The unsung hero of boat husbandry is a cheap plastic gallon jug of ordinary malt vinegar. Not only does it give your chips that special something, it can be used for any of the following:
- 50:50 with water to clean salty varnish – especially below decks
- Tip it neat down the heads or the galley sink to kill any recurrent smells you don’t enjoy
- Put it in a bucket and drop any seized non-ferrous, non-brass blocks into it overnight for freeing up without pain
- Leave brass that just won’t respond to polish dipped in it for a short while. Keep watching, though, because too much can spoil the surface
There’s lots more. The recommendation to skippers is to maintain the stock in a nasty old can like this so the cook won’t snaffle it.
