Hey friends, Happy Sunday!!!

Before we get to the travelogue portion of the blog, I wanted to let you know I’m working on the image here. I’m excited to share some of a new platform for Apparently Sailing. I will be adding interviews with sailing folks, recipes, podcasts and books we’re reading. Of course, I’ll keep you up on the latest adventures both land and sea.

So, an interesting aside…

There is this whole world of blogging experts (podcasts, websites and of course bloggers blogging about blogging!) out there ALL over the world 🌎! And they actually make money helping us write better, get more followers, and for some …..MAKE Money! Ha! Well, I just want to have fun and share our experiences in hopes that we can inspire others to throw off the lines and sail away! So, it doesn’t have to be sailing. You say really? That’s why I’m reading… No! I would hope that this can inspire anyone to take that opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and head East… or West… or start a blog, apply for that dream job, take that well earned vacation, or create a lifestyle you have imagined!!!

Just today we were at Menards ( Home Depot of the northland) and noticed this gal parked next to us with a gorgeous red golden retriever. I commented on how much he looked like our first golden Buck.

Sooo long ago!

We shared our love stories for our dogs and she asked us if we had thought of adopting another. We explained that we lived on a sailboat for 6 months out of the year and taking care for a big dog would be difficult (/however we do have friends that do it quite well) when she exclaimed ” how did you get that gig?” We gave her the abbreviated version of our transformation from land-loving Wisconsinites to vagabonds. She commended us on the courage to make that change. We’ll both admit that the lifestyle isn’t always roses and champagne, ( like trying to get to Menards today from our lake cottage a story for another blog post) …but it’s what we dreamed of and were sooooo fortunate to make a reality! Did we have a fortune? No! We made our sacrifices paid off the bills and took a chance. A chance that we would love sailing, be a bit less construct in our plans, and be able to tolerate each other 24/7…… literally. We have found a lifestyle that fits us both. And, that is what I hope, that someone who happens onto this blog might be inspired to achieve as well.

Ok, on with the travel update…..our sailing season in May ended on a beautiful note with meeting some great friends and doing some awesome diving. We met Brian and Shelly on SV Aria in Bequia. They love diving as much as we do and had planned an outing upon our arrival in Carriacou, Grenada.

We signed up with Lumbadive ( check them out here)to take us on a full 2 tank dive at the Sisters Rocks. Diane was a superb dive master and assisted by Raquel we were in excellent hands. We explored some awesome underwater topography seeing tons of lobster, rays,and reef fish!

On the second dive of the day, Mike was given the opportunity to hunt lionfish! These pesky creatures and serve no purpose but to destroy much of the marine life in the Caribbean. So with a pole-spear in hand he carefully eliminated over a dozen of these predators.

Following the dive, we made plans to celebrate Shelly’s birthday. We were delightfully surprised to get the lionfish filets, a few limes ( from Diane’s tree) and have our dive master join us for the party! We had a grand turn-out hosted by Brian who cooked for us. Mike made lionfish ceviche. The evening ended with Brian on the ukulele and banjo as the rest of us singing away in the cockpit of their spacious Hylas! A memorable night!

RECIPE

Lionfish ( or other fresh fish ) Ceviche

3-4 cups of chopped fresh seafood or fish

Juice from 3-4 fresh limes

Salt

3-4 cups of an even mixture of chopped cucumber, avocado, onion, tomato, seeded jalapeño( amount depending on your desire for the heat) red or orange pepper. ( feel free to add mango or papaya!!)

Several sprigs of fresh cilantro or shado benne, chopped.

First, stir the fresh and chopped fish into the juice of the limes. Let this sit for 10 min to 30 min in the refrigerator. You can chop and prepare the other vegetables at this time and combine in a separate bowl until the fish has cured in the lime juice.

When the fish has cured, it turns from a transparent to a translucent color and more firm texture. It can now be drained and combined with the chopped vegetables, salt to taste, and more jalapeño ( as desired). Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or on a bed of lettuce as a salad. See the post from Serious Eats for a compendium on ceviche.

Media

Currently reading: The Echo Maker by Richard Powers and World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell

Just finished: Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

Podcasts: Singlehanded Sailor, Matt Rutherford. On the Wind podcast, Andy Schell

Please comment! I would love to hear from you!

“Live in the Sunshine, Swim in the Ocean, and Drink in the Wild Air” – Ralph Waldo Emerson