Amanda with Ratu on Mopelia

    Just after first light our crewmember Sue spotted a fringe of palm trees on the horizon. The 102 miles from Maupiti to Mopelia in French Polynesia had been windy and rough. We knew it would be as we’d left Mopelia in 25 knot winds to avoid being trapped in the lagoon for five days due to a forecast of consistent reinforced trades. As we neared Mopelia huge breakers pounded the windward reef of the tiny, nearly uninhabited coral atoll. Our plan was to anchor off the pass to wait until the sun was higher for better visibility to transit the narrow pass and cross the lagoon. But when we arrived at the anchorage we realized that with winds blasting at 30+ knots anchoring on the coral reef was now rather treacherous.

    We decided to try the pass and as we lined up the entrance we were surprised to see only .5 kt ebb current. I felt it was safe to go inside and we smoothly shoot the pass crossing the lagoon to the sheltered SE corner. Five boats were anchored off the beach and not long after we had the anchor set Sebastian and Celine, a nice young French couple aboard Touteau, their recently purchased an ex-charter yacht, dinghied over to invite us to a birthday celebration ashore that evening.

    Upon landing the dingy at the white sand beach we discovered we were in for a feast. Kalami, his wife Sophie and their son, plus a couple of friends are one of only two families, with a total of only ten people, living on Mopelia now, down from 100 a few years ago. Several of the cruisers, Kalami and two of his Tahitian helpers had been out the previous night diving for lobsters. A pig had been slaughtered, several fish and coconut crabs had been caught and I think nearly every boat had made a salad and baked banana cake.

Potluck Bean Salad

1 potato - cooked and diced into cubes
2 cups green beans - trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces and steamed
1 can chickpeas
1 can black beans
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 scallions - sliced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 garlic clove - minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground pepper and salt
   
In a large bowl combine all the beans with the onions, scallions and parsley. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, pour over the salad and toss to coat.

Banana Bread

1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
6 ripe bananas - mashed
16oz sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4½ cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

    Most of the yachts in the anchorage were either French Canadian or French thus creating a fascinating evening with conversations in French, Tahitian and a little English. I chatted with Ratu about life on Mopelia; he was staying awhile to harvest copra. He asked if I’d like some coconuts and in exchange I offered him some cumin seeds and orange juice to make the following recipe from the remaining pork. Everyone was certainly partaking in the celebration and when we left the beach to go home the dancing was in still in full swing.

Pork and Chickpea Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
3lbs pork shoulder - cubed
freshly ground pepper and salt
1 onion - diced
4 garlic cloves - minced
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 quart water
2 teaspoons cumin seeds - toasted and ground in a mortar
1 can chickpeas - drained
1½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
   
Heat olive oil in a large casserole. Working in 3 batches, add pork, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 9 minutes. Remove pork. Add onion and garlic to casserole and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add orange juice and simmer until reduced by half. Add water, cumin, and pork. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add chickpeas and heat through, season with salt and pepper, stir in zest and parsley. Serve with rice. Serves 6

    High winds buffeted the anchorage over the next few days keeping us storm bound. When we set crew ashore for an afternoon hike we decided to invite Celine and Sebastian to dinner. Celine was finding the swinging aboard Touteau a little uncomfortable but that may also be because she was pregnant. We’d planned to meet crew on the beach at sunset but there was no sign of Blake, Toshiko or David, and no one ashore had seen them. If they didn’t appear by 9pm we’d all start a search. Even though the island was totally flattened by the hurricane about eight years ago the new coconut trees and shrubs have now created a thick jungle over rocky coral.

    Just as I was serving our lamb casserole our missing threesome arrived bringing tales of a lost trail and adventures in bush whacking.

Lamb, Feta, Eggplant Casserole

2 tablespoons olive oil
2lbs lamb shoulder - cubed
8 shallots - peeled
3 garlic cloves - crushed
1½ tablespoons flour
3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 medium eggplant - thinly sliced
6oz feta - crumbled
¾ cup grated Parmesan
   
Heat oil in large heavy-based pan. Working in 2 batches brown lamb 3 minutes, remove. Sauté shallots and garlic for 3 minutes, sprinkle flour over, add stock and cook, stirring until boiling. Add lamb, herbs and zest. Season to taste. Cover saucepan tightly, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450º. Place lamb in a flat casserole dish, arrange eggplant over lamb slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with feta and Parmesan. Bake 25 minutes until golden. Garnish with extra herb leaves and serve with salad. Serves 4.

