A memorable RNZYS voyage to the wilds of Sub Antarcitca

Franziskus Meiselbach at work in the RNZYS kitchen.

He’s a chef, not a baker: he does not follow recipes

Story & picture by Debra Douglas Franziskus Meiselbach doesn’t like following recipes. That’s why he says he is a chef, not a baker. Previously leading the Members’ Bar kitchen, Franzis has now stepped up to the role of Executive Sous Chef, right-hand man to Executive Chef, Jean Brito.

Franzis, who hails from the German spa town of Bad Kreuznach, has been in New Zealand since 2014, and at the Squadron for almost two years.

“Food has always excited me. As a youngster I watched the males in my family do all the cooking, while my mother did the baking. I was always eating. I love food. There isn’t anything I don’t like eating,” said Franzis. “I was given a nickname that translates in English to ‘combine harvester’.

“Leaving school, I wanted to do something creative and hands-on and had two options – either become a stone mason, or a chef. So, I took on a three-year apprenticeship with a fine dining restaurant in our town.”

Finishing his apprenticeship, Franzis travelled and worked throughout Europe. He then went back to school and studied international business, but ‘chefing’ was always in his heart, so Franzis headed to Berlin, where he catered at big events for clients with big budgets.

“I’ve always been curious about new cultures. And food that belongs to it. I speak several languages beside German and English – Spanish, Turkish, Chinese and French. I like to get to know a culture, but as well as the language, you must get to know the food.

“When I came to New Zealand, I fell in love with the wonderful quality of produce here. The plan originally was to go on to Australia, but New Zealand is so beautiful and laid back and the visa situation then was easy for chefs. I thought, ‘hey, I can make a mark here’. It was a great opportunity, so I stayed, working at Wanaka, Riverhead and Matakana.

“My passion for sailing brought me to the Squadron. When I was a teenager, I sailed in Greece and Croatia and it never let me go.”

Franzis says working at the Squadron is very rewarding because of the club’s versatility, hosting fine dining in one room, while at the same time in another room there’s a large buffet event underway.

“I do, however, prefer elevated cuisine, preparing fancy food. But at the Squadron even with fine dining, which can be an intimate experience, there is familiarity here. Things are never too stiff. It’s like being part of a family.”

Out of the kitchen, Franzis sails, spear fishes, free dives, plays basketball and rides his motorcycle to work.

“One of my dreams is to work on superyachts. I like the idea of not having to look at what you are spending and doing crazy things without a budget.

“And I love everything that is fast – even fast food. I never say no to a sneaky snack.”

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A Memorable RNZYS voyage to the wilds of Sub-Antarctica

By Ivor Wilkins • Photos courtesy of Heritage Expeditions As the expedition ship Spirit of Enderby headed south bound for the Sub Antarctic islands, two things quickly became clear to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron group aboard: they were entering a realm of conditions rightly feared and respected by seafarers down the ages; and, as quickly as sight of land receded so too did the priorities and travails of “normal” domestic and international affairs fade into insignificance.

For Colin Carran, who had initiated this journey as part of his leadership in the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the passage was a culmination of years of planning and adapting to a world radically changed by the Covid pandemic.

“We started the sesquicentennial year with a cruise to Great Barrier Island,” says Colin. “It seemed appropriate to end the year with a voyage to the Sub Antarctic. It struck me as something we could do with members and something completely different.”

The idea was hatched when Colin attended a presentation at the Squadron by Heritage Expeditions leader Aaron Russ. “I spoke to him after the presentation and worked with him and Sarah Porter. It was three years in the making,” says Colin.

Covid, of course, intervened and the original December 2021 departure had to be postponed. Finally, in January 2022, the Squadron group of about 40 members filed aboard the Spirit of Enderby in Bluff, unfurled the RNZYS 150th banner on the ship’s mast and their adventure began.

“All of us, including the crew and expeditions leaders, had to have Covid tests within 72 hours of departure, followed by rapid antigen tests in Invercargill before joining the ship in Bluff. We had the results of those tests before we boarded, so from then on, we were all in a safe bubble and could discard masks and mix and mingle as normal. It was very refreshing.”

Then, as the group settled into shipboard life on a high-latitude expedition, other everyday preoccupations also fell away. “To be away from the world was wonderful,” Colin recalls. “Once we were outside of normal communication, nothing mattered. Covid didn’t matter, the sharemarket didn’t matter, Vladimir Putin and Boris Johnson didn’t matter. It was very liberating.”

What did matter was paying close attention to the weather and with a forecast of gale force winds, the schedule was quickly revised. Instead of picking their way south with several stops along the way, the order was reversed and Spirit of Enderby steamed nonstop to the southernmost point of the journey at Campbell Island and then worked its way back north through the various island groups.

The tour party was an eclectic mix of members, including two Past Commodores, Peter Taylor (2000-02) and his wife, Rita, and Steve Burrett (2012-14) with his wife, Kath. General Committee member Sheryl Lanigan and her husband, Mike, were also there, along with newly-