Borneo: Impressions

I had high hopes for Borneo. Not expectations but hopes. I was hoping that our first border crossing in a long while would be a reboot for us, an opportunity to reset and start again fresh in a new country. I was hoping to leave behind all of the emotional baggage that I had collected…

Galley Notes: Noodle Bowls, Making Stock, and Reducing Food Waste

My cooking style, and the types of dishes I like to cook, is constantly in flux. Influenced by where we are sailing, the seasons, the local cuisine, and what is available at the market I am happy to follow where inspiration and our taste buds take me. In Mexico I regularly made corn tortillas by…

5 Easy Steps to Make Your Crazy Great Idea a Reality

Sorry to all those readers who clicked to get hot “How To”, it’s not going to be that kinda of blog post. The heading just scored better with the SEO bot, and isn’t clicks the only thing that matters these days? Ok, seriously now. I have always subscribed to a few things when hatching a…

First Stop, the Market

The last 300 Philippine pesos we had were spent at the market – a bottle of rum, a pineapple, a handful of chilies, and four bags of ice. Sounds like the makings of a farewell party, I know, but it was just what ended up being available/needed. With the humidex pushing 40-45C our fridge was…

Day Tripping & One Night Stands

In theory, day sailing is a great idea. Sail during the good daylight hours, throw the pick in a (hopefully) protected anchorage by mid-afternoon, have plenty of time to cook dinner, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and wake up refreshed to do it all again. But in reality, it is a little different.

Galley Notes: Cheats Congee in Cruising World Magazine

Something that has been on heavy rotation in my galley these past few months has been my Cheats Congee. I say cheats because I don’t use uncooked rice and I don’t claim that it is a traditional recipe. Congee is a savoury rice porridge that is warm, and soothing, and delicious. It appears in many…

A little perspective

For the past few weeks we’ve been surrounded by some pretty spectacular landscape. Islands that rise sharply out of the ocean, their sheer cliffs towering above us, their jagged, rocky spires unwelcoming. They are stoic and dramatic, inspiring and intimidating. And, according to Google, probably formed some 550 million years ago. Which puts our short lives on this planet in sharp perspective for sure.

Thoughts on Tonga

Like many over the past several days, I have watched video clips and news footage covering the huge explosion of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano in the Kingdom of Tonga. We are lucky enough to have stopped in Tonga during our Pacific crossing in 2011 and spent 3 months sailing throughout the island group. We visited the…