Urban Hiking With a Phone

Spinnaker Peel Inside Hoist From The Bow Gal on a Farr 52

2025-09-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Sailing on a yacht with a symmetrical spinnaker requires the foredeck team, mast, and pit crew to work together perfectly like a well tuned orchestra.

When this post was written in 2017, Zamazaan (Farr 52) attached their Sheets to the Afterguy. Once we updated our rigging a few years ago, we now attach Afterguys to our Sheets. Please keep this update in mind (updated 2022).

A spinnaker peel involves keeping the old kite up so that speed of the boat never suffers, halyard management (inside vs outside hoist), and the bagged new spinnaker on deck. Foredeck team rigs new spinnaker on the same side as the current kite for inside hoist.

Once the tactician calls for a spinnaker peel, the foredeck team asses if the halyards are clear for hoist. In the photo above, we decided to call for an inside hoist and need to clear the starboard halyard. That requires the bow person, in this case me, to climb out the spinnaker pole with the new halyard and bring it around the tip of the pole.

Bringing the new starboard halyard around the tip of the pole and the topping lift (inside old kite). This maneuver is required to not cross the halyards during hoist or douse.
To do this:
- Climb out the pole with the halyard attached to your work belt.
- Once at the tip of the pole, bring yourself and the halyard around the topping lift (inside the kite).
- Climb back down the pole and hand the new halyard to the mid-bow person to manage. Mid bow also handles changing sheets and afterguy for the clew of the new kite.

Unlike a bare-headed change where you would take one kite down before hoisting the other, a peel involves keeping one kite up to keep speed of boat. While the mid-bow person is working on the halyard and changing sheets for the new kite, the bow person attaches the tack of the new spinnaker to harness with a carabiner. Making sure the new kite tack is brought around the forestay before attaching it to the climbing belt.

Next, take the jib halyard and secure it to the climbing harness for safety. Using the climbing anchor attached to your harness, clip on to the foreguy.

Before we go on any further, lets recap:
- New kite brought around the forestay
- The tack of new kite is clipped to climbing belt by carabiner
- Jib halyard attached to climbing harness
- Climbing anchor attached to foreguy

Make direct eye contact with the pit crew who is "on belay" and say, "belay on". Do not start climbing the foreguy until the pit crew is ready to belay. While climbing, keep in communication with crew by saying more tension or give slack.

"Belaying" refers to a variety of techniques used to keep tension on a climbing rope so that in case of mishap, a climber does not fall very far before being stopped by the rope."

Once at the tip of the pole, attach the climbing anchor to the pole. The anchor holds the bow person in place while performing the next few maneuver.

Spinnaker peel linked shackles (or handcuffs) are a permanent fixture on the bow persons belt. Take the linked shackles off your belt and attach one side to the afterguy 'D ring' and the other side to the tack of the old kite.
It's now safe to detach the old tack from the afterguy. The linked shackles will hold the old tack in place while working on the new kite. Remove the new tack from the carabiner on the climbing belt and attach it to the afterguy. Once this is complete, update the crew by yelling, "MADE!".

In the above photo you can see the new kite (red) attached to the climbing belt. Note: Attach the new kite to the proper side of your climbing belt.

Here the new spinnaker (red) is hoisted by the mast and pit crew. The bow person remains on the pole during hoist and ready to spike the old tack (blue and white) away.

The crew boss with give the call to "spike" the old tack (blue and white), releasing the kite from the pole. It's imperative to spike away to old tack and not the new kite. To do this, find the linked shackles and spike the tack away. Then remove the linked shackle from the afterguy and reattach it you the climbing belt.

Bow person remains on the pole while dousing the old kite. The new kite (red) waits for trimming.

Here mast and pit crew bring the lazy guy between the boom and the foot of the main sail for a letterbox douse.

Letterbox douse the old spinnaker and new kite is made.

Letterbox douse is used when sailing during heavy weather or sailing with a large symmetrical kite. Take the lazy guy from leeward on the old kite and run it between the boom and the foot of the main sail. When the douse is called, the pit blows the halyard several feet and the bow person spikes the shackle of the tack on the old kite. The sewer person takes the foot of the spinnaker and hauls it down the companionway. Making sure to gather all the foot of the sail before pulling the head down.

Last, the bow person is lowered to the deck and the foredeck crew detaches old spin gear, re-runs lines, and repacks kite.

I will gather more information regarding changing sheets and afterguy, pit crew and mast.

