Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sign Painted and Waiting!
Enjoy a shot of Red after a rain, of Freya Hart, my BFF and Jason after finishing the sign.
Rain has kept Jason from completing the Grateful Red sea wall sign in one go. It's done for now, and we are waiting for Ken and the rest of the crew to arrive. All the food is aboard, 8 cases of beer, half a case of wine, 200 meals...literally. You do the math...six people three meals a day times 10 or even 12-14 days.
Rain has kept Jason from completing the Grateful Red sea wall sign in one go. It's done for now, and we are waiting for Ken and the rest of the crew to arrive. All the food is aboard, 8 cases of beer, half a case of wine, 200 meals...literally. You do the math...six people three meals a day times 10 or even 12-14 days.
I bagged eggs today. The seal-a-meal and I are feuding. I couldn't even get 2 eggs in a bag with cheese, green peppers, and ham. The vacuum sucked the liquid into the sealer unit and it wouldn't seal. I ended up zip locking servings for 3 and then sealing them in another bag. There's going to be no drop-in-a-salt-water-bath eggs. They are all going to be scrambled in a pan. Now my last freak-a-zoid worry is that all the food I've bagged and frozen won't EVEN fit in the refer.
Well, we got a blog from Ken. He's in the air and on the way. Freya's got crew and she's shopped and provisioned. The Les Sables-Horta 2009 racers are coming in, the harbor is filling up with party tents. Let us out!!! I think 8 days in Horta is plenty. Let's get going!
KRISTINE: BRING MORE BAGS AND CUSTOM ROLL MATERIAL. WE ARE OUT!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Horta Harbor Life
First, I have to confess that yesterday's post disappeared. I was deep into the personalities of this bar, getting you familiar with our drinking companions...and the damn thing disappeared. Such is the problem of using someone else's computer. Every key stroke counts and I did something stupid.
Today Freya took off with a hiking party to Pico, the island whose mountain provides us with changing moods every few hours. Sometimes the summit is crowned in clouds, later a skirt of clouds dresses her, then a mist and fog lays at her feet and she looks like a dessert. Yesterday the setting sun cast a blood red glow upon her and the mt. resembled the burnt lands in Moab, Utah. It's quite a tricky climb apparently. Hikers take a ferry over and plan on 4-5 hours to the top. Hypothermia is a problem if they aren't outfitted properly.
Bryce, Jason, Hank and Rudy (from Seae (pronounced See-ya and there's an accent there somewhere) and I were going to rent a car and get up to the crater (caldera) on Faial and spend the day circling the island. The weather is drizzly, nothing like yesterday's scorcher. So here it is 2 p.m. and not much is happening. A Hans Christian on the inside of Seae headed out...back to England...and one boat leaving takes up to 3 hours for final exhanges with the authorities and good-byes. Ted, the skipper showed me around his lovely boat, quite homey...loads of storage and a hole in the cabin ceiling to remind him of last year's capsizing!!! He did a 360 in a hurricane.
Well that switcheroo put Rudy and Hank out of our sightseeing plans and now we're regrouping for tomorrow. Jason and Brice have returned to the MOB refit. I filled all the water containers and made my (probably next to final) shopping list. I have one cooking day left. Then there will be meals for 14 days. I know the passage is 10-12, but I am conservative when it comes to food. Better too much than not enough. You all know I love to feed people on land or sea. Last to get is T-paper, sodas, beer, and eggs, and the chip stuff. Not sure where I am going to put it all. I get creative and the guys are living out of their bags.
Hank and Rudy have made their third crew member walk the plank. They picked up a "big talker" in Bermuda and the guy was ok on the way over. When he got here, he started to drink and didn't let up. He drove their rented car up on the dock, fell and hurt himself on the cobble stones, annoyed female sailors, invited guests to the boat at 3 in the morning when the captain and mate were asleep...drove them over the edge, really. They cast him off and he proceeded to "buy" a house from some locals. The guy tells some tremendous whoppers. The unwary couple let him settle into the house, a few streets up from the harbor, believing that he was "tired of sailing." Apparently, they have figured out his word is no good and right now I hear he's looking for another boat. Good crew is hard to come by. The wrong person on a long passage or even in a wild harbor like this one can trash the crew.
