Life on a Boat: February 2023

We started February 2023 with a renewed effort for our life on a boat to include healthy eating, less drinking and saving money.

And we were successful!! Between Dry February and better meal planning, we accomplished our goals, mostly. We still spent money, a lot of money, on engine repairs for our Tolly 26 but well, that’s life on a boat.

Life on a Boat – February 2023

Listened to…

1. Are You Experienced (1967), The Jimi Hendrix Experience: This was a great album. My only prior experience with Jimi Hendrix was his version of the US anthem, All Along the Watchtower (thanks to U2’s Rattle & Hum) and Purple Haze. 
2. Astral Weeks (1968), Van Morrison: I love Van Morrison and this album is one I’ll listen to again!
3. Back to Black (2006), Amy Winehouse: What an amazing talent and one gone too soon. 
4. Bella Donna (1981) Stevie Nicks: I associate Stevie Nicks with Fleetwood Mac. That all changed with this album which is now a favourite.
5. Balance (1995) Van Halen: Our first dud. Supposedly it has a “beautiful balance of hard rock scores and excellent lyrics”. We disagreed. IMHO there are better Van Halen albums

Watched…

1. Sports: Mostly hockey. As a transplant from Ontario, my Toronto Maple Leafs love continues to run strong. And with Handsome Hubby a Vancouver Canucks fan, we have lots of games to keep us entertained. We also watched the Super Bowl, even though we weren’t rooting for any team in particular. But it turned out to be an entertaining game (at least until the last couple minutes).
2. The First Lady (Season 1): We wrapped up this series in mid February – I truly enjoyed its point of view from the First Lady. And I was amazed at how well each actor transformed into their roles.
3. The Sting (1973): We rented this one as I had never seen it and Handsome Hubby thought I would enjoy it. He was right!! A good caper movie with twists and snappy dialogue. 
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014): Turns out I love spy movies. Especially British spy movies. And with a cast including Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson, this seemed like a good bet. It was – a very enjoyable movie. 

Ate…

With our renewed commitment to eating healthy and at home, I spent a bit more time in the galley. Among the highlights:

1. Jalapeno Mac & Cheese: Making macaroni and cheese in the Instant Pot is so darn easy. To make it bit healthier I usually add some spinach.
2. Baked Chicken Wings by Budget Bytes: Who knew that baked chicken wings could be crispy?? This recipe is amazing, especially when we coated them in Moby’s Pub Duck Wing Sauce.
3. Salmon Roll Sushi Bowl by Savory Tooth: This is one of my favourite dinners. It’s easy. It’s quick. It tastes great. Perfect for a week night and when we’re cruising. 
4. Vegetarian Chili with Bulgur: My favourite chili. And the leftovers are great on baked French Fries (get recipe) with some shredded cheese.
5. English-Style Toad in the Hole with Red Onion Gravy from the Georgia Straight: When I met my Handsome Hubby, we frequented a local pub where they served Toad in the Hole. I had no idea what it was, only that the menu said you had to wait at least 30 minutes for it to be served. So I assumed that it must be difficult to make. Turns out it isn’t – it just needs time to bake. And it’s so good!

Drank…

Not much! Our damp February kept us away from most breweries and no cocktails were concocted in the boat.

We did enjoy a visit to District Brewing in Mount Vernon with some friends. Their beer and food were very good.

Read…

• The Spare by Prince Harry: I enjoyed this – the writing style, his memories and thoughts. 
• Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane: A cute book with a couple twists and a fairly predictable ending.
• Forever, Erma by Erma Bombeck: Growing up we had a copy of Erma Bombeck’s book If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Why Am I in the Pits? which I absolutely loved. Why a pre-teen/teenager loved Erma Bombeck is beyond me, but I did. And this collection of her work brought back memories and a realization of just how far women have come.
• The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins: 5-4-3-2-1-Go. This book actually got this post written. Or more accurately re-written. It was written and edited. Just needed a couple of photos. It disappeared. But using Mel’s technique in this book, I’m writing it again. 

Purchased…

• Major Boat Parts: Our little Tollycraft suffered catastrophic engine failure last year (well at least I call it catastrophic). Anyway, Handsome Hubby spent much $$ and many hours getting the engine pulled out, rebuilt and put back in. We also did the bottom paint and replaced the zincs while she was out of the water. 
• Crock Pot: I suspected my slow-cooker was on its last legs a while ago. And dinner with not quite cooked lentils confirmed that suspicion. So a new 4 qt Crock Pot is now in the galley.
• Wet Hair Scrunchies: Using a hair dryer with 30 amp power means turning off just about everything else in the boat. So I don’t. But my hair is thick and long so it takes forever to dry. These scrunchies were worth the hype and $20 I spent.
• Cabelas Finds: We stopped at Cabelas on our last trip to Seattle to pick up new Kijara brand folding chairs. They are our favourite and hadn’t shipping to Canada (of course, I just found them on Amazon). We also picked up a Stanley brand French Press for Handsome Hubby. It’s a marked improvement over his previous press. 
• Boat Show Finds: We picked up a battery operated air pump for our SUPs. With two on board, it was time to make that job easier – we’ll probably use them more now. And we found the 2023 edition Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide for Desolation Sound – fresh off the presses!!

Life off the Boat

We took a couple of trips off the boat in February, both to Washington. Once mid-month to see some friends and attend a Tollycraft Boating Club meeting. 

The other was to join friends in their private box to cheer on Toronto Maple Leafs. Oh wait, I was the only one cheering on the Leafs. Everyone else was rooting for the Seattle Kraken. 

Regardless, we had a great time with friends and even spent the night on their boat. 

Projects

• Turns out putting things away can lead to projects. I needed a home for an extra bag of flour and that led to pulling everything out of our forward storage locker. Which then led to finding moisture and mildew. So everything lived on our back deck while we (I mean Handsome Hubby) cleaned and painted the locker. We added some ventilation for the floor and intentional storage (instead of throwing everything in there…).

Exercise

The month started off great with walking and walking/running. And I may have overdone things just a tad to the point where a knee pain put the kibosh on all things walking. Hoping to feel better in March.

Coming Up Next Month on the Boat

• March Madness!! Who will be this year’s Cinderella? Who will bust my brackets? Only time will tell.
• A trip to Poulsbo for the Tollycraft Boating Club’s Shake Down Mini Cruise. We’re taking the land yacht (car) and looking forward to seeing our Tolly friends!
• Hopefully two Tollys that have happy engines and are ready to cruise!!

Stay safe and happy cruising!