Leading New Cruisers to Moody Gardens

Turning into Offatts Bayou channel

Marina at Moody Gardens from the beach

We organized and lead our first cruise to Moody Gardens Marina in Offatts Bayou.  Our other sailboat cruisers had never been to Offatts.  We slowed down and stayed behind another tug to insure that everyone made it under the Galveston Causeway RR bridge together.  We radioed the bridge using their call sign to make sure that all the sailboats will be able to go under before they dropped the bridge for the train.  We all made it with no problems from the courteous bridge tender.  Dolphins greeted us along the way.

The cruise was made so much easier with A Quickie Guide for Sailing Destinations in Texas.

Guess Who Is Coming to Make Dinner, Joan Roca

Introduction to the Roca family (translated from Spanish by Harvard University, listed below in post)

As I try to master (or at least minor) the art of cooking (in small places), noted chefs, Joan Roca, and his brothers, Jordi (pastry chef) and Josep (wine expert, sommelier), from the restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca in Taialà, Spain (near Girona) are coming to Houston August 4-6, 2014 at the Rienzi (MFAH house museum for European decorative arts and paintings in River Oaks) to show 300 select individuals what magical foods that they can create (including new version of chili con carne or make ice cream with breathe with yeast).

Pictures from August 4 meal at the Rienzi from Houston Chronicle (14 courses) from Alison Cook

Second set of Pictures from Culture Map Houston, Eric Sandler
Opening dish of tapas is presented as a tree with a black lantern canopy that opens to reveal the gifts of a tiny taco, and more delicious bites.

Featuring Spanish wines: Vega Sicilia, Gramona, Grans Muralles and Mas La Plana from Bodegas Torres

They are also bringing their restaurant and 20 workers to Dallas for 2 days as well.  Then continue to Central and South America. 

Two students from Art Institute of Houston, International Cooking program, and two students from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Art in Dallas will be selected to go to Spain and apprentice under the Roca brothers in their restaurant.

Thanks to the BBVA Compass Bank.

Roca & Roll World Tour

HYC Commodore's Cruise to Rockport

Whitley greets the locks on the Texas GIWW

2014, Houston Yacht Club Opening ceremony

Commodore Nancy Edmonson opens the official sailing season for the Houston Yacht Club, 2014

Easter Raft up with Goldens

Golden Retrievers Raft up on Nassau Bay from Seabrook for Easter weekend

Sailing Across the Gulf

Sunset from Key West, March 2014

Sailing across the blue water to the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles south route

Center of Fort Jefferson National Park, 2 park rangers live there for 2 weeks on.

One of our crew sailed from the Dry Tortugas and back to Texas across the Gulf of Mexico.  Preparation is the key to any successful trip.  So for some added preparation, I added some ways to make the trip better.

Salt Sensitivity and the Sea

No brining for this chick.  Low to no sodium foods are impossible to find (where are no salt El Milagro Tortilla Chips anymore).  Plenty of gluten-free but no foods (without sodium) for me (sodium sensitivity) besides cooking from scratch.

The Mother Load at Central Market in Houston, are five bags enough for the month?

For over ten years after moving to Mississippi I suffered from what I thought was food poisoning or acute (hot burning pain) pain in my left shoulder blade and left arm (felt like hot lava burning down my left arm to my ring finger) after eating but over the past 2 years discovered that it is the salt and it is a genetic trait.  A piece of brined turkey or pork will have me suffering all night long.

TWIA: Blow Me Away

After a quick education about WPI-8, now repealed WPI-12, and the waiver, I have received a real lesson on the latest nonsense that is TX windstorm insurance compliance. 

Sweet Hearts on the Water

Chocolates, Strawberries, Cheesecake, Champagne, and Sailboats for Valentine's Day

FICTION or is it? ABA, Affordable Boat Act

"The Affordable Boat Act"

Galveston Bay and Texas Oyster Appellations

Christmas and Thanksgiving with my family always includes Scalloped Oysters: baked oysters with milk, butter, crackers like Beaumont Inn's recipe. My mother absolutely loves oysters: fried, grilled, scalloped, raw-not so much, but never had Galveston Bay oysters until she moved to Texas. 

