Rare Cruising, Sailing News Plus a Galley Recipe

RARE CHANCE TO CRUISE JAPAN WATERS

An Immersion in Japanese Culture, May 30-June 7, 2020, Le SoléaL

Highlights of the itinerary include an exclusive, private meeting with the Abbot of Kofukuji Temple in Nagasaki, the oldest temple in the city and the birthplace of the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism, and a cooking class on how to cut and plate the deadly puffer fish.

 Three experts  join the cruise to add insight. THEY ARE Timon Screech, Professor of the History of Art at the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London; Holly H. Shimizu, Former Executive Director of the U.S. Botanic Garden; and Osama Shimizu, an expert in historic and contemporary Japanese gardens.

IT'S WITH PONANT CRUISES. SEE YOUR TRAVEL AGENT.

Farley Halladay’s
Ration Of Grog Sweet Potatoes
    Every sailor deserves a daily ration of rum at the end of the day. Here’s one for the galley cook.

2 eggs
Small can (2/3 cup)  evaporated milk
½ cup each rum and packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Large (#10) can of sweet potatoes, drained

    Set the oven for 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Add sweet potatoes and use a potato masher to mash and blend them well with the egg mixture.  Turn out into a greased baking pan and top with:

1 cup finely shredded coconut
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon white or brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

    Toss together to mix and sprinkle evenly over sweet potatoes. Bake about 40 minutes or until golden on top and the filling is firm. Serves 8 to 12.
   

 HOBIE WAY OF LIFE NAMES CHAMPS

 

Hobie, the manufacturer of kayaks, sailboats and watersport products beloved worldwide, announces that Venezuelan sailors Yamil Saba and Gonzalo Cendra are the 2019 Hobie 16 World Champions. A total of 504 athletes, representing 25 countries and six continents, competed in the event November 1 – 16 off the coast of Captiva Island, Florida.

The event featured three world championship divisions: Women’s, Youth and Open; and three additional disciplines: Masters Cup, Grand Masters Cup and Great Grand Masters Cup. All competitors raced on new Hobie 16’s, Hobie’s signature 16-foot catamaran sailboats, issued specifically for the event.

Annie Gardner and Sarah Kraft from the United States won the Women’s World Championship;  Rod and Kerry Waterhouse from Australia finished first in the Masters Cup, in addition to taking home the title of Grand Masters Cup champions. Mike Montague and Kathy Ward triumphed in the Great Grand Masters Cup. For a complete list of results visit www.hobieworlds.com.



POLAR EXPEDITIONS ARE 
A POSEIDON SPECIALTY
   

 Kayak to see whales. Look for the northern lights. Catch a polar bear taking a snooze.  If you’re looking for frozen treats in cruising, Poseidon Expeditions recommends booking early for such 2020 packages as the Best of Svalbard and Polar Ice Edge or the Arctic Wildlife Safari out of Spitsbergen. Children go for half price. 


Cuddle with a Good Kindle 
Book on a Cold Night

Farley Halladay lived on a ketch that was her home and charterboat business. Then her husband was killed and life became complicated. Read about her adventures as cook, caregiver, crime solver and online charterboat booking agent in the Yacht Yenta mystery e-book series. So far the series has January, February and March.  Start with February Felony, then if you like the cut of her jib,  go back to January Justice  and ahead to March Malice. https://amzn.to/31J5d3D

QUILTING BEE AT SEA INSPIRES, TEACHES
    Take a stitching seminar at at sea with Deb Luttrell of Stichin’ Heaven and go home with an heirloom quilt you made yourself. Deb offers quilting vacations on board luxury cruise liners with time for learning, sewing, networking with other quilters and sightseeing in such places as Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Alaska and the Bahamas. Reservations are going fast for 2020 packages. See stitchinheaven.com

Cruising News and Farley's Galley Recipe

    When you’re looking for small boat with an all-weather serious pilothouse, take a test drive in the Axobar 28. The curved windshield has good wipers, sliding doors on the pilot house to provide quick access to decks for tie-ups and down below there is sleeping for two plus a refrigerator and sink. For information or a test run go to boatTEST.com 



    Want serious cooking lessons? Now Carnival Panorama has nine marble cooking stations and a full schedule of cuisine coaching in its Carnival Kitchen. Get the idea in this video.: https://youtu.be/Bb9YRYU2hOA

Farley Halladay’s
Pulled Chicken BBQ
    

This takes 10 minutes in a pressure cooker, 35-45 in a saucepan.

