November 12, 2005
Coca-Cola Chocolate Cupcakes
Charleston, South Carolina, is rich in history and rich in food. There’s a famous restaurant, Jestine’s Kitchen, that serves real, southern food. There are always line-ups, as the food is delicious, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is downright comfortable. It’s where we discovered Coca Cola cake (they use Coca Cola syrup instead of sugar). Mmmmmmm.
Our sailing lives have made us bold and carefree, so we did not hesitate to ask our server if the restaurant would make Coca Cola cupcakes for us--you know, so much EASIER to eat at 3:00 AM when you are on watch. (When I said that, they looked at me as if I was crazy, rather than just bold and carefree.)
Anyway, they said that they have never been asked to do such a thing. After discussions with the manager and the pastry chef, they said that they would do it, if we bought $48 worth. We thought, 4 guys sailing for 3 days; can there ever be enough cupcakes? The deal was done.
During our sail south, I believe I ate 5 or 6. I had lots of energy, and seemed to sleep really well (Coca-Cola-syrup-coma-induced, no less).
Posted by dave at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2005
Watch for Cyclists
Beaufort, NC has some wonderful old homes dating to the 18th and 19th century. We decided to go for a long walk, find me some new sunglasses to replace the ones that went sailing over the side of the boat yesterday, look at restaurant possibilities for dinner, and visit the local book store.
I bought a book called Over the Edge of the World, Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen. I will read this after I finish A Year the in the Merde by Stephen Clarke.
We returned to the boat to discover several motor yachts had arrived, and squeezed in between the sailboats. They were traveling together, and there quickly ensued a beehive of activity on the dock. Dogs, hoses, cleaning supplies, loud voices relaying dinner reservations, etc. The ladies went shopping, the men sprayed down the boats, then drank beer.
Chis and I were lollygogging in the cockpit reading and doing Sudoku puzzles. It was late afternoon, and since the clocks turned back on the weekend, it was getting noticeably darker. An occasional spray from the activity, and I was starting to get a little annoyed. Cranky. I let it pass.
Until I overheard the conversation about speed. “Well, Fred, we have the same boat, and I can do 10 miles per hour at 2,300 RPMs so why can’t you get up on a better plane and keep up? Maybe you need to change your engine oil?” Maybe you need to relax, I thought.
I have written before about motor yachts. They think differently. They want clear skies, no rain, and no wind. High pressure systems. We want wind, which usually comes with rain and clouds. Low pressure systems. They compare RPMs. We compare sail trim and wind angles. They measure their performance by the size of their wake. We measure performance based on velocity-made-good.
Then, the ultimate ignorant comment.
“They should only let sailboats out in the channels one day a week. Or give them a slow lane.”
The best analogy is that of bikes and cars sharing the road. We are the cyclists. They are the cars. In most cases, cars are pretty aware of cyclists, and give them lots of room to maneuver. In rare cases, drivers can be pretty ignorant, pass too closely, open their doors without looking.
Being a cynic, I leapt to the conclusion that all motor yachters are like these guys. Being an optimist, I bit my tongue and let it go. This was a rare incidence of a driver passing too close to the cyclist.
So my message to motor yacht drivers is simple. Share the road. Follow the rules. Give each other a wide berth. Respect our differences. And don’t open your door when a cyclist passes. It hurts.
Posted by dave at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2005
Chis' Golden Locks
Chis' golden locks, you say? Definitely not golden?
Bleached in the sun, like wheat in the summer?
Something in the water has brought yellow to Chis' lovely white hair. And a blue rinse is not on the dance card quite yet. We figured the Norfolk barber would solve the issue. Partially.
We had heard of a shampoo that would "brighten" gray and white hair.
First, in New York, late August. Aveda "Hair Detoxifier". $40. Didn't work.
Then, L'Oreal "Kids Swim & Sport Shampoo" in Biddeford Pool, Maine. Mid-September. $4. Promised to take chlorine out of kids' hair. "For the active kid". And a "splash of sunny orange". Didn't work.
Finally, Clairol's "Shimmer Lights". Norfolk, Virgina. Late October. Post barber. $8. "Brightens white and gray hair. Shampoos away yellow." While on early trials, it seems to be working.
