Catching Up on Boat Chores

Just so you don't think we've only been playing and have forgotten our boat chores, I thought I'd catch you up a bit. The list, though manageable, changes daily with what we can manage to fix versus what breaks. The list is, of course, always longer than the time available or allotted.  

As you'll remember, when we were leaving Kettering, a minor accident knocked out the deck washdown faucet leaving a hole on the foredeck where the faucet should be. David has re-installed the faucet and repaired the deck area. While rooting around in the chain locker, however, he found that the chain pipe needs replacing … a job that will wait for Adelaide. The head problem which occurred on the same day as the faucet decapitation, was a minor adjustment and all is well in that department … thank goodness, we hate head problems (on the boat or on the body).

The new outboard engine has been broken in. David wants a new cover for it to protect it from the UV and salt. We had one for the old engine, but he's looking for a new design that incorporates a lifting harness, so that the cover can remain in place all the time.

He's made a pattern and I've gotten as far as pinning and cutting it out. It's on the to-do list for when we have power to run the sewing machine. I'll do a “how-to” blog in the future on constructing the outboard cover. It looks like it'll be a clever, convenient design and pretty easy to sew.

Jacklines had been removed when we left Cups last winter and now they've been re-installed. We make these ourselves out of webbing and buckles purchased from Sailrite. We replace them about every two years and use the old jacklines as hoists for homemade courtesy flags as well as retaining straps for on-deck fuel jugs. David also replaced the lanyards on the lifeline gate pelican hooks which were worn and frayed.

David's been working on some dinghy repairs. The velcro straps which hold the oars in place have failed. How does velcro fail, you ask? It doesn't adhere to itself any more. How does this happen? UV, salt water? We have no idea. We just know the velcro's not working any more and it's a pain. It's not easy to resew new strips of velcro on because they're attached to Hypalon rubber straps which cannot be removed. He's working on installing some twist-locks which we hope will do the trick. There's also a pesky leak in the dinghy which he's trying to track down. It's small, but bothersome.

The last batch of beer has aged its two weeks and we've begun drinking it. After all those chores, we needed some refreshment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Puzzle Day

Crossword, jigsaw, logic, mathematical, Sudoku, anagrams, word searches, ciphers, Rubik's cube...Pick your favorite and have a go

A Beginner's Guide to Vegemite

 

One of my blog posts about grocery shopping in Australia mentioned Vegemite. As Vegemite neophytes, we've evidently got a lot to learn. But of course, Kiwis and Aussies have had a lifetime to truly experience the wonders of this delicacy. We received lots of comments and recommendations about trying Vegemite and the proper way to eat it. Today, January 26th, is Australia Day and we thought this was the day to give Vegemite a try, paying attention to all the hints we received.

Vegemite, in case you didn't know, is a yeast substance and a by-product of beer production here in Australia. Supposedly the first guy to come up with the recipe was looking for a vitamin B source during the war years. He probably had left-over yeast sludge from making his home brew. Anyhow, the result is Vegemite and Aussie's eat it the way Americans eat peanut butter … in great quantities and with gusto.

Supermarkets provide lots of shelf space for Vegemite and Vegemite wannabes. I also found another option which is Vegemite Cheesybite, a combination of Vegemite yeast product and long life cream cheese. Doesn't that make your heart flutter?

Over Thanksgiving dinner, our Aussie friends were coerced into trying pumpkin pie. They'd never tried it before. “Why turn a veggie into a fruit pie?” Craig asked. Everyone politely ate some. No one spit it out, but they didn't ask for seconds either.

The discussion somehow turned to Vegemite. I pulled out a small, unopened jar from the locker.

“Why not try it now?” Craig prompted.

“No”, I responded quickly. “We want to photograph it just in case David vomits or spits it out. We want to capture it on video or YouTube, but not at the dinner table.”

Jody added, “When we were kids we'd spread butter on Vita Weet crackers and then the Vegemite and squeeze the crackers together till all the butter and Vegemite oozed through the cracker holes like little worms. Then we licked it off.” That sounded appealing and very promising.

“Hold on to that jar. It'll be worth gold to any Australian in another part of the world where you can't get Vegemite.” Aha, an investment prospect.

Wendy and Ian laughed. Ian said “Spread on the butter first. You need a layer of butter and then the Vegemite.” “You don't need much”, added Wendy.

Leanne, an Aussie friend, e-mailed from Fiji after she read the post: “Less is better”.

That point became very clear to us.

Then Steve from Auckland sent an email. He distinguished between Marmite and Vegemite.