Rolex Big Boat Series 2025

2025-09-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Spy vs Spy’s to the Podium 3rd overall at Rolex Big Boat 2025

The Express 37 class, one of the most competitive one-design fleets at the 2025 Rolex Big Boat Series, fielded nine boats, finishing in the following order:
1. Loca Motion (Mark Chaffey)
2. Spindrift V (Andy Schwenk)
3. Spy vs Spy (Brendan Busch)
4. Golden Moon (Michael Laport)
5. Expeditious (Bartz Schneider)
6. PHat Jack (Bob Lugliani)
7. Pazzo (Gavin Corn)
8. Mudshark (Kim Branciforte)
9. Main Squeeze (Darrel Louis)

Links to video:

Race 1 and 2: https://youtu.be/uQ55IENtdTQ?si=9igMwsrBCdEdOpsf

Race 3 and 4: https://youtu.be/u42qGn2iMv0?si=yXbYvlqF9Pq4RNSl

Race 5 and 6: https://youtu.be/UMaeGcWrGYc?si=drQdKeLOfCClBUX5

Race 7: https://youtu.be/Bs8cwuKCEUo?si=nasl3FpWB9M__0cA

DAY ONE Video Satellite Video https://youtube.com/shorts/zzOENPSjcy0?si=od__1pTtL6XPAsQd

DAY TWO Satellite Video from my Garmin https://youtube.com/shorts/jc21A1Kpa9o?si=cBIepbwqBsQze3xb

DAY FOUR Video of Garmin GPS Satellite video of Day 4

The 61st Rolex Big Boat Series got off to a steady start under light winds of 5–8 knots and a flooding tide on San Francisco Bay

VIDEO FROM DAY ONE

Thursday, Sept 11, 2025 - Day ONE Race 1 and 2
We had windward-leeward courses, rounding marks to starboard the first day

Garmin GPS uploaded to Strava, map of both races on Day One, Thursday

The Foredeck team is full of smiles! Louisa on bow, Andy at Mast, and Laura bow/mast backup

Photos from the rail John, Laura, and Andy. Golden Moon and Alcatraz in the background

speeds were modest, shifty breeze and tidal current made for an interesting day

Downwind staying in the hunt

VIDEO FROM DAY TWO
Day Two: Racing in Building Breeze
Friday, Sept 12, 2025 - Day TWO Race 3 and 4

Garmin GPS uploaded to Strava, map of both races on Day TWO, Friday

Expeditious and ? Can't see the name on the other sail

Express 37 Main Squeeze (Darrel Louis) heading out to the start

Syp vs Spy Team Photo part 1 with John taking the photo

Syp vs Spy Team Photo part 2 with Louisa taking the photo

VIDEO FROM DAY THREE
Saturday, Sept 13, 2025 - Day THREE Race 5 and 6

Garmin GPS uploaded to Strava, map of both races on Day THREE, Saturday

Spy vs Spy

Golden Moon and Alcatraz

Express 37 Upwind leg

VIDEO FROM DAY FOUR
Sunday, Sept 14, 2025 - Day FOUR Race 7

GPS Satalite video of Day 4

Express 37 fleet

Mojo J/105 crossing our bow

BEER THIRDY AT THE DOCK

The Party Photos

Velvet Hammer and Spy vs Spy team at the after party

Velvet Hammer J/125 and Spy vs Spy E37 team at the after party

Spy vs Spy E37 team

ALL the photos are uploaded to my Flickr account, enjoy!

Day two on bike tour- Santillana del Mar to San Vicente de la Barquera with IRON DONKEY

2024-08-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Coastal Ride Day

Cycling from Santillana del Mar to San Vicente de la Barquera.

One of the many stunning beaches we passed on our coastal ride. The morning started off cool, but by the afternoon, the weather warmed up beautifully, reaching the mid-70s

Monday, July 12, 2012

All 15 of us started the day early with a communal breakfast before prepping our high-quality, well-maintained road bikes for our first day in the saddle. The IRON DONKEY tour offered both hybrid and road bikes, or you could bring your own. In the past, I've traveled with my bike in a hard case, but after this experience, I’ll never do that again. It’s so much easier to bring your own seat and pedals and rent a bike on-site. My rental bike was included in the tour price, and I received a nearly new Trek road bike—absolutely loved it!

From more information, check out the company we used here IRON DONKEY

Trek and Specialized bike rental with water bottle waiting for us at the hotel.

Here is another bike one of the gals was riding on the IRON DONKEY tour.

Our second day on the IRON DONKEY Tour was nothing short of amazing. We started our ride from Santillana del Mar, cruising along the scenic coastal roads towards San Vicente de la Barquera.

As the day progressed and the sun climbed higher, the temperatures soared. Luckily, we had the perfect remedy—jumping into the refreshing ocean to cool off.

After our impromptu swim, we continued our ride, energized and ready for the final stretch.