I can report that the first grey hair has arrived in my beard. Days at sea without shaving (not age) have brought this to light.
Posted by dave at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2005
I Couldn’t Have Said it Better Myself
I have to share an excerpt from an article entitled “The Peerless Ones” in the October 2005 Cruising World Magazine. We are often asked what we have learned on this journey, particularly about ourselves. It has been difficult to express, until I read this:
“Three years ago, 27-year old Erin Myers flew home from France to spend time in Maine with her grandmother, who’d taught her how to sail. Over cocktails, they talked about the circumnavigation that Erin was about the wrap up. ‘Imagine if everyone could live on a sailboat for a year’, her grandmother said. ‘They’d face their true selves, be forced to be responsible for their own actions, yet still be part of a team. They’d learn to make decisions and admit mistakes. They’d learn to share, pull their own weight, and be ready to help out when needed. They’d learn about conservation. They’d learn to trust and be trustworthy. This world would be better off if everyone were forced to live together like that for a year.’ “
Bingo.
Posted by dave at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
The HALF that Got Away
On our journey from Cape Canaveral to Fernandina Beach, Dave rigged up our fishing rod, using a large, day glow, rubbery lure. Chis remembers thinking, “what kind of fish do we think we can catch with THAT…a cartoon fish?!” Well, after about an hour trolling behind Platina, we hooked something that bent the rod in half. Mobey Dick, Chis was thinking.
Dave fought with it for ½ an hour and passed it to Chis. Chis fought with it for about ½ an hour. It was so strong — Chis could barely hold the rod. Bit by bit, he began to reel it in. And then he felt the fish dive, and then I felt the rod shudder, and then the fish seemed to gain strength. Suddenly, the fish seemed to tire. Although weak, it was still heavy.
Finally, Chis reeled it in close enough to see it. It was a massive, hideous barracuda. The teeth! And those black, marble-like eyes! Chis’ heart skipped a beat when he saw that we reeled in only half a fish. And that shudder he felt on the reel … was another fish eating our fish. Nice.
Our half was about 2 feet long, which means that an even bigger fish got the other half. We think that we caught the better half.
Apparently, the poor thing had a fight at both ends - hook in the mouth, and predator on the the other end. No wonder it was such a fight.
We put the rod away, and gave up fishing for the day.
Dave says he has overcome his fear of killing a fish.
Posted by dave at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Rendezvous Planning
We have been trying to rendezvous with our good friends, Jim & Luc, for months. This is an excerpt from an email from Jim about our plans to meet in South Florida. Too funny, had to share it...
"My guess is the somewhere around the weekend of July 9th may work. We should plan to go out for a big Florida night on the town: the blue plate dinner specials at 4 - 5 pm and then to a bingo hall for a late night of "gambling" until 9 and then home for some Metamucil and bed.....we need to save our energy for shopping the next day at the super-sized Piggly-Wiggly."
HA!
Posted by dave at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2005
N23.3 W75.4 Georgetown, Great Exuma Island, Bahamas
Our passage to Georgetown was uneventful, with plenty of wind. Our expected arrival time was 4pm, and we entered the treacherous channel at 1pm. We got on the radio to request a pilot to guide us through the reefs, coral heads and rocks. Nobody responded. My goodness, what are we doing in the Bahamas with a 7’3” draft?!
We safely anchored about a mile from Georgetown, and Dave hopped in the dinghy to clear us in through customs and immigration (only one can go ashore). The wind had picked up to 25 knots, and the bounce was incredible. The guide books suggested tying up at the government dock, which Dave could easily do, but could barely reach the dock 10 feet above his head. Alas, it was low tide. And he’s short. So, he carried on and found a narrow cut through the rocks to Lake Victoria. Ahhhh, no more chop, bounce and crash. Safely tied up next to the local grocery store, Dave proceeded to clear in. Easy, peazy, lemon squeazy.
The sign on the door of Immigration said plainly “KNOCK FIRST. DO NOT ENTER UNTIL GRANTED PERMISSION”. Dave knocked. No answer. He knocked again, louder this time. “Come in”. She was on the phone, planning her weekend. Dave waited, watching the unusually huge TV on a shelf in the corner. Teeny tiny office, huge TV. Not CNN, but a soap opera. It turns out we will have to go back tomorrow because she forgot her stamp at home.
