Great day on the Bay

/ Sherry Galey / 2 Comments

We haven’t had easy access to the Internet lately so I haven’t put up as many posts as I was hoping to…Stay tuned for more on what we’re up to.

It’s time for a few pics of Biscayne Bay…We adore this body of water, with its shallow depths and beautiful colours.

In one direction, you can see Miami, in another Key Biscayne, and of course, Coconut Grove.

That's Miami in the background

Leaving Coconut Grove

The water was so still you could see the reflections of the clouds.

Looking toward Key Biscayne

Perfect boat dessert

/ Sherry Galey / 6 Comments
Happy Easter everybody!

Baked bananas, Windsong II style

I grew up eating baked bananas. I’m not sure if my parents started making the recipe when they lived in the tropics or not, but by the time we moved to Canada, it was a regular part of our summer dessert repertoire.

We put the ingredients (which we always had on hand) in small foil boats and placed them on the BBQ and waited with great anticipation for them to meld together into a tangy-sweet rum-laced dessert. In the winter we have been known to make them in a toaster oven. They are sublime with vanilla ice cream, but quite delicious alone. All in all, a perfect dessert for the sailboat.

Recipe

  • 2 bananas
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Peel the bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the pieces into foil boats. Pour the lime juice and rum evenly over the bananas. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Dot on the butter, if using, and put on the BBQ for about 10 minutes. Serve hot, topped with a tablespoon of fresh cream or ice cream if you have it.

A good friend visits…

/ Sherry Galey / 2 Comments

Our globe-trotting friend Kass came to visit us on the boat the other day, bringing along his cousin Nick, who lives near Orlando.

The two were on their way to the Keys for some well-deserved R and R.

It was great to see Nick again. The last time was 30 years ago, when Kass and I had taken a brief trip to Orlando to visit him (and see Disney World for the first and last time).

Kass had not been back to Florida since then. Mind you, he’s been everywhere else in the world in the meantime. (Tanzania, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, you name it!)

Kass is like a brother to me, and he teases me mercilessly just as a brother would. When he and Bob get together, I have to run for cover. As a oenophile with a magnificent cellar, he pulls no punches when he sees us with wine bottles that he doesn’t think are up to our standards. He also is the purveyor of Bob’s favorite French wine from Corbieres.

I was glad to see that he put his stamp of approval on our floating abode after checking out the sleeping quarters, the bar and the sound system, and he volunteered as crew on a future voyage. We’re definitely looking forward to a longer visit next time, Kass. But you have to bring the wine!

Random Act of Kindness

/ Sherry Galey / 2 Comments

We arrived back to our boat the other day to find this little blank book sitting on a cockpit cushion. It took us a while to figure out who was responsible for this random act of kindness.

It turned out to be a lovely woman named Annie who lives on a neighbouring boat and has taken a liking to Angus and Charles….She said this book reminded her of them. How sweet!

On Rewriting the Ledger of the Deep (or Renaming our Sailboat)

/ Sherry Galey / 9 Comments

The official papers from the Canadian government registering our new sailboat in the name of Windsong II have arrived. Hurrah! Good-bye, Taormina. Hello, Windsong II!

The time had finally come to formally change the name of our boat to something more meaningful to us.

Renaming a boat is not something to be done lightly, however. Superstition holds that you anger the gods of the seas and the winds if you change the name of a boat. (And we don’t want to do that!) However, if you honour the gods by following respectful denaming and renaming rituals you will not incur their wrath, and they will protect your boat as well as those who sail upon it.

According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea.  If you wish to change the name of the boat, the first thing you must do is to purge its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Poseidon’s memory.

You need to obliterate every trace of the boat’s current identity. This is essential and must be done thoroughly. You have to go through the sailboat to remove all logbooks, receipts, papers etc. You must of course also remove the old name from the outside of the boat and polish the gelcoat.

Then you perform the denaming cernemony. We chose Vigor’s Denaming Ceremony since he is a respected author of many books of cruising.

Vigor’s Denaming Ceremony

Together we repeated:

“In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today.

Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus, guardian of the winds and all that blows before them:

We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.

Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (Taormina), be struck and removed from your records.

Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed.

In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea.

In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea.”

Then it was time to affix the new name and port to the stern of the vessel.

After that we performed the following renaming or christening ceremony.

We started by saying this:

“For thousands of years, we have gone to sea.  We have crafted vessels to carry us and we have called them by name.  These ships will nurture and care for us through perilous seas, and so we affectionately call them “she”.  To them we toast, and ask to celebrate Windsong II.  (We raised our glasses and said: “To the sailors of old… to Windsong II.”  Sips are taken.)

Then we followed with: “The moods of the sea are many, from tranquil to violent.  We ask that this ship be given the strength to carry on.  The keel is strong and she keeps out the pressures of the sea.  (Again we raised glasses and said: “To the sea…to the sailors of old…to the sea!”  Another sip.)

Then: “Today we come to name this sailboat Windsong II, and send her to sea to be cared for, and to care for the Galey-Hussey family.  We ask the sailors of old and the mood of God that is the sea to accept Windsong II as her name, to help her through her passages, and allow her to return with her crew safely.  (Again, we raised our glasses and said, “To the sea…to the sailors before us…to Windsong II.”  A long, last sip.)