We arrived at our destination, a luxurious 5-star hotel, where we were treated to a beautiful group dinner. The camaraderie, the stunning landscapes, and the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation made this day unforgettable.

1 July, Santillana del Mar

Hotel Colegiata Los Hornos s/n,

2 July, San Vicente de la Barquera

Hotel Villa de San Vicente

3 July and 4 July Potes / Picos de Europa

Hotel Infantado Ojedo

4 July, Free day in Potes

5 July, Cabuérniga

Hotel Reserva del Saja Ctra Renedo de Cabuérniga.

6 July, Villacarriedo Palacio de Soñanes Camino, 1 - Quintanal 1, 39640 Villacarriedo.

7 July, Santander Hotel Vincci Puerto Chico

Peter Pickering and Cecilia Accinelli Wedding 1966

2022-04-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Peter Pickering and Cecilia Accinelli - Pickering Wedding April 17, 1966 Daly City, California

Cecilia and Rose Accinelli at the Daly City house

Cecilia and Giovanni

Susan, Rose, Cecilia

Susan, Rose, Cecilia

Rose, Susan, I don't know, Cecilia in wedding dress

Peter Pickering an George Vallerga at the church Daly City

Peter Pickering an George Vallerga at the church Daly City

Giovanni and Cecilia walking into the church

Cecilia Accinelli Pickering

Susan, Rose, Cecilia, Peter, George, Roy at the church in Daly City

Rose and Cecilia

Cecilia and Giovanni Accinelli

Cecilia and Peter Pickering

The after party

Peter, Peter's mother Santa, and Cecilia

Cecilia and Peter Pickering

The Father, George and Peter

Giovanni Accinelli

Peter and George

Cecilia, Giovanni, Rose, Susan

Peter Pickering

Cecilia and Giovanni

All Homemade Italian Dishes

Susan and John ( I think that is Louis)

The cake

SailGP Practice Day on the San Francisco Bay - Vidoes

2022-03-22T13:09:00.013-07:00

Sail Grand Prix #sailgp with $1 million top prize!

For better quality, open in youtube. Pixle 5a phone

My little Tiktok video. No need to download the app, just select the white Play Arrow. Let me know what you think about the music selection.

@louisapickering #sailgp #california #sanfrancisco #goldengatebridge #crew #yachting F50 #sailing #catamaran ♬ Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf

Entwined Whimsical Wonderland of Lights By Charles Gadeken

2020-12-19T20:02:00.014-08:00

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

“Entwined”
* by San Francisco artist Charles Gadeken, will honor Golden Gate Park’s 150th Anniversary.
* Lights will turn off at 8:30 p.m.
* The installation runs from Dec. 10 through Feb. 28
* Peacock Meadow is located by the Conservatory of Flowers and a short walk from the SkyStar Observation Wheel.
* #ENTWINEDSF

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

"The Entwined installation creates a whimsical wonderland where visitors can explore paths and sit under a grove of three entwined sculptural trees while practicing social distancing. The trees range from 12 to 20 feet tall with illuminated canopies as large as 30 feet, filling the meadow with changing light. Sculptures comprised of 2,000 LED lights cluster into small flowering bushes at varying heights, further filling the green space with peaks and valleys of radiating light. The variety of lighting effects are inspired by nature and build a sense of awe: Raindrops on the pavement, lighting and thunderstorms, wind blowing tall grass and flowers, and ripples on a pond."
Read more at SF Park and Rec.

Conversations with Charles on a Monday night.

Video By LouLou Pickles

On this cold, but clean Monday night, Charles the artist was at the meadow Tree-j'ing the lights. He's not normally there, so this was extra special. Tone´ got to ask him several questions and even coined the term "tree-j'ing". Tree-j'ing is what Charles was doing with the lights. #treejing like DJ'ing

If you have a YouTube account, please subscribe to my channel @ LouLou Pickels ! I only need 500 more subscribers before I can start making money off my videos again. Currently I only have 56 (ouch). Bummer!

This is Jonathan.
The artist behind these photos!
Thanks for lugging all your gear to the meadow.

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

Exploring by bike is a great way to see the park and get some exercise. We arrived at 6PM to the lovely surprise of a live Jazz band.

Video By LouLou Pickles
I love seeing all the cyclists ride by in the background. So Burning man!

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

Charles Gadeken is an industrial artist working in the Bay Area for over 25 years. His monumental interactive public artworks reimagine the world “post-nature” and include commissions from Burning Man, Insomniac Events, Coachella, Absolut Vodka, the Cities of Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Reno.

