New tools on Totem
It’s fun when you’ve been cruising for a bunch of years and can find delight in a few new pieces of kit on board. Here are a few new additions to Totem that earn their keep very nicely. What does that have to do with whales? read on! Laser rangefinder. OK, this has been on […]
Cooking aboard: Totem’s galley essentials
Returning to Totem recently provided fresh perspective on land kitchens vs boat galleys. Last night, as our dinner cooked in the oven, Jamie and I wondered to each other that it seemed to be taking a long time. Then we remembered we were trying to compare a little boat oven with the beast of […]
Cooking aboard: migrating kitchen to galley
We love to cook. Moving from a spacious, well-equipped kitchen on land to a compact galley on a sailboat did nothing to impact our enthusiasm for creating and enjoying delicious meals. Until you live this truth, it may feel elusive; it’s easy to presume that cooking aboard approximates camping cuisine. I want to kick that […]
Northbound to Mexico: lessons from the country-per-day plan
The Pacific side of Panama felt palpably different even before the channel markers switched near the continental divide, green buoys replacing red on Totem’s starboard side. It was partly an earthy smell of the hot wind blowing through the Gaillard cut. A changed quality in the light, maybe, on the far side of sawtooth mountains […]
Easy bread to feed a hungry crew
A well-fed crew is a happy crew: this is no secret. Food is a love language for many, myself included. Feeding people, seeing their pleasure in something I’ve made, makes me so happy. I dug the minor challenge to create a yummy and totally gluten free dinner from our dwindling provisions for friends last week […]
Canning meat on board
At some point, canning food makes sense for a lot of long-distance cruisers. Totem is a boat full of omnivores, and with five people on board, canning meat has been a useful skill to acquire. For those times we need to boost our provisions with canned food, doing it yourself is cheaper and tastier than […]
Port tack blues: thoughts on comfortable cruising
Flat water and a consistent breeze provided glorious sailing back in Madagascar. Daily diurnal winds power our passage south on a port tack in the morning and a starboard tack in the afternoon, with a brief period of calm between the directional switch. Totem’s comfortable motion in these conditions have made meal preparation in the galley […]
Holiday gifts for cruisers
Shopping for a sailor? Getting ready to go cruising, and don’t want to spend on things you won’t use in your life afloat? Here is a list of suggested gifts we love (or wish we had!) that you can take with you…and some distractions to help you keep the cruising dream present while you wait. Dream fodder […]
Canning on board: papaya chutney
Some amount of eating from cans is a reality for most cruising boats. Between limited refrigeration, passage making (19 days at sea to the Marquesas!), and minimal resources available in some of our destinations- it’s necessary to keep our bodies happily fueled. Provisioning staples for six months – Mexico, 2010 Much better than buying commercially […]