Ah, here's the sun! Maybe Jason can get the boat sign finished on the dock. It's hard to paint when it stays wet around here. There's a big yacht race coming in soon. It's a 40 Class round trip Les Sables-Horta 09. The 25 contenders left France July 5. Horta is preparing to entertain the boats...a big tent has gone up here in the harbor and there's a platform and tent going up in a large median between the promenade and the shopping district behind the MidAtlantic chandlery. I can't fingure out when there due here, but it will be a huge party when they arrive. There are city workers planting flowers all around the platform!!! If you're interested, I am sure there's more information online. The brochure in the bar here has "syndicate" names, the skippers and mates and their "real life" jobs. There's a few doctors, lawyers, a dentist, a butcher, and quite a few"chef d'enterprises" and "navigateurs."
Boy what I wouldn't give to be multi, multi-lingual. If I could be granted one wish it's to live long enough to be transplanted with some kind of "babel" device to make communication with everyone possible. Smiles, raised eyebrows and a wave work pretty good, but when you're hunting for isopropal alcohol, it takes a minute to get across that you are not going to drink it.
I feel pretty removed from my normal life, but there's a crisis in the Arts Commission, so I am feeling torn about not being home. Deena Heath has given notice and will be leaving her post as the director of the commission and the city, nearly bankrupt and struggling to balance a budget...cutting, cutting, cutting...will close her job when she leaves and I am betting it will be years before we can fill the post again. The glory days of spending are over in the US. We really have to rethink our way of life.
It's time to close. Love to you all.
Today Freya took off with a hiking party to Pico, the island whose mountain provides us with changing moods every few hours. Sometimes the summit is crowned in clouds, later a skirt of clouds dresses her, then a mist and fog lays at her feet and she looks like a dessert. Yesterday the setting sun cast a blood red glow upon her and the mt. resembled the burnt lands in Moab, Utah. It's quite a tricky climb apparently. Hikers take a ferry over and plan on 4-5 hours to the top. Hypothermia is a problem if they aren't outfitted properly.
Bryce, Jason, Hank and Rudy (from Seae (pronounced See-ya and there's an accent there somewhere) and I were going to rent a car and get up to the crater (caldera) on Faial and spend the day circling the island. The weather is drizzly, nothing like yesterday's scorcher. So here it is 2 p.m. and not much is happening. A Hans Christian on the inside of Seae headed out...back to England...and one boat leaving takes up to 3 hours for final exhanges with the authorities and good-byes. Ted, the skipper showed me around his lovely boat, quite homey...loads of storage and a hole in the cabin ceiling to remind him of last year's capsizing!!! He did a 360 in a hurricane.
Well that switcheroo put Rudy and Hank out of our sightseeing plans and now we're regrouping for tomorrow. Jason and Brice have returned to the MOB refit. I filled all the water containers and made my (probably next to final) shopping list. I have one cooking day left. Then there will be meals for 14 days. I know the passage is 10-12, but I am conservative when it comes to food. Better too much than not enough. You all know I love to feed people on land or sea. Last to get is T-paper, sodas, beer, and eggs, and the chip stuff. Not sure where I am going to put it all. I get creative and the guys are living out of their bags.
Hank and Rudy have made their third crew member walk the plank. They picked up a "big talker" in Bermuda and the guy was ok on the way over. When he got here, he started to drink and didn't let up. He drove their rented car up on the dock, fell and hurt himself on the cobble stones, annoyed female sailors, invited guests to the boat at 3 in the morning when the captain and mate were asleep...drove them over the edge, really. They cast him off and he proceeded to "buy" a house from some locals. The guy tells some tremendous whoppers. The unwary couple let him settle into the house, a few streets up from the harbor, believing that he was "tired of sailing." Apparently, they have figured out his word is no good and right now I hear he's looking for another boat. Good crew is hard to come by. The wrong person on a long passage or even in a wild harbor like this one can trash the crew.