"Once upon a time, Peacock Meadow at Golden Gate Park was home to the colorful showy birds during the late 1890s when the creatures dwelled within an iron-fenced enclosure. The peacocks are no longer a feature of the park, but this patch of grass is still a favorite amongst locals. In the past, the meadow has served as the location for a multitude of events, including yoga retreats, running competitions, and volleyball tournaments."

Share your photos with #GGP150 #Entwined and tag @sfparksalliance @sfrecpark @gadeken_art

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

https://www.youtube.com/user/LouLouPickels

Photo credit Jonathan Condit

For Coffee Lovers Holiday Shopping Guide 2019

2019-12-03T10:58:00.037-08:00

Photo: Cavalli Cafe 1441 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

This shopping season avoid big chain stores and think/buy small, mom and pop shops to help local businesses and organizations effectively spread the pro local / independent business message during the holidays... and year round! "Going local with your spending by supporting locally owned, independent businesses causes a "multiplier effect" that keeps more money re-circulating in our community. "

It feels good to support your friends and community, builds relationships and community cohesiveness, and there are perks to shopping small as well. Some of them are:

- Unique gifts - selling their own handmade products, offering yoga and other workshops, getting to know your merchants

- Better, more personalized customer service - small-business employees may have more knowledge of the products and services they’re selling

- Supporting your community - friends business, and puts money into the local economy, residents with roots in the community are involved in key development decisions that shape our lives and local environment.

- Better for the environment. Merchandise is not traveling thousands of miles by ship or train to reach your home. Local businesses consume less land, carry more locally-made products, locate closer to residents and create less traffic and air pollution.

- Small Businesses Create Jobs! "it’s the small businesses that drive our economic growth in the United States. When small businesses thrive, we see more job creation and a booming economy. In fact, small businesses have created over 66% of all new jobs since 1995. They’ve added over 8 million jobs since 1990 — meanwhile, big businesses have actually eliminated around 4 million. Small businesses are also helping to grow the ‘gig economy,’ utilizing contract and freelance workers to help address their needs." grasshopper.com

- Shape our character - Independent businesses help give your community its distinct personality.

Top Reasons to Buy Local, Eat Local, Go Local
American Independent Business Alliance

Below I've put together a list of my favorite drink in the world: Bean Juice! #coffee
I will list shops around the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Lake Tahoe Area! Please let me know if you'd like me to highlight your business! I'd love to support you!

Caffe, Roasting, Beans are the perfect gift for someone who loves being caffeinated!

1. Graffeo Coffee Roasting Company - North Beach, San Francisco
You know it when you taste it. Once you have, no other coffee will do

735 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
www.graffeo.com

Graffeo was founded in 1935 on the streets of San Francisco's Italian culinary capital, North Beach. Graffeo is one of North America's oldest artisan coffee roasters and remains a family-run company passed on down through generations.
A cherished institution from the beginning, we started by hand roasting our select blend providing aficionados and the first European-style cafes' with rich, dark, fresh roasted coffee beans.

2. Caffe Trieste - North Beach, San Francisco
If asked how he does it, “No big deal,” Papa Gianni would say. “Buy the best beans, roast them yourself, and brew each cup like it’s for you.”

601 Vallejo St, San Francisco
caffetrieste.com/shop

"Our historic caffe location at 601 Vallejo Street (North Beach-San Francisco) was the first espresso coffee house established on the West Coast (1956). “Papa Gianni” Giotta and his family single-handedly launched the Espresso movement as we know it. The Caffe has become famous across the world for its combination of essences: Old Italy, Bohemian poets, art and music, and excellent Espresso."

The Giotta Family’s famous Saturday afternoon concert takes place monthly (go to Music and Events pages for more information). The Caffe serves hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee per year, and along with its sister locations, the Caffes serve millions of cups per year. Caffe website here: Trieste

3. Caffe Roma North Beach, San Francisco

CLOSED Updated Dec 2020
For three generations the Azzollini family of Turin and Rome, Italy, has skillfully blended and roasted premium coffee beans for the most discriminating palates. It is with the same pride and care that our family now brings you the distinctive flavors of both the North and the South of Italy.

526 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
Welcome To Caffe Roma

Let us roast a fresh batch of outstanding Caffe Roma coffee for you and send it to your door, satisfaction guaranteed. To order via UPS, simply use the order form, call us at 800-296-ROMA (7662), or fax us at (415) 431-8855.

Founded in 1989 by Anthony and Sergio Azzollini, Caffe Roma is built on the experience of three generations of the Azzollini family. Father Sergio came to San Francisco from Italy over 40 years ago to open the first coffeehouse on Columbus Avenue in 1977.