Dave called Chis on the radio to say we had cleared in (except for passports, of course). A few important errands and he’d be on his way.
Secretly, Dave was just happy to see PEOPLE that didn’t look like Chis!
A short distance from the government buildings, Dave wandered into the liquor store to get some vino for dinner. The local beer is called Kalik. Didn’t buy any, but got a lesson in pronunciation: like ‘Klik’, very soft on the ‘a’. Not like ‘Gaelic’, which made the cashier’s eyes roll back in her head. Dave paid, and left quickly.
Next stop, the grocery. OH MY GOD! FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES! Okay, Dave admits that he gets stressed without a daily dose of serious fruit and veg. This was paradise. Leeks, celery, carrots, spinach, oranges, plantain, etc. Very exciting! First fruit and veg since the Virgin Islands (2 weeks). The mushrooms had “no code”, which set off a conspiracy investigation. Dave said “no code, must be free, hah, hah”. The endrogenous, unhappy cashier said “nothing in this place is free”. When the floor runner announced the “code”, she/he plugged it in and it was 8oz mushrooms, not 12oz. This set off the next conspiracy investigation. Dave tried to make the situation worse by saying “it must be free”. She/he finally laughed, probably frustrated with his glib sense of humour. Dave paid, and left quickly.
Next stop, fill the dinghy gas tank. Chis thinks someone in the Dominican Republic siphoned some gas from the tank when we were in town. Dave was embarrassed asking the local gas station attendant to fill the wee tank. He said “what are you kiddin’, gas here is @#^&%$ expensive”. US$9 later for a little over a litre, and Dave understood why the attendant had bloodshot, crossed-eyes.
Posted by dave at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2005
Redonda
We left Montserrat at 6:30am to head for St Kitts. We started to leak a bit of oil in the engine, and were concerned about it making its way into the bilge (and therefore, the sea). Do we go to Antigua, which is backtracking, and in the middle of race week, but where we would be sure to find a Yanmar engine dealer. Or, do we stay the course and head for an island that looks most likely to have supplies. It was not an easy decision, but getting out of the hurricane zone by the end of May was our deciding factor. St Kitts was it.
Sailing to St Kitts, we passed Redonda. While nobody lives here today, it has a great story(ies).
Phosphates were discovered here in 1865 and mining began. In 1872, the British annexed it to Antigua before the Americans took it. 100 people worked on the island, and personnel and equipment were pulled up and down on a two-bucket cable car. The descending bucket was filled with sea water from a reservoir, which acted as ballast for the ascending bucket. Phosphate production stopped in 1914.
Then there is the story of the Kingdom of Redonda. In 1865, Matthew Dowdy Sheill, had a long-awaited son after 8 daughters. Being a sexist, he wanted a kingdom for his son. He claimed Redonda. In 1880, Sheill, his son and the bishop of Antigua went to Redonda and the bishop crowned the son, King Filipe I of Redonda. M.P. Sheil (he dropped the second “L”, moved to England and became a writer of Gothic romance and science fiction.
Before he died in 1947, King Filipe I passed the crown to fellow writer John Galsworth (King Juan I), who bestowed titles in exchange for beer. Before Juan I died in 1970, he passed the crown to Jon Wynne-Tyson (King Juan II). Tiring of his royal duties, Juan II abdicated the crown in 1998 to Antiguan writer Robert Williamson (King Robert, Bob the Bald), who, to this day, presents an annual literary prize.
Posted by dave at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2005
Tete de l'Anglais
Leaving Guadeloupe, we turned to say farewell only to note two little islands (rocks) off the north coast. Checking the charts, we discovered that the smaller of the two is called Tête à l’Anglais. We just love the French sense of humour – of course it is the smaller island, and of course it is severed from the main body of the island. So we thought we should share it with you.
Posted by dave at 03:12 PM | Comments (1)
March 19, 2005
Last Fresh Food
This red pepper is not a raisin. After 20 days at sea, we have reached the (bitter) end of our fresh food supplies. We enjoyed every last morsel in a stew.
Posted by chis at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)