HYC Commodore's Ball and Table Dancing

2016, January HYC Commorodore's Ball for Commodore Gordie Keenan and Commoradorable Ruth Keenan

Excellent Food Spread for the Ball

photo by Ed M. from HYC facebook page

Ethanol Gas killing our small engines

Our little outboard engine has been a continuous problem until we started only using non ethanol gas.  From pure-gas.org are the gas stations where you can find nonethanol gas.

Apparently Harris County and all counties touching the county can not sell nonethanol at public gas stations (blame the US government, EPA regulations and statutes).  But allegedly you can get it at airports that is used for planes which is 100 octane.

Merry Christmas & Happy 2014

Christmas in Galveston at the Bishop's Palace, 2013 with Inlaws and BOI'ers

We rented a recently updated older home a few blocks from the Seawall for the extended week.  Much more room to move around than the boat like last year and a full size kitchen to prepare food for the six of us plus 2 dogs.

Harvard Lessons for Cooking on a Boat

My total benefits for agonizing over once forgotten college physics, chemistry, and biology:

1. searing your meat or vegetable creates maillard reaction (flavor compounds) over 120 degrees Celsuis (~250 degrees Fahrenheit)
2. Cooking with wine or alcohol helps break down the beef tissue (reduces the crosslinks).
3. Ledenfrost effect: for a drop of water on a skillet of 190 degrees Celsius (374 degrees Fahrenheit), gas suspends the liquid over the skillet
4. Making cheese with whole milk and a little white vinegar or buttermilk
5. 1 part salt to 10 parts ice & water, drops the temperature the best to cool the beer down
6. Avocado brown when in contact with oxygen.  Cilantro has low pH (vit A) and bond to avocado to block attachment to oxygen.  Lemon, lime, or orange juice (acidic) blocks the bonding to oxygen
7. How many and the types of meals can I cook on a tank of propane
8. How much heat per mass of food will be needed to cook the meal.
9. Idea of building a solar oven on the deck when anchored out
10. Reducing chances of getting sick from microbes in our food
11. Is my temperature of the oven or pot on the stove correct, use a thermometer
12. Use the scale and measure in grams!
13. Make soups thicker or thinner (viscosity) with appropriate hydrocolloid
14. Bread Flour make my buttermilk biscuits better.
15. Making Ice cream on the boat is so easy using small and large ziploc bags.  Large bag with 600g of ice and 200g of salt (temperature drops to 22F), and small bag with 90g cream, 100g milk, and 20g sugar placed the larger bag and shake for 10 minutes.
16. Not a fan of chocolate, so I had to eat all those Chocolate Lava cakes-no chocolate for a year or more now.
17. Fermentation for beer and wine.  Understanding distillation of alcohol. Why whisky or rum will stay good on the boat but not beer and wine, because nothing can grow in the high alcohol content.
18. Making breads and pastries: thank you Joanne Chang, understanding why salt is needed to kill off some of the overproducing yeast in the bread.  Burping and farting yeast molecules.
19. 10 sessions of research, homework, and labs (eating)
20. Pesto (adding a little flat parsley to reduce darking of the basil)
21. Viscosity: Mac and cheese, make a roux of flour and butter before adding the cheeses and milk-increases the viscosity and improves the taste on the tongue
22. Elasticity: cooked proteins in bread or meat changed the mouth feel and reduces the chew factor from the uncooked foods
23. Cooked Noodles: you do not have to wait for the water to boil before adding the uncooked noodles.  Add the noodles when the water is cold and heat it up and use less water, to save energy and water.  Adding salt to the water barely affects the temperature, so save the salt and do not add to the water.
24. Use Ice water to revive wilted lettuce in 30 seconds
25. Aioli is an emulsion garlic, olive, oil, and egg yolk, (alioli is without egg yolk)
    

2013 ACL Music Festival: Dancing in the deepest oceans

Since living in Texas, I have long heard about Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival (beginning in 2002).  But no musician excited in me the desire to get a pet sitter, drive to Austin, battle 75,000 people to see someone sing in the hot October sun or the rain for 3 days, but this year was different.  In the morning that the tickets went on sale at 10 am, I heard that The Cure and Depeche Mode were headlining for both weekends.

