Cooking Aboard: Shrimp Curry

Matt made me a delicious Indian Shrimp Curry the other day. He doesn't really ever measure spices but here is a basic guideline to making this delicious one pot meal aboard.

4 oz olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped 

1" ginger, peeled and chopped 

1 onions, peeled and chopped

4 large portabella mushrooms

1 package grape tomatoes
1 lime, zest and juice
2 pinches cumin 
1 tsp mustard seeds 

2 tbs ground coriander 

2 tsp turmeric
red chili peppers, we have some red chiles that are all crushed up and ready to use but crushed red pepper works too. We like it hot but use as much as you like.

1 can of coconut milk 3/4lb large raw shrimp
sea salt
cilantro

 

Throw the olive oil and all the spices in a pan. Saute for a minute or so. Add the garlic, onions, and ginger. I really like ginger so use as much as you want. Once the onions are caramelized add the tomatoes. Cook until it thickens. Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Once it boils add the shrimp. You can eat this meal with rice but I like to add Quinoa right into the pot and let it cook in the curry. Mostly because I hate doing dishes more than anything in the world but also it makes the starch tastier. You can do that method with rice or lentils too. Enjoy.

 

 

Wintering Aboard: Water Fill Up

 

 

 

 

Just another part of living aboard on the hard during the winter. All the the water taps in the boatyard are winterized so we have to carry jerry jugs up the ladder to fill our tanks. Two 5 gallon jerry cans X six trips to the only unwinterized water tap in the marina = a huge pain in the ass. Feels good to be full up though.

Still fixing...

 

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. We are still steadily repairing frames and moving towards our goal. We had a few weeks of below freezing nights around the new year and it hasn't created a very easy climate for laying up epoxy. In fact, one of the repairs that we installed didn't cure all the way and ended up needing to be removed and redone. It has been a bit discouraging but we have kept an overall positive attitude. We bought a kerosene heater from Home Depot about a month ago which has enabled us to heat the tent the boat is under. The heater has a thermostat which allows us to keep the tent around 40°F while we aren't there. When it is time to mix up epoxy we turn the thermostat up to about 75°F. It doesn't exactly get the tent temperature up that high but it keeps it warm enough for the epoxy to cure. A nice side benefit is that our electric heater inside the cabin doesn't have to work as hard and we are staying pretty comfortable inside our little home. I was originally worried about living aboard during the winter on the hard but it has been reasonably easy. 

There are only a couple frames left in the lazarette that need to be repaired then it is onto the engine stringers. Almost there. 

Tent

Finally moved into the tent. Hopefully this will enable us to keep momentum for the winter. Haven't been getting much done lately because it has been cold and raining but that should change now that we are protected.
In other news, we will be in San Diego next weekend. Can't wait too see all you guys!

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy passed us without any major problems. There were strong winds and moderately high tides but no big issues. We got cold and wet but were unharmed.

In other news, we got approval to move into a tent for the winter so we can continue working without freezing. It would be pretty impossible to redo the decks and lay up epoxy laminates in <40 degree weather so we are pretty stoked about the move. We didn't get much work done in October because we worked at both the Sailboat and Powerboat shows but once we are moved into the tent we will resume working on the old girl.

Hurricane Sandy

Getting prepared for hurricane Sandy here in Annapolis. The boat yard is working double time doing emergency haul outs and people are preparing for the worst. We unstepped our rig Friday afternoon and have been making sure everything is secure so that we are ready for high winds. Now just have to wait it out and see what happens.

It's October Already

So October is halfway over and we are still working on our Summer project. To be honest I kinda expected this to happen because it rains here more days than it doesn't. Since the weather has been so uncooperative we took on a lot of additional projects that could be completed under a tent or inside the workshop. It's important to me that we keep doing those little side projects so that we keep the momentum moving forward. I am getting the itch to be out on the water pretty badly but it will all be worth it in the end.

Things completed so far:

9 Thru hulls replaced
2 Thru hulls plugged permanently
2 Strops fabricated
1 Windvane acquired & refinished
1 Wind generator acquired
Removed, cleaned, and painted grey water tank
Removed, cleaned, and painted diesel tank
Spinpole refinished, ends re-bedded
Back stay chain plate replaced
Stripped and refinished transom
Cabin settee cushion foam replaced
New cabin curtains 
Safety harness strap fabricated and installed in galley

Structural Repairs:
Hull stripped and sanded
2 full frame replacements
7 Dutchman/scarf frame repairs


I am sure there are other things that we have done that I am not thinking of but this gives you an idea of what we have been doing...

...Did I mention I am ready to be finished. Arg.

Things I miss while being hauled out...

Using the head on the boat. Climbing down the ladder at 3 in the morning in the rain really isn't fun. Not to mention the high yesterday was like 56°F so now we have that to look forward too also. Yay.