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken, white or dark or a mixture
½ cup ketchup
12-ounce can cola

    Cut chicken into bite size. In a pan whisk cola and ketchup. Add chicken. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is very tender. Using two forks, shred chicken. Serve in buns or spoon over a starch such as mashed potato, pasta, rice, noodles. Serves 6. 

    If you’ve never experienced an all-standing jibe (Brits say gybe)  you will when you read March Malice, the third in the Yacht Yenta cozy mystery series on Kindle or Nook. 

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free Kindle app from Amazon and read e-books on your laptop, tablet or phone.

January Justice   https://amzn.to/2XqCl1y
February Felony  https://amzn.to/31J5d3D
March Malice  https://amzn.to/2BCkacN

Kindle app free for PC  https://amzn.to/31lQT0u

Caribbean Rum Punch Recipe and More Cruising News

 
CRUISING CAT CAN GO 40 MPH
Seat up to 20 for a party cruise, take a long cruise with the family or even live on board this 36-foot cruising cat. She’d make a good dive boat or sport-tow too. Power is two Merc outboards. The Aquila 36 can plane in 3 seconds and has a top speed of 40.1 according to Boattest.com. Down below she has two double cabins and two heads. All this in 36 feet! 

LASER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED

 

    Juan Pablo Cardozo of Argentina won the U-21 Standard Men’s Championship and also the U-19 award. Wiktoria Golebiowska of Poland won the U-21 Radial Women’s crown. Races were held in Croatia.
 

CROISEUROPE COMES TO NORTH AMERICA        Book now for next summer, when the small ships of this popular European fleet offer itineraries from Montreal to the fabulous French cities and islands of Canada. Sail the St. Lawrence in a luxury ship with two restaurants, swimming pool with pool-side bar and a fitness center.

NEW GENERATION COCKTAIL SHAKER

    New design features solve many problems for boating bartenders.  The new Shaker33 is insulated so it won’t sweat and leave water rings on your teak. It’s leakproof for one-hand operation. It has all the drink-maker  features you need for martinis and margaritas such as a dual pour strainer  It is rustproof, dishwasher safe, BPA free, giftable https://amzn.to/2C6MTGI


 

FARLEY’S RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Ketch 22 Rum Punch

3 shots Cruzan Gold rum
3 shots pineapple juice
1 shot Triple Sec
1 teaspoon each Roses Lime and grenadine syrup
    Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Serves 2. 

March Malice is the third in the Yacht Yenta e-book mystery series. A beloved dog dies, Danielle confronts an old boyfriend and cleans his clock, Cap is sober when it counts and justice finally prevails for a blind man. Farley's online business as a charterboat booking agent has its ups and downs while readers cruise the seven seas vicariously.   https://amzn.to/2BCkacN

TAHITIAN DANCERS WELCOME
PAUL GAUQUIN AND SISTER SHIP
     Now the M/S Paul Gauquin has a sister ship, Le Boréal. Their meeting in Papaete was greeted with a Tahitiian blessing, traditional danCers  and the sound of Marquesan drums. Book your South Seas cruise with PONANT, a specialist on cruising French Polynesia.

Sailing News Stem to Stern

blog copyright janet groene. To ask about rates to place one ad, one link for one year, one low rates on all SIX groene sites on travel, boating, cooking and camping email janetgroene at yahoo.com

Don't miss Farley's Galley-Easy Recipe of the Week. Scroll down.

