When you're off cruising for more than a couple of weeks, especially out in the hinterlands of the Pacific Northwest, creating enjoyable meals that are rich in flavor and comfort can become a problem. After all, there’re not a lot of grocery stores from which to harvest fresh veggies. (Not to mention not enough cabin space in which to store them!)
  To my delight, I’ve discovered a solution.

   An organized galley always makes cruising easier.
     Have you seen these fridge containers? They’re made by InterDesign, and they're terrific for a boat fridge or reefer. There are other brands, of course, but I like these because of their straight side.  
    Why do I think they’re so terrific? Because they make meal prep easier and they help you keep the fridge door shut so the cold air stays trapped inside. (Which is important on a boat!)

This is a big shout-out to Julie Cefalu of The Crafty Quilter. She made a beautiful iron caddy/ heat-resistant pad similar to the one I made.
​    I'm not one to do much ironing on board L'Esprit, but every once in a while I want to have nicely pressed cloth napkins. Or sometimes I need to be neatly pressed when visiting a nice restaurant.
​    For those times, I have stashed tidily away one of these iron caddies, which also serves as a portable ironing board. It works great for my boating needs because it's handy, compact, and easily carried. How to make it?

   One of our favorite places to dock is Pierre’s Echo Bay Marina on the north side of Gilford Island in the Broughtons. It’s also a favorite of a lot of other boaters, so In the busy summer hours it’s good to make a reservation. Call them on the phone or radio, or email them.
   Try to arrive when the current’s not heavy, as you’ll be docking perpendicular to it. But Pierre and crew are excellent hosts; they’ll come grab your lines and make your docking experience easy. Then sit back and enjoy all the loveliness of the brightly painted float houses that trim Echo Bay. 

If you boat in the Inside Passage (anywhere between Olympia to Glacier Bay), there a some excellent books you’ll want to have on board. In fact Capt. Dave and I think they’re so important, we have a copy of each at home as well as on board.  Here they are: ​

First published 10/26/17
By guest blogger Fred Kaufhold, of M/V Dreamweaver, â€‹Anacortes, Washington. This post is an addendum to "Ground Your Boat for Swimmers' Safety."I thought my isolation transformer would be enough.
   Recently, while cruising our boat in SE Alaska, we entered Petersburg where we intended to stay for two months for various reasons not germane to this story.  Because of our extended stay, we wanted to be in the north harbor which is in the center of town rather than the alternative south harbor.  After receiving our slip assignment, I dutifully plugged my shore power cable into the impressive new power pedestal on the dock, turned on my own shore power breaker on the boat and promptly tripped the dock breaker.  

First published on 11/27/18 on firstmatesguide.com
  So what can you make aboard  your boat using the dehydrated vegetables you prepared before you left port? (Directions for dehydrating veggies.)
​  I'm going to show you how easy it is for a Chicken Tenders Ragout. It has a little less water than a stew, and a lot more vegetables. 
​  It takes about fifteen minutes to prepare and another forty-five minutes to cook. You end up with a savory, warming bowl of comfort food that's perfect for those cold PNW nights on the hook when you're waiting to go around Cape Caution or Dixon Entrance, or you've run low on fresh veggies. 

First published 1/26/18 in firstmatesguide.com
  Dehydrating vegetables for use on a long cruise (two weeks or more) is a great idea if:
​1.  Food storage on your boat is limited.
​2. You're in a part of the PNW's Inside Passage where there are no grocery stores for a hundred miles.
  Dehydrated veggies last a long time if stored in a cool, dry space. I keep mine in plastic bread  or zip-lock bags. The zip-lock bags are sturdier, which is handy because sometimes dehydrated veggies have sharp edges that can puncture a soft bag. 

First published on 11/30/17 on firstmatesguide.com  
Cooking rice aboard, especially while underway, used to cause me lots of problems. I hated cleaning up the burnt pots. Serving under-cooked rice embarrassed me. Turning my back just at the moment when the rice water boiled all over the stove drove me nuts. And I always worried we'd be met by a tanker's wake, and everything would go flying. Maybe you've experienced the same.
​   Well, I've found a solution that's not as crazy as it sounds. 
​   I boil the ingredients in the pot for five minutes, and then I wrap everything up in several layers of fleece. In an hour, voila!
​Here's how I do it: ​