“We always have to have fried chicken — we were very upset when Krispy Chic closed, because it was really the best,” said Elizabeth Harrelson, a local real estate appraiser. Elizabeth and her husband, John, an estate and business planning specialist with Sun Trust Investments, often meet with friends Wes and Amanda Dorman for a day of lollygagging on Wassaw Island. “We take our coolers and chairs onto the beach and just enjoy the scenery,” Elizabeth explained.

Eating is an important part of the afternoon activities, and only certain foods make their way onto the boat-food menu. “Aside from the fried chicken, the most important food is the pineapple sandwiches — white bread cut with the pineapple can, mayonnaise on both sides of the bread, and a slice of pineapple,” Elizabeth explained. “Those, and the fried chicken, are the mainstays.”

Judy Monroe and her husband, Rick, owner of Monroe Marketing, bring the Symphony Brownies, a boxed brownie mix turned gourmet by the addition of Symphony candy bars. “They are just great with the fried chicken and pineapple sandwiches,” Elizabeth said.

Judy always packs plastic bags with seasonal fruit — watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. It’s a simple but great way to cool off on a hot day.

Occasionally, a new recipe is allowed to creep in. “I’ve got a new recipe for black bean and corn salsa that has become a great favorite,” said Amanda Dorman, whose husband, Wes, owns Champion Fire Protection. The combination of flavors from fresh lime juice, balsamic vinegar and Texas Pete pepper sauce makes this dip refreshing on a hot day.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can serve meals such as those prepared by Susan Mason, Savannah caterer extraordinaire and author of “Susan Mason’s Silver Service” (with Barrie Scardino, Pelican Publishing Co., 2006, $34.95). Susan, who writes that she catered parties practically every week for a local bank on its 67-foot yacht, The Flying Lady, liked to serve shrimp and crab and casseroles that she would make ahead of time and warm up in the galley aboard ship. She has cooked for a number of celebrities, but a favorite client was Tom Hanks, who ordered up a five-course cruise meal in honor of his wife’s birthday. Fresh flowers, Susan’s personal china and silver, candles and a romantic cruise down the Wilmington River, past Moon River, on Dr. Albert Wall’s yacht, caused Hanks’ wife, Rita, to tell People magazine that the most romantic thing Tom ever did was charter a yacht and take her on a moonlight cruise for her birthday! Food and water really do mix.

I’ve had many memorable meals on the water, but none more unexpected than a picnic on Jessica Murphy’s dock extending from Buck Island, overlooking Caliboque Sound. She had cold salmon that she’d brought with her from a fancy deli in New York, and some sort of exotic potato salad. Also unforgettable was Maria Oxnard’s Cuban sandwiches — meat, cheese and dill pickles, grilled and smashed flat — which she had kept warm in a cooler. A cold and spicy jalapeno potato salad rounded out that meal.

But not all memorable meals have to be fancy — my boys would probably list homemade pimiento cheese sandwiches on freshly baked Publix bread as their favorite meal for fishing and crabbing expeditions.

Whatever you decide to serve, keep it simple to eat, as you’ll more than likely be balancing your food on your lap. The best meals — like the fried chicken and pineapple sandwiches — require no utensils, but there’s nothing wrong with serving something that requires a fork.

Any meal requiring a knife and fork, however, is definitely a water-dining no-no unless you’ve got a setup like Susan Mason’s. This means cold salmon is fine, but pork tenderloin is out of the question.

Salads? Potato salad, carrot salad, three-bean salad and cole slaw are refreshing on a hot day. Green salads, however, may go flying off the plate and therefore are not recommended.

Desserts? Steer clear of sticky anything, particularly icings that melt in the heat. On a hot summer day, just the heat from your hands is enough to get the chocolate running. Sturdy desserts such as brownies or lemon bars, or firm cookies, such as my mother-in-law’s oatmeals, are a great treat for the boat ride home.

Hand sanitizers, baby wipes and a wet cloth kept in a plastic bag in the cooler will help you wipe the sand and bug spray from your face and hands before diving in. And dive in, you will.

“I don’t know what it is about eating outdoors, but food always tastes so good,” explained Amanda Dorman. “It’s that fresh, salty air, I guess. We haven’t even finished setting up our chairs before Rick Monroe is into those pineapple sandwiches. It doesn’t matter if we fix four or 40, they are always gone by the end of the day.”

These are the perennial boat-food favorites. You can keep the offerings super simple — pimento cheese sandwiches and oatmeal cookies — or go for the elegant with the smoked oyster loaf and cold grilled salmon. But whatever you do, don’t forget the pineapple sandwiches!

Cold Grilled Salmon
4 ounces salmon per person
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed

Purchase about four ounces of salmon per person. Place salmon fillets in a plastic bag with the marinade, and marinate the salmon overnight.

Place the salmon skin side down on tin foil. Grill the salmon over hot coals. Do not turn. Watch for fish to cook from the bottom up — it will take about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the fish from the tin foil — the skin will stick to the foil. Place in a fresh plastic bag and keep chilled until ready to serve on paper plates with plastic forks!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn (uncooked)
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Texas Pete Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely minced

Combine ingredients and store in container with snap-on lid. Keep chilled. Serve with corn chip scoops. Makes about 4 cups.

Pineapple Sandwiches
1 15-ounce can of sliced pineapple, well-drained
White bread
Mayonnaise

Wash and dry the can. Use it as you would a biscuit cutter to cut the white bread. Slather mayonnaise on each side of the bread. Place one slice of pineapple on a piece of bread and top with another slice of bread. Store in plastic bags in the cooler. Makes about eight sandwiches.

Mona’s Rolled Oatmeal Cookies (Also great on car trips!)
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream shortening and sugars. Mix eggs and vanilla together; then add to sugar mixture. Mix well.

Sift together flour, salt and soda. Add to sugar mixture, mixing with spoon. Add oatmeal and nuts. Stir until mixed.

Form dough into rolls. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill.

When ready to bake, cut into 1/4-inch slices. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes. Makes eight dozen.

Gary’s Pimiento Cheese
1 8-ounce package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 2-ounce jar of pimientos, with a little juice
About 6 green olives, thinly sliced (optional)

Allow cheeses to come to room temperature. Combine cheeses with mayonnaise and stir well. Stir in pimientos, a little juice (about a teaspoon) and the olives, if using.

Spread on fresh bakery bread and package sandwiches in individual sandwich bags.

Symphony Brownies
1 17.6-ounce package of brownie mix, with or without nuts
3 6-ounce Symphony candy bars with almonds and toffee chips

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Line a 13-by-9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Spoon in half of the brownie mix and smooth with the back of a spoon. Place the candy bars side by side on top of the batter. Cover with the rest of the batter.

Bake according to package directions. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift the foil from the pan. Cut the brownies into squares. Makes 24.

Smoked Oyster Log
You have to love smoked oysters to love this. I do! The recipe is from “Paula Deen Celebrates!”
1 1/2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon steak sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 small yellow onion, finely minced
1 3.75-ounce can smoked oysters, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Wheat crackers (or other favorite crackers)

Combine the cream cheese, steak sauce, mayonnaise, garlic and onion. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in the smoked oysters. Form into a log about 9 inches long and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm.

Combine the chili powder and pecans. Roll the cream cheese log in the nuts until completely coated. Then roll the log in the parsley.

Wrap in waxed paper, then place the log in a plastic container with a snap-on lid and keep in the cooler until ready to eat. Serve from the container, which will catch the nuts that roll off during serving. Serve with crackers.