4. Verve Coffee Roast
The term "Streetlevel" encapsulates everything we do in order to share our coffees with our community. Inspired by neighborhood "street level" cafes of Europe, where community members meet every morning to discuss elements of life over espresso and cappuccinos, the life that happens within our cafes vibrates with a similar energy.

816 41st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA
vervecoffee.com

Verve came to be through the serendipitous union of surf, sweat and a love of life and living. In 2007, founders Ryan and Colby built and opened the first Verve cafe on 41st Ave in Santa Cruz, California. Today, Verve has locations in cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Tokyo, but our roots remain planted in Santa Cruz, where we roast our coffee on vintage roasters and enjoy the endless surf of the rugged California coast.

5. Pacific Crest Coffee Company
"Pacific Crest Coffee Company is a bean-to-cup coffee business. We aim to highlight the unique coffee flavor characteristics attributed to its origin, how the coffee fruit was removed from its seed and other agricultural processing factors, how it was roasted, and how it was brewed. We take our role in coffee’s value chain seriously, honoring the care given by those that precede us with roasting that showcases their hard work and produces an excellent cup of coffee." Read more

10736 Pioneer Trail, Suite 13, Truckee, CA, 96161
Call: (530)536-5135 | Email: coffee@pacificcrestcoffee.com

6. Coffee Bar - Truckee
Coffeebar works with local farms to source organically grown produce and eggs. In turn, Coffeebar produces compost and then donates it back to the farms to create a full circle.

10120 Jibboom St Suite #101
coffeebar.com

At Coffeebar we like to have fun with our coffee... just try a Caffe’ Marocchino! BUT, we take our beans seriously. We use organic, C1 Grade coffees. The C1/Specialty grade is the highest level of industry designation in the coffee business. There is not a higher grade of coffee available on the market.

7. Coffee Bodega
3231 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94123
Jackson Bar window in Cow Hollow near Lombard St.

Last but not least, Coffee Bodega! Delicious coffee from small Costa Ricain farmers that roast what they pick. This gives the farmers more income versus selling green beans.

Hand-made in Costa Rica! This farm-to-table coffee "roasted and packed by small farmer cooperatives in its natural environment; a socially responsible approach that yield exceptional coffees that are produced in a sustainable way." Costa Rica Coffee Bodega

Why? "Coffee farmer cooperatives produce some of the most amazing coffees you’ll ever taste, they have the collective knowledge, experience and resources to produce truly exceptional coffees with the utmost respect for their land."

I'll even buy your first cup! Let's do coffee!

One of my fav song as a kid was singing this song and walking our dogs on the old train tracks in Daly City. The train tracks are no longer there, but the music about java lives on! Cheers!

Rolex Big Boat Series 2015

2015-09-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

About 3 days before Rolex Big Boat Series ( #RBBS15 ) started, I received a text message from a sailing friend asking if I could crew on an Express 37. I looked at my schedule and by the luck of the Irish (I'm not Irish, but I will take their luck) I had all four days off from work. The Express 37 has a dip pole jibe similar to Zamazaan (Farr 52) that I normally crew on, so why not! The Express 37 lost 3 of their normal crew and were in a pinch to find a bow person. I committed to work bow all 4 days.

Escapade, the Express 37 I was on, heading to the start line on Thursday. Photo by AmyH who was sailing on J105 for Big Boat.

Day one we had 2 great races, lots of wind and some neck and neck racing on the bay. The current was an issue for us as we went outside the Golden Gate Bridge on the second race of the day and as winds picked up to 17 knots.

Race Result for the Rolex Big Boat Series 2015

Great video produced by Over SF of the Rolex Big Boat series day 1 -- Thursday September 17th, 2015. At around 0:55 seconds, you will see our blue hull boat sailing up wind past the marina greens. My next gift to myself is a drones.

Thursday nights party was hosted by Rolex and, once again, we were not disappointed by their munchies! Lovely buffet table of smoked salmon and other finger foods for us hungry sailors.

Rolex hosted the gala for the Farr 40 Worlds 2014 and that was a culinary delight. Well done, Rolex!

The real reason I sail...the free food! Just kidding, but what a lovely selection of dessert. We devoured the petite lime cream cheese and fruit tarts and fresh baked cookies.

Friday, Aug. 18, 2015, the Express 37 fleet (7 boats) had a Treasure Island start. The wind finally changed direction and filled in nicely with eight knots of breeze. After a short delay, race #3 was on with warm, mild wind. Race #4 was a different story as the breeze increased to 18 knots and the current was at max flood. Once again, we had some challenges under the Golden Gate Bridge because of the ripping incoming current. In the above video at 1:01, see our boat with the blue hull battle, tack for tack, with two other Express 37s in a massive flood near the north tower of the GG Bridge. Yacht racing at its finest in the San Francisco Bay.

