxes in.  6 on the bottom shelf and 3 on the top shelf.  One box for meats vacu packed, one for veg’, one with asian ingredients such as coriander, limes, chillies, lime leaves, ginger etc.  Box for breads, flat breads etc. box for the fish we catch, one for dairy products such as cheese, butter and milk.

3.  Under the seats in the saloon there are very deep storage areas so I have baskets for condiments, rice, noodles, pasta, spare spices, and other dry goods.

4. under the sole in the corridor are spaces for storing wine, beer, etc. Save the plastic netting from wine bottles bought and use them to wrap around glass bottles to stop rattling and breakages.

I find that both Lakeland and John Lewis are great shops for galley equipment.  Joseph & Joseph make amazing stacking stainless steel mixing bowls inside of which is a sieve, then a colander, then a small pouring bowl then a set of measuring cups all stacked like a russian doll.  The same with chopping boards, small and easy to stow.  Silicone baking sheets, pie pans, cake tins are great no rusting, not rattling and easy to squeeze into the storage under the oven.

My saucepans are from France with removable handles and good stainless from Crystal France I also have two of their frying pans also with removable handles all stack very well under the sink.

I have a good square, light weight lasagne dish with a lid that can also be used as a griddle on top of the oven.  In the same light weight teflon I have a casserole dish.  Both these are from the AGA shop.  

Electric toaster sits safely on the surface on a non slip mat next to the fridge.  I have a gas hob kettle I like the Alessi one as it is quite sculptural to look at, is wide bottomed so no chance of spillage.

In the drawers I found the Robert Welch knife rack fits well for all my cooking knives.  I bought spice racks to fit drawers from IKEA and Discovery kindly cut them to size.  In another drawer I have china mugs, tea pot, jug and dipping bowls (for the sushi when we catch fresh Tuna)

All the drawers and cupboards are lined with a non slip, cushioned white plastic from Doreen Preston and Son ordered through Amazon. It is washable, wipeable and good for all cupboards and drawers on the yacht.

I use White Vinegar to do most of the cleaning and damp dusting, Sodium Barcyrbonate for cleaning the fridge and for washing the vegetables before drying them and storing them in:- ‘Stayfresh Longer Bags’ from Lakeland, squeezing out as much air as possible, sealing with a clip and putting in the fridge.

In the corner lower cupboard I have a small Magimix ( a godsend and time saver) Nutrimix and a Baymix.

Between each plate, saucepan and other dishes which may slide and rattle I have placed pan protectors from Lakelands, they are soft felt on one side and non slip on the other.

The drying rack is collapsable, there are several types, I got mine from John Lewis and it slots into the recessed drainage area perfectly.  The washing up bowl is Joseph & Joseph and the good thing about it is that you can twist the plug in the bottom to catch the bits and to drain it without having to lift it to pour the water out.

String bags are great for storage when you want to hang things and have air around them.  Silicone hooks don’t mark the wood and are great for hanging anything, I got mine through Amazon.

A PVC apron is essential incase there is spillage at sea it stops you getting burnt.

Milton sterilising tablets for sterilising dish cloths etc.  Fridge and Freezer temperature monitor are also a good idea plus an oven thermometer.  

Joseph and Joseph have very compact scales which are easy to stow in the draw but being electronic do not always work when at sea so a the conical measurers are a great idea from John Lewis or Lakelands.  Receipe books by Australian Woman’s Weekly are great as instead of weighing it is just done by cups and spoons fulls  and the recipes really work and are uncomplicated they also come in miniature versions so easy to stow.

I think I have covered everything but add anything more as I think about it.

BODRUM 

We arrived in Bodrum at 3 am the night before last.  We sailed into the bay having had 48 hours of Meltemi winds gusting at 35 knots.  The sea was rough and coming at us from the port side.  Aqualuna handled the sailing very well as the winds were fickle going between 24 - 35 knots every no and again so the main was like a yo yo up to three reefs at time and then completely down and sailing under staysail.   When the wind dropped for awhile we turned the engine on which ran quite happily then suddenly went into neutral with nobody anywhere near the gear stick……  This happened on and off over the next day.  The wind dropped five hours before we were due to arrive in Bodrum so Jonathan went to switch the engine on and it didn’t work at all!!! not even a light.  

So up went the sails and eventually the wind picked up again and Jonathan sailed around the islands and down the passages towards Bodrum with a less fickle sea thank goodness.  When we got to Bodrum Bay we launched the dingy and David Saunders hopped in tied it along side us and acted as our engine as we crept in to the anchorage off the castle.  Dropped anchor and all went for a good nights sleep having done night watches through the last week.  The next morning we called the marina and they sent a couple of ribs out to meet us and ease us into the marina where we are now safely along side.  The Yanamar chaps came today and replaced a fuse but no fault is being shown as to why the engine kept going into neutral.  Hopefully the problem is solved and we will soon find out.  These new electronic engines are great as they show fuel consumption etc. but far more complicated so more to go wrong.

We all had a great time yesterday and found a lovely restaurant in the evening with delicious local food.  On to the Marina night club last night to listen to a very good band.

David left us today to fly back to Australia.  Just such a great guy to have on board, easy going, fun, calm and knows exactly what he is doing.  We will miss him.

Lots of cleaning, washing and tidying up the yacht today.  We hope to leave here in a couple of days and head north towards Istanbul day sailing only.