    I had a chance to visit with Celine and admired her enthusiasm for the new life they’ve planned. Having sold their previous steel cruising yacht in Asia and upgraded to Touteau they will be living aboard in Noumea, New Caledonia while they replenish the cruising kitty and get the baby settled into shipboard life. We hope to meet again next year in their marina.

Celine’s Tarte aux Poivrons - Green Pepper Tart

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon yeast
salt
¼ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
   
Combine flour, yeast and salt. Make a well and slowly mix in water and oil. Knead to form dough. Press into a greased pizza pan.

5 peppers; green, red or yellow - diced
1 onion
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
hot chili pepper to taste
1 egg
   
Preheat oven to 450º. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté peppers, onion and garlic until golden. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and chili. Remove from heat, add egg and mix well. Top dough with pepper mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until dough is cooked.

Raro’s Hash House Harriers

    Did you make one of those New Year’s resolution to get yourself in shape? If you did ….are you sticking with it?

    Yep, I’m sure you’ve read all this stuff before but here’s my take on the matter. A few New Years ago I tossed aside my gimmicky diets and fitness fads with the goal of focusing on the long haul; life. Whilst ocean voyaging I find it hard to maintain a workout regime but thankfully I know there are small challenges looming on the horizon. My favorite of these is the Rarotonga Hash House Harriers.

    On our arrival in Rarotonga, 600nm SW of Tahiti, the Monday Cook Islands Daily Newspaper announced “The 29th birthday Hash Run will start from the Edgewater Resort car park at 5:30 pm. The run will be a pareau (sarong) theme and participants are invited to dress up as the motto is “the louder the better”. A BBQ will follow and all runners and walkers are welcome.”

    The Hash House Harriers (HHH or H3) is an international group of non-competitive running clubs or kennels. Participants call themselves Hashers and claim they’re a drinking club with a running problem. Hashing originated in Kuala Lumpar in the late 30’s when a group of British expatriates met on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional "Hare and Hounds" paper chase. After meeting for some months the group was informed by the Registrar of Societies that they needed to be registered. The name "Hash House Harriers" was suggested after the Selangor Club, where the men were billeted, for it was known as the "Hash House" due to its monotonous food. Along with the excitement of chasing the hare and reaching the trails end, harriers would be rewarded with beer.

    Raro’s 29th birthday Hash was wet a one, but wet in the tropics doesn’t stop anyone or everyone from dressing beyond one’s loudest pareau. After a quick celebration photo and the allotment of whistles we were soon dashing about the resort, much to the guest’s surprise, in search of the trail. Toilet (long time Hashers have Hash names) was the hare who had laid the trail with shredded paper which included false trails, short cuts, dead end and splits. As we left the resort’ white sandy beach we found ourselves plodding along a muddy storm culvert to the next split. These features allow the pack to stay together as front-runners are forced to search for the true trail thus allowing stragglers (like me) to catch up. John soon came panting back to the split having disappeared down a path lined with staked pigs and on into a papaya patch. On On! cried Fungus and Mattress as the true lead was discovered. We were off again on a live trail, a fun colorful noisy pack on mission. Many of the Horror’s (children) ran island-style in bare feet and as my shinny trainers continually sank into thick mud I too wished I was running barefoot.

    After an hour of running, cut short due to the weather, we were back at the carpark for the after run function know as the circle. Ole and Tosser, Raro’s hard core founding leaders, said few words before launching into the down-downs. A down-down is a means of punishing or rewarding an individual according to the customs or whims of the group. The accused is required to consume, with out pause, the contents or their drink and thence wear a toilet seat for the remainder of the circle. John had won it on our second hash for not calling the appropriate “On On”, instead rambling forth a verbal torrent of information as to where the trail led.

    The evening socializing was in true island form; yummy food, good company and plenty or encouragement for the weeks upcoming events which included the “Nutter’s Cross Island Run”. Dare I say I was the second women to finish that competitive event. Presently there are around two thousand H3 kennels worldwide, I’ve run at five, and Western Washington has seven so run along, check out their site. www.WH3.org. Perhaps I’ll see you at a Hash. On On!

Mona “Mattress’s” Papaya Salad

2 papaya peeled and diced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry paste
¼ cup diced cilantro
   
Combine mayonnaise and curry paste, gently mix in papaya and garnish with cilantro.