Ah, here's the sun! Maybe Jason can get the boat sign finished on the dock. It's hard to paint when it stays wet around here. There's a big yacht race coming in soon. It's a 40 Class round trip Les Sables-Horta 09. The 25 contenders left France July 5. Horta is preparing to entertain the boats...a big tent has gone up here in the harbor and there's a platform and tent going up in a large median between the promenade and the shopping district behind the MidAtlantic chandlery. I can't fingure out when there due here, but it will be a huge party when they arrive. There are city workers planting flowers all around the platform!!! If you're interested, I am sure there's more information online. The brochure in the bar here has "syndicate" names, the skippers and mates and their "real life" jobs. There's a few doctors, lawyers, a dentist, a butcher, and quite a few"chef d'enterprises" and "navigateurs."
Boy what I wouldn't give to be multi, multi-lingual. If I could be granted one wish it's to live long enough to be transplanted with some kind of "babel" device to make communication with everyone possible. Smiles, raised eyebrows and a wave work pretty good, but when you're hunting for isopropal alcohol, it takes a minute to get across that you are not going to drink it.
I feel pretty removed from my normal life, but there's a crisis in the Arts Commission, so I am feeling torn about not being home. Deena Heath has given notice and will be leaving her post as the director of the commission and the city, nearly bankrupt and struggling to balance a budget...cutting, cutting, cutting...will close her job when she leaves and I am betting it will be years before we can fill the post again. The glory days of spending are over in the US. We really have to rethink our way of life.
It's time to close. Love to you all.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Part 2...Pics
The beautiful vessel underway is the Sean Paquito...headed to Lisbon. Sorry the seawall shot is sideways...everyone here paints something on the wall...I mean everyone. Some designs are fabulous art, others just a "Killroy was here."
There's no flame like propane!
I promised to get an early start on Monday after arriving at the supermarket Sunday after it closed. Before dawn a storm blew in. Wind whistled through all the rigging, the boats rocked and thumped against each other. I rolled over and tried to warm up. First time I was cold on board. When I looked out at 8 a.m., it was grey and rainy but not as bad as it sounded. Other people's boats don't amplify the sound as much as Grateful Red. Freya's boat is like a tiny doll house, packed end to end with her every possession. The storm doesn't even penetrate. GR is like a drum. Every noise rebounds. I think when she's full of bodies, the sounds will be absorbed.
I put on foul weather gear...big mistake. It was wet, but humid and I was over dressed. At the market I fiddled with the "trolley" (shopping cart) until I found out it takes a euro to unlock it. You get it back when you chain it back up. The simplest things take so much time. I filled that cart to the brim and called a cab. We filled his trunk and he drove me right up to the boat...though remember, I am rafted out 3 of 4 boats. When the tide is out the first step is dangerous. ..several feet out and down. I sit on my butt, lean out, grab with my toes and hoist myself onto the first boat. This time I had to chuck all my groceries bag at a time over the life lines and onto the deck. I did pretty well...only lost one can of tomatoes. When I chucked a 10-pound bag of potatoes they swung around the life line and almost went in the drink. A few potatoes hung up and held the entire bag onto the lifeline. It was crazy but I didn't lose them.
I chopped and cooked, chopped and cooked. I made spaghetti (10 gallon bags full) and pea/ham soup. Today I made a chicken, pea, celery, almond and rice dish, enough for 4 meals for 6 people. As I cook, I fill and seal qt or gal bags with this vacuum appliance. It works OK. If I was near the store where this one was purchased I'd take it back and get another one. It worked 100% the first day, but already has some issues. Today I made a shrimp curry. Tomorrow it's beef stew. All the milk, cereal, pancake stuff is on board. I am saving bread, eggs and beer for last.
I got another fix it from Ken/Cindy...when I get back to the boat I am going to try and hook up with the sat phone technical support. We can call out but can't receive calls. It's always something. I have no problems calling the US on my cell phone (though I think I'll have a HUGE bill when I get home) but I can't call locally. So far I am getting all my information from other sailors.
Simon (Boo) and Kat have left on Doris for the UK. Freya came over and chopped onions and potatoes for me. Tonight Bryce and Jason arrived, so there's plenty of action. I'll be glad when my cooking is complete. Rudy and Hnak, the two Netherlanders who met me at the harbor masters the very first night and carried my luggage for me want to rent mopeds and circle the island. I am up for some sight seeing. There's not much but the same hills, cows, red tiles and BLUE hydrangas ( do I sound obsessed with BLUE hydrangas???).