GIFTS FROM BOATERS TO BOATERS
 

   Bernard Engraving is one of the leaders in creating Fun Plaques   that look great on the boat, at home and in the office. Choose from a boatload of sayings from serious to hilarious.  https://amzn.to/33QQRzc




NAUTI NOT NAUGHTY
(No steamy sex, no smarmy romance, although Farley does have a colorful vocabulary) 



NEW TODAY MARCH MALICE, BOOK THREE IN THE YACHT YENTA MYSTERY SERIES https://amzn.to/2BCkacN
 
A beloved dog dies in Farley's arms, her best friend is having the hives over an old boyfriend and one of her best skippers lost his boat and is facing drug charges in St. Thomas.

Kindle app free for PC  https://amzn.to/31lQT0u

 
  Widow Farley Halladay takes readers from the Florida retirement community where she has an online yacht booking business, to the seven seas. Laugh. cry, cuss and cook with this beached yachty and sail with her through the Sargasso seas of life.

  Start with the first book, January Justice   https://amzn.to/2XqCl1y

Then  February Felony  https://amzn.to/31J5d3D

The books are available in all e-book formats. If you don’t have a Kindle, download the free Kindle app from Amazon and read e-books on your PC, phone, pad or laptop.


Kindle app free for PC  https://amzn.to/31lQT0u


CARNIVAL CRUISES will add another ship to its Galveston fleet, bring the total of four ships providing five- to 14-day cruise holidays out of that Texas port.

SET SAIL TO A UNESCO 
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
 

Sailing December 9, 2020, guests on the 12-night Rio Intensive Voyage can kick start their vacation with a pre-voyage adventure to El Calafate and Patagonia. Starting in Buenos Aires, known as the “Paris of South America,” take a city highlights tour ending at Café Tortoni – Argentina’s oldest coffee shop. Then comes dinner dinner and show at Gala Tango.

 The next day, guests will travel to El Calafate - home to many of the world’s majestic glaciers – and set out on a off-road adventure to the top of Mount Frias for aerial views of Argentino Lake, the Centinela River Valley, Torres del Paine and the highest peaks of the Andes mountain chain.

 On the last day, see Los Glaciares National Park, a World Heritage Site,  to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. Explore the Patagonic Andean forest, stopping at “Curva de los Suspiros” for the first glimpse of Perito Moreno, and eventually walk down the catwalks for a full, close-up view of the glacier. It’s from Azamara Cruises. 
 
 
FARLEY’S GALLEY-EASY
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
    Small boat, small galley, big appetites? I’ve been there, both  living aboard and on bareboats with varying facilities. Here is one of my shameless shortcut recipes. No plates, knives or forks required.

Endive Canoes

 

16 leaves of Belgian endive, each about 3 inches  long, washed and thoroughly dried. (Wrap gently  in a cotton towel and keep cold)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in small strips
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup each diced, seeded cucumber, matchstick carrots and sweet onion cut in crescents
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts
Sauce:
½ cup apricot, peach or pineapple preserves
Juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon each garlic powder and ground ginger

    Stir-fry chicken in hot oil, gradually adding vegetables. When chicken is done and vegetables crisp-tender, stir in chopped peanuts. Turn off heat.
    In a bowl mix sauce ingredients and stir into chicken mixture over low-medium heat until sauce thickens. Cool or chill. To serve place about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture in each endive leaf. Makes 16 pieces.
    Variation: to make a vegetarian version, drain, rinse and pat dry chickpeas to replace the chicken.

Boating, Sailing, Cruising Worldwide News

EASY SCREW-ON WATER FILTER

    The best thing to happen to a cruising sailor’s water supply since the watermaker is a new, in-line filter that fits on the hose you you to fill the water tanks. Marina waters vary widely. They may  meet tests for safety but they could be very hard or very smelly with iron, sulfur or chlorine.  

With a good filter you’re always assured of consistent good taste in coffee, drinks and food. 