Island Spiced Chicken with Mango Ginger Sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground anise seed
1 dash cayenne pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 mango - peeled and diced
¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1½ tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1½ tablespoons water
2 tablespoons dark rum
   
Mix ginger, cinnamon, cumin, anise, and cayenne pepper. Rub chicken with spices and refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile in a saucepan, mix mango, ginger, orange juice, lime juice, and honey. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with water until dissolved, stir into mango mixture and simmer until sauce thickens, 1 minute. Stir in rum. Grill chicken, serve over rice, and top with mango sauce. Steamed green beans go well on the side. Serves 4

Wild Rice Salad

½ cup long grain rice
½ cup wild rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 stalks celery - sliced
4 green onions - sliced
1 cup thawed frozen peas
¼ cup pine nuts - toasted
½ cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and pepper
  
Cook rice in chicken broth; about 40 minutes. Let cool. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Combine rice, dressing and remaining ingredients. Serves 4.

Honeydew Salsa
This stunning refreshing green salsa adds a perfect spicy-sweet punch to grilled fish or chicken.

1½ cups diced honeydew or other melon
1/3 cup diced cilantro
¼ cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons lime zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped seeded chili
salt and pepper
   
Gently toss all ingredients together. Serves 4.

Tangy Lime Bars
 Although not found on any “healthy diet” you’d best be ready to pucker-up for this treat. They’re also delicious made as lemon bars.

Base
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter - melted
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Topping
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons grated lime zest
½ cup strained fresh lime juice
powdered sugar for dusting
   
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine butter and sugar, vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix until just incorporated. Press dough into a 8-inch square foil lined baking pan. Bake 25 minutes. Meanwhile make topping by combining sugar and flour. Whisk in eggs. Stir in zest and juice. Turn oven down to 300°F. Pour filling onto hot crust and bake 20 minutes longer or until topping sets. Cool completely in pan before transferring bars to cutting board by lifting the foil liner. If the bar surface is covered in a moist foam blot up the excess moisture with paper towels. Cut into 16 or 25 bars. Dust with powered sugar before serving.

Shannon and Bill Bailey, owners of Catalyst

    I’m always thrilled when chance meetings lead to fascinating and insightful friendships as in recently when John and I simultaneously met Shannon and Bill Bailey at the FridayHarbor Fitness Club. An interest in each others businesses soon lead to a tour of their M/V Catalyst from which they lead kayaking and wilderness adventures in the Pacific Northwest, catering to twelve guests. How could I resist inviting Shannon to share insights of life onboard?

WARNING: A Wooden Boat Can Change your Life – as told by Shannon Bailey

    The first time I stood in the pilot house of the Catalyst, I wept. Not for joy, but in grief and fear, as I knew that this boat was going to change my life. Why, because wooden boats are dangerous, they ruin you for life. Take my husband, Bill, for example. When he was thirteen, he was a normal typically Southern California surfer dude. Then he met his first love, a 36ft schooner named Lobo that was being built in the local shop near his parent’s place of business by an already gone crazy wooden boat lover. This man would serve as my husbands mentor for his entire life and this boat would serve as his dream, but for me, it was my constant nemesis, my husband’s first love that showed up in our marriage before I was ever in the picture. The Catalyst, built in 1932, as a research vessel for the University of Washington’s chemistry department, was now used as a charter boat for trips in the San Juan Islands, British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. When we bought her in 2005, we bought a business, and a new life.

    Now I can stand in the pilot house of the Catalyst and enjoy it. The boat has changed my life and it is not so bad. I now alternate as both cook and naturalist aboard her and have the joy of sharing my new world with up to twelve passengers at a time as we cruise the northwest waters.

    The aroma of fresh-baked scones wafts its way from the galley and beckons one to breakfast. I just baked those scones, full of fresh blueberries, using a recipe from a Lopez Island bakery and now get ready to pull a large pan of summer frittata out of the oven. Our guests have risen from their sleep, coffee mugs in hand, and are watching the horizon, ready for a new day of adventure. The Catalyst is underway, bound for one of my favorite places, Brothers Island in the heart of Frederick Sound in Southeast. Along this route we are likely to see humpback whales feeding on krill or herring. There she blows, and we slow down to view. Suddenly three or four of these large beautiful mammals emerge from the waters beside our vessel. We stop the engines and drift, and listen to their sonorous calls on the hydrophone as they dive again into the reaches of the deep for more fishy delights. We move on and eat our own breakfast.