The next step in the renaming ceremony is to appease the gods of the winds. This helps assure fair winds and smooth seas.

“Oh mighty rulers of the winds, through whose power our frail vessels traverse the wild and faceless deep, we implore you to grant this worthy vessel (Windsong II) the benefits and pleasures of your bounty, ensuring us of your gentle ministration according to our needs.

(Facing north) Great Boreas, exalted ruler of the North Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavors, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your frigid breath.

(Facing west) Great Zephyrus, exalted ruler of the West Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavors, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your wild breath.

(Facing east) Great Eurus, exalted ruler of the East Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavors, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your mighty breath.

(Facing south) “Great Notus, exalted ruler of the South Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavors, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your scalding breath.”

We finished by saying:

“We name this sailing vessel Windsong II and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her.”

We sealed the ceremony by pouring champagne over the bow of the boat.

And a toast to Windsong II!

Boys on the boat

/ Sherry Galey / 4 Comments

Angus and Charles, our two Westies, have adapted rather well to life aboard. We had expected that of Angus, since he had made a long voyage with us in 2010 to the Keys.  We knew he could be comfortable on a sailboat, although he is getting older and stiffer…. Charles is not so predictable (!) so we were happy to see that he has also taken to this life well.

True, there’s not much space to run around inside the cabin or cockpit, but the boys have access to lots of walking paths and grass ashore where they can exercise, check their “pee-mail”, do their business, and socialize with the rest of the canine and human population.

The cabin holds a cozy bed for each of them at night, and at certain times of the day, the cockpit is a cool breezy place to enjoy snoozing or observing life outside the boat.

Neither of the dogs can go up and down the companionway by themselves, although Charles tried once, and managed to fall rather ungracefully down the stairs. So Bob and I heave them up and down numerous times a day. At 22 pounds a piece, it’s good exercise for us.

Angus, being 13 1/2 (or almost 95 in people years), is more uncomfortable in the heat than Charles is. Fortunately, the boat has A/C, which we can run when necessary to keep him comfortable.

We’ve tried leaving them alone on the boat while we’ve gone ashore to get provisions, and it has worked out just fine. Charles will bark if he hears someone come on the boat, so he functions as a bit of a watchdog, but otherwise the two just wait quietly while we’re away. Angus almost never barks.

Scotty’s Landing, the local hangout, welcomes dogs, so from time to time we all head over there for dinner. Well, they don’t have dinner; we do!

As with any boating community, there are lots of other dogs on boats that we have all gotten to know. One German Shepherd we met had travelled 7,000 miles on the sailboat with his family. Most impressive!

Painkillers, BVI style

/ Sherry Galey / Leave a comment

Ken and Jill generously left us with the key ingredients for “painkillers,” as well as the recipe. This was a new drink for us and it didn’t take long before we tried it out.

It’s a bit like a pina colada except you use orange juice instead of cream and top it off with nutmeg. And you can only use Pusser’s Rum.

It was invented by Daphne Henderson who operated the Soggy Dollar in the British Virgin Islands. It’s called the Soggy Dollar because it lacks a dock for boats so the sailors must swim to shore, making their money soggy.

The original cocktail is still “secret” but was reverse engineered by Charles Tobias, Pusser’s modern founder. It’s not as rich or sweet as a pina colada. Don’t skip the nutmeg — it makes a real difference.

Until 1970, members of the British Royal Navy were issued a daily ration of Pusser’s rum.

In 1980, Tobias managed to obtain the rights and the blending information from the Admiralty, set up Pusser’s Rum Ltd on Tortola and began selling it to the public for the first time. The rum is blended from five West Indian rums and uses no artificial flavours.

Recipe

2 oz Pusser’s Navy Rum
3 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Cream of Coconut

Shake all ingredients with ice and stain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a dash, or three, of nutmeg.

Thanks, Ken and Jill. This is going to be a new favorite!

Sacrifice on Windsong II

/ Sherry Galey / 2 Comments

Just curious, do any of you remember your high school chemistry? Well I sure don’t (we had the cutest chemistry teacher — Mr. Sweeney — didn’t we Deb?)

So when the topic of “sacrificial zincs” came up, I had no idea what Bob was talking about.

As it turns out, the metal parts of a boat such as the propeller are eaten away over time by electric currents in the water (yes, there are electric currents in the water, but they won’t kill you). If left unchecked, the propeller will eventually disintegrate.

To prevent this from happening, you attach anodes to the metal parts, which are eaten away instead. In fact, they sacrifice themselves for this purpose, that’s where the term “sacrificial” comes from. They are made from a metal that is more “noble” on the periodic table. And it is noble to sacrifice right?

In southern waters, most boats have their anodes replaced every six months or so. As you can see from the following picture of our propeller, the anode was about half gone. Our feathering propeller is made in Australia and, as luck would have it, one of the importers for North America is in Miami, and they had the zincs we needed in stock.

So at this point we just needed someone to dive under the boat and replace the old anode with the new one. And it wasn’t going to be me!

Fortunately, there are divers on our dock several times a week, cleaning the bottoms of our neighbours’ boats. We asked one of them, Manuel, if we could hire him to change the zincs. He was glad to help. It took all of ten minutes and the job was done. Another zinc sacrificed!