I have been sitting at my desk in the chief cook's cabin on the Atlantic Huron for the past 15 minutes this Saturday morning just enjoying the free time. It's a little cool in my room, but I refuse to turn the heat up (I work in a hot galley all day and like my room to be fresh), I prefer to wear a warm sweater. My cabin has a window facing out the port side and a second wall facing forward so this room tends to be a little cooler because of the two exterior walls. I took these moments before I started writing to you to just appreciate this time that I enjoy so much in the morning. Taking a moment to look at the pictures of my loved ones that stand on my desk and just enjoy sipping my coffee and ponder... The last few days working alone without a second cook did not offer these simple luxuries of quiet moments and sipping coffee. Each moment was calculated and assigned to a task to make sure I accomplished everything in my day. The fact that I can sit here today is evidence that not only did we get a second cook in Quebec City but we got an experienced second cook. I am feeling especially fortunate and somehow think all the positive wishes that I have received from you and my mom up in heaven had something to do with this gift. It is more difficult to get a relief this time of year because not everyone likes to sail in the cold, sometimes stormier months. I just came back from going outside to wave at the Cathedral, below Trois Riviere. I received a message asking if I could come out and wave. I put on my warm winter hat (which I was happy came out of the wash perfectly. If you remember me joining the ship in Windsor by the punt boat, we had to go under the boom which was dripping wet stone dust and managed to drop on my hat, coat and suitcase at just the exact moment we went under it. You can see the video of me joining by punt boat on the following link https://youtube.com/shorts/F-ZldfEfA2w?si=jLw0ZQPgE2s2pFnu You do not need a YouTube account to watch it.

Beautiful morning coming up towards Trois Riviere

I was asked to come out and wave. The timing was perfect so I dressed warm and went out to give the cheerleader wave.

I was cold when I came back in so put on my fingerless gloves to continue writing

Lorraine (my sister, best friend and publisher) who came to visit me in Quebec City mentioned that punt boat ride again during our visit on Friday. She laughed as she reminded me how I screamed when I stepped on one of the wobbly rocks before getting into the punt boat. Having a visit from a loved one when you are on the ship is like a super jolt of energy, joy and love. Lorraine has come to visit me in Quebec City a few times when I was on the Oakglen and the Spruceglen earlier this year. She actually made a trip on the Oakglen from Montreal to Quebec and back to Montreal. That summer trip last summer, the end of June and we anchored in Quebec so she got two extra bonus days. This time in Quebec, the timing had to be perfect for her to visit because the Atlantic Huron is a self-unloader and discharging the cargo is much faster then the Oakglen and Spruceglen which take approximately 24 hours as the cargo is scooped out by cranes lowering huge buckets and picking up the cargo and moving it over to a pile on the dock. The self-unloaders just swing the boom over and the cargo is off-loaded fairly quickly. We were scheduled to only be there for 10-12 hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMX1rNIgLTo Lucky for me we arrived in Quebec City and were tied up by 10h30. Lorraine was making the 3 hour and 40 minute drive from Tremblant and I was tracking her route on location sharing on my phone. At the same time I was extremely anxiously waiting for the replacement second cook to arrive as I was into the fourth day working by myself and could not wait to see a second cook walk on board.

July 1 2023. Lorraine made a trip with us to Quebec City and then she and I both got off and she drove me back to Quebec City to join the Spruceglen

I started to get nervous when there was no sign or word from the new second cook as I finished up lunch. I still had the dishes from breakfast and the baking pan from the experimental raisin knots I made. Yesterday when I made the bread for the Oktoberfest sausages, I kept some of the dough on the side and after I put the bun dough in the bowl to rise, I added raisins to the little piece I had cut off the big ball of dough. I worked the raisins in and then set it in a bowl to rise too. After lunch, I took the dough and made little knots with them. I let them sit again and then thought I should try a sample. I dipped the raw raisin knots in some water with a little lemon juice and then dredged them in a bowl of sugar and cinnamon, covering both sides and edges. I baked it at 400 and the results were so good. Crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. I liked how you could pull them apart too. They would be perfect for breakfast as a baked item. The crew were busy arriving in port and getting ready to unload, thankfully one very kind crew member came to help with the dishes because my helpers from the last three days were busy. I was so grateful to see him and remarked how efficient he was in the galley.

my experimental raisin knots came out really well.

One of the crew members who helped me with the dishes made this beautiful sculpture of clean dishes. He didn’t know where they went so I said just leave them on the counter and I will put them away.

