Being a Mother

I've always wanted to be a mother, but I was never granted that privilege. Ironically though I find myself now being a 'mother' every ten days or so to 16 other crew members on this round the world yacht race!

Being on Mother Watch on an ocean racing yacht involves being on galley duty for a full day and looking after people's stomachs. This is one day where you don't get to go on deck to do any sailing, which is rather comforting when it is cold and wet outside, but I usually miss all the action on deck. Being below deck in the galley is damn hard work though (the only consolation is that mothers also don't have to do any sailing watches during the night so they get this one night to sleep right through!).

A mother watch day starts by preparing for breakfast from about 5.30am, which involves making oats porridge, getting cereals ready, and making coffee or tea. I made up a large batch of muesli for this race with some healthy seeds, rolled oats and dried fruit - it's been very popular and ensures we all get enough fibre in our systems. Some mothers attempt pancakes or pikelets, but there can be nothing too fancy at sea.

Usually the mothers on our boat choose a name for their 'cafe' with a theme for the day, and they play their favourite mood creating tunes. The hub of chatter, sharing of watch updates, weather conditions and lots of laughs, is a crucial gathering point for this little family.

The standard Clipper 70 Galley

After breakfast the mothers usually plan the meals for the day, do some cleaning duties, wash dishcloths, provide drinks and hand out some snacks. Yesterday I was on mother watch while the boat was pounding into the wind at 10 to 12 knots and at a 30 degree keel. Performing creative cooking, baking, cleaning duties at this angle is an incredible challenge. You learn to pour boiling water into coffee mugs at a very strange angle. You lean your arched body against the counter and constantly duck to dodge bowls or condiment bottles falling from the upper shelves. Mixing, pouring, serving, or dishing things out are usually done with one hand while the other holds on or stabilises objects or containers. Sometimes you feel as if things are level because you get used to the angle, until you look at the gimble of the stove hanging at its limits to realise that under normal circumstances you would actually look a bit strange standing with your groin pushed hard against the sink!

Photos from various Clipper 70 Galleys from the 13-14 race.

The crew usually appreciate your efforts mostly because they know how they've had to deal with the heat in the galley, or the constant demands for a cup of water, or the request for a cup of tea for all on deck just when you've washed your last big pot!

Bread baking has become one of the favourite and most creative activities, and the smell of freshly baked fruit loaf with cinnamon usually promises a tasty addition to our evening tea. We've had curry bread, Nutella scroll, olive and sundried tomato loaf, and every loaf is keenly devoured.

Lunch and dinners are usually one pot meals that need to be easy to cook and serve. Our boat has chosen to invest in freeze dried meals, to the dread of some of the crew, but it is convenient and nutritious. I guess we have been a bit spoiled with some delicious concoctions so these instant meals are a bit hard to stomach. But we are a racing boat crew after all, so we are slowly getting used to the taste and repetitiveness, and will probably appreciate the ease of these when we sail through the Southern and Pacific ocean in much harsher conditions.

Like the kitchen of a 'normal' family, the galley is the place of warmth, sharing, and comfort. The mother provides a climate of connection and belonging.

The best part of the day for a mother is when the final cups of tea are served and you hang the last tea towel up to dry, with half the crew happily fed on deck and the others in bed. In the red hue of the quiet galley I breath out an exhausting breath before I close up this cafe and turn in for a mother of a sleep.

Strange, but probably also wonderful, how life sometimes grants you what you wish, but in a very different format to what you ever would have thought!