Bringing in the New Year with 50+ Knots

Happy New Year! But if what we experienced New Year's Eve is foreshadowing 2016, we'd better grow a thicker skin.

We moved our boat a couple days before the blow to a large can mooring.
Even though we're told these moorings are "maintained", Jim dives on
them himself to check it out. He bought a huge shackle to replace this
sketchy one, but hadn't yet switched them out.

We did what we almost always do New Year's Eve. I was in bed by 10pm. There were several parties in town, but the 3 of us didn't feel like going out. The forecast had predicted rain and gallivanting about in wet weather was as good excuse as any to be recluse. In fairness, our solitary New Year's was planned a few days in advance.

We celebrated the day before New Year's Eve at The Captain's Table restaurant, where the poor waitress returned to tell us they were out of the New Zealand mussels we ordered, and would I like to wait until the lettuce was delivered to the restaurant for my Caesar Salad. No, I wouldn't. When my entree arrived, the Thai Chicken I ordered came as Thai Fish. Normally I would have said, "Hey, I didn't order this," but it was very clear to me that I could change the progression of the evening by just ordering another glass of wine. So, I ordered two glasses.

Christie sitting on the bow of SHEHERAZAD fending off HERITAGE

New Year's Eve aboard Hotspur was quiet- and then it wasn't. I was asleep when the wind kicked up nasty. I got up because Jim and Carolyne were scurrying around. The boat was shaking and shuddering. We clocked 40 knots on the anemometer. No biggie - we've seen that before. But many cruisers were off their boats at parties. There was no mention of a storm coming. Many cruisers were stranded on land unable to get back to their vessels.

Jim at SHEHERAZAD the morning after as HERITAGE swings her stern towards the bow.
Jim later tied the boogieing stern to a free mooring.

By 11:30 it was worse. Gusts over 50 knots were punching us. We couldn't see in front of the boat because of the pelting rain shooting sideways like spears. The boat moored to our port side called HERITAGE disappeared slowly up the creek. She was dragging her mooring. Friends of ours from Austria were on the radio and had broken free of their mooring and were tangled with another boat. We were too far away to assist them and our 2HP outboard was too wimpy for the weather.

Always a good idea when leaving your boat for extended periods of time
during hurricane/cyclone seasons to remove sails and canvas.

Jim put on his dive mask and went to the bow to drop our anchor as extra weight just in case we broke free and we had our engine running. At midnight, Jim and I were in the cockpit with the radar on to see if any loose boats were coming our way. The dinghy we'd raised was flailing and Carolyne went to the stern to secure it. It was mayhem. Just then, Copra Shed sent off a slew of fireworks in celebration of the New Year. Jim said, "You've got to be *^%%^# kidding me?" 

Sad news for KARMA

The owner has been contacted and a group of cruisers will try and re-float
the boat if there's no hull damage.

I woke up NYD with a monster sinus infection and fever. One boat ran aground on the reef and is still there this morning. I don't know the damage and the owner isn't here. Another boat left his sails up and left Fiji and his jib shredded to ribbons. HERITAGE had wandered up the creek and our friends on SHEHERAZAD had to fend her off their boat all night.

To our dear friend Umberto, if you're reading this your vessel
is in fine condition! Yay!

Feeling Depressed For the Holidays? Eat Cake!

Cakewhiz.com made a beautiful Depression Cake.
Click HERE to read all about it.

I'm feeling a little split this holiday season. A little Sybil-esque. We're spending this Thanksgiving and Christmas in Fiji aboard Hotspur, island hopping in the South Pacific. How in the world could that be depressing? Well, I'm afraid I've caught a touch of nostalgia.

Half of me misses the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" of Colorado.

Heaps of panoramic, powder-white snow,

crackling fireplace warming my backside.

Snuggled in my favorite Norwegian wool sweater with the pewter clasps while singing carols and baking old-fashioned goodies whipped up with my KitchenAid stand-up mixer and baked to Betty Crocker perfection in my convection oven.

The other half of me says, "Ha! Ha! Ha!"
I'm half-naked in the tropics; it's hotter than sin.
And, our refrigerator quit working a week ago and we had to toss out ruined produce.
Now I have...
the perfect excuse NOT to cook for the holidays!

Several variations of the Depression Cake can be found on sweetlittlebluebird.com.
Click HERE to read all about them! Carrot, Spice, Kahlua, Lemon... yum!