First weekend sold out in a matter of hours.  No worry we wanted the second weekend as our anniversary present anyway.

"Please do not take me until after I get to see and hear both bands play."

Quickie Guides Ready for Racing and Cruising

Buy A Quickie Guide for Sailing Destinations in TX Kindle version (best with Fire HD 8.9 or Kindle for Ipad) with live web links. 

Louisiana Kindle version, (best with Fire HD 8.9 or Kindle app for Ipad) with live web links.

Mississippi Kindle version, (best with Fire HD 8.9 or Kindle app for Ipad) with live web links.

UPDATED QUICKIE GUIDES READY TO GO

2013, Louisiana, Quickie Guide for Sailing

Second Edition, Texas, A Quickie Guide for Sailing Destinations

A Quickie Guide for Sailing Destinations in Mississippi

Water is our Wilderness

Walking the docks of our marina, we saw many jellyfish around the sailboats, all shape and sizes.  We saw one with a beautiful long tail called a War O'war.  Oh you do not want to get in these waters now.  With the water so warm and the temperature so high, this is when most people and dogs are jumping into the water to cool off.

The next day a friend had gotten stung by a jellyfish by Redfish Island, but they had no vinegar on board.   She was stung on her rib cage.  So she just drank lots of alcohol to numb the pain until they returned to shore.

Here are some Helpful facts from Judith Klein, MD that I had just watched after seeing all the jellyfish in the marina.  For an hour she talks about dealing with injuries in the wilderness called Into the Wild, Backcountry Medicine 101 found on ItunesU.

Tough Choices on Leaving

How much longer?

After much researching, organizing, and updating to cruise to blue water, one of your crew may not be up for the trip.  We apply the daily eye drops or ointment so he can see.  Bring his favorite food and toys which he ignores when he is at sea.  Why, is he motion sick? 

Sunny Denial is a Busy Place

Just another sunny day on the beach in Nice

My latest dangers feel like the newest drivers in the Houston area; all trying to hit me and never using turn signals. But if I avoid the rush hours and keep a far distance from them, I can make it safe and sound to the boat to relax. 

This spring has been nice and cool so much so that I have not thought about sunscreen much. I got my first redness-burn at the HYC opening ceremony forgetting how bright the sun was. Finally now I am pouring on the sunscreen again. 

 

I had always been good about applying sunscreen since high school. After returning from the pebble beaches of Nice and seeing all the old ladies that looked like the witches from Clash of the Titans, I used sunscreen, big floppy hat, sunglasses, & long flowing hippy skirts with a healthy glow to my skin, not a tan. I tried the numerous chemical tanning creams but they all made my skin smell like meat tenderizer, not a good smell for a vegetarian.

My work put me out in the heat of the Texas Sun 5-6 days a week, but I was always fully covered with the wide-brimmed hard hat and eye protection, knocking back catbriar and saplings. 

So I guess my lapse in judgment for lacking sunscreen is a recent problem and the lack of proper clothing protection since we got the boat. 

I would prefer to stay in a bikini all day long than my old armor of jeans, flannel shirt, steeltoe boots, leather gloves, and hardhat.  Realizing again that the sunscreen is not enough (I was in denial-Egypt I will miss you). This sun and my new age is changing my skin, so back to the proven treatments of hydrate, lotion, sunscreen, hat, glasses, flowing tight dresses, & exercise... 

 

Apparently denial is a busy place:

Walkin' on my Hands

I'd stand on my hands for a good drink too.

Here we go.  Ready for Memorial Day weekend.  Now we are not your average Memorial Day weekend party-ers.  We take it to a whole different level.

Sitting back and consuming large amounts of quickly produced beer called american lager with no flavor, or drinking from the dogs water bowl.  That would be a hard one to decide.  It may depend on if the dogs eat anything today.

Well all funny business aside.  Good and Great Beers are no longer in short supply.

Opening Day Ceremony at Houston Yacht Club

Brute Show

It could happen to you!  Thankfully all charges were finally dropped.

Ike Dike, Bad Idea?

17 feet high, 60 miles long from High Island to San Luis Pass, $4-6 Billion project to reduce storm surge for Galveston Bay. Really?

After examining the Tx A&M Master thesis that researched this idea, it bases much of its application on the Netherland's System, but they do not have 600 mile wide tropic storms or hurricanes in their area.

