Kitchen Series #1 - Mushaboom's Barbeque Chicken Rub

Pick the coziest house on the shore.
Make sure the shore across is a national park for maximum effect during starry-night time.
Set the table by the window with view to the ocean and the forest.
Surround by good people, accompany with friendly dog.
Serve bbq chicken with corn on the cob and butter plus yellow and green beans just picked from the garden.
Keep refilling guests' glasses with red wine.
Share interesting conversation and pepper with laughs.
Enjoy.

The rub? Oh, well, we'll have to ask Wayne. Wayne?

Good people, good food, good laughs

Off we go!

Just a  quick note from the laundromat: We're heading out of sheet harbour today to moor at another point (forget the name) but its at the mouth of sheet harbour. Our next major destination is Lunenburg, NS weather permitting.

Un huracán menos

La niebla cubrió todo en la tarde.

Al final Irene pasó muy lejos. Igual, por las dudas el capitán de otro barco nos pidió amarrarse a nosotros por si la cosa se ponía complicada: cabo por todas partes a lo tela de araña.

Atados bien seguros al muelle de Sheet Harbour, pasamos la noche sin mayor contratiempo. Aunque hoy el día amaneció con un sol estupendo, todavía hay mucho viento, así que el plan es salir recién mañana.

Jim supervisando la dirección de amarras y cabos.

Extreme yoga: Yoga on the boat

Probando el equilibrio entre viento y olas.

Lack of exercise on the boat is a concern. At every possible opportunity we go to shore to stretch our legs. And everybody except me gets to do some rowing and swimming as well (I suck at rowing and it's too cold for me to swim). So, I've decided to incorporate "ultimate yoga" on the exercise menu of the week.

I'll be posting a "yoga pose of the week" (check more yoga on the boat here), I hope. See how that works out.


* Update: It didn't work out at all! I'm a master procrastinator when it comes to exercise, and with million activities while on the road, exercise is the first thing to 'be forgotten'. It seems I'm not the only one procrastinating. The key is to go back to it as soon as you can... and I keep trying.

** Eventually I managed to get things back in track. Apparently, the switch to make it happen is in your head.

Seguridad en el agua

Fadi ha estado ayudando a Jim con arreglos de último minuto en el barco. Cambiaron los cables de seguridad (lifelines) que estaban oxidados por unos de acero inoxidable y Fadi puso un segundo par de remos en el bote.

Waiting ...

Hey what's up doc?

So, Irene may not be huffing and puffing through our neighborhood after all, which is a good thing! This gives us plenty of time to attend to projects on the boat to get her fully ready for sailing. Also, lots of time to notice the little things around us.

This morning I was out on the stern munching on some toast when I noticed this little guy popping his head out of the rocks in the wharf. We've noticed it earlier, but were unsure what it was. The issue was just settled at the local laundromat - it's a beaver! But I was under the impression that they had a long flat tail. Not this guy though.

So, an update on the weather. Looks like Irene will fizzle out into a "dying tropical storm" by the time it gets to our area. The Captain reckons that we'll set sail Tuesday morning. Till then we've got work to do and lots to enjoy :)

[Update AUG 30: It turns out this may not be a beaver, but a groundhog! So the controversy continues. Let us know what you think :)]

Anchored at Sheet Harbour's dock, waiting for Hurricaine Irene to hit

Our new quarters - the V-berth!

We've had a great couple of days! Our first day was getting oriented with the boat, our surroundings and most importantly our hosts. The second day was testing our systems and filling up on water. Pilger actually unfurled her foresail and jib to sail. This gave us an opportunity to get oriented with the helm and the controls, but not without any casualties - a hat fell overboard, swept of by a gust of wind. We did turn around to scoop it out, but it had sunk by the time we turned around. It was the one Lucia wanted me to throw away, so she got her wish. 

Sleeping in the v-berth is actually quite cozy and comfortable despite its looks. The reading light that I got with my case for the Kindle is handy in such a situation.

Even though there's a lot of preparation to get underway we have time to read, talk and work on our projects. So yes, I'm slowly getting used to life aboard the ship as well as getting comfortable with its sounds - especially the water slapping against the hull at night.

A few friends were concerned about Hurricane Irene hitting us and rightly so!

How to cook (and eat) lobster / Cómo cocinar (y comer) langosta

Jim presentando a la última víctima mientras
Fadi termina de despedazar la anterior.

A la vuelta de nuestra jornada de compras, Jim & Fadi nos estaban esperando con una sorpresa para la cena: cuatro langostas que unos pescadores dejaron de pasada.

Creo que fue la primera vez que probé langosta: la cuestión de hervir bichos vivos me da cosa. Pero Jim se ocupó de asegurarse de que no se escaparan de la olla y Fadi y Michelle las atacaron luego a martillazo limpio.

Después de que trabajaron tan duro quedaba mal no probar, así que me sacrifiqué. Rico pero no sé si vale la pena tanta violencia y enchastre.

Un par de semanas más tarde, en un restaurante, encontramos instrucciones de como hacer para comer langostas y una lista de "datos sobre langostas":

Finalmente en la panza de Pilger

Estoy escribiendo desde la panza de Pilger mientras está anclado a metros del East River Bridge -un viejo puente de hierro- en la comunidad de Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia (googléenlo).

Walking around Halifax

Halifax is an interesting place. We had lots of running around to do: getting some logistics squared away (read dealing with Fido), got my foul weather gear and we walked a bit between the North End and downtown Halifax. 

We've been having great weather out here ... apparently they've had the same kind of weather as back in Vancouver: rain and lots of it!

Lucía is already with the pirate look!

View to the left of the pirate in downtown Halifax

Indeed there were places protected by pirates and strange incarnations of kid's cartoon characters ...

So ya, day one of our trip and we're finally starting to feel it. I imagine once we're on the boat tomorrow there would be more comments to come!

Finalmente Halifax

Un par de días en Halifax disfrutando de la hospitalidad de Ray y conociendo la ciudad desde dentro gracias a CouchSurfing.

Ya nos están llegando avisos de amigos, preocupados por algún huracán que parece estar embromando en el sur. Nosotros preferimos enfocarnos en el día soleado que nos tocó -estupendo para combinar las vueltas de último momento con un recorrido por la ciudad- y que todo viene saliendo redondito.

Mañana Michelle nos viene a buscar y ya embarcamos. Crucemos los dedos para que todo siga rodando como hasta ahora...

On our way

So we've packed up everything that we need, stored what we need to keep and sold of the rest. Wow! what a feeling it is to "trim" all that "stuff"!

It's off to Halifax we go :)

And... done!

Creí que no llegaba pero gracias a un montón de gente que ayudó (¡gracias todos!), logré terminar de vaciar la casa. Increíble lo que uno logra acumular en unos pocos años. Con dos mochilas cada uno como todo equipaje, estamos prontos para salir.

We scanned, shredded, recycled, sold, packed, cut, threw away, gave away, distributed... feeling so much lighter afterwards. At the end we each have one small backpack (frontpack?) that is our office-on-the-go, and a medium backpack for all the rest.* Not bad, eh?

* Gracias a Paula por guardarnos las dos cajas con papeles (¡no nos dejan tirarlos!) y Mel, Mariana y David por guardarme el bolso con ropa de invierno en caso de necesitar una vuelta de apuro.