celebrations

Something Magical

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

New Year’s Eve…

There’s something in the air that keeps telling us that 2013 is going to be a busy – and we hope a very productive – year.

Some little frisson of magic that‘s making our fur stand ever so slightly on end. 

We’re going to do our darnedest to make it that way anyway!

Best wishes to all and to all a very

Happy New Year! 

–Captain Cat


(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Kitty’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

New Year’s Resolutions for the Can Opener

  1. 100 days on the water in 2013!
  2. finish researching yacht designs on the short list
  3. start actively viewing potential yachts
  4. study Spanish 5 min/d (down from last year’s goal of 15min/d – which did not work out at all)
  5. keep on going to the gym4x/wk    

This year, we’re going with the theory that doing a few things well is a better strategy than aiming for a giant impossible list.

New Year’s Resolutions for Captain Cat?

Mmph? Naaaaaaaaah.

(Audible, agitated, but indecipherable commentary from the Can Opener off stage…)

Okay, okay. Here we go: 

  1. Be EVEN nicer to the Can Opener if that’s possible (further indecipherable commentary from the Can Opener off stage)…….. Apparantly, this is possible.
  2. Share my Jackie Chan and Cameron Diaz DVD collections more often (Why? See #1 above.)

(…Indecipherable commentary becomes less agitated.)

Well. I suppose that’ll be exhausting enough for one year...  Must find my silk cushion now to recover upon.

–Captain Cat


(transcribed by the Can Opener)


Cruising Kitty’s Year in Review 2012

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment
We passed a lot of milestones in 2012!

Cruising Kitty’s Year in Review 2012

Our favourite achievement
What are we most pleased that we accomplished in 2012? Quite a few things actually. 

We’re thrilled to get out nearly 50 days on the water. We were thrilled to have had the chance to sail on 9 different types of yachts. Thrilled to see a big stretch of the southeast coast, sail in 5 countries and film cavorting dolphins.

And we are very pleased with the Can Opener’s progress this year: he’s finished all the RYA navigation courses, hit all the physical training goals I set for him, researched reams of cruising and design topics – and wrote it all up and posted it on my blog. 

Didn’t really expect him to have time to hit so many targets actually. I put it all down to my outstanding planning and monitoring. But I still give him three big stars.

But most of all in 2012, we were thrilled to meet so many helpful, dedicated and inspirational yachtsmen and women to sail with and to exchange ideas, theories and info with.

Our best move in 2012
Our best move ever was joining the Red Tabby Yacht Club. That started it all. 

But our best move in 2012?

That’s got to be joining Cap’n André’s team. Great group of guys, as big on sailing as we are, and that all move with nautical feline grace – yet still know how to share out the smoked salmon at mealtimes fair and square.

We met Cap’n André at the Red Tabby Spring Sailing Forum at beginning of the year. So joining the Red Tabby really has been a great investment that keeps on paying out excellent dividends.

The biggest challenge in 2012 was…
...getting down to Solent every time. We are currently streamlining our assets as we save for the yacht o’ my dreams, so no car for the Can Opener and myself – we take the train.  

This means a 3+ hour commute to get down to the water’s edge before each passage. 

But this was okay as Cap’n André gave us the keys to his yacht practically from the first moment we met him – what a guy! So we‘d go down early the night before and stay over on the boat. 

This worked out well all round as it gave the First Mate and I the chance to prep the boat before everyone else arrived. Then we could all get off the dock pronto and have longer sailing days.


What we hope for next year
As discussed earlier this week with Santa, my biggest hope for 2013 is to: double our time on the water. 

This would mean 100 days. One hundred days. One hundred big ol’ days of wonder, joy and learning. But also a heck of a lot to cram into one year. 

That would mean every Saturday and Sunday all year. Or 3.5 months at sea. Or about 7 two-week passages.

However you slice it, 100 days is a LOT. 

But having a massive goal to aim for is inspirational. It gives you that extra get-up-and-sprint motivation that gets things moving and gets things done. 

At Wharton, the Can Opener says, they called this kind of goal a BHAG – big hairy audacious goal. 

Well big, hairy and audacious – that’s me. So a 100-day goal is the one for us!


2013 – It’s gonna be great!



–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Dear Santa

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

Dear Santa Claws,


Well, the year draws to another close – and in just a few hours, I get to see you again! 
 
First off, a super big scoop of appreciation for last year. You really delivered big time – on everything! 
 
The foul weather gear, booties, life jackets, catnip and the sea miles!… We got in more sea miles than we had ever hoped for.  It was a great year! And if you were in on that Mayan Apocalypse passing us by, well – thanks for that too.
 
The patience that I asked for, however,… the Can Opener still could do with a bit more.* Also the peace on earth. But I realise these things take time. 


This year I ask for but one big thing for the sailing agenda:

  1. double the number of days on the water as last year.

I realise that you could just as easily email the above as a gift certificate/coupon, but I do hope you’ll show up anyway tonight to shake paws all ’round and lend us a few scritches by the tree. 
 

I’ll have your favourite smoked salmon and oysters laid on. And I’ve saved a few of the Can Opener’s famous almond star cookies for you too this year. 
 
But I’ll be drinking all the milk, of course, as you’re driving.



