Pineapple fruitcake, chicken cacciatore, oranges and McDonald's apple pies: welcome to the diet of a Sydney to Hobart sailor. Gone are the days when boats would lean towards army-style, freeze-dried food for the 628nm journey to Constitution Dock, with modern crews increasingly creative with their meals of choice. Long sessions in the kitchen are as crucial a part of preparation for the bluewater classic as studying weather charts or packing the spinnakers properly.
And just as there are many tactical approaches boats can take on the journey south, so too are the menus varied from boat to boat. For URM Group, a leading contender for overall victory, it's important to have warm food that can be eaten while holding on - especially because a powerful cold front is expected to sweep across the fleet on December 27. "I've got a pie warmer on board so we have hot pies, which is quite a treat," co-owner Anthony Johnston told AAP.
"We do bacon and egg rolls, which we heat up, we have a minimum of the dried stuff, the army-style food. "We've done everything from the McDonalds apple pies, because if it's really cold, it's nice to have something warm. One-handed food is sort of how we operate.
This year we might even go with some Vietnamese rolls, something fresh." Food can also be a morale booster for the long days and nights at sea. The crew aboard 54-footer Active Again swear by the pineapple fruitcake cooked up by skipper Stephanie Kerin's mother Diane, and shipped from her home in .
