Canned Tuna Will Never be the Same

Left Biscayne Bay for Fort Lauderdale this morning. We sailed right under
the bridge by downtown Miami and saw the view up close and personal. We
then turned right and headed out Government cut and saw the tankers and
cruise ships up close too. Just looking up on the bridge, we saw more cars
than we saw the entire time we were in the Bahamas!

The boat traffic was fast and furious. We try not to engage too much in the
sailboat snobbery and pasting the powerboats, but I have to say there are
some irresponsible and inconsiderate power boaters out there, particularly
when it comes to leaving huge wakes as they go by. (There might be
irresponsible and inconsiderate sailboaters out there, but since they're
only going 5 knots, who cares?) As we went through the cut, the power
boats were whizzing by on both sides, each leaving a huge wake behind.

It's challenging enough to try and navigate something that is the size of a
40 foot garage through lots of traffic in a narrow body of water. It's even
more challenging when those that pass hurl 3-4 feet of water at you as they
go by!

Anyhow, eventually we 'wake-surfed' our way out to the Atlantic and headed
up the coast to Fort Lauderdale. Had both the jib and mizzen up and managed
to stay in the 5-7 knot range for most of the trip. The seas were very
Atlantic Ocean-y with some big rolly waves every now and then. The
coastline was skyscraper condos and hotels the whole way up.

We spent part of yesterday and this morning trying to arrange a place to
leave the boat for the summer. We tried a bunch of places in Miami, most
were too expensive, but they all did have vacancies! (Not surprising at $4
per foot per day, $160 per night for our boat - if I want to pay Hyatt
prices, I'll stay at the Hyatt - have yet to see any marina with amenities
to warrent $4 a foot!)

Encountering that, we turned our sights to Fort Lauderdale and will check
out a place tomorrow. It's a fun with bridges day with four to navigate
before getting to the marina. We'll anchor in a very nice little harbor
tonight which is surrounded by multi-million dollar homes with boats tied up
in front that make ours look like a dingy! Do the Trumps live here?!

Another fish tale! We're still working our way through Steve's monster
fish. We've had it basted in butter, grilled with blackened seasoning, and
grilled with an oriental lime sauce. We don't have much time left before
the fridge and freezer are shut down and we don't want any to go to waste!
Today I made Snapper Fish Salad (similar to tuna fish salad in the US and
tuna mayonnaise in the UK). We may never enjoy tuna from a can again!

The Best Snapper Fish Salad Ever

Leftover grilled snapper fillet
A couple heaping tblsps of mayo
Blackened seasoning
2 small or one large wrap

Chop snapper and mix with mayo. Add blackened seasoning to taste. Wrap in
a wrap and enjoy the best fish salad ever!

Alders Cay

There's a cold front coming through in the next day or so, so we've found a beautiful anchorage to hole up in. Alders Cay is a 'private enclave', but you can anchor of some bits of it (or at least no one has come out to tell us we can't be anchored here). Looks like there are three houses, loads of palm trees and some very white sandy beaches. We'll stay here until Tuesday-ish when the weather should be more appropriate for a move.

Made some chili in preparation for a bit of wind and cold weather, always nice to have a hot meal to hand when the boat is bouncing around:

Boat Chili

1 large onion
1 large green pepper
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 lb minced beef / hamburger
1 can white beans (Great Northern or similar)
1 can black eyed peas (or small white beans)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1-2 teasp Old Bay Seasoning (and / or blackened seasoning)
1/2 teasp Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Sea salt
1/2 teasp Hungarian paprika (the hot stuff)
In olive oil, saute onion, green pepper and garlic until tender. Stir in spices. Add hamburger and saute until cooked through. Stir in both cans of beans, tomatoes and tomato paste. Turn down heat and let furgle for 15 minutes or so. Check taste and add spices, if necessary. (Steve thinks we should enter this in Madge and Brian's Chili Cook Off!)

Blogging by Moonlight

Sitting in the cockpit watching the first signs of sunset appear before me and the reflections of a mostly full moon off the water behind me, and marveling at how beautiful early mornings can be. Watching another sailboat in the distance (I can just see its steaming lights and mast) as it arrives from across the banks.

The temperatures have improved and we're finally wearing fewer clothes. It's warm enough for shorts, t-shirts and swimsuits now, consistently. Finally, no wooly sweaters and bobble hats! It's warm even in the early morning before it gets light. The winds still aren't quite right for sailing across the Banks. Steve isn't that interested in motoring for 80 miles and neither am I, especially after motoring 50 from Miami, so we'll wait a bit until the wind comes around a little more to from the south before heading across to the Berry Islands.

