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The Cat
A true story told to Sue Bett
By Sue Bett, MY Scallywag
The sea was hungry. Huge waves
muscled the little sailing boat as the
man struggled to keep her on course.
Lightning ripped through a sky as dark
as a plum pudding.
A marmalade cat sat in the cockpit
trying to maintain balance and
dignity. She glared at the man as if
the rolling motion was his fault. The
cat could not escape below; the hatch
was sealed against the onslaught of
salt water constantly washing over
the boat.
“I hate cats”, shouted the man above
the roaring wind. “And you most of
all!”
The cat was a constant reminder of a
broken relationship. His partner of
some four years had left him and
taken everything except the one thing
he needed least; the marmalade cat.
The little boat lurched, battered by
the big seas. The water tore at his
body. He lost balance and
desperately fought to regain his grip
As the land slips below the horizon the dream becomes a reality. The Great
Escape from traffic pollution, fast food, politics, greed, and suburbia. We seek
the freedom to roam oceans, explore anchorages and walk on deserted beaches
with free food for the hunters and gatherers among us and fresh air in
abundance.
But even in paradise, there is no escape from cooking. Once offshore, not the
least challenging is the preparation of a hearty meal. Particularly when the seas
are rough, the wind is howling, the boat is rocking and you would really rather
not go below decks.
Times like these we may be in need of a quick fix, preferably a sweet one it's
just too hard to prepare a proper meal. You've heard the weather report. If you
are one of those enviable and organised boaties you would quite possibly have
prepared a couple of these satisfying sugar hits in advance to keep you and the
crew going until everything calms down.
Sue Bett
on the tiller. His safety harness bit
and bruised his body as he looked
about to assess the damage.
The cat was gone.
For a moment he felt relief. The last
living memory of his partner swept
unceremoniously overboard.
Why then did he suddenly feel a pang
of sadness; remorse?
What the hell? He was fighting to
stay alive and here he was feeling
sorry for the cat! He had never even
stroked it.
Another huge wave exploded on the
deck. He was shoulder deep in
foaming turbulence. Struggling to
wipe the salt water from his face he
cold not believe his eyes.
The cat was back. Dumped from the
crest of the wave, almost at his feet.
The man watched, mesmerised, as
the surge swept the scrabbling,
indignant and sodden bundle back to
the edge. He snatched it from the
deck and shoved it inside his wet
weather jacket. He could feel it
shivering and mewing.
The storm abated as quickly as it had
arrived. The man took the cat below
and rubbed it vigorously with a towel.
As he heated some milk he realised he
was smiling. Exhausted, he
connected the auto pilot and fell on his
bunk. In the eerie calm that follows a
storm he could hear the cat lapping
the milk. He drifted off to sleep but
woke hours later to a sound like a well
tuned and gentle motor.
A purring, vibrating orange bundle
was contentedly curled up on his
chest.
Sue Betts sweet snacks
for stormy seas
EASY FRUIT CAKE
1 Kg Mixed Fruit
1 cup fresh Fruit Juice (orange or pineapple works well)
1 cup Brandy
2 cups SR Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
Soak fruit in fruit juice and brandy for about 4 hours
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
Add flour and mix in well.
Add cinnamon & vanilla
Place in buttered and floured baking pan or 23cm cake tin
Cover top with baking paper as the fruit tends to burn
Bake for 2 hours at 160 degrees or until a skewer comes out dry.
DECADENT PEACHES: Sprinkle brandy or rum (generously) over fresh or canned
peaches and chill for several hours. Serve with whipped cream more booze and shredded
almonds.
THERMOS STEWED PRUNES: heat a thermos flask with boiling water and save the water.
Add dried prunes, top up with the water (or tea), screw the top on and leave several hours for
a breakfast or “on watch” snack. Prunes are a terrific value offshore - they are a good
source of iron and have a long shelf life.
BANANA CREAM: Mash 2 ripe bananas. Add 1 tin evaporated milk (Sue has a great
“recipe” for making evaporated milk with powdered milk in G.G.) & 2tbsp sugar. Beat with
fork for 2 minutes then add the juice of 1 lemon until stiff. Add more lemon juice if not stiff
enough to eat with a spoon. Grate some good chocolate on top if you like...
KAYS NOTE: Sue Bett’s Great Ideas Galley Guide (see page 8 for info.) has
many more recipes for those rough days at sea (my favourite: QUICK & EASY
RUM BALLS). So what you need to do is buy the Galley Guide instead of
cutting out these recipes!
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