Stop Suspicionless Searches of Pleasure Vessels

The US Coast Guard and Border Patrol can and do board any vessel in the slip or out sailing without any probable cause. There are been numerous reports in Houma, LA of the Border Patrol and US Coast Guard boarding recreational vessels (sailboats and power) in the ICW. As a former student of Constitutional Law these meritless boardings give me great pause, and I recall the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution.

Sail Magazine did a great article about the very topic in October 2012 which I will reprint here. Definitely worth the read. In fact lets take it a step further and contact your Congressman and Senator about changing The law of 1790 Revenue Cutter to now exempt recreational vessels from suspicionless searches.

Personal Handwritten Letters seems to have a heavier weight to the Congressmen (when I worked for a special interest group)
The Honorable (Contact Your US Representative)
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable (Contact Your US Senator)
US Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Coast Guard Boardings and Your Fourth Amendment, Part 1
Coast Guard Boardings and Your Fourth Amendment, Part 2
Coast Guard Boardings and Your Fourth Amendment, Part 3

Quick Go Sailing

As my first order of business, I decree that all sailboats must leave the slip at least once a season and go for a quick sailing trip.  

Fussy and frustrated with present Sailing Guides, I created my own: a fast, to the point, and up-to-date guide, for TX, LA, MS, and AL. 

A Quickie Guide for Sailing Destinations on the Gulf Coast

Go for a Quickie.

Casino Royale Party

Casino Royale meets the Natural Gas Industry

INTRODUCING THE PRESIDENT

 ALL HAIL YACHTY after winning the Sailing Party

There Will Be Wine

On Autumnal Equinox, there was a fierce battle of the wines from California and Texas.  No one knew what they were tasting.  Glasses are knocked about, clothes were stained, and mouths were filled with tasty gourmet delights.  Dump buckets were filled at each station with water and wine.  The water pitchers were there for cleaning the cups or palates.  Water crackers were snatched up at each table which kept me busy filling them up.  People wandered from wine rooms and stations.

Clearly some people just preferred whites over reds or reds over whites.  Those white wine loves stayed at the white wine tables for a hour before moving on. 

Rosle Vegetable Chopper (Google Affiliate Ad)

Boobs, Tubes, & Brisket

Lone Star Restaurant, sell beer in cases to go, ice cream, breakfast at 8:30am but the last rental tubes is at 5:30pm.

Vacation from the boat life to New Braunfels, this was our first time tubing the Guadapule so we tried the shorter 1.5 hour route with deep areas to swim and hang on the tubes while Whitley swims between us and pulls me to shore (she didn't need a tube).  Lone Star picks us all up at Roys, the second crossing.

• The BEST Brisket, ribs, and sausage from City Market in Luling (potato salad from Schulenburg)
• Homemade Hickory smoked brisket and bbq chicken from Bob and Dave (neighbors and B-days) 
• Lil Kahuna , cabin across from the Lone Star Float House, (1 bedroom and bath, with 2 futon beds/sofas, dog friendly) 

Tied up in Knots

Boating Knots by AnimatedKnots.com

Raining day so after stopping leaks, I am practicing my Knots for sailing!

Salut to former Latitudes and Attitudes

We will miss L&A and the sea serpent. We read and watched Latitudes and Attitudes magazine and TV show since 2009. We have grown to greatly admire Robert "Bob Bitchin" and Jody Lipkin and the whole L&A crew.

We met them first at TMCA Spring Fling 2011, second at Texas Boat Show in Kemah, and last at Southwest Boat Show in League City 2012. Bob looks and acts in person just how he appears on TV.

Sailboats and Shuttle

Arrival of Explorer, mock shuttle to Space Center, Houston

Close Quarters and Privacy

So close

Downsizing and living on a boat with someone else can be both pleasure and pain and now add children or big dogs to the mix.

Surfing the Waves

Very light winds and extremely calm seas accompanied us on our final leg of our journey.  Upon returning from TMCA 2nd Spring Fling we motored the entire time up the Houston Ship Channel with little traffic, but like all things smooth quickly changed.