    Arriving at Brothers, we are in time for a low tide and the banquet table of the Tlingits. Once anchored, we go ashore and explore the tide pools of the rocky shore, finding anemones, chitons, crabs, nudibranchs and many small fish. After our foraging, we mosey our way back to the boat. Energized after a delicious Thai chicken salad we fit into our kayak gear, climb into our small vessels and kayak around Little Brother. As we search in the kelp for sea treasures, harlequin ducks scuttle ahead of us and black oyster catchers observe from ashore. Steller sea lions swim over from their nearby haul out to show off, porpoising and flipping around us, as we raft up to watch.

    That evening after a dinner, barbecued halibut caught by a local fisherman, we take advantage of the late summer light and walk in the magical moss forest of Brothers Island, on a nature foray. We succumb to its beauty by lying down on the soft mat of green to look up at the tall waving trees and listen to the breathing whales that are feeding around the island against the cacophony of growls and roars of the sea lions as they climb over each other on the rocky island nearby. Meanwhile the rest of the crew has prepared a campfire on the beach, and we join together in community to laugh and sing and share stories while indulging in chocolate cake, s’mores and wine as the sunset lingers into the Alaskan summer night and the pigeon guillemots take to their nests on the rocks of the nearby cliffs. This old wooden boat has changed my life, but it has been worth it, every minute of it: the hard work, the sacrifice of time and possessions, reordering my priorities, letting go of old dreams, learning new skills, so that I can now live this blessed life aboard the Catalyst.   www.pacificcataylst.com

Summer Frittata

16 oz. asparagus - trimmed, broken into pieces
1 cup chopped broccoli
3 medium potatoes - unpeeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato - peeled and cubed
1 red bell pepper - chopped
1 sweet onion - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
1 cup of cubed cook ham, sliced sausage, crumbled bacon or smoked salmon
12 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan or crumbled bleu cheese
    Preheat oven to 350° F. Place ovenproof skillet over medium heat, cook vegetables and garlic till potatoes soften, 8 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and ham, transfer skillet to oven and bake till puffy, 25 minutes. Sprinkle top with cheese and bake till cheese is melted, 4 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes then cut in wedges. Serves 12

Thai Chicken Salad

5 cups cooked pulled chicken
½ cup canola oil
3 tablespoon peanut butter
juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons water
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 cucumber - diced into matchsticks
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup snow peas
2 carrots - grated
4 scallions - diced
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup chopped toasted peanuts
salt and pepper
    Puree oil, peanut butter, juice, water, garlic, ginger, sugar and chili in blender. Transfer to large bowl, add vegetables, cilantro and chicken. Let stand 15 minutes, adjust seasoning then sprinkle with peanuts. Serve over warm jasmine rice. Serves 6.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs - room temperature
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sour cream - room temperature
¾ cup milk
¼ cup butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
    Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 2x9 inch round metal cake pans. Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler. Mix all ingredients together with electric mixer using flat beater. Divide batter between pans and bake 30 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean and cake edges begin to pull away from sides. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then invert on racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate - chopped
½ cup butter
4 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup whipping cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
    Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler, after melting cake ingredients. Let cool. Whip all ingredients in electric mixer for 4 minutes till frosting is smooth and creamy.

Assemble:
    Place a cake on platter, flat side up, and spread with a cup of frosting. Top with second cake spreading top and sides with remaining frosting.

I’ve just received this informative update from Charlie Beasley aboard Cicero.

    When I last saw you I was about to depart Rarotonga for a tour of the Northern Cooks...... and both you and John expressed a few doubts about how easy it might be for me to take 6 locals, who had never sailed, on that kind of trip. I am happy to report that it was a great success; 2000 miles and 8 islands over 5 weeks and no one jumped ship, in fact they all loved it. I must admit it was a huge job to keep it all organized and safe with all the tough sailing and dodgy anchorages but I enjoyed it thoroughly and learned a lot from the islander’s attitude of not stressing and it all will work out anyway!

    I then caught the top of a low and had yet another fast downwinder to Tahiti where Mom & Dad met me. You would be forgiven if you would doubt again my choice of crew; a 72 & 75 year old couple for a 4,000 mile southern ocean passage. But...after a tough beat down to Mangareva we had a great trip together. My Mom cooked big and baked all the way and we had a bottle of wine with dinner every night save for a very few. (We had one spell at 40 South running with the wind speed pegged at 50 knots and the biggest swell I've ever seen.) Our stay in Gambier and also Pitcairn were highlights for my parents and I was happy to be able to fulfill my Dad’s long-held dream to land ashore in one of the Pitcairner's longboats. My Mom asked me what they speak among themselves and I said "Pickineese". On arrival here in Chile my brother and his family met us and the second day we set off on 8 days of racing with 45 other yachts through the islands down by Chiloe and back to Pto. Montt. It was all a bit too soon for me to really enjoy like I might have otherwise but my brother had it all set up, so...why not?! I am now trying get settled whilst looking forward to a fly/sail trip with my brothers plane and Cicero.
Cheers, Charlie
P.S. As promised:

Pineapple Upside-down Cake
I often whip up this exceptionally good and super easy cake while dinner is finishing cooking, and serve it hot later.

