Chester Race Week. What more can a Galley Guy say? Lots of boats. Top notch race committee work. Full on competitive racing. Fantastic people. Too much wind. Not enough wind. Mega rain. Hot and steamy weather. Spectacular scenery. Fun parties. Lots of handshakes. Big-time hugs. And a non-stop supply of Goslings dark rum in a concoction called Dark & Stormies (note the use the plural form). Old friends. New friends. First-time stories. Stories that you may have heard once or twice before.
The Galley Guys have an idea, take out a sharpie and draw a big large circle on your calendar around October 10th, 2011, Thanksgiving Day. Consider this circle a waypoint for your boating season. Maybe even draw an arrow pointing to the circle as a statement that you are taking full measure of both the joy and beauty of your boat and the aboard companionship of friends and family.
Many of our friends consider the passing of Labour Day as the hard stop of the season and resign themselves to shutting down for the winter.
What is the etiquette for a potluck dinner? Should you bring a pot roast? Would fortune cookies bring luck? How about something more exotic? For example, a harpooned Canadian swordfish? Why not?
Under glorious sunny skies, led by club Commodore Peter Rourke and his wife, along with Cruising Commanders Eva Robinson and her partner Trevor McAlpine, 31 boats set out from the Port Credit Yacht Club for an enjoyable, but short cruise east to the islands of Toronto Harbour on a recent Friday afternoon.
On a really clear day, from my homeport of the Port Credit Yacht Club, you can just see Niagara-on-the-Lake, one of the most popular cruising destinations in Canada. The trip to Niagara takes about an hour by car or about five hours under sail, most of the time.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, the site of the first meeting of the leaders of Upper Canada beckons boaters of all stripes to cruise and enjoy the best that Lake Ontario has to offer as a cruising destination. The Galleys Guys began their voyage optimistically wanting to do a story on the Niagara Peninsula but came to a quick realization that their eyes were bigger than their stomachs.
We Shop And Stow, You Board And Go
It was a sunny mid-March Saturday in Vancouver.
Granville Island was crawling with locals provisioning their home galleys. The boatyard is crammed with boaters drawn by the breaking weather to remove the tarps, hit the hard and refresh the bottom paint in anticipation of the 8 months of boating to come. (Don’t forget, by March on the West Coast we have already cut our lawns 3 times and been to the beach twice!)
February in Vancouver is frustrating for this Toronto-based Galley Guy. There are boats bobbing in the water, but no place to go. At home, shrinkwrap removes any temptation to sneak out for a cruise even although it looks so easy to cast off the lines, hoist a chute and take a run down English Bay.
Bob Stevenson from Desolation Yacht Charters is planning to get his boats ready for action by late February and Marla from Cooper Boating is busily filling their charter schedule.
It has long been the goal of the Galley Guys to eat well and drink elegantly while onboard. Our recipe this issue is “Bouride à la Provençal” prepared for us with style by Dwayne Kearney, Sous Chef at the Port Credit Yacht Club.
Bouride à la Provençal is a Provençal fish stew consisting of, grouper, salmon, shrimps, scallops and mussels cooked in a fennel and saffron broth, garnished by a roasted red pepper aioli, spread on a crostini. It is both hearty and filled with interesting and distinct flavours that all come together beautifully in a single bowl.
The Galley Guys hit the Vancouver International Boat Show running. All day long, we were checking out new boats, looking into ice lockers, peeking into storage compartments, seeing what’s new for gourmet cooking onboard and being forced to live on “show food” by day. By night, however, we could be found researching Vancouver restaurants that cater to hungry boaters. Our mission was straightforward; find great dining establishments that are easily accessible, with incredible views of the water, kitchens that serve great food and sommeliers that specialize in award-winning BC wines. Some of my colleagues from the boating community might see this as an overwhelming challenge, but for the Galley Guys this is a mission from heaven.
Read more: The Galley Guys Work the Vancouver International...
