The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew

The Pardeys are well-known for their ability to sail their small, engineless, boat safely around the world with very little of the modern equipment most of the rest of us require. Their suggestions for ways to prepare for a voyage, and to increase your comfort and improve your experience while under way are fascinating. They're also amazingly useful even for those of us who rarely venture out of sight of land. More than just useful, this book also gives you a vivid glimpse of what living aboard a sailing vessel is like. I recommend this book if you're interested in life at sea, now or in the past, if you're an armchair sailor, and especially if you're responsible for keeping a family or crew healthy and happy on a vacation, longer race, or coastal delivery. And, of course, it's wonderful for the obvious audience: those who are considering casting off from land and crossing oceans.

A wonderful resource for anyone considering ( or actually living )on the water. Lin and Larry share all the tiny bits and pieces of their daily routine that let you feel as if you were living with them. Although it was not written as a how-to, it contains lots of simple recipes and creative insights into the daily management of the ship's provisions and crew I promise you that this is a book that you will keep in your reference library and read again and again.

"Larry came below shivering and blue-lipped. I got him out of his wet clothes, warmed some freshwater so he could wipe down, and got out his dry clothes. But it wasn't until he had had some hot, solid food that he started to warm up and stop shivering" (p. 357); the real situations experienced during extended cruising and appropriate responses are the focus of this comprehensive book which contains relevant advice on nearly every cruising situation imaginable, with a strong emphasis on how those situations impact the crew. The authors are professional sailors and have been full-time cruising sailors for over forty years. Their vast experience and precise writing skill enable them to expertly address a wide range of topics, and the book clearly demonstrates their mastery of the care and feeding of sailing crew. The book is divided into 52 chapters and two indices. Each chapter presents a logged day of a sailing cruise, noting weather and sailing conditions, and covers items which are appropriate to that particular stage of an extended cruise. The concepts are emphasized with enjoyable anecdotes which illustrate the importance of preparation and adaptability. Topics include nearly everything imaginable, ranging from menu planning and food purchase and storage, through cooking methods and preservation techniques, to fishing and keeping the crew well-clothed. The authors' cruising experience ensures the hints are appropriate across a variety of weather and climate conditions. For example, rough-weather food preparation is contrasted with calm-weather cooking using limited galley facilities. The text dispenses with theory and focuses on the reality of small-craft living. The tone of the book is personal and engaging; the coverage of the topic is masterful and authoritative. Now in its revised 3rd edition, the book is superbly edited and particularly well-balanced. The writing style is accessible and inviting and the material reads like a long letter from a personal friend--albeit a well-spoken friend with indisputably good advice and an incredibly interesting suite of daily experiences. Not only does the book instruct and encourage, it positively portrays cruising and draws the reader into the author's world. Part adventure book, part how-to guide, part personal history, and part cookbook, the text is fun, creative, and sure to please. Regardless of the reader's level of sailing experience, the book has much to offer and ensures that the care and feeding of sailing crew will not only be possible, but an enjoyable component of future cruising.

A couple of months ago, I attended a seminar taught by Lin & Larry called Confident Cruising. What a treat to meet this inspiring couple! I have offshore dreams myself and since I know I will be in charge of my own galley, I bought The Care & Feeding of Sailing Crew. I thought it would have a few recipes and hints on how to store food. Little did I know that the book is so much more: You travel with Lin & Larry on a 45 day passage from Japan to Canada and during the passage, Lin teaches you everything you need to know about provisioning, food care & storage, galley layout, cabin care - the list goes on and on. I haven't finished the book yet - I'm with them on day 30. They are eating mostly canned food now but Lin is still preparing great meals! I love Lin's style of writing - you really feel like she's talking to you over a cup of tea.BUY THIS BOOK! IT'S FANTASTIC!

I love the way Lin Pardey just says it like it is. This is not a book full of check lists of ingredients, this is the one book that will prepare you for the experience of:Shopping in foreign marketplaces -how to avoid buying cat instead of rabbit -what to buy first and why -what foods lasts and what don't fair so well -where you will find better (and sufficient) provisions and where you will not -why you should stock up on toilet paperDealing with the ups and downs of daily cruising life including: -how to calm the fish that is thrashing on your deck -why you should cook as soon as you see a storm coming -when you're likely to feel tired -galley tips for making the cooking experience more enjoyableShe also includes a few recipes along the way, and to top it all off, it's a great read! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.