Cook
Cook Elena Vasquez
Manila, Philippines
Undisputed monarch of the galley. Goulash on Tuesdays. Always.
The most powerful person on the ship, and everyone knows it. Cooks for twenty two men and one Chief Officer with the precision of a field surgeon. Has arm wrestled every officer at least once, and won. Will not be drawn on why goulash, specifically, and Tuesdays, specifically.
Portrait is a comic book invention. Under the conditions of my passage, no likeness of the working crew may appear here, names have been changed and faces drawn from memory.
17 August 2026The Red Sea and the Heat
Forty one degrees, a stash inventory conducted in secret, and the discovery that chocolate has a limited operational lifespan in this climate.
13 August 2026South of Malta
Thirty four degrees on deck, a dinner that silenced the mess, and the beginning of Suez paperwork season.
4 August 2026The Supermarket Dash
Eighteen hours in Rotterdam, a shopping list written like an operations order, and a personal stash that is now the most valuable cargo aboard.
3 August 2026A Kite, Plain Rice, and a Respectable Second
Priya taught me to fly a kite from the bridge deck. Elena moved me onto plain rice and plain toast. Container has claimed the foot of my bed. We came second at trivia.
27 July 2026The Cat, the Eggplant and a Trivia Team I Did Not Ask For
I woke up to find the ship's cat at the foot of my bed. I also discovered I do not like eggplant. Priya has rostered me onto her trivia team. The seagulls are judging all of us.
26 July 2026Gulls, Diesel and a Peach Cobbler: 22 to 26 July
Tiny fished off the stern, Kev finally opened the engine room, the sky went a ridiculous blue, and Elena produced a peach cobbler that has rearranged my priorities.
21 July 2026The Laundry, the Engine Room, and a Pie I Did Not Share
I found the laundry, lost the argument about outdoor drying, missed driving, and told Big Kev about my turbocharged Miata. He was unimpressed.
20 July 2026A Birthday that I did not mention
A key lime pie the size of one honest portion, a song I did not enjoy, and the discovery that this ship has Starlink and a library. My iPhone remains, on principle, switched off.
16 July 2026Warm Water and a Stash of Tea: 14, 15 and 16 July
I have found a swimming pool, lost a game of eye spy at 02:30, and accidentally befriended the cook with a hidden supply of hotel tea.
9 July 2026Aboard at Last: Berth 8, Garden City Terminal
I am on the ship. I have a cabin. I have met three of the crew. We sail tomorrow on the tide.