For lunch I made fish chowder, and a choice of three wraps, Lamb with homemade tzatziki, lettuce, red onions and tomatoes or a Philly steak wrap with fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese sauce or a tuna wrap with lettuce. Each type of wrap was ordered and with the leftovers I made extra wraps for the crew's night lunch fridge. I checked my phone regularly to see where Lorraine was and then was excited to get the message that she was at the gate. You need to have an escort to drive you to the ship and when I went out to look for Lorraine I saw the security truck come around the bend in the road followed by the pretty red car. When Lorraine got to the top of the ladder we greeted like long lost friends. We had a few minutes to have a visit before we went back into the galley so I could prepare supper. Like only a sister can tell, she said I looked defeated. A look that is not common for me, but the last three days working by myself was taking its toll. I have worked by myself in the past, but this is a much larger crew. I shared with her that I was worried that the new second cook wasn't there yet and didn't call to announce that she was coming. I had shared my concern with the Captain at lunch and he said they would try and get confirmation. It was only after the second cook walked in around 15h30 that Lorraine said the joy and relief returned to my face. Lorraine said that she had already started to formulate a plan to drive to Montreal and join the ship in Montreal to be my second cook if no one showed up. She said she couldn't let me go without a second cook.

Here comes Lorraine in the pretty red car

It was immediate that I knew that the second cook who came would be a good match for me. We are close in age and just the way she moved so efficiently in a new space gave me the confidence that this would be a positive experience. Lorraine was also happy to see that she was leaving me in good hands. It's funny because Lorraine has come to visit me multiple times on the ship and it seems to always land on a Friday and Fish and chips night. I usually make a separate deep fried fish for her and I which I make with almond flour because she doesn't eat flour or sugar. It's a great recipe and will be in the next book I am working on. (Recipes made with no flour or sugar and I hope to have it out late spring 2024). Lorraine has dental surgery scheduled for Tuesday so I thought she would probably indulge herself in the regular fish and chips, knowing that she would not be eating for a few days after the surgery so I also made something I knew she would love and doesn't normally eat. I was right when she shared with me that she had a craving for pasta and would treat herself to something special. There are a few crew members who don't eat fish so I make sure to have something for them and this week I made sure it was something that Lorraine would like too. I made peanut noodles. Lorraine helped stir the peanut sauce, it burns easily so you have to watch it carefully. She also picked the cilantro from the stems and chopped the peanuts perfectly that I would later top each plate of the Thai peanut noodles with. Lorraine always makes everything so nice. She loved the noodles and we each tried the sauce adding a little of this and a little of that until it was perfect. She also commented on my deep fried fish saying the batter was perfect. The new second cook agreed as she took a bite of the crispy fish. Before long the new second cook had the dishes done and order starting to be restored to the galley.

The second cook commented on the huge slices of cake that I had for dessert. I explained that it was my mothers cherry pie filling cake and that I had intended on making 8 portions in each of the three round cake pans but in the rush only made 7. The idea is to cut around the cherry centre so it's not like you can cut the pieces smaller. I could almost feel my mom smile as we sliced the big slices. My mom would always have her cherry filling centered perfectly for each piece. I'm sure she used a ruler. Having Lorraine there Friday night was so wonderful. She had planned on staying until 20h00 but when she saw how tired I was, she suggested she leave at 19h30 so that I could shower and go to bed early. We went out to the ladder which was not too bad. Lorraine had a basket with her which we asked the AB (Wheelsman) if he would carry the basket down the ladder for her. He happily agreed.

a large piece of mom’s cherry pie filling cake

Lorraine (my sister, best friend and publisher) and I had a great visit.

It was nice going to bed knowing I was not the one who would be making breakfast the next morning and already understanding that the new second cook would do a nice job. As I read through my story just now and looked through my photos I realized that I did not share my pictures with you from Wednesday either. On that particular day, I made croissants for breakfast. They come unbaked and frozen so I take them out the night before and they bake beautifully in the convection oven. I made bean and bacon soup which was gone by the end of supper. For lunch I made Octoberfest sausages on homemade buns with roasted onions and peppers, braised cabbage and deep fried home fries. The second choice was a grilled vegetable sandwich on a homemade bun. The third choice was a broccoli cheddar frittata. For lunch dessert I made crack, and it was gone before the end of lunch. For supper I made roast lamb with gravy, baked mashed potatoes and butter carrots. The second choice was roasted chicken legs with gravy and rice or the baked mashed potatoes and buttered carrots. For dessert I made maple flan. The maple syrup was a gift and it was delicious. I topped each piece of maple flan with some whipped cream. I enjoyed a piece with some extra maple syrup.