Today the weather was splendid...bright sun, low clouds. The next island rises like Mt. Fujii out of the clouds. The slanting sun about 8 p.m. makes the harbor postcard perfect. Then here I am red-faced, sweating like a fishwife, lugging a backpack full of food to the ice cream parlor. Not a pretty sight. Certainly not a turn on for the youngsters. My reputation as a cook is getting around, however. A couple of boats have asked if I do it for hire....wow...a new career in the making.
Gotta go before the power shuts of...computer is on battery only. Love to you all. Wish EVERYONE (and you know who you are!!!) was here to enjoy this beauty and just the plane thrill of being somewhere else for a while. I think about my father a lot. I know he's happy for me. Let's just hope the sailing gods are kind. Many boats are painting with an eye on the bow to ward off the storms. Always a good idea. KISSES.
I put on foul weather gear...big mistake. It was wet, but humid and I was over dressed. At the market I fiddled with the "trolley" (shopping cart) until I found out it takes a euro to unlock it. You get it back when you chain it back up. The simplest things take so much time. I filled that cart to the brim and called a cab. We filled his trunk and he drove me right up to the boat...though remember, I am rafted out 3 of 4 boats. When the tide is out the first step is dangerous. ..several feet out and down. I sit on my butt, lean out, grab with my toes and hoist myself onto the first boat. This time I had to chuck all my groceries bag at a time over the life lines and onto the deck. I did pretty well...only lost one can of tomatoes. When I chucked a 10-pound bag of potatoes they swung around the life line and almost went in the drink. A few potatoes hung up and held the entire bag onto the lifeline. It was crazy but I didn't lose them.
I chopped and cooked, chopped and cooked. I made spaghetti (10 gallon bags full) and pea/ham soup. Today I made a chicken, pea, celery, almond and rice dish, enough for 4 meals for 6 people. As I cook, I fill and seal qt or gal bags with this vacuum appliance. It works OK. If I was near the store where this one was purchased I'd take it back and get another one. It worked 100% the first day, but already has some issues. Today I made a shrimp curry. Tomorrow it's beef stew. All the milk, cereal, pancake stuff is on board. I am saving bread, eggs and beer for last.
I got another fix it from Ken/Cindy...when I get back to the boat I am going to try and hook up with the sat phone technical support. We can call out but can't receive calls. It's always something. I have no problems calling the US on my cell phone (though I think I'll have a HUGE bill when I get home) but I can't call locally. So far I am getting all my information from other sailors.
Simon (Boo) and Kat have left on Doris for the UK. Freya came over and chopped onions and potatoes for me. Tonight Bryce and Jason arrived, so there's plenty of action. I'll be glad when my cooking is complete. Rudy and Hnak, the two Netherlanders who met me at the harbor masters the very first night and carried my luggage for me want to rent mopeds and circle the island. I am up for some sight seeing. There's not much but the same hills, cows, red tiles and BLUE hydrangas ( do I sound obsessed with BLUE hydrangas???).
Today the weather was splendid...bright sun, low clouds. The next island rises like Mt. Fujii out of the clouds. The slanting sun about 8 p.m. makes the harbor postcard perfect. Then here I am red-faced, sweating like a fishwife, lugging a backpack full of food to the ice cream parlor. Not a pretty sight. Certainly not a turn on for the youngsters. My reputation as a cook is getting around, however. A couple of boats have asked if I do it for hire....wow...a new career in the making.
Gotta go before the power shuts of...computer is on battery only. Love to you all. Wish EVERYONE (and you know who you are!!!) was here to enjoy this beauty and just the plane thrill of being somewhere else for a while. I think about my father a lot. I know he's happy for me. Let's just hope the sailing gods are kind. Many boats are painting with an eye on the bow to ward off the storms. Always a good idea. KISSES.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
4th of July Weekend Where Everyone is Slave to the Wind
Being a type A personality has it's ups and downs. It's what got me here but makes getting things done very trying. For the past three days I have organized my next five days work. I have power on the boat, changed out from 110 v to 220 v. I have a working refer. I have propane (though it will have to be refilled before we go. I have secured freezer space from Petter's Bar (best sailors' bar in Horta) and shopped the one supermarket for groceries. It's tough shopping for food based on the aisle it's in and what it resembles. Everything is in Portuguese but pasta is pasta. What's tough is figuring out if milk (in cartons that don't need refer) is whole, 1%, 2%, etc. Cheeses are a gamble. Bread is mostly bakery type, rolls, etc...nothing like dense whole wheat. Eggs are £4 a dozen, which is about 6 USD. Makes me crazy. But on a long hike yesterday I found a small shop where eggs are £1.75. That news pleased Freya as well. I am using her laptop right now. The boat's computer is charging...I ran it down last night preparing this post and lost it.