Friday nights party was hosted by Mount Gay Rum with a slew of food trucks parked in the grassy area east of the St. Francis Yacht Club: Bacon Bacon, Kara's Cupcakes, and some yummy El Sur Empanadas. We stayed at the party until the Mount Gay Rum was gone, the sun had set and the winds had once again died down. Fun night at #RBBS15

Happy team with all smiles!

Hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, this is the 51st year of the regatta in the San Francisco Bay. One of my highlights from this years regatta was seeing perhaps one of the most famous big boats in the world, Kialoa III, a Sparkman and Stephens designed boat.

"From the mid- to late-1970s and ’80s, the yacht accumulated more sailing trophies and records than just about any other campaign, including an elapsed time record in a downwind Sydney Hobart Race that was held for 21 years. She was recently bought by a syndicate of enthusiasts who formed the K3 Foundation to restore her and revisit many of the races that made the boat so legendary in ocean racing circles. (Kialoa III competed in the St. Francis Big Boat Series in 1976 and ’78.)"

As temps reached 81 degrees on the city front Saturday, the wind was not in our favor. Once again we were put on wind postponement until about 2PM. As predicted, we got our late-afternoon westerly blowing about 6 to 10 knots. We competed in a painfully slow race #4 with inconsistent, mild wind and challenging current. From what I heard later that night at the club, this is not normal weather for #RBBS. Typically, this time of year, breeze is in the high teens or greater.

Day 4 of Rolex Big Boat was a wash. With high temps in the 80ies and no breeze, the race was called about 12PM and we all went to the St. Francis Yacht Club to watch the 49ers vs. Stealers. In the photo above, see the J111 Madmen sitting in glass like waters around 11am on Sunday.

At the end of the day, our boat didn't do very well. As a matter of fact, we took last in our fleet. However, we had fun, we didn't break anything and we left the regatta with good stories and new friendships.

It was a pleasure to see 3 of my friends yachts take first in their class and receive their hardware. These aren’t just any regatta trophies. These are Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepieces.

“Excellence is the rarest thing in the world,” said Bud’s owner/skipper Victor Wild, addressing hundreds of sailors from the stage at the Rolex Awards Ceremony. “We came here for that, and we found it."

Congrats to the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy awarded in the HPR class winner Peter Krueger, Double Trouble (no photo) and ORR C Wayne Koide, Encore (photo above).

Congrats! Keefe Kilborne Trophy for the J/111 class Rob Theis, Aeolus.

Check out all the photos here on my Flickr Account

Homemade Energy Bar with Coconut Flour

2015-09-16T11:08:00.002-07:00

Coconut Flour with Dark Chocolate Energy Bars made fresh in your own home! These are great for a grab-and-go energy food. Easy to make and even better to eat!

Whether you use these healthy energy bars as a pre-workout snack or to refuel and recover post-workout, you'll be getting the nutrition your body needs without all the sugars, preservatives and other unknowns in the store purchased brands.

Why coconut oil ? Coconut oil can reduce your appetite helping you eat less without even trying. It boost metabolism and helps increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Healthy, real-food. If you want to learn more, check out Coconut Research Center.

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup granola
- 1 cup coconut flour (organic)
- 1 1/2 cup uncooked oats
- 1 cup coconut oil (yes, this will keep your bars moist)
- 1 cup hole hazelnuts (any nut you enjoy)
- 1 cup raw honey (local)
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates
- 1 cup raisin (soak for ten minutes in warm water)
- 3 eggs
- 3 or 4 tablespoons almond butter
- 3 tablespoons sunflower seed butter
- 3 tablespoons flax seed (whole)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- hand full or 2 of dark chocolate chips or break-up favorite chocolate bar into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Other options:
- Dried figs
- Lemon rind / peel
- Organic rice pop or leftover cooked rice
- Any dry fruit
- Almond flour
- Any unsweetened cereal
- Crystallized ginger

Tools:
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Big, strong spoon
- 2 Large mixing bowl
- Sharp knife

Truth be known, I added most ingredients from my pantry that were going to expire or I only had a small portion left. You don't have to follow this recipe to the 'T', but add what you enjoy eating and what you have in your pantry. Cooking is about having fun and enjoying your food!

1. In a big bowl add the eggs, vanilla, honey, coconut oil, almond butter, and sunflower seed butter and mix with a blender or with a big wooden spoon. It will be lumpy. That's OK.

