Today, Yachting World talks to Adela’s Chef……

It’s Monday morning and I’ve just arrived at the paserol of Adela, reaching down onto the Pendennis Marina dock.

There is a certain buzz and energy flowing through Adela as every crew member prepares for the Pendennis Cup, and slot into their predefined and essential role for the upcoming week. I find my way into the galley, where Belgium-born Jolie, the chef, is following a strict preparations schedule. With seven years in the industry, and almost a year on Adela, she is no stranger to the mental and physical strain of regattas.

With racing only a week away, Jolie has a stressful week ahead, with an additional 40+ crew and up to eight guests onboard for any single race, she has to take into account menu planning, provisioning and to-the-minute timing each day. She starts her morning off with the ordering: 60 baguettes , fruits, snacks and drinks: “I mustn’t forget the cold beers!” she jokes as she already starts prepping lunch and dinner.

“Everything must be portable”, she explains, “the race crew are all so busy; they never have much time to eat. Instead, they want simple things which they can snack on whilst sailing”.

Her passion for food and her job is clear as she happily chats away; discussing how her job in a race environment is significantly different to any other time on board. “Its more about speed and practicality, I can’t begin serving little canapés when we have a deck full of professional sailors”.

“What is the most challenging part of the regatta?” I manage to ask above the noise of a fully functional galley. “It’s the actual sailing!” she laughs. “I need to have everything ready to go out on deck as soon as the boat is level on the downwind leg. It’s a very small window of opportunity to get the team fed when standing upright!”

YW will speak to a member of Adela’s crew each day, from now until the start of the Pendennis Cup. To find out more about the event and Adela, visit www.thependenniscup.co.uk.