“To the uninitiated, it's like comparing the taste of used engine oil from a diesel versus a gasoline engine. That doesn’t stop the arguments between proponents of Vegemite vs Marmite from becoming similar to intensity and extent as your average religious war. Vegemite appears to be more popular in Australia … Marmite was originally an English brand though the NZ version is apparently not the same as the UK version. Since NZ’s Marmite production facilities were in Christchurch and were badly damaged by the earthquakes, there has been a shortage of Marmite in NZ as the factory is still not up and running again …. This has been widely reported as Marmageddon.” This is obviously serious stuff.

Steve went on to say, “My wife likes to eat Marmite and chip sandwiches … a concoction involving spreading Marmite on fresh, fluffy white bread and then a layer of potato crisps topped with another slice of bread. I commonly refer to this as a crime against the gastronomic universe. This doesn’t deter her at all.” We liked Steve's input. It really gave some personality to the discussion.

I was wondering if Vegemite was available in the USA and a quick internet search revealed that it's available through Amazon.... “It's Vegemite, it's good and it's available in America. It gets to the point where you don't care how much it costs, as long as you have it.” So, Americans reading this have the opportunity to experience Vegemite without having to come to Australia. Though we highly recommend the trip.

Witness our first taste of Vegemite.

http://youtu.be/bCnJAA_iq94

Mmm...mmm...good!

Happy Australia Day!

We are an Amazon affiliate, so if you want to buy Vegemite (or anything else) through the above link you will be supporting this great blog!

Historic Hobart, Tasmania

I'm usually lucky coming up with a walk or two that explores a city's nooks and crannies on foot. In Hobart, I struck the mother lode. This is a small city with lots to see and the city fathers are evidently keen on everyone taking advantage of what's available. I found lots of information on the internet about self-guided walking tours including pdf downloads with maps and descriptions of key interest points. I negotiated our play dates with the captain and chose an historical walking tour as our first on-foot foray into the city.

Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia, founded in 1803. Tied up at the Elizabeth Street Pier in Sullivans Cove on the site of the original settlement here in Hobart, we didn't have far to go to begin our tour. Founded as a penal colony, there was no dearth of free labor in Hobart. There was plenty of money from timber and whale oil and there was a large local supply of sandstone, hence the preponderance of huge sandstone buildings in the area … warehouses, government buildings, houses, mansions, walls and arches.

We headed first along the foreshore to Salamanca Place. Now upscale with boutiques and restaurants, this beautiful area is lined with Georgian-style sandstone warehouses, a solid historical reminder that this was originally the docking place for whaling and sealing boats.

Tucked between two warehouses, we found the alley leading to Kelly's Steps. Built by Captain James Kelly in 1839, the steps provide a shortcut from Salamanca up to Battery Point, Hobart's oldest neighborhood.

We wandered up steep hills and down narrow streets past neat, well-preserved period cottages, their tiny front gardens overflowing with hydrangea, roses and lavender. Once in awhile magnificent views of the harbor peeked out between buildings. We walked across the tiny park at Arthur Circus, a circle of Battery Point's oldest houses … and not a clown in sight.

On Hampden Road, we saw one cottage for sale that was an absolute beauty.

“This charming cottage was built in 1840 for Angus McLeod, the Bandmaster of the Royal Scottish Fuseliers. Beautifully built from a blend of sandstone and bluestone, this timeless Georgian classic impresses from every angle.” $1.2M – this would definitely over-extend our current budget.

We stopped at The Shipwright Arms, locally known as Shippie's, for a pub lunch and a pint (more on pubs later) then consulted the map to find a chandlery David had been hankering to see (one of the negotiating points of the walk). The chandlery happens to be near the historic Mariners Cottages, so we killed two birds with one stone. These tiny cottages are believed to be the oldest remaining buildings on the site of the shipbuilding yards on Napoleon Street.

The walk looped around and took us through the Angelsea Barracks grounds. Built in 1814, Angelsea is the oldest Australian Army barracks still in use. We were free to wander the grounds and admire yet more sandstone buildings and convict-built structures.

An old war memorial stands in a separate area, the only Australian war memorial ever erected by soldiers to memorialize their own. On the far side of the lawn, we were surprised to find a pillar left from a Transit of Venus study conducted in 1876 by an American expedition here.

We finished our 5 km walk at the Victoria Docks where fishing vessels berth and tie up to offload their catches. Another row of warehouses line Hunter Street just opposite the waterfront. Previously a merchants row, it subsequently was the home of Henry Jones IXL jam factory in 1891. A little trivia: the “IXL” stood for “I excel in everything I do”, Jones' personal mantra. Still produced today, this iconic jam brand is no longer made in Hobart. However, the “jam factory” building remains, now housing a 5-star hotel and lots of upscale boutiques, shops and restaurants.

Returning to the boat, we felt a bit more in touch with Hobart's historic past and David still had time to brew up his next batch of beer.