Dinner preparation at a 20 degree tilt - New Caledonia to Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Mon 19 Oct 2009 09:28
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24:26.898S 159:43.173E
There is a certain methodology that must be
followed in order to successfully supply dinner at a 20 degree tilt.
Actually, it's more like a continuous 0 to 30 degree tilt arc -
sometimes we're tilted 0 degrees and sometimes 30 degrees, and in
between, we are tilted at every degree between 0 and 30. If we put our
minds to it, it's possible that we could determine the time vs. tilt
equation such that we could predict the tilt based on the time. Although
this information would be very helpful when preparing dinner, the work to
develop the equation would involve too much thinking and a deep knowledge
of chaos theory, neither of which we are prepared to deal with.
So, on with the 10-step 20 degree tilt dinner
preparation methodology:
Step 1 - Visualize the dinner. Example:
visualize frozen chicken and rice casserole, frozen bread, tomato and cucumber
(or any other vegetable that does not require cooking).
Step 2 - Visualize where the dinner components
reside. Example: visualize frozen chicken and rice casserole
hopefully thawed on the top shelf of the fridge in the galley, frozen bread in
the big freezer under the settee cushion in the salon, and tomato and cucumber
rolling around on the bottom shelf of the galley fridge.
Step 3 - Visualize taking out the dinner components
and securely placing them on the counter. Example: visualize moving the
free-wheeling gimbaling stove so it is fixed in place and won't bash into the
open fridge door when a particularly harsh tilt arc occurs. Then,
visualize kneeling down on the floor to be on the same level as the galley
fridge. Next, visualize opening the galley fridge very slowly and catching
anything that falls out. Find the dinner components and reach up above
your head while balancing on your knees to securely place all items on the
non-skid mat strategically placed on the counter. Visualize removing the
frozen bread from the big freezer.
Step 4 - Visualize sliding the bolt to allow the
stove to free-wheel (gimbal). Visualize doing this while balanced on your
knees. Visualize lighting the gas oven burner with the lighter while crouched
over the oven door and balancing as boat tilts through the 0-30
degree time-tilt arc. Visualize placing foil-wrapped frozen bread
into lit oven.
Step 5 - Visualize using
the wide-stance-butt-balancer technique
to position yourself for best access to the microwave. Visualize
cautiously opening the microwave door using one hand on the door, and one hand
to catch the glass plate as it comes rocketing out at you. Visualize
stuffing the glass plate back in the microwave and putting the plastic container
full of thawed chicken and rice casserole on the glass plate. Visualize
using both hands to close microware door while keeping the glass plate and
casserole inside.
Step 6 - Visualize turning the microwave on.
Again visualize using the wide-stance-butt-balancer technique to position
yourself in such way that you can open the toaster locker, reach in and pull out
the toaster, set it on the counter and plug it in - all in one swift very
coordinated motion. Visualize pushing the lever on the toaster down.
Imagine hearing the reassuring 'beep' indicating the microwave is on.
Repeat Step 6 in reverse to put the toaster back. Optional:
visualize a day when you don't have to turn the toaster on in order to get the
microwave to come on.
Step 7 - Visualize chopping the no-need-to-cook
vegetables while employing the wide-stance-butt-balancer technique.
Step 8 - Visualize repeating Step 5 in reverse to
retrieve the heated casserole without mishap.
Step 9 - Visualize gathering all dinner items and
timing steps to the companionway stairs with the time-tilt arc so items can be
delivered to the hungry captain in the cockpit in a timely fashion.
Step 10 - Now that the entire process has been
visualized, actually do it.
I discussed this 10-step visualization methodology
with Don and asked him what his breakfast preparation process at a 20 degree
tilt was. Below is his answer:
Don's 1-step 20 degree tilt breakfast preparation
process:
Step 1 - Just do it.
Doesn't that sound like Don? This is why he
does everything in one-tenth the time it takes me to do it.
In case you were wondering.....we are fine.
The wind is still a brisk 20 knots right on the beam (hence the 0 to 30 degree
tilt arc), but by using methodologies like those listed above, we have been able
to deal with it. We are just about half-way there, but are still planning
a Thursday at noon arrival (in order to coincide with the tide conditions in
Brisbane). We have scooted along so fast that we envision purposely
slowing down for the last 24 hours. We'll see.
Our weather guy says all is well - we are in the
middle of a high pressure bubble. All good.
Oh, and there was another flying fish incident last
night. I don't know why this is, but flying sea creatures only seem to fly
aboard at night and only on my watch. A foot long flying fish performed
what turned out to be a suicide mission by flinging itself onto our starboard
side deck - just outside the cockpit. It then proceeded to flop around and
resist my attempts to tong it back into the water (couldn't bear to touch the
thing, so I tried to use the tongs...). It was throwing off so many
fish scales and blood with its mucking about that I gave up with the tongs and
allowed it to suffocate on our deck. Cruel, I know, but would you have
touched the wiggling scaly bloody thing while trying to balance in a 0 to 30
degree tilt arc with tongs and flashlight in one hand and hanging on with the
other? I didn't think so.
In case you were wondering, Don gave the flying
fish a sea burial with high honors this morning.
More tomorrow -
Anne
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