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Our trip began in Vineyard Haven, where we arrived after a 45 minute ferry ride out of Woods Hole on Cape Cod. We checked in to the Hanover House which was just far enough from the center of town to be quiet and yet within easy walking distance. Our rooms were charming. One bedroom for us, and our two girls had a pull out bed in the living room. There was a small kitchen and a very private shaded back deck. We had cocktails with the owners, Terry and Tom Richardson that afternoon in a sunken garden. We liked them so much that we invited them to go on one leg of our adventure with us. In 29 knot winds we got Cap II up to 10.7k with Tom at the helm. If you have never seen someone over six feet tall become 12 years old, this would have been the moment.

Cap II is a 76' CNB sailing yacht designed by Phillip Briand and built in 1992. We chartered her for 5 days to sail around Vineyard Sound off the New England coast. This is a lovely boat with comfort and speed in abundance, and a crew that is both attentive to guests, and eager to sail. As we approached Cap II I admired the dark blue hull and the clean lines of a fine vessel. We were going to go where the winds were in Vineyard Sound, because this is August in New England, and the water can be flat in one place and howling right around the point.

On board Chef Jason produced delights from the galley for the six of us as guests, plus the four crewmen. Time and time again meals were eagerly anticipated by those sitting near the galley hatch. Lovely to look at when they arrived with a very distinctive blend of taste, texture and temperature, it was simply extraordinary gastronomy.

Food preparation is no simple task aboard a sailboat considering that often your galley is moving about, and occasionally on a 20-degree angle of heel. It takes a special talent to produce a constant sequence of excellent meals according to the guest's "preference sheets" under such conditions. Try to picture what it would be like to prepare three meals, a snack and hors d'oeuvres for a half a dozen new guests each week! You have to find fresh materials when the opportunity presents itself, use what is locally available in port and provision the galley with its limited space, for everything else you might need.

Yacht chefs are artists on a moving playing field. Not only does the galley shift according to the wind and weather and the guests desire for sailing, but yacht chefs usually are also sailors. Jason climbed up on the end of the boom and moved forward as the sail was flaked into the lazy jacks with the economy of movement which only comes with practice.

Jason Avakian grew up in California, where most of his family still lives. He graduated from the California Academy of Cooking in San Francisco in February of 1997. He told me that his first job was a high-end, high-volume restaurant called One Market in San Francisco. He said he learned quite a lot from Chef Bradley Ogden during that year. But he wanted to travel and got his first yacht job the following December aboard the motor yacht (m/y) "High Seas", a 70' Berger.

Jason told me that the 90' Cheoy Lee "Arcadia" had a really lovely galley, and he enjoyed being aboard as they toured for several months. "Azura" is a 96' Jongert which was cruising Greece, Croatia, Majorca and eventually from Palma to St. Thomas with Jason cooking in the galley. We met him aboard Cap II in New England but there is no telling where his next port of call might be. My suggestion would be that you ask MJ at Cox Marine what boat Jason is on and spend a week indulging in the steady stream of delicacies that emerge from his galley. I also suggest that you dedicate a little time to talking with him, as he is well traveled and very entertaining!

A weekly menu aboard Cap II by Chef Jason:

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