Editing Ship Description (section)

== Galley ==
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[[Image:Galley01.jpg|350px|thumb|left]] The galley of Summer's Gift is a mere 7 x 10 feet but it packs a lot of utility in such a small space.  Standing in the doorway looking into the galley, one can see how every inch of space has been put to use. <br><br>  

On the wall to the immediate right is a pass-through window fitted with a wide sill to let plates and platters sit for pick-up.  Directly beneath it on the wall is a rack with such commonly used things like napkins, dishtowels, and placemats.  To the right of the pass through is a clean run of wall all the way to the corner and it's a popular place to leave messages for and by the crew. Someone's thoughtfully duct taped a string with a grease pencil to the wall to facilitate note taking and the painted metal wall is smooth enough to write on.  Because the wall is metal, magnets abound here and notes on paper are found attached here too.<br><br>

Directly opposite the door into the galley is the under-counter fridge.  On it is the current menu plan, attached to the fridge door with a magnet. On the counter above the fridge is a samovar. A wall clamp assembly attaches it to the wall for safety in transit, but allows the samovar to be moved to the sink for filling as needed. In the 18 inches of under-counter space between the fridge and the stove are the drawers for safe storage of cutlery, dishes, and glassware. Shallow drawers in the toe-kick space store large flat platters and cookware.<br><br>  

The counter runs from the corner at the pass-through window and ends at the stove, a drop-in model with a convection oven below the cooktop. There are only three burner plates on the cook top but the heat off the plates can be sized up or down to fit the size of the pot or pan on it.  The oven below has a single rack and is shorter in height than a standard-sized oven.  The reason for this is readily discernable--the space below the oven is given over to storage.  Pans are nested in the deep drawer here as are the saucepans.  Baking pans and sheets are stored in the toe-kicks beneath the cabinet run to the right. On the counter to the left of the stove is a rack of spices fixed to the backsplash and directly above it are clips to hold potholders. Under the counter on the left is a drawer for cooking utensils. Several drawers beneath it in increasing depth take up the space down to the toe-kick. Attached under the overhead cabinets over these drawers is the microwave.<br><br>

On the L-shaped run from the cooktop to the sink is the coffeemaker.  This is the stuff the crew runs on and it's kept going nearly 24/7.  Like the samovar, it is clamped to the wall to keep it in place and can be removed for refilling and cleaning. The counter here and on the other side of the stove is kept clear of clutter, as they are the main food prep areas.<br><br>

The sink is 8 inches deep, double welled, with single lever spray hose faucet. Sunk in the counter to the left of the sink is the disposal hatch.  All garbage and scraps go here.  Plumbing and the disposal systems take up most of the room below the counter under the sink but there is room in the corners to either side for storage.  Given the blind-corner aspects of the L-shaped spaces, 3/4 lazy-susan shelves store items from stockpots to foodstuffs. Folding doors close and latch securely over them to lock the shelves in place.<br><br>

On the wall running from the sink counter to the door is a shallow prep counter with a bank of floor-to-ceiling cabinets at one end. Overhead cabinets take up the wall above the counter at regular height off the deck. The broom closet is here as are the cleaning supplies for the galley.  Running from the fridge, over the stove,  and corner to corner over the sink are overhead storage cabinets going to the ceiling.  The doors and hatches on all drawers, cabinets and the floor-to-ceiling unit operate on countersunk turn-latches for secure storage.  Some of the drawers and cabinets are removeable containers of the airline variety, the others are the more conventional fitted cabinetry work. The one break in the overhead cabinet run is immediately over the cooktop where the exhaust hood is mounted. The cabinetry there runs only half the distance to the ceiling, starting at the top edge of the hood instead of the more standard height above the counter.<br><br>

All the fixtures, appliances and cabinetry in the galley have seen hard use and better days, but everything is in good working order and clean. The stewards of ''Summer's Gift'' have each made little modifications to the galley to make it their own, with the current steward preferring to keep everything rigorously clean and stowed in its proper place when not being used.<br><br>