Craig's May 10th birthday celebration (39 and holding!) began with Kath and Sandra at the town quay fisherman's dock where a fresh selection was on offer. Menu planning was to be built around the "catch of the day" and we soon spotted some big, brown slimy skates - Rays, that is. With a little imagination we could envision skate au buerre noir, a classic French preparation with butter (of course!), vinegar, capers and parsley.

But first, how were we ever going to get that tough skin off, especially after fisherman Costos said "No, No" (we were hoping for "nei, nei" which means "yes" in Greek), but it was "no, skin is too difficult". Delaying for just a few moments, a crew member came up, said "I do" and 1/2 hour later the skins were laboriously cut with a very sharp blade and pulled off with some rusty old pliers ... why didn't we think of the butcher for some fresh lamb chops?

With "our catch" back aboard on ice, we cycled off to town to buy all the meal accompaniments, including a version of Craig's favorite dessert "Sticky Toffee Pudding".
Created the Greek way a chocolatey-spicey cake is laden with honey then covered with chocolate curls. We couldn't resist a selection of bakery treats, but that was certainly the best amongst the lot.
Deep Blue provided a happy venue for cockpit quaffs, one of Chris' famous English ales for Craig, and then a cozy dinner and dessert below. Thanks for hosting!