We’re now officially living aboard Windsong II!

Yes, we’ve just learned our new boat name from Transport Canada. We submitted a list of three choices and they approved our second option.

We had hoped to call the sailboat Watermark II after our first boat, but apparently there is already a Water Mark II in Canada. Drat! In this country, all registered boats must have a unique name.

So we got our second choice. Those of you who knew our second boat, the Hunter 260, will know it was called Windsong. We’re happy to have the news, and we can proceed to plan our name-changing ceremony 😉

Since most of the cargo was already on the boat, we just needed to stow our food and clothing. It’s amazing how this boat swallows things up.

We’re looking forward to being outdoors, living on the water and being rocked to sleep at night. Living on a sailboat is much like camping, but in a moving tent.

We’ll let you know how things unfold with us…do let us know how things are with you!

Having been born in Singapore and lived as a child in Puerto Rico before moving to the land of maples and silver birches, I think palm trees are in my blood. I always feel at home when I’m surrounded by these strong, graceful giants.

I used intentional blur here to emphasize the constant movement of the trees in the wind — and there was a powerful breeze blowing today down by the marina, where these palms line the walkway. Their ability to bend and bow deeply to the wind is what allows them to survive even hurricane-force gales.

I was aiming for a slight vintage feel to the photo, kind of “old Florida,” which you used to see more of before the massive and soulless development of recent times. The kind of character that the community of Coconut Grove has. It’s a place with palms and patina. That’s why I love it so much.

Here is a unusual shot of palm trees by photographer Juergen Roth, who used intentional blur through a longer exposure and camera panning to achieve a wonderful abstract effect. I must try this.

When I saw this unusual flower growing on a vine around the corner, it reminded me of a porcupine. When I posted it on Flickr, I asked if anyone knew what it was called. Within minutes, my friend Laura posted back that it was a passion flower.

I think I like that better than porcupine flower!

Angus and Charles wanted to go to the beach. So I did some research on dog-friendly beaches in Miami and found one not too far from Coconut Grove. We had to cross the Rickenbacker Bridge, which connects Miami with the barrier islands of Virginia Key and Key Biscayne across Biscayne Bay. (We had anchored in No Name Harbour on Key Biscayne two years ago on our way to the Keys, and I remember well sailing under that very bridge to get there.)

The beach, which is not a touristy one, runs along the Rickenbacker Causeway. The parking lot was so packed we didn’t think we were going to be able to find a space. But we spotted a rare one and headed for the beach. It was a beautiful day, and there were crowds of people out enjoying the sun, sand and water.

The first thing we noticed were all the dogs. Big dogs, tiny dogs, and everything in between. People playing with dogs, dogs playing with each other. Everyone was having a grand old time. There are so many beaches that ban dogs. And Angus and Charles were very happy this was not one of them.

You don’t see a lot of Westies in this part of the world, so everywhere we go with Angus and Charles, dog lovers approach us to meet the dogs and ask about them. I had one man pull out his ipod to show me pictures of his dogs. Another spent a half hour regaling me with tales of his three dogs at home.

At the beach we got chatting with a friendly couple from Miami. Once they discovered we were Canadians, they told us they had plans to travel to Banff this summer and were pretty excited about it. They have been visiting as many national parks as they can in Canada and the U.S.

We hear that you guys in Ottawa are having almost as high temperatures as we’re having here! Enjoy.

In honour of the day, and since we have some Guinness in the ship’s stores, I thought I’d whip up some beer bread. I found the recipe on one of my favorites sites: http://www.thekitchn.com

Photo: The Kitchn

Cheddar & Chive Guinness Bread
makes one 8 1/2-inch loaf

2 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle Irish stout beer
1 cup grated Irish cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup Irish butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, or coat with butter.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the beer and mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Fold in 3/4 cup of the cheese and the chives.

Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Pour the melted butter evenly over top of the dough. Bake about 30 minutes then scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the top. Return the loaf to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Turn out and serve warm, sliced.

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick’s Day from Coconut Grove!

Bob’s sailing mentor, Captain James Kelly, once explained to him that the difference between a boat and a yacht is that a yacht can make ice.

Our icemaker is located under the nav station. We cranked it up the other day to see how it worked. Looks like we bought a yacht! 😉

I love eating and drinking al fresco. So do the dogs. By the looks of it, Bob seems to enjoy it as well.