Yours devotedly,


Captain Cat 
 
(transcribed by the Can Opener)


*Though notably he did re-alphabetise my entire Jackie Chan DVD collection without a single complaint.

Cruising Progress Report

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

Cruising Progress Report: How are we doing?
Here are the key areas in my master plan to get the Can Opener ready for blue water cruising…
…and a quick check on how he’s progressed through that plan since August 2011:  
  1. The Plan to Get Fit – done!
  2. The Plan to Get Social – done!
  3. The Plan to Get Trained – ongoing!
  4. The Plan to Find a Boat that Fits – in progress!
  5. The Plan to Get a Boat 
  6. The Plan to Refit the Boat 
  7. The Plan to Blast Off
 
Will we achieve our goal to get long term blue water cruising by September 2014?

Even the best plans are revised continuously en route. But having a plan in the first place is the best way forward. 

This is our plan. And we’re making progress.




–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Passage Treats

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

Celebrating Passage Milestones

We are looking forward to the upcoming Spain-Greece yacht delivery. Time to plan for success!

Three weeks is great, it’ll be a chance to really get a feel for long passages. It’s also a looooong time for a small group of people to be in constant contact with each other in a constricted space.

So the Cruising Kitty is planning ahead with crew building treats and activities.

I’ve been researching online, on sailing forums and putting my thinking cap on (the one with the feathers). 

Here are the highlights of my favourite ideas so far…

Treats 

  • ‘weekly snack bag’* – filled with junk food, candy, savory treats, catnip, etc for the week… for indulging as needed
  • drinks or a meal from the cuisine of an upcoming destination 
  • balloons, (reusable) streamers and silly hats for celebration meals (see below)
  • chocolate always
  • cookie mixes*
  • cake mixes
  • jerk beef, chorizo and sausage sticks
  • cheese and crackers

Activities

  • cocktail hour – team drinks (which may or may not be alcoholic). One hour each day when the whole crew is together. Even a two-person crew may not see much of each other when running watches. A cruising tradition
  • tea hour – a non-alcoholic version of the above
  • water guns*
  • magnetic travel games*
  • peg board games*
  • temporary tattoos*
  • nautical crosswords – still looking for adult level examples of this
  • movie night with popcorn
  • theme music day* – 50’s, Beachboys/Beach Music, Mariachi, Polka, James Bond theme songs — with coordinating accessories: eg Beachboys with Hawaiian leis, Mariachi with maracas, Polka with polka dots (the Captain’s personal favourite)…
  • silly hat day
  • holiday celebration meals – any events happening during your passage? Birthdays? Half-Birthdays? Boat anniversary? Valentine’s Day? April Fools Day?
  • milestone meals


Timing

  • daily for ‘cocktail hour’ 
  • weekly for special treats and activities – probably best brought out on the same day each week at cocktail hour
  • milestones – holidays, mid-trip and end-of-trip for special meals


‘Course not every crew is going to go wild for the same treats and activities, every group being different and all. But I hope to build up a time tested bank of ‘passage treat’ ideas to draw on. I’ll be testing and having the Can Opener taking my notes as we go.

What passage treats have you tried? Or what great ones have you heard of? How’d it go?

We’re looking for suggestions – the wackier and more creative, the better!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Special thanks for these great suggestions to ‘The Cruising Couple’, ‘Ex-Calif’ and ‘drew23’ on Cruisers Forum

Team Building

Christmas Wish List

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

Dear Santa Claws,
Thought it wasn’t possible, but I’ve actually improved upon perfection and have been an even better cat this year than last. 

Can’t say the same for the Can Opener, but Santa, I can vouch for the fact that he has honestly tried.

This year I’ve dramatically shortened the list and ask for but a few things:

  1. new foulies and boots for the Can Opener
  2. new life jackets for both of us 
  3. a few good boat deliveries to crew on next year so we can rack up some decent sea miles  
  4. patience – the Can Opener deserves some kudos for the hard training and study he’s been putting in. Grant me the patience to notice. And to be more patient when my dinner entrée is late…
  5. that new organic catnip I’ve noticed at Pet-arama
  6. and okay, peace on earth. We sure need it these days.
Look forward to seeing you by the tree again Christmas eve. 
As usual, I’ll have the smoked salmon and oysters laid on. But I’ll be drinking all the milk, of course, as you’re driving all evening.


Yours devotedly,
Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Christmas Lunch at the Red Tabby

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

Can Opener: Christmas Lunch at the Red Tabby Yacht Club. The definitive marker of the end of sailing season. No more frolicking on the waves till February. No more spinnaker hoist practicing on sparkling days. No more– 

Captain Cat: Hey, you taking that new chick? The one with the cut-rate out-of-date tuna cans?

Can Opener: No. I’m taking She-of-eternal-smoked-salmon. 

Captain Cat: Your ex? Oooooooooo, she’s my fav– 

Can Opener: NO flirting. 

Captain Cat: I never flirt. …I thought you guys were just friends – or does this make her the 15th love of yer life?

Can Opener: Ha! And you’ve only had 30 girlfriends… this summer! 
Captain Cat: With cats it’s different. 

Can Opener: I’ll bet. 

Captain Cat: … Soooo. When are you going to finish the Morris 34 research? 
Can Opener: Right after lunch.

–transcribed by the Can Opener 

The Red Tabby Yacht Club
Next: Going to a Cruising Dinner