2. In the same bowl, mix in the raisins, dates, and hazelnuts

3. Using the other clean bowl, add all other dry ingredients: Cinnamon, coconut flour, granola, oats, flax seed, chocolate chips or smashed bar (I used Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Imported From Belgium one pound bar).

4. Add the dry mix to the wet batter and stir with the big wooden spoon.

5. Pre-heat oven to about 325 degrees, place the parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

6. Using your spoon, dump batter on parchment paper and press batter down to make a flat 1 inch thick, massive bar. Use your hands and spoon to flatten out bumpy areas. Your hands will get sticky. It's OK. Cook bar for about 30 to 35 minutes. Checking in on the bar after 25 minutes. You do not want to burn the edges.

7. Once cooked, take parchment paper and massive bar out of the oven and let cool for about 30 minutes. Once cold, place on cutting board and cut into fun size bars. You can freeze a few, gift a few to your co-workers, and enjoy the rest. These bars last up to 4 months in the freeze.

These are great with ice cream, too!

Homemade energy bar recipes right here -- Snappyliving.com

Ice Climbing With Dan Fredinburg in Switzerland

2015-09-14T13:11:00.001-07:00

Ice Climbing on a glacier in Switzerland - The Stein Glacier (German: Steingletscher) is a 4km long glacier (2005) situated in the Urner Alps in the canton of Berne in Switzerland. A very cold summer day in the Swiss Alps

Dan Fredinburg on The Stein Glacier in the Urner Alps in Switzerland June 2011

Dan Fredinburg Foundation
"Dan Fredinburg, modern day super hero, dedicated his life to changing the world. On Saturday April 25th, 2015, Dan lost his life on Everest in the avalanches caused by the devasting earthquakes in Nepal."

Traveling on the glacier tied into each other for safety. Dan and I having a conversation about the video... So many funny moments from this day.

The guide wasn't happy with our excitement for the 1980ies rental gear and our dance party moves while on the glacier. We rocked that day! In the picture above, Andrew and Dan getting stoked on the start of our learning adventure. Ice Climbing!

This is Dan in his BLUE STEEL Zoolander move! Very technical move. Do not try this at home!

Summertime fun in Switzerland learning to ice climb with SWISS ALPINE GUIDES

This is an intro course to ice climbing and very easy and safe. We rappel deep into the glacier, then ice climb out via top rope.

Our guide Hano drilling our anchor.

Gear needed: Mountain boots, ice axes, crampons, harness, warm fleece, beanie, gloves, gaitors, backpack, and your mountain guide

GoPro Selfie of me on the glacier

Photo shoot starts NOW! I think we had more fun with making photos then we did with the climbing. Dan Fredinburg and Andrew sorting out gear

Lowering Andrew down the crevasse for the first try. Here we go...

Vidoe of us on the climb. Lucas and Andrew with Dan's voice in the background

Somewhat of a short hike in but nothing difficult for a non-climber.

Hiking into the The Stein Glacier. I believe it was about an hour for us to hike.

Hano helping me with my crampons.

I did not have the cool 1980ies clothing. I felt left out!

Photos of all the other groups training on the glacier.

Dan helping me with my GoPro! Technical equipment

It's about having fun and the adventure! Dan hiking in...

The hike in was a little steep, but not difficult

More selfies...

Dan climbing up the crevasse. See the little blue dot with orange helmet? That's him.

Selfie (Louisa) inside the crevasse.

If you are claustrophobic, maybe you should think twice. It's a small space

After our day of ice climbing, we were driving back to Interlaken when we saw this... it's like a vending machine for milking cows... then you can purchase fresh milk. It's amazing!!!

Cow milk vending machine in Switzerland

Finally we get a hot coffee to warm us up on this very cold June day in the Swiss Alps! Here is Lucas, Dan and Louisa

Video of Dan's first ice climb!

Second time I'm dropped into the crevasse and I'm not sure I enjoy how tight the fit is... very hard to get out!(video)

Me climbing out, not doing so well I guess but we were having fun!

Dan, Andrew, Lucas and me

Fire Roasted Poblano Chiles en Nogada

2015-06-03T11:56:00.001-07:00

Traditionally made in Puebla or Mexico City to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on September 16, these chiles are made with pork filling enhanced with chopped fruit, a creamy pine nut sauce topped with seasonal granadas (pomegranates). Normally, walnuts are used instead of pine nuts for the sauce, but I enjoy the flavor of pine nuts and wanted to try something different. You can use walnut, almonds or pine nuts.