Yesterday was a productive one! After rolling all night, we upped anchor and moved to the other side of Cat Cay. As we left the anchorage, we threw out the fishing line from the rod we've been using and the Cuban reel (which is a 10 inch plastic yo-yo with fishing line wrapped around it). I'm interested in comparing the fish catching ability of the rod versus the Cuban reel as the rod cost $100 and the Cuban reel cost $2.99. We'll need a bit more than one day's data, but if yesterday was an example we'll stick with the rod! We had just left the anchorage and the tip of the rod was curved over, there was a fish! Steve pulled it in and we went through the 'Fish Identification Process' (FIP) because when we catch these things we don't have a clue what they are! FIP - Pull the fish out of the water, run for the 'fish picture', examine all the fish on the fish picture, "is it this, that, maybe it's that", pull out the 'fish book', go back to the fish picture, until we figure out what we have. Nope, it's a barracuda, yuk, know they can be good eating, but boney, throw it back. Okay, now what do we do, this thing has teeth and is flapping wildly about. Pliers and 'barbeque tongs' to the rescue. I held the line and Steve used the tongs to hold the fish still and the pliers to get the hook out. Back to the sea for you, barracuda.

A bit of excitement there and then shortly thereafter 'something big' grabbed the hook and zing! the line ran out, but it was one of those 'phantom fish' that make you leap up, get all excited and rush to the rod only to quickly disappear leaving no sign that it was ever there. As we came through the cut between Gun Cay and Cat Cay, the end of the rod dipped again, this time by quite a bit. Steve was steering through a rather tricky area so I slowly and quietly (never distract the captain with a fish when he is navigating around rocks) started to reel in the line. Once we got into safer waters, Steve took over and reeled in a lovely pompano (at least we think it was a pompano from the picture). Into the freezer for you, boyo!

We anchored just off the very posh and very private marina at Cat Cay, lots of boat money there. There are some beautiful houses on the island and a private airport. A lot of palm trees have been planted and it looks very tropical island. We puttered about, Steve filleting the fish and me making bread. Now my bread making efforts have not been incredibly successful to date, although I am very good at producing a flat, hard, yet oddly tasty loaf which looks nothing like a 'proper loaf' should. I had found a recipe for no knead, easiest bread ever in the New York Times (Steve sniffs at that, "Ah, yes, that well known purveyor of epicurean news.") and tried it. It takes 18-24 hours to make, but actually was pretty easy.

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, (I waited 24) at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball (it's still really sticky here). Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size (mine only rose a bit) and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) (I used a regular loaf pan, didn't let it heat for that long and covered it in tin foil, boat limitations) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Oh, my goodness, was it good! Perfect colour, crispy on the outside and soft / fluffy on the inside! Could have eaten the entire loaf in one sitting! Dinner was fresh fish in browned butter, butternut squash (the oven was on and Steve ADORES butternut squash), tomatoes with olive oil and rosemary seasalt, and FRESH BREAD!

The Sewing Room

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!

Brown Butter Sauce for Fish

Picked up some Talapia at the market yesterday and while having a bit of London nostalgia decided to have it with a Brown Butter Sauce similar to what we have at one of the fish restaurants we used to go to:

Fry the fish fillets (or steaks) on both sides in a bit of olive oil. Splash in two tblsps of white vinegar, two tblsps of lemon juice, two tblsps of good white wine (save the rest to go with dinner!), two tblsps of capers, and cook until most of the liquid disappears. Mash two anchovies (the salted ones in oil, NOT the pickled ones) (use more or less anchovies to taste) and add to the pan. Finally add two to four tblsps of butter and cook until foamy and slightly browned.

Serve with a salad, some fresh bread and some really good tomatoes (we hate peach colored tomatoes!) drizzled with good olive oil and sea salt. The whole thing takes minutes to make and is lovely!

Key West - So That's Where All the Hippies Went!

Have been over to Key West via our 'car' (dingy) three times now, to run various errands and to have a peek around. Some of the best houses (prettiest, most architecturally interesting) I have seen in a long time. There is quite a bit of vegetation for Florida and nestled in and amongst the palm and other tropical greenery are wooden houses with picket fences, porches and porch swings. Many of the porch ceilings are painted light blue (supposed to keep the bugs away). The porch railings are all detailed or engraved, we saw a fence topped with cut out pineapples yesterday. People are out on their bikes, skateboards, or walking. It feels like a community.

There's a very laid-back lifestyle here with casual dress and slower pace. I look at the dress and it makes me think, "Ah, okay, so that's where all the hippies went." Loads of dreadlocks and loose linen clothing. The market we went to was loaded with organic (which I like and Steve thinks is a great marketing scam) and health foods with just token few 'regular' items - we're still on a search for meat! We found the laundry, two marine stores and Steve's beloved cheeseburger in Paradise.

