Hubby working on stuff. Cleaning a raw water strainer that picks up floating grass when cooling the engine. Not as glamorous as oven cleaning!
I hate to bombard you with stories of our boat....be assured the novelty will wear off, maybe not as fast as the skin on my knees and knuckles from all the scouring I’m doing but as in all things, I’ll reach a balance. For now the boat is new and consumes my every waking thought. It’s tough to go to work, or be at home when I want to be floating on our beautiful sea cottage.
I’m still cleaning the boat and by the looks of things that will be ongoing for some time. Last night I was literally upside-down in the fridge compartment. It was a long way to the floor of it and friends were handy in case I needed to be hauled out, but amazingly I contorted and anchored my feet to the sink while my head and arms were pretty much at the bottom to wipe it dry after swabbing and rinsing to wash away the years of neglect. Now it would pass a white glove test and I won’t be afraid to put food in it. The boat comes with a large freezer/fridge compartment and then beside the sink is an ice box. We’ll probably only need to use that for overnight jaunts and I’ve been freezing Ziploc bags of water to pack it well to keep things cool. The fridge/freezer would be more useful on long hauls and apparently worked like a charm on their trip from Newfoundland.
I finished cleaning the propane stove. I’m a nerd about stainless. I like things shiny. The previous owners weren’t very kind to this stove and allowed food and moisture to sit on it so there is pitting and scratching. It’s difficult coaxing a shine from unloved metal. One of the grates was severely bent, a pot must have fallen on it and hubby managed to straighten the rod and that went a long way to help spruce it up. Of course the grates were blackened from being burned where the pots sit over the flame and that can’t be changed. I prefer a propane stove with the black metal things that sit on top of the gas vents; this one has a grill that covers the entire top of the stove to sit the pots on. Although it’s a perfectly serviceable stove and expensive to boot, I’m not a big fan because this crow has her eye on a fancy new stove I saw at the Binnacle, the dream store for boaters. It is highly polished stainless and a window in the oven. I’ve not told hubby and it’s not feasible any time soon, but somewhere down the line I want one like it in our boat! My very own new and shiny stove to covet and clean and buff to a mirrored finish, not a grease splatter or fingerprint will remain from my diligence. When I own something I take care of it and making things shine is instant gratification for me, like polishing silver for instance, it’s almost orgasmic. As a small child, my mother called me “crow” so this obsession with sparkle has been going on for a long time, maybe from deep down in my DNA. My mother had the shine bug as well, keeping her appliances in mint condition; even pots and pans were in amazing shape for their age. Unfortunately, I’m stuck with this windowless appliance for now because the gimbaled boat stoves cost an arm, a leg and a kidney or two, but I’m going to start stashing away a few bobs here and there and in about twenty years I’ll be able to afford one just like it! A girl has to dream!
We are doing our first overnighter soon. I’ve planned the menu and will cook up a storm and pack it in containers. At this point I’m not doing any prep on board until we are set up with a full pantry of ingredients to draw from. I’ll cook at home and just reheat everything on the water in aluminum foil trays.
A Greek salad is a great traveler with lots of veggies that won’t wilt. I’m thinking scallop potatoes and ham for dinner. A ham is the perfect choice; great for sandwiches for lunch, good to fry for breakfast with eggs, and then a few slices for dinner. I like to boil the crap out of my hams so they aren’t salty and it makes the meat tender and juicy. Then I bake it basted with a glaze made of pineapple juice, maple syrup and mustard. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! And I plan to make butter tarts for my dear hubby who is working hard cleaning and maintaining all the less interesting, although important aspects of the boat such as the engine, electrical and water system.
This weekend will set the precedent for all sails to come on how the dogs fare with their pee pad. Hubby can always take them to shore in the tender in the morning but I hope it will work out with the pad in the cockpit before bedtime as rowing to the shore of an Island in the dark with four pups might be rough. Stay tuned for the result.
So today I need to tackle the berths. After the cleaning I’ll make up the beds with nautical striped sheets found at Costco and polar fleece bedspreads that will double for throws to keep us warm in the cockpit when sitting outside in the evenings or when sailing in cooler temperatures. Soft and luxurious and resistant to dampness, these blankets, made from recycled pop bottles, offer the best insulation against the cold. They are a rich, yummy navy, as nautical as any blue can get.