Today, many yacht clubs and marinas are discouraging the use of propane BBQs at the dock. The pain of running your entrées down to the communal BBQ, then having to either wait in line for your turn, or placing your delicately marinated lobster on right after someone else had smothered the grill with Pappy’s Moonshine Madness Barbecue Sauce, becomes even more upsetting when you have to leave your guests on board instead of having them witness the artistry of your culinary magic.
Experimenting with Kuuma’s New Dual-Fuel BBQ
You’ll never hear the Galley Guys complain as they go about the important task of meeting interesting new people, traveling to the world’s great yachting destinations and sampling the local beverages and cuisine. Although, I want you to know that I had to go it alone recently when an invitation to visit Canada's East Coast arrived.
Founding Galley Guy Greg Nicoll was already off to New York while John Armstrong, the newest addition to the team, was somewhere in South America – whatever!
Read more: Flexing Our Mussels at the Mug & Anchor, Mahone...
Related Articles
Boat Reviews
CY Virtual Video Boat Tours
We all love boats and nothing can break us up! So, what better way to spend our time than looking at interesting boats and going aboard in a virtual ride or tour. We have asked our friends at various dealers and manufacturers to help us assemble a one-stop online resource to experience some of the most interesting boats on the market today. Where the CY Team has done a review, we connect you to that expert viewpoint. If you can’t go boating, you can almost experience the thrill via your screen. Not quite the same, but we hope you enjoy our fine tour collection.
Read more about the CY Virtual Boat Tours....................
Cruisers Yachts Raises the Bar for Day Boating
By Andy Adams
Once again, Cruisers Yachts is leading the market for day boats with their new 42 GLS model that premiered at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show at the end of October. The concept of a large day boat is now a very well-established trend made possible by the amazing new power and efficiency of the latest four stroke outboards.
Buyers are looking for a different boating experience and we think that the 42 GLS nails it. Fast, handsome and versatile, the 42 GLS is designed for fun and adventure.
Destinations
Bahamas – There and Back Again - Part II
In Part I, Sheryl Shard ended the story at June and the start of Hurricane Season when they were once again joined by friends.
This time it was Noel and Tracey Dinan, whose new shallow-draft Allures 49.5 was in build at the time, we headed north from the Exumas across the expanse of the Great Bahama Bank, dodging coral patches as we sailed to Eleuthera then Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Another commercial centre in the islands, we cleared out of the Bahamas here after provisioning for our offshore passage up to the Chesapeake Bay on the US mainland and out of the Hurricane Zone until mid-November...
Plominski tries again
Skipper John “Drew” Plominski is hoping that lightning doesn’t strike twice. Plominski, whose boat was destroyed by lightening two years ago, was first in line to register for the 39th biennial Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean race to take place this summer.‘We’re thrilled to see Drew back for another try,” said Richard Hinterhoeller, RNSYS co-race director Plominski’s 30-foot vessel, named Perseverance, was just about ready.
Along with his wife and three friends, he planned to compete in the 363-mile biennial race to Nova Scotia.The South Boston resident left his boat moored at the Columbia Yacht Club the night before the big race and was at his house...
DIY & How to
Winterization Isn't Like Your Dad Did It: Modern Methods For Modern Boats
By Andrew McDonald, Lakeside Marine Services
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to”, is a phrase that many of us are familiar with. Most of the time it is in reference to a bygone era of better, and it’s used to lament the sorry state of what we have today. It is a phrase that can be applied to many areas of our lives: architecture, art, furniture, tools. Boats? I would argue that they don’t make them like they used to. But, is that lamentable, or is it progress?
Progress, I think. With this concept in mind, as we enter another season of putting boats to bed for the winter, why do we winterize as we always have?
Marine Products
Volvo Penta Launches Integrated Assisted Docking System
On Monday, Volvo Penta announced the availability of their fully integrated assisted docking system at the Consumer Electronics Show, held virtually this year.
The Assisted Docking system integrates a software layer developed in house with the company’s GPS-based Dynamic Positioning System and proprietary Inboard Performance Systems (IPS) for a complete package including HMI (human-machine interface) at the helm, electronics via the engine, propulsion systems and sensors, and advanced navigation processing power for a much easier boating experience, even in rough conditions.
