Chief Steward Doug Capps and Assistant Cook Lee Helton preparing tonight's dinner. Chief Steward Doug Capps cooking up breakfast for the staff and crew of the NeMO CTD Cruise

Teacher Logbook - R/V Wecoma

Missy Holzer 's Sealog:
CTD Cruise Day 6
Weather at 1630 hours PDT: Overcast skies with winds of 15 knots from the Northwest, and visibility of 8 miles. Barometric pressure is 1022.2 mb, and the temperature is 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Ocean swells are 6 feet out of the Northwest.

What's for dinner? Out at sea dinner could be anything from Yankee pot roast, to seafood flown in from Hawaii, to something exotic like a stir fry with pot stickers and sesame soba noodles when you have experienced cooks planning and preparing 3 meals a day for the duration of the cruise. With the creativity they bring to the galley, the team of Doug Capps (Chief Steward and Cook) and Lee Helton (Assistant Cook) make each meal a dining experience.

The role of the Chief Steward includes buying and storing food and cleaning supplies, making sure that there are clean linens for the cruise, and planning and cooking 3 meals a day. This full-time job can be a challenge when a cruise that's away from their home port for 90 days, although Doug and Lee can pride themselves in saying that they went as long as 33 days without repeating a meal! Menus aren't always planned ahead of time before the cruise, but enough of a variety of food staples are purchased for the cruise that a large number of dishes can be prepared during the cruise. Looking at their collection of herbs, spices, and condiments, you know that they have a well-equipped kitchen to create something delicious from something ordinary. Food allergy? Dietary restriction? These guys can work around those concerns and still provide a delicious meal for everyone. Doug's main goal in planning a meal is to provide a healthier way of eating for those on board who wish to watch their food intake. Since the ship's crew work together on a full-time basis, he is concerned about satisfying the taste buds before satisfying the taste buds the visiting science team. Lee is sure to do that when his specialties include soups and sauces. Hopefully his halibut chowder or seafood bisque will make it on the menu before the end of the NeMO CTD cruise!

Doug and Lee face many challenges while working as the Chief Steward and Assistant Cook. Sometimes there's a short turnaround time (2 days) between cruises, and the supplies must be purchased and stored in that time, as well as the ship must be cleaned in prep for the next cruise. The onset of the computer age has helped in that regard. Doug can now order his provisions from his supplier while he's out at sea. Another challenge in running the galley comes with rough weather, where it's not unheard of that things can fly off the counter and a meal is lost with a high sea or swell. Doug recalls experiencing harsh weather like this in the Bering Sea area where the seas were 30-40 feet, and the winds were approximately 80 knots. To top it off, the cruise was away from their home port for 90 days in those cold, harsh conditions! Doug shared another story of cruise where a large instrument was being towed behind the ship in trough which led to very unstable conditions where the ship was rocking up to 30o each way, not to mention that there were strong winds during the entire 90 day cruise. Lee adds that being away from home for an extended period of time can be a challenge too. On the upside of that is that extended vacations come with the job, where a month here and there can help make up for all that time spent out at sea.

Although Doug and Lee have been teaming in the galley for 3 years, they bring diverse experiences to their jobs. Before cruising with the R/V Wecoma crew 5 years ago, Doug had been a pastry chef, baker, and cook for over 20 years, although this is his first job out at sea. Lee obtained his sea legs when he became a commercial fisherman at age 13, but the horror of being on a crabbing vessel that sunk kept him away from the water for a bit of time. Lee's experience and love of cooking comes from the people in his life including his grandparents who owned the Moby Dick's restaurant in Newport, OR, and others in his family who have diverse cooking skills due to their ethnic heritage.

It's 1715 hours, and time to take a peak in the pots to see what's for dinner tonight, and guaranteed it will satisfy any taste buds! Check back on line to learn more about what it's like to live and work out at sea.