    The new Clear 2O hose filter simply screws onto your boat's drinking water hose. It filters to one micron and has a natural coconut carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors, sediment, pesticides, organic chemicals, fungus and many other contaminants for up to six months. Just don’t use it for water deemed unsafe to drink in the first place. It’s under $30.  
https://amzn.to/35AjEcX

 

CRUISE ONBOARD CUISINE VIA THIS VIDEO

    Devour this video about dining on board Scenic Cruises' small ship Eclipse.
 https://vimeo.com/362472985
 

    Worried about rising seas? Buy a boat and live on board. 


    MANDATORY SAFETY DRILL CAN BE FUN. Don’t you just love that big teddy bear, Shaquille O’Neal? He’s the Chief Fun Officer for Carnival and introduces this easy-to-watch safety video.   https://youtu.be/JP-hdWHBEcU

 
Explore historic whaling destinations on Poseidon Expeditions’ Polar Ice Edge Cruises. Check now for early bird discounts on 2020 itineraries. Visit Spitsbergen, Svalbard and other icy outposts where wildlife viewing is unparalleled. 

    A cruising powerboat to live on board forever an go anywhere, this Greenline 40 Hybrid has solar panels, comfortable living and a lot of class. Look at the living space in this 40-footer! 

 

 
Grab a growler and this TrailKeg and you'll have cold, cold beer after the boat is tied up for the night. https://amzn.to/33Blw3h

It’s the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys beer, kombucha or other carbonated beverages in their favorite setting afloat and ashore. TrailKeg keeps craft beer and homebrews cold for 24 hours and perfectly carbonated for weeks - unlike traditional growlers already on the market.

TrailKeg makes an excellent gift for boaters and yachties who can take TrailKeg with them wherever they go. 

Sailthe Mediterranean, Cambodia, Bahamas, Meet Below Deck Stars

       
SEE THE GAME OF THRONES CITY
 
    Dubrovnik, the Game of Thrones city, is on the list of ports of call for the one and only yacht Sea Cloud, sailing with 58 passengers May 22 and September 17 on 12-day itineraries of the Mediterranean. See Hellenic ruins in Siracusa and Taomina, explore the volcano city Stromboli, discover the beauties of Amalfi.

 Book with TravelsmithExplorations.com
 




CARNIVAL COMES BACK TO GRAND BAHAMA

 
    Good news for cruisers and good news too for the shopkeepers, taxi drivers and tours guides  of battered Grand Bahama Island. Carnival Ccruise Lines is once again calling there. Take a shore excursion, spend some money on souvenirs and give those good folks a hand up.  



 

BELOW DECK
    Who are those handsome hunks on Below Deck Thailand on TV’s Bravo?

 
Ashton Pienaar is from Johannesburg, South Africa. A former desk jockey he decided to train for the yachting life. He’s done Arctic exploration and has been based on yachts out of Florida and Croatia. 

Brian de Saint Pern grew up in Bluff, South Africa, a coastal town, where he loved the water, surfing, swimming and water polo. he developed a love for the water early on, surfing, swimming, and playing water polo.


 


SAIL CAMBODIA

 
    Star Clipper ships now sail into Cambodia, where guests see fabulous beaches, the incredible temple complex at Ankar Wat and natural beauties including Rearn National Park. Ten- and 11-day itineraries depart from Thailand. Early bookers get savings on air fare and shore excursions. 

Sailor-widowFarley Halladay and her dog Scuppers are at it again. Following Farley's first mystery novel as the Yacht Yenta, January Justice, she is now telling the story of a February Felony. Read it tonight on Kindle.  https://amzn.to/31J5d3D

Charter in the British Virgin Islands

NEW TO CHARTERING
in the British Virgin Islands? 
Join the First Timer’s Flotilla

    Marine Max Vacations, a major player in the charterboat scene in the British Virgin Islands, plans two group flotillas for first timers, one March 1-6 and a second for May 3-8. 
   Join with other boats following an itinerary filled with fun. The company has boats in three sizes, 36 to 48 feet with two to four double cabins, each with its own head.