I’m packing my hooking to bring to the boat for something to do in the evening. Our Sail Away kit needs revamping with more interesting colours so I’ll be hooking a boat while on a boat. How apropos!
I’m still cleaning the boat and by the looks of things that will be ongoing for some time. Last night I was literally upside-down in the fridge compartment. It was a long way to the floor of it and friends were handy in case I needed to be hauled out, but amazingly I contorted and anchored my feet to the sink while my head and arms were pretty much at the bottom to wipe it dry after swabbing and rinsing to wash away the years of neglect. Now it would pass a white glove test and I won’t be afraid to put food in it. The boat comes with a large freezer/fridge compartment and then beside the sink is an ice box. We’ll probably only need to use that for overnight jaunts and I’ve been freezing Ziploc bags of water to pack it well to keep things cool. The fridge/freezer would be more useful on long hauls and apparently worked like a charm on their trip from Newfoundland.
I finished cleaning the propane stove. I’m a nerd about stainless. I like things shiny. The previous owners weren’t very kind to this stove and allowed food and moisture to sit on it so there is pitting and scratching. It’s difficult coaxing a shine from unloved metal. One of the grates was severely bent, a pot must have fallen on it and hubby managed to straighten the rod and that went a long way to help spruce it up. Of course the grates were blackened from being burned where the pots sit over the flame and that can’t be changed. I prefer a propane stove with the black metal things that sit on top of the gas vents; this one has a grill that covers the entire top of the stove to sit the pots on. Although it’s a perfectly serviceable stove and expensive to boot, I’m not a big fan because this crow has her eye on a fancy new stove I saw at the Binnacle, the dream store for boaters. It is highly polished stainless and a window in the oven. I’ve not told hubby and it’s not feasible any time soon, but somewhere down the line I want one like it in our boat! My very own new and shiny stove to covet and clean and buff to a mirrored finish, not a grease splatter or fingerprint will remain from my diligence. When I own something I take care of it and making things shine is instant gratification for me, like polishing silver for instance, it’s almost orgasmic. As a small child, my mother called me “crow” so this obsession with sparkle has been going on for a long time, maybe from deep down in my DNA. My mother had the shine bug as well, keeping her appliances in mint condition; even pots and pans were in amazing shape for their age. Unfortunately, I’m stuck with this windowless appliance for now because the gimbaled boat stoves cost an arm, a leg and a kidney or two, but I’m going to start stashing away a few bobs here and there and in about twenty years I’ll be able to afford one just like it! A girl has to dream!
We are doing our first overnighter soon. I’ve planned the menu and will cook up a storm and pack it in containers. At this point I’m not doing any prep on board until we are set up with a full pantry of ingredients to draw from. I’ll cook at home and just reheat everything on the water in aluminum foil trays.
A Greek salad is a great traveler with lots of veggies that won’t wilt. I’m thinking scallop potatoes and ham for dinner. A ham is the perfect choice; great for sandwiches for lunch, good to fry for breakfast with eggs, and then a few slices for dinner. I like to boil the crap out of my hams so they aren’t salty and it makes the meat tender and juicy. Then I bake it basted with a glaze made of pineapple juice, maple syrup and mustard. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! And I plan to make butter tarts for my dear hubby who is working hard cleaning and maintaining all the less interesting, although important aspects of the boat such as the engine, electrical and water system.
This weekend will set the precedent for all sails to come on how the dogs fare with their pee pad. Hubby can always take them to shore in the tender in the morning but I hope it will work out with the pad in the cockpit before bedtime as rowing to the shore of an Island in the dark with four pups might be rough. Stay tuned for the result.
So today I need to tackle the berths. After the cleaning I’ll make up the beds with nautical striped sheets found at Costco and polar fleece bedspreads that will double for throws to keep us warm in the cockpit when sitting outside in the evenings or when sailing in cooler temperatures. Soft and luxurious and resistant to dampness, these blankets, made from recycled pop bottles, offer the best insulation against the cold. They are a rich, yummy navy, as nautical as any blue can get.
I’m packing my hooking to bring to the boat for something to do in the evening. Our Sail Away kit needs revamping with more interesting colours so I’ll be hooking a boat while on a boat. How apropos!
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