Time to Let Go

Setting out to Sea

For over nine years, I have kept and protected the ashes of my beloved golden retriever, Natasha, who died tragically at two years of age in MS.  With us setting to leave our home in east Texas and move close to the water, I felt that it was time to let her go.  JT was the one that found her body and returned her to me where I kept her ashes all these many years ('because you never leave a man behind').  She never enjoyed being cooped up in a crate, being left alone, and loved being on the water. Her final resting spot needed to be in the water. 

Me upon my Pony on my Boat

I miss owning a pony.  It is a lot of work to care for them, so our life on the boat is not conducive to owning a horse again.  But at least each year I get to go back by watching the Pageantry of the Horses on TV.

Dead Calm or Boat Show

Beautiful, warm weekend in Galveston Bay, we unfurled the head sail and turned off the motor. Sailing north for about 10 minutes, the winds stopped. The wind meter was spinning around like a stopwatch. Was it broken? No, just no wind to direct the windex. So we found an isolated spot in Galveston Bay to have lunch.

Spring has sprung!

March 20, 2012

First Day of Spring and where did the warm weather go?

What if GPS went away...

Solar Flare, March 6, 2012

If we were out in the middle of sea and the GPS stopped working, could we find our way around?  I better hope so.

WineO on this boat...

Gimballed Wine Bottle Holder and glasses from TheBoatGalley.com

With the big wine party in September where you dress like your favorite Californian, I have gathered some great info on wines.  Good quality wines on our boat is a necessity, and of course, good for our health. Quality is most important, not trumped up prices. If a good Argentina or box wine is 7 bucks, then it is mine. Great wines are produced all over: US, Europe, South Africa, South America, Australia, Middle East, China. Do not waste my time or taste buds on bad wines.

Bring Your Wine Tasting Cards...

Boat and Smoke Alarm with fried Salmon Croquette

The dogs and I are having a quiet evening on the boat with them praying that I drop something. Fried Salmon in the air, pasta in boiling water, heated up enhanced Amy's Tomato soup, all while keeping mosquitoes at bay. Right when everything is done, the smoke alarm started going off.

All my focus is to get through the dogs to stop the smoke alarm, and to open hatches as I go. Apparently I just reached the smoke point for olive oil. I now remembered the last time that I fried croquettes, the smoke alarm went off too. Next time remove the battery before I fry croquettes, because leaving the stove is far more dangerous.

Two Dogs Are Enough.

Update: Hooray, Rescued Golden Retriever, Sadie, adopted.

Weekly I travel this long stretch of 2 lane highway in rural east Texas with 2 dogs to go to the boat. Yesterday was different. I added a third dog from the Polk-Liberty Countyline.

Flash floods and horrible thunderstorms had torn through this area only five hours earlier. There running by herself with nothing but pine trees for miles was an older looking golden retriever (white around her eyes like my Golden). She was carrying a purple fuzzy slipper along this busy highway, smiling and running across the road.  My heart sank.

Cool Temperatures means Shrimp Boil

The fire is too big for this boil.

During Game Day in Clemson, SC we shared the tailgate version of seafood stew known as Frogmore Stew (shrimp, potatoes, corn, sausage, lemon, spices).  The Stew's history dates back to the fisherman and labors cooking big pots along the (Frogmore community) South Carolina shores for their fellow workers and family.

Now it is a BIG southern tradition. 

Showing me your Nautical Signal Flags

EXODUS

Exodus goes Topless for Christmas

One of the projects that has been on our list for a while now is pulling the mast. This project was completed over the last two weeks in December. We had a laundry list of associated projects. We replaced the standing rigging, wire in the mast and masthead sheaves. Also this gave us a chance to add a PA/ foghorn, a masthead windex and an LED anchor light. The backstay was also insulated to facilitate an antenna for our SSB. While the mast was down this also gave us a chance to rebed all of the chain plates and add new ball bearing deck organizers.

All projects tend to expand while in process and this one being no exception. Upon inspection of the wiring for the nav lights on the inside of the boat I found all of these wires to be severely corroded as well. We rewired the nav wiring from the base of the mast all the way back to the panel. All wiring connections were wrapped in rescue tape to prevent future corrosion.

With all of these improvements hopefully the mast will not need to be pulled again for 24 more years.

 

Boat Projects