Too Late? It's never too late for Suez Canal Photos!

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This is me attempting to re-enter the blogosphere... Is it too late to post some Suez Canal photos?

Never!

When we transited the canal it was one of the prettiest days I've seen there.  It wasn't too hot - there was a nice little breeze - and it was crystal clear.  This is rare.

I actually got some pretty decent photos and I'm happy to be able to add them to my 'canal collection'.

My favorite photo of the day was watching this dude prepare to dive after having clearly already been diving.....in what looks to be pink accented pajama bottoms.  I mean, I wouldn't ruin my good pants diving in the Suez Canal either!

pink pajamas

Second favorite but almost my favorite was of a small fishing boat using a tarp as a sail.  There is something so awesome about seeing people make do with what they have.

Sailing by tarp

Now you know I didn't only take two photos!

View the rest here:

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Nautie Books :: March Madness = Joy The Baker Cookbook

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I know what you're thinking....you didn't think I'd pull it off.  You figured I'd let March just come and go and then I'd hastily recover for the month of April.  Oh, you couldn't be more wrong.  I'm a Master Procrastinator.  Master. The beauty of being a Master Procrastinator is that you're mind slowly gets trained to have it's best ideas just in time for you to slide under the wire.

Last night I had the best idea EVER:  Feature a cookbook.

I LOVE COOKBOOKS. If my Step-Dad was here He'd say, 'why don't you marry it then?'. To which I'd respond, 'okay, fine.'.  I would marry a cookbook.

There is nothing I love more, than curling up on the couch and flipping through gorgeous pages full of delicious looking foods.  I love imagining the party I would host.  I love imagining how wow'd my friends would be if I brought over that scrumptious looking desert.

I have a lot of cookbooks.  I shipped every last one of them to my new apartment in Houston.  I didn't get rid of even one of them.

Lets take this one step further.  I have one special cookbook that I keep on my iPad.  This way, when I'm at sea I can look at the pictures and pretend I'm curled up on my couch.

Joy the Baker is my idol.  I lurve her.  She gives me blog hope.  She gives me yummy ideas.  She makes me laugh.  She's pretty.  Her food photos are the shit.  I think she's totally rad.

This is an open ended reading assignment - Get Joy's Cookbook - Read her blog - At your leisure - Then friend me some how so you can show me the photos you take of your yummy food!

You won't regret this.  At all.

Yum.

Nautie Tidbits :: Mr. Honey Made It Through The Canal

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Nautie Friends,  I made it through the canal.  Woot Woot!  I've written many times about the canal (the most comprehensive write up can be found here but you can find some decent photos here)....the highlight of this transit, minus the fact that it means we're closer to home, was for sure the fact that the mooring boat men called me Mr. Honey allll daaaay loong. Mr. Honey has made it through the canal. The weather upon departing the canal worsened quite quickly.  Yesterday, we were hove to.  As in....almost going backwards.  I've seen some pretty shitty weather in the Med - people always act like the Med is a boating paradise - I don't think you could pay me to yacht around the Med in the winter - unless we were anchored off Nice or some other fun place.  I didn't take too many photos of yesterdays weather....lazy blogger syndrome....how about some photos from last years Med storm?

I got nauseous yesterday.  I know, I know, real sailors don't talk about being sea sick.....thank goodness that I have already written the Nautie Guide to Conquering Seasickness....or Mal de Mer!  Whew!  Thank goodness there was a time when I wasn't a lazy blogger!

Books!  Ahhh!  Nautie Book Club!  I haven't forgotten you!  I will select a book soon!  Pinkie Promise!

Scintilla Day Four :: The Infamous Lifeboat Email

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Being trapped in a confined environment can turn an ordinary experience into a powder keg. Write about a thing that happened to you while you were using transportation; anything from your first school bus ride, to a train or plane, to being in the backseat of the car on a family road trip. Having fun a few days ago in the Rescue Boat has had me thinking about Lifeboats.....you know where I'm giong with this right?

How about we take time to reflect on My Worst Day At Sea Ever.  The one where I puked uncontrollably for hours in a lifeboat that must have been 130 degrees.  The one where the lifeboat broke down and we had to get rescued by an Arab Fishing Boat....and then hauled on board by the Coast Guard.  The one where I ended up totally delirious and wanted to take my clothes off?  Riiiight.  This was majorly pre-blogging days BUT I did send an email home that has been immortalized forever as The Infamous Lifeboat E-Mail.

If a Lifeboat doesn't count as a confined environment I seriously don't know what does!

I'm participating in The Scintilla Project.  Yay!  So far it's been a lot of fun - join in!  (Also, here is the disclaimer that I skipped Day 3....and that I'm linking to an old blog post....apparently this is allowed....)

Scintilla Day Two :: Like A Champ

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Day Two.  Tell the story about something interesting (anything!) that happened to you, but tell it in the form of an instruction manual (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3….) Don't paddle harder - just fix the engine! Ummm...can you see how far away the ship is?!

1.  Consult your annual inspection / drill matrix.  Confirm that a quarterly launching of the lifeboat and rescue boat are indeed required - and plan on conducting launch while at anchor.

2.  Have all essential personnel standing by ready to assist in launching immediately following anchoring of the vessel.

3.  Load the Rescue Boat with the Third Mate, Third Assistant, Cadet and Yourself.

4.  Lower the Boat into the water.

5.  Release the Boat.

6.  Motor the Boat around the vessel to exercise the engine.

7.  Listen to the boat motor putter out and die.  Turn to the Third Mate and say, 'Oh.My.GOD.'.

8.  Get out the oars and begin paddling!

9.  Quickly assess whether you are getting any closer to the ship.

10.  Switch places with the Third Assistant Engineer who is not having any luck restarting the engine.  (He's bigger anyways and maybe he can paddle harder....not...)

11.  Watch the Third Assistant fruitlessly paddle away.

12.  Determine that the priming bulb is rock hard.

13.  Unplug the fuel line.

14.  Shove your knife into the plug and drain all the gas in the line into the Rescue Boat.

15.  Plug the fuel line back in.

16.  Start the Rescue Boat like a fucking champ and motor back to the ship (that is now a mile away).

 

I'm participating in The Scintilla Project - and you should too!

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