SailingKnitter

The crew has arrived! Here's Tony getting picked up at the airport on Saturday. He wore his "nice" clothes on the airplane - last time we'll see those for a couple of weeks! It's shorts and teeshirts from now on. Our sons, Ryan and Brett arrived later in the day, so our crew is now complete.

We've had 2 full days of last minute errands; sold the van, and did the last batch of laundry. I washed all the produce in a weak bleach solution to avoid mold/mildew which prolongs the storage life. We will be at sea for 12 days with no opportunity to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables. The first place we will stop is only a small, very isolated fishing village, and the second place is not populated.

I went to a great class sponsored by Downwind Marine on how to use a pressure cooker while cruising on your sailboat. The pressure cooker uses a lot less fuel (propane) because it cooks foods in about 75% LESS time than a regular stove top pan. This also keeps the galley (kitchen) cooler, and because the lid is locked, disasterous spills are prevented while your boat rocks and rolls over the sea swells. I've got our dinner & breakfast menu planned - lunch is a "grab a sandwich or leftovers" affair every day.

Menu:
Dinners: Green Chili Chicken breasts, Spaghetti, Jambalaya, Pollo Asada (grilled marinated chicken), Grilled Fish (we'd better catch some!!!), Baby Back Ribs w/baked beans, Fish Tacos, Beef Pot Roast, Shredded Beef Tacos, London Broil Steak, more fish if we can catch it.
Breakfasts: Biscuits & gravy, pancakes, french toast, eggs, breakfast burritos & sandwiches, assorted fruits.

I'll need to bake bread for the last part of the trip - no biggie - but may be tricky while we are under way. My sons love to cook, so I'll have plenty of help in the galley.

I came across these pictures of the coolest industrial surplus store I've ever been in. It was just so dang...dirty, overstocked, dark, rusty...really fun! Jones takes me to the nicest places! I was dazzled by the giant nuts and bolts, massive quantities of grinding wheels, and stuff that I don't even know what it was. There's a handprinted sign on the wall says "Don't climb up the bins". Oh, yeah, like I was going to do that.

Well, it's time to say goodbye. I'll post again as soon as I can get a wireless internet signal.