Report 26: In great demand – contact to the galley
Just behind cargo hold 2 and the forward edge of the mid-ship structure was the galley. The
respective deck watch, consisting of beginners and experienced crew was only a few meters away from the galley. If they were not pulling the clew lines, buntlines, and braces or were rampaging in the masts, they had to stand on the second hatch. When neither the cook nor the cocks-mate (a butcher), or the other cocks-mate (a baker) guarded the room, something edible would quickly vanish. There were three access ways into the galley: two side doors on the left and right mid-ship corridor and three portholes overlooking hatch 2. An apple, two buns or a pudding for the captain were able to get lost occasionally.
During the cold and windy days, we have had since Bremen and despite our South course since noon yesterday in the Bay of Biscay, the galley was our territory during the night hours. Then the three cooks were gone and we were responsible for the boiling plate, which ranged from one wall to the other corridor wall and was heated by oil burners. It was warm, everyone wished to be here. Regularly we had to check whether the burner worked. Usually the baker baked rolls and bread in the early morning hours. In addition, there was always a kettle of 100 liters with water and lots of potpourris boiling on the stove to become soup. In the morning, it took hours of cooking and stirring the soup extensively, while in the left corner of the cook’s mouth there constantly hung one of his smouldering pipes.
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