But, the holidays remind me of the Texas women in my family -- maybe not so much the year that my mother fell on the Christmas tree trying to put the enormous Lone Star topper on it (my father laughed and she cried). But, the tradition of smells that emanated from the kitchens of my mother, grandmothers and aunties lives strong within me. Their smiles, their laughter, an occasional swear word whispered when an ingredient went AWOL or a dollop of something dropped from a spoon to the floor... nothing says "holiday" more to me than those flashbacks of my favorite southern busy-bodies swishing around the kitchen creating magic and memories. 

Really get in the "spirit" of the holidays and try this
gorgeous Bailey's Depression Cake. I found it on lifealittlebrighter.com

I remember my grandmother telling stories about her "bringing up" in Paris,Texas during the Great Depression. How she carried her lunch to school wrapped in butcher paper, a skinny scrap of pork salt sandwiched between a slice of stale bread rubbed once with a butter knife coated in lard. How neighbors, not much better off, brought her family opossum stew as a charitable act. It tasted so greasy, she told me, they could barely eat it. The slim rations of food to feed six kids (would have been eight if two babies hadn't died) didn't stretch far. Then, Grandmother caught diphtheria and they didn't think she'd make it.

In memory of my grandmother and her siblings, now no more, I share a slice of history for anyone who's without. Whether you're:

without a doubt...

without a clue...

without 2 bills to rub together (modern-day inflation)...

or, in my case, without refrigeration... the Depression Cake (or War Cake) is super easy and surprisingly tasty. A Depression Cake doesn't require expensive or hard-to-get or refrigerated ingredients like eggs and butter and milk. Nowadays, the recipe has been upgraded to "Vegan Cake" or "Dairy-free Cake", but I still call it the Depression Cake. What's more, it's a great boat cake because you can mix it up in the same container you bake in. One less bowl to wash.

Depression Cake

1 ½ cups flour

3 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 Tablespoons oil

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease an 8x8 square pan. Sift first five ingredients into the pan. (And this may be a meme, but I do it anyway because my great-great grandmother's biscuit recipe also calls for creating a "well") – make three indentations or “wells” with your fingers in the sifted ingredients, two smallish and the third larger. Pour the vanilla in one well, the vinegar in the other well and the oil in the largest well. Pour water over everything and mix up good (or well). Bake for 25-30 minutes, center rack.

There is a group of American cruisers meeting for an un-traditional Thanksgiving get-together tomorrow in Savusavu. I'll be bringing... cake.

Diwali

Vinyl and canvas signs were waving "Happy Diwali" as early as September in Savusavu. Not having a clue about Diwali, we asked a few locals. We were told:
"It's a very big Indian party."
"You'll see lots of lights and fireworks. It's an Indian holiday."
"You'll have invitations to Indian homes and you'll be offered sweets."
"You will walk down the street and Indian people will hand you goodies."

As Diwali approached, painted pictures and colorful posters popped up in store windows. Ladies appeared days ahead of time wearing gauzy flowing sarees, chudidars and kurtis. Colors swirled. Fireworks went on sale for months ahead of time. Little clay pots (diyas) used as candle holders filled with coconut oil and small wicks sold by the pallets.

Diwali, we learned, is the Hindu New Year, the Festival of Light. We were invited to homes to share food and conversation. We were blessed with many treats, Indian cookies and candies. Before the vegetarian dishes, battle of the fireworks burst skyward in glitter explosions. If not to wrestle for the fanciest firework, then for the loudest boom.

Carolyne and I dressed up for the fun!

Party in Paradise

Carolyne turned 16-years-old on Halloween. The week before, Jim hit 50. I always feel exhausted after October and sometimes - elated it won't come again for another year. We always try and keep our celebrations simple... a nice dinner at a favorite restaurant and thoughtful SMALL gifts. Living on a boat, there's not room to accumulate "stuff" - yet we always seem to. For Jim's birthday, we invited sv Evenstar to our boat after we shared a dinner together at a favorite restaurant. B.J.'s birthday and Jim's birthday were the same day.

Danielle's cake she made and decorated. This girl is so talented!!

B.J., Kathy and Danielle - sv Evenstar

Halloween isn't celebrated in Fiji. Usually I can piggyback Halloween functions and Carolyne's birthday and it's pretty easy. This year I didn't know what to do. The marinas in Savusavu are all very different. Savusavu Marina is in the way back of the estuary. It's a great place to have a party, but too far away from the center of town for many people to venture out on a rainy Saturday night. And, it's the beginning of cyclone season, so many cruisers have already departed.

The Copra Shed is the fancy marina. It has two restaurants, a couple of hotel rooms and a very nice courtyard with picnic tables and a bar. The staff is cordial and professional. There are docks in front of the marina. We have been staying with Copra Shed since our arrival in July and we've loved it. But because the restaurants are open to the public, it's not a good place to have a private party.