I also walked about 6 miles yesterday, over to the next small village, taking pictures along the way. I won't be doing much more of that once I start cooking, bagging, freezing and storing the supplies. There's nothing much else to do...listen to music, read (almost done with Cloud Atlas, so Freya says I can visit her library) and wATch boats in the harbor. There's an unending parade of beautiful boats from all over the world. So many sailors here are from Norway, France, Italy, but also from the US and Africa. The closest analogy to harbors like this one is the space bar in Star Wars...strange creatures with strange languages. Mostly old leathery salts, but lots of dreadlocks and beer swilling youngsters.
Sleeping aboard is getting more normal. I am comfortable, relatively dry considering the humidity, but not used to the long days. The light lasts until 10 p.m., so I am not getting to bed until 2-3 a.m. This means I sleep until 11-noon. Can't do that anymore. Store opens at 8:30 and I will be making chicken soup for 6 times three nights. Then on to a variety of stews, goulashes, other soups, etc. All done on two small propane burners...made a lovely sauce today with spicy pork, onions, mushrooms, whole tomatoes and capers. Freya, (on the double-ender Otahi) and Simon and Kat (from Doris) are eating with me. Kat and Simon due to leave as soon as the wind is not on their nose. They prepped today, just getting to the store before it closed.
I can't get travelog about this. There's not much really going on. I'll leave you with mental image of a scrawny black cat, shreading a lizard for lunch. The lava walls are thick with the things and BLUE BLUE BLUE hydrangas grow everywhere. Azore blue hydrangas as blue as mine are pink. I guess volcanic soil is acidic. I must really be boosting the alkali content of my soil with coffee grounds, which I though was doing the BLUE spell on them. Whatever. BLUE is here.
I also walked about 6 miles yesterday, over to the next small village, taking pictures along the way. I won't be doing much more of that once I start cooking, bagging, freezing and storing the supplies. There's nothing much else to do...listen to music, read (almost done with Cloud Atlas, so Freya says I can visit her library) and wATch boats in the harbor. There's an unending parade of beautiful boats from all over the world. So many sailors here are from Norway, France, Italy, but also from the US and Africa. The closest analogy to harbors like this one is the space bar in Star Wars...strange creatures with strange languages. Mostly old leathery salts, but lots of dreadlocks and beer swilling youngsters.
Sleeping aboard is getting more normal. I am comfortable, relatively dry considering the humidity, but not used to the long days. The light lasts until 10 p.m., so I am not getting to bed until 2-3 a.m. This means I sleep until 11-noon. Can't do that anymore. Store opens at 8:30 and I will be making chicken soup for 6 times three nights. Then on to a variety of stews, goulashes, other soups, etc. All done on two small propane burners...made a lovely sauce today with spicy pork, onions, mushrooms, whole tomatoes and capers. Freya, (on the double-ender Otahi) and Simon and Kat (from Doris) are eating with me. Kat and Simon due to leave as soon as the wind is not on their nose. They prepped today, just getting to the store before it closed.