In between the trips back and forth, I've been rereading 'An Embarrassment of Mangoes' which is great story of how a couple from Toronto pulled up stakes and cruised from the Bahamas to the Carribean and back, written by Ann Venderhoof. It's been fun reading about how someone else views this experience and how the learning curve is steep for other people too!

There was a paragraph which particularly resonated during the first reading: "My whole identity was defined by what I did to make a living, and I didn't like that. Steve was focused on the fact that we were growing older; he watched friends put things off until "later" when, they said, they'd have more money and fewer responsibilities; by the time "later" came, they were no longer in good health and no longer able. "I never want to find ourselves in that position," Steve said. "I never want to say, "If only..." During the past three and a half years of working 12-14 hour days and living (mostly) in two separate countries, one thing that we particularly noticed was the toll that lifestyle was taking on our bodies, in terms of weight, flexibility and energy. This resulted in weekends spent (this past summer) surfing the Internet and napping rather than out walking, motorbiking or exploring as we have in previous years. Our identities were work - that's what we did, that's what we talked about, that's what we thought about.

During the second reading, there is a paragraph which made us chuckle because it so closely parallels what we've experienced: "The word drifted out to colleagues, and the endless stream of questions began. How could we give up two highly coveted jobs and just sail over the horizon? How would we survive when we returned, jobless and out of the loop? What would we do? It was both unnerving and englightening that so many concerns revolved around our work. I heard whiffs of words like "reckless." I caught wind of a betting pool on how long it would be - how soon, actually before we turned back." Aside from the betting pools (of which we believe there are several), there were three main areas which generated tons of questions - how can you give up the job (the perks, the consultancy lifestyle, the money), how can you do this from a financial perspective, and the biggest one was what will you do all day? The concept of going from 'full on' work to 'not work' was one that people really wanted to dig into, they were really interested in exploring what do people do when not working - and how much would that cost? (We're tracking this and will share it in a future post.)

One of the things we're doing is cooking. There are some great recipes in Mangos, one of which we tried last night after picking up some fresh, organic, healthy fish in Key West:

'Tastes Like Lobster' Conch
(or Monkfish or other meaty fish)

(Adjusted to serve 2)

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
2 large conch, cleaned and tenderised (We're saving this delicacy until we get to the Bahamas so we used Mahi-Mahi)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 sweet green or red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 tomato diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine

Butter two large pieces of heavy foil and sprinkle each with a layer of garlic. Layer conch (fish) onion, pepper, tomato and the rest of the garlic. Dot with the remaining butter, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with white wine. Seal packages and cook on a preheated barbeque for 8 - 10 minutes.

Steve's comment, "There's really great food on this cruise!"

How to Be a Great Cook - Use Great Cookbooks!

Once upon a time, I didn't like to cook - my favourite thing to make was reservations. Then I married Steve, a foodie who could cook. When we were dating, he would make fantastic meals - coq au riesling, chicken in white wine sauce, spicy sausage and pasta, and one that won over Jess, toad in the hole. He made delicious (lovely, yummy) meals and claimed they were easy.

Well, the food was so good, making reservations became less appealing because often the food at home was better than the food in the restaurant. As time went by, I began trying different recipes and began to enjoy cooking myself. Two things really made this cooking thing stick - simple yet gourmet quality recipes and a foodie husband who thoroughly enjoys the end result!

Here's one example of what I'm talking about:

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

6 chicken thighs
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
small package of white (or fancier) mushrooms sliced
1 glass of good white wine
most of a pint of heavy cream
olive oil (for frying)
Bacon, pancetta or salt pork

Sear the outside of the chicken by frying quickly in olive oil (or microwave it for 8-10 minutes and then start frying). In a separate pan, slowly fry onions. When onions become translucent, add in garlic. When garlic is cooked, add in mushrooms. When mushrooms are cooked, add onions, garlic, mushroom mix to seared / microwaved chicken and toss together for a few minutes.

After 'mix' and chicken have had a chance to blend, pour in glass of wine. Bring to a boil then lower temp a bit so it is gently bubbling and cook for about 20 minutes. Slice a few pieces of the chicken to make sure they are cooked through and once they are add about 3/4ths of the pint of cream. Let this 'fergle' on a low boil, uncovered until the cream thickens and the sauce tastes wonderful!

Serve with salad (no dressing, use the lettuce to mop up the sauce), bread and the rest of the white wine (this is why I said good white wine!). Usually makes enough for two meals, serve over pasta the second time around. It's one of the easiest, tastiest meals I've ever had!

My favourite cookbooks that I use for simple, yet gourmet meals are written by Nigel Slater (Real Food) and Jamie Oliver (Italy) plus the Cruising Chef and Cruising Cuisine cookbooks.