It has been a pretty exciting week around here and this photo sums it up perfectly. That’s Steve holding a shiny new, out of the box outboard. Which means; A. He’s home and B. We are upwardly mobile again. The pace of everyday life on board has changed this week, in more ways than one….
Galley Notes: Fermenting on a Small Sailboat
Steve has been away for almost 7 weeks and, as per usual, while he’s been gone I have been experimenting in the galley. This time I have been making sauerkraut, and some variations, using the process of natural fermentation. I am a big fan of sauerkraut, always have been. Growing up in Nova Scotia it…
Share this:
TBT: Photographing Kastom Dancing in Vanuatu
In the South Pacific radio is still used as one of the main means of communicating with the local population. There is often death announcements, notices about power and water interruptions, flight information and, of course, weather bulletins. Local businesses use radio to advertise specials and promote services and if there is a local paper…
Share this:
Cooking Underway
I am very excited and proud to announce that you can now find me in Blue Water Sailing Magazine every other month! Look for my new column “Heather Francis Onboard” in the August issue. I will be tackling crew health and welfare issues; everything from tips for cooking underway, healthy entertaining and how to start…
Share this:
“You don’t know what you can do until you’ve done it, right?”
I recently had a virtual catch up with a dear friend of mine and she wrote that sentence in her letter. It jumped off the page at me. She and her husband are working through the same problem that we are; trying to find a balance between the sailing life and working to fund that…
Share this:
Sickness and Seashells
Last week was my birthday and with Steve away I was totally expecting to spend it by myself. I thought if the weather was nice I would go to town in the afternoon, find a nice little café, order a very decadent dessert and a glass of red wine and people watch for a bit….
Share this:
Returning to my roots
I started traveling in the pre-digital era. There was no Facebook or Instagram, almost no one carried a phone and internet cafes, when you could find them, worked on dial-up. It was also pre-digital photography, so documenting the places I had journeyed far and wide to see meant lugging some heavy equipment, insisting rolls of…
Share this:
The more things change the more they stay the same
“I am about to spend the first night on the boat alone…yikes!” That’s what I posted on July 9th, 2008 on Facebook (thanks for the reminder internet). At the time we were tied to a dock in San Diego, far from the threat of cyclones, close to grocery stores, good internet, hot showers and all…
Share this:
Grotty Yachtie or Bust?!
The other day, while standing on the side of the road outside town, I was picked up by an ex-pat. She had passed me by but then noticed in her review mirror that so had two taxis that were following her. She pulled a U-turn and asked me if I wanted a lift. I hadn’t…
Share this:
July Article
If you’re in Australia or New Zealand you can find a story about out time sailing in the Kingdom of Tonga in the July issue of Cruising Helmsman Magazine. It’s on sale now, Steve even found a copy of it in the Melbourne Airport last week! Love, H&S