I can't get travelog about this. There's not much really going on. I'll leave you with mental image of a scrawny black cat, shreading a lizard for lunch. The lava walls are thick with the things and BLUE BLUE BLUE hydrangas grow everywhere. Azore blue hydrangas as blue as mine are pink. I guess volcanic soil is acidic. I must really be boosting the alkali content of my soil with coffee grounds, which I though was doing the BLUE spell on them. Whatever. BLUE is here.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Days 2, 3, 4 Wed, Thur and Fri
Travel by plane...is overrated. I was so tired in SF, after fussing about what I was taking, that at 3 a.m., I forgot to pick up my boarding pass and got all the way through the security line without it. Had to go back...stupid...I kept to myself to Philly. Then sat next to a young Dutch African girl, Raisa. She and I will hook up in Amsterdam and bike or go to a concert. Next f--k up in Amsterdam. Set my watch wrong and spent too much time searching for a waterproof case for iPod. Got to the plane in what I though was time to board and was last seated...yikes. Did get something to save iPod from water and spray though. Ruined my first one in Florida...so worth it even for the scare. Two dumb assed booboos but made it. By Horta I was trashed. Slept in the waiting room. I figured if I missed the plane, I´d swim...only 800 miles.
Just like Fred said...You scared???? You are not afraid of talking to people...so he was right. Went right to the bar in the marina...two beautiful guys drinking coffee, working on computer...crew for a schooner...oh wait, they are going to read this...hey Innis, Kevin...but I digress...they charged my iPod and phone, and Innis really liked the aps, Dono...smooth move to make me get the Fluid, the Lighter, the Cocktail guide, the Knot guide...way funny. Anyway, everyone is friendly, helpful. They left today on the beautiful Sean Paquito. I found Simon´s blog...Yacht Doris before I left Stockton and found him in person today...not 50 yards away. Met Freya, a single girl waiting for crew to get back to UK...crew is in big demand. If you want to see the world learn to sail. Chatted with Norwegians rafted alongside. Loaned Norma my cookbook, since they leave in a few days. Loaned Simon the charts for Florida since that´s where he´s going next. Everyone lives "out of everyone else´s pocket."
Went shopping...not buying...just pricing...beer will be €144 (maybe that´s the sign for euro) for 9 cases. A shower is €2, a load of laundry €8 to wash and dry. Money floats away. Eating soup and dried fruit till the guys come. Part of crew on Tues. Ken two days before we take off. Got shore power on, refer fixed and on, gotta locate a place to freeze meals and I can start cooking.
Very tidy island, terraced like Switzerland. They say if Hawaii and Switzerland had a baby...it would be Azores. Mild weather, 70s. Rained last night. I didn´t care. Slept like a dead man. Already feeling wet and sticky...very humid here. Basically that´s life for the next month.
So everybody, so far so good. I know this isn´t really bloggy, more like a group email...just know I´m safe, happy...think rum...getting down to the real work of cooking...or at least thinking about cooking. Love you all. Love the people I haven´t met yet!
Just like Fred said...You scared???? You are not afraid of talking to people...so he was right. Went right to the bar in the marina...two beautiful guys drinking coffee, working on computer...crew for a schooner...oh wait, they are going to read this...hey Innis, Kevin...but I digress...they charged my iPod and phone, and Innis really liked the aps, Dono...smooth move to make me get the Fluid, the Lighter, the Cocktail guide, the Knot guide...way funny. Anyway, everyone is friendly, helpful. They left today on the beautiful Sean Paquito. I found Simon´s blog...Yacht Doris before I left Stockton and found him in person today...not 50 yards away. Met Freya, a single girl waiting for crew to get back to UK...crew is in big demand. If you want to see the world learn to sail. Chatted with Norwegians rafted alongside. Loaned Norma my cookbook, since they leave in a few days. Loaned Simon the charts for Florida since that´s where he´s going next. Everyone lives "out of everyone else´s pocket."
Went shopping...not buying...just pricing...beer will be €144 (maybe that´s the sign for euro) for 9 cases. A shower is €2, a load of laundry €8 to wash and dry. Money floats away. Eating soup and dried fruit till the guys come. Part of crew on Tues. Ken two days before we take off. Got shore power on, refer fixed and on, gotta locate a place to freeze meals and I can start cooking.
Very tidy island, terraced like Switzerland. They say if Hawaii and Switzerland had a baby...it would be Azores. Mild weather, 70s. Rained last night. I didn´t care. Slept like a dead man. Already feeling wet and sticky...very humid here. Basically that´s life for the next month.
So everybody, so far so good. I know this isn´t really bloggy, more like a group email...just know I´m safe, happy...think rum...getting down to the real work of cooking...or at least thinking about cooking. Love you all. Love the people I haven´t met yet!
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