Birthday girl

Fairy Leila and her ukulele

Carolyne and Danielle in their costumes at Waitui Marina

Waitui marina isn't fancy, but it has lots of character. It's rustic, doesn't have docks, has one small Indian restaurant and has picnic tables under a corrugated metal roof... which may leak once in a while. The manager, Jolene, is the draw to this marina. She is unmistakably the most lovely person to work with and to know. The only helix moorings available when we arrived in July were at Waitui - there were two left - and we snapped one up immediately.

I went to Jolene last week and asked about having a little get together for Carolyne's birthday at Waitui. Jolene was agreeable and I explained Carolyne wanted to keep it small and sweet - no big celebrations. I soon learned with Jolene, there is no celebrating on a small scale. When we arrived to the marina last night, the outdoor eating area was dressed for a party.

s

Ninja Caleb and his sparklers

Blue Sea owner Nathan and his son

 160 colorful balloons lined the gutters, a handmade sign was lit with bright lights and Jolene arrived with a beautiful chocolate cake. The kids dressed up and played Twister and lit sparklers and threw loud banging poppers. 

Nathan, owner of the Blue Sea Restaurant, brought out a sound system and played pop tunes and rock and roll. We ordered very reasonably priced dinner from his menu and drank wine with our Swedish and American friends. Some of the employees brought their children. 

Ella, Danielle and Caleb playing TWISTER

Jolene surprised Carolyne with a beautiful cake

Eleanor waiting for lollies

Carolyne had been dying to make pinatas, a yearning from years living in Mexico. She made three small, globe-shaped pinatas and painted them. She taught the Fijian kids the art of smashing and gathering lollies afterwards.

Ninja in full dress

The grown-ups... sort of

Carolyne setting up one of her three pinatas

The aftermath

Because it's close to Diwali Day, sparklers and poppers were for sale

Sailing and Writer Celebrities

Our family has been sailing over seven years now. We've met oodles of interesting people. Some of these sailors have published their adventures. We're friends with some of them.

Emily and Mark Fagan
(photo from https://twitter.com/roadslesstravld)

Emily on s/v Groovy now travels in her land yacht with her husband, Mark. She still writes for sailing magazines, but has expanded her repertoire to include RV publications. Her photos are phenomenal and she's had cover photos for many magazines, as well.
ARTICLES
BLOG

Baby Rocket, James and Jess aboard Hotspur. They're in New Zealand and
have just introduced a new member to the family - a baby boy!

Jess Lloyd-Mostyn on s/v Adamastor has a family sailing blog and her articles have been published in Yacht World, Sailing Today, Ocean Navigator and other magazines. We met Jess, her husband, James, and baby girl, Rocket, in La Cruz, Mexico. She and her family successfully crossed the Pacific with their infant. We shared lovely adventures in French Polynesia together.
ARTICLES
BLOG

Diane Selkirk, who's recently been photographed with lemurs on her head

Our dear friend, Diane Selkirk, is a freelance writer for numerous publications and is a published author. We cruised Mexico with her, her husband Evan, and one of our daughter's besties, Maia.
THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SAILING
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The Del Viento family

We met Michael Robertson on s/v Del Viento via email. Later, we met him in person with his wife, Windy, and two young daughters, Eleanor and Frances, in La Paz, Mexico. He writes regularly for magazines and most recently collaborated with cruising friends on a book.
ARTICLES
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Behan and one of her darling daughters

We cruised with Behan Gifford, her husband, Jaime, and their three kids (Niall, Mairen and Siobhan) in the Sea of Cortez. She introduced me to her solar oven and I've wanted one ever since.
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Sara Dawn Johnson (photo from https://twitter.com/saradawnj)

We know Sara Dawn Johnson through other cruisers. Recently, I emailed her to find out about camp-vanning in New Zealand. They sold their boat s/v Wondertime and are adventuring aboard their land boat, Wing'n.
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ARTICLES

I am honored to have a published sidebar in this book

VOYAGING WITH KIDS: A Guide To Family Life Afloat is a recently published book authored by Behan Gifford, Sara Dawn Johnson and Michael Robertson. This is a must have for any family considering cruising. We wished it had been around when we set sail in 2008.

B.R. Swain is a sailor using a pseudonym for writing romance novels. Swain recently published Hearts For Sail on Wattpad.
HEARTS FOR SAIL

Barbara showing Carolyne (right) and other cruising kids
how to make challah in La Cruz, Mexico

 Barbara Gottesman is a once upon a time cruiser, mom and author of How To Slay a Pirate.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Jinx Schwartz while in La Paz, Mexico. She was kind enough to give Carolyne a free book she authored from her Hetta Coffey series.