Freezer envy

In sailing, there are two types of cruisers: those with freezers and the rest of us. The yachties with freezers lead a glamorous existence filled with filet minion, ice cream, and cold drinks. The rest of us subsist on an assortment of bland dry goods (i.e. pasta) and barely edible culinary imposters (i.e. powdered milk).

On Saturday, I had the rare pleasure of seeing how the other half lives. The setting was the spacious catamaran “Chaotic Harmony” owned by doctor, writer, and sailor Gavin LeSueur. In addition to numerous articles, Gavin has written three books, including the multihull section of the offshore sailing bible, “Heavy Weather Sailing.” Clearly, Gavin is not the type of cruiser who would set off without a fully stocked freezer. Also attending the soiree were Tom and Vivian of “Imajica” and Barry of “Valhalla,” all Australians who can be counted among the “haves.”

While dining on grilled steaks and sweet potatoes and sipping on cold rum drinks, the conversation wandered from Tom and Vivian discussing how they make ice cream and beer on their boat to Gavin and Barry commenting on the endless supply of beef that they store in their cavernous freezers.

Anna and I sat scowling at the opulence around us as we considered our steady diet of rigatoni, penne, fettuccini, and spaghetti. The brief glimpse of a better life illustrated the considerable discrepancy between the sailing classes and, made to feel inferior by the privileged class, it is easy to understand the strong attraction of socialism. Freezerless cruisers of the world unite!