We're currently anchored in the Niles Channel which is about 28 miles north of Key West and 28 miles south of Marathon, waiting out a 'Norther'. Northers have become very familiar! They are winds coming from the north which can blow wind (not surprisingly) and cold air from the north for days at a time. This one is supposed to last until end of day on Monday. Often times you just want to stay in an anchorage during a Norther, number one, because it's really cold and, number two, because it is too windy to sail. So we're here for a bit and that's just fine because the waves out in the Atlantic are running 4-7 feet and in here there is a gentle rocking motion - much nicer!
While coming up from Key West, we noticed a tear in the jib sail (the front one). Since we use that quite a bit, it needed to be repaired. That was the first job in the morning. Here's a picture of my 'sewing room'. It was very interesting doing this repair. First we had to take the sail down (think huge piece of fabric flapping in the breeze), align the tear with the machine, and wedge / roll the fabric until we could get the needle part of the machine over the torn part of the sail. Those who sew will understand the challenge of working with a huge, stiff piece of fabric - then add in a breeze and a bit of rain! It took the two of us to push / pull the sail through. I had marine thread and put in three extra seams, but we'll need to get some proper sail thread and fabric when we get to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
After that I made a deck pillow and a bag for the dingy anchor. The sewing machine is so heavy and awkward to take out, I feel like I have to make it really worthwhile when it does come out and do lots with it. Although Steve said the day's work was done just by fixing the sail.
It's interesting not being able to just pick up and go, sometimes for days. It takes adjusting to, but it forces you to think of things to do. We've always had big to-do lists and that hasn't really changed, the to-do's are just different. And being on a boat, you have to get used to doing things as the weather permits rather than when you feel like it. If the wind allows sailing, that's what you do. Many of the things we want to do, we can't do when sailing. It's tough to play the sax when the boat is bouncing around, for example. Most projects are difficult, if not impossible. I wouldn't even want to think of taking that sewing machine out when underway! So we're going to have to make lists of things to do when sailing and things to do when not sailing. That way we don't moan when there's too much wind to sail and don't fret about not getting things done when we are sailing.
On cold blustery days like this, something warm for dinner is in order. While in London, I was introduced to Indian food. The English are very fond of their Indian food with curry houses and Indian restaurants in abundance. I liked the dishes I tried, but only once in a while, say once a month, whereas I could eat Chinese or Thai two or three times a week easily. Steve really likes Indian though so we kept periodically trying different places and finally found a couple of really good ones within walking distance of the flat. Curries are a specialty and while there are some standard ones you'll see at most places, there are some different ones which are fantastic. And curries are not just Indian, some of the ones we particularly like are Thai with Thai Green Chicken Curry as an all time favourite. It's a great meal any time, but particularly after a chilly boat day. Last night we had Stevie's Special Thai Green Chicken Curry:
Meat (probably chicken, works great with leftovers)
Coconut milk
Green chilis chopped (we used one jalapeno, would use two next time)
Green pepper chopped
Onion chopped
Garlic chopped
Curry paste
Bamboo shoots
Jasmine or basmati rice
Saute meat until done (if not using pre-cooked), add in garlic, onion, and peppers and cook until tender. Add in bamboo shoots and chickpeas and stir them in. Stir in coconut milk and curry paste. Bring to a soft boil. Turn down heat to low / medium (this is called the furgling temperature) and leave cover off pan so curry thickens and reduces.
While the curry is furgling, prepare the rice according to package directions. When curry has thickened, it's done. Serve curry on a bed of rice. For those who like an even spicier curry, add cayenne pepper to taste. The subtle sweetness of the cococut milk and the heat of the peppers makes for some lovely comfort food on a chilly evening!
While coming up from Key West, we noticed a tear in the jib sail (the front one). Since we use that quite a bit, it needed to be repaired. That was the first job in the morning. Here's a picture of my 'sewing room'. It was very interesting doing this repair. First we had to take the sail down (think huge piece of fabric flapping in the breeze), align the tear with the machine, and wedge / roll the fabric until we could get the needle part of the machine over the torn part of the sail. Those who sew will understand the challenge of working with a huge, stiff piece of fabric - then add in a breeze and a bit of rain! It took the two of us to push / pull the sail through. I had marine thread and put in three extra seams, but we'll need to get some proper sail thread and fabric when we get to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
After that I made a deck pillow and a bag for the dingy anchor. The sewing machine is so heavy and awkward to take out, I feel like I have to make it really worthwhile when it does come out and do lots with it. Although Steve said the day's work was done just by fixing the sail.
It's interesting not being able to just pick up and go, sometimes for days. It takes adjusting to, but it forces you to think of things to do. We've always had big to-do lists and that hasn't really changed, the to-do's are just different. And being on a boat, you have to get used to doing things as the weather permits rather than when you feel like it. If the wind allows sailing, that's what you do. Many of the things we want to do, we can't do when sailing. It's tough to play the sax when the boat is bouncing around, for example. Most projects are difficult, if not impossible. I wouldn't even want to think of taking that sewing machine out when underway! So we're going to have to make lists of things to do when sailing and things to do when not sailing. That way we don't moan when there's too much wind to sail and don't fret about not getting things done when we are sailing.
On cold blustery days like this, something warm for dinner is in order. While in London, I was introduced to Indian food. The English are very fond of their Indian food with curry houses and Indian restaurants in abundance. I liked the dishes I tried, but only once in a while, say once a month, whereas I could eat Chinese or Thai two or three times a week easily. Steve really likes Indian though so we kept periodically trying different places and finally found a couple of really good ones within walking distance of the flat. Curries are a specialty and while there are some standard ones you'll see at most places, there are some different ones which are fantastic. And curries are not just Indian, some of the ones we particularly like are Thai with Thai Green Chicken Curry as an all time favourite. It's a great meal any time, but particularly after a chilly boat day. Last night we had Stevie's Special Thai Green Chicken Curry:
Meat (probably chicken, works great with leftovers)
Coconut milk
Green chilis chopped (we used one jalapeno, would use two next time)
Green pepper chopped
Onion chopped
Garlic chopped
Curry paste
Bamboo shoots
Jasmine or basmati rice
Saute meat until done (if not using pre-cooked), add in garlic, onion, and peppers and cook until tender. Add in bamboo shoots and chickpeas and stir them in. Stir in coconut milk and curry paste. Bring to a soft boil. Turn down heat to low / medium (this is called the furgling temperature) and leave cover off pan so curry thickens and reduces.
While the curry is furgling, prepare the rice according to package directions. When curry has thickened, it's done. Serve curry on a bed of rice. For those who like an even spicier curry, add cayenne pepper to taste. The subtle sweetness of the cococut milk and the heat of the peppers makes for some lovely comfort food on a chilly evening!
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