1 large can pineapple rings
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
    Melt butter in an iron skillet. Cover with brown sugar, DO NOT STIR!! Place pineapple slices on top. Beat eggs, stir in flour, sugar, baking powder. Pour batter over pineapple. Bake in a moderate oven ½ to 1 hour. Check when done. Place a plate over skillet and flip it over, letting the cake drop onto the plate. The pineapple shows up surrounded by a sweet crusty topping.

Yes, in Rarotonga John and I had wondered how Charlie would handle 6 locals aboard Cicero on an extensive sailing trip around the isolated outer islands. We’d even given him a copy of our Expedition Companion, which we use for orientation and teaching aboard Mahina Tiare, gone over the charts and anchorages plus handed over a few recipes. Perhaps we shouldn’t have had doubts as this was not the first time we’d met Charlie with crew. We’d first met about 13 years ago, on an evening when it was my turn to make dinner, whilst John and I were conducting a sailing expedition north from Cape Horn through the labyrinth of Patagonia’s archipelagos.

It had been three days since our last passing contact with civilization; a radio exchange with a remote lighthouse to give the required identification information so when we sighted the distinctive shape of a sail on the horizon excitement broke out onboard. John hailed the vessel on the VHF and a reply came stating they were the yacht Chiloe on their way south. In the elation of seeing another vessel John asked them to consider stopping to join us for Thai stir-fry dinner. “Yes” came the short reply. As Chiloe’s sails grew larger I wondered as to the extent of her crew so I called on the VHF asking how many to expect for dinner. “There are thirteen of us and a dog” came the reply. Yikes! Suddenly the enchantment of company became daunting with 20 mouths to feed. Five minutes later a providential crackle came across the radio. “This is the 32’ sloop Chiloe and the entire crew of myself and my friend Peter will be happy to join you for dinner and we’ll bring the beers!”

Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup sliced green onions
1 carrot - julienned
1 cup snow peas or ¼ cup frozen peas
3 cups cooked jasmine rice - cold
1 teaspoon sugar
*4 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño
*1½ teaspoons minced garlic
*2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
*2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ cups cooked shrimp, diced cooked pork for chicken
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
     *or 1½ tablespoons Thai red curry paste
    Sauté onions, carrots and snow peas in olive oil until limp, 4 minutes. Add rice, sugar and next 4 ingredients or curry paste, stir 4 minutes. Add shrimp, cilantro, basil and sesame oil. Stir until shrimp are hot to touch, 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped honey roasted peanuts. Serves 4.

    I’ve never forgotten that fun evening in Chile and sometimes wonder what happened to Charlie and Peter. It’s a good thing the sailing world is small for when we sailed into Raro Harbour last summer both John and I admired the smart aluminum yacht from New Zealand. When the owner introduced himself as Charlie ex Chiloeit was as if time stood still. Charlie had recently purchased Cicero in Auckland. She was the famed kiwi boat builder Chris McMullen’s personal yacht and now Charlie was basically single handing her from Australia to Chile, 8,000 miles against the tradewinds. A true sailor and his latest update proved it.

The following recipes that I shared with Charlie are two of my favorites.

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade
This easy tapenade gives a potent boost of flavor to mild seafood such as wahoo or mahi and even coconut crab.

1 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes - undrained
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 garlic clove - chopped
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
    Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until minced or chop with a sharp knife until finely minced. Makes 4 servings.

Chili Lime Fish Tacos

1 batch lime, chili and onion relish
1 lb fish fillets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced chives
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 medium ripe avocado
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups shredded cabbage
8 corn taco shells - heated according to package directions.
    Marinate fish in garlic herbs and olive oil. Season with salt. Cook on a hot grill for about 3 minutes per side. Mash avocado with garlic salt, spread on taco shells. Fill tortilla with cabbage, fish, cheese and top with relish.

Lime, Chili and Onion Relish

1 onion - peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced
½ hot pepper - seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup boiling water
Combine the first four ingredients. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour on the boiling water then cover and leave for five to 10 minutes Spoon over fish tacos.