Stuffing:
- Pork (1 lbs.)
- Raisins (1 cup)
- Cinnamon (splash or so)
- Pear (2)
- Apple (1)
- Tomato (4)
- Jalapeño (2 I like it hot)
- Corn (1 cup)
- Onions (1)
- Peblano chiles (3 to 6)

Sauce:
- Lime (1)
- Cinnamon (dash)
- Pine nuts (1/2 cup or more)
- Yogurt (1/2 cup)

Garnish:
- Pomegranates (1)
- Pine nuts (couple)

Fire roast the Poblano chiles until the skin is burned, blistering and black.

Place the chiles into a plastic bag. Close the bag tightly to steam the chiles for about 5 minutes.

After the chiles have cold, peel all the blacken skin off the chiles and place aside in a bowl.

Cut the pork into bite size pieces or have your butcher chop the pork. Typically, the pork is minced or ground.

Cook the onions in a 12 inch fry pan for 3 minutes on medium-high

Add the chopped jalapenos and pork to the pan. Cook on medium for about 8 minutes or until the pork is browned and cooked.

Tomatoes, apples and pear - dice them up while you are waiting for the pork to cook.

Measure out the raisins, apple, pear, and corn.

Stirring the whole time, add all four ingredients to the 12 inch fry pan and cook on medium heat for about 12 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add cinnamon.

With a paring knife, cut a line from the stem to the bottom of the chile and take out the seeds.

Stuff the chiles with the pork filling by spooning the mix into the chili.

To make the Mexican cream, place the Greek yogurt, pine nuts, cinnamon, and lime juice into a Vitmix blender and 'pulse' until it's completely mixed together.

Garnish with beautiful colors

Plate the chile, spoon on cream and sprinkle with garnish. Happy Mexican Independence Day!

I didn't measure anything, but played it by ear with 4 tomatoes, 2 pears, 1 apple, 2 cups of pine nuts, 1 lime, 1 cup raisin, 1 cup corn and 1 pound of pork. I froze the leftover stuffing for later use.

Straw Restaurant Carnival Fare For Sunday Night Supper

2015-05-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Straw is your Hayes Valley neighborhood spot serving carnival-inspired comfort food. There are accents from your favorite carnival throughout our decor and menu. Oh yeah, and a Tilt-A-Whirl booth.

It was Sunday and my brother and I were looking for a fun, new to us restaurant in San Francisco. Nothing too touristy. Nothing too formal. We found it in Hayes Valley. Straw! I made reservation online and requested the Tilt-A-Whirl booth.

Seated on time, we were treated to bowl of popcorn that's both sweet and salty, cold water in mason jars, and ping pong paddles for drink menus. I felt like a little kid and was so excited to try everything!!

Step Right Up! Here we are in the Tilt-A-Whirl booth! So much fun. Upcycled children's books use as menus. Straw offers dinner, lunch, brunch, kids menu, and drink menu.

Mini Corn Dogs
Hand-dipped all-beef evergood hot dogs with raspberry dijon dipping sauce. SO GOOD! The sauces were amazing, too. Great way to get the pallet awake.

Perfect wine selection that paired well with our carnival-inspired food. Just chilling in a fish bowl. Nice touch.

We ordered a bottle of the 2010 Leese-Fitch Sauvignon Blanc with "high-tone citrus zest aroma with minerality reminiscent of a brisk ocean breeze. There's a hint of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and tropical Pina Colada. The palate is zippy and alive with Lemon grass spice, but balanced with a touch of creamy tapioca to round out the mid-palate." wine.com review

It's a small restaurant with fun clown art on the walls and a big heart! Non-Profit Monday!

"Every Monday, Straw donates 10% of all food sales to a local non-profit. Over the past four years, we've donated more than $25,000 to non-profits throughout the Bay Area. Come in any Monday, and help us support the community."

ME: Fried Chicken -n- Waffle Monte Cristo.
cornmeal belgian waffle, crispy chicken, melted swiss, raspberry jam, powdered sugar, syrup, hand-cut fries (I got the sweet potato tater tots). The waffle was easy to pick-up, the swiss cheese added a nice flavor and the chicken was cooked to perfection.

BROTHER: The Ringmaster: Straw’s Famous Donut Burger
golden gate meat co. organic ground beef, melted cheddar & jack, house-made glazed donut bun, hand-cut fries add maple-glazed bacon. I had a bite of this and, to my surprise, the donut was not too sweet and paired well with the meat and bacon. Very lovely flavors.

My favorite was dipping the waffle Monte Cristo in the raspberry jam. The mix of sweet and savory was perfect.

Cotton candy nights, Moonshine nights, ferris wheel lights

The Ringmaster: Straw’s Famous Donut Burger - Side view

Fried Chicken -n- Waffle Monte Cristo - Side view

STRAW
203 Octavia Blvd.
San Francisco, CA

restaurant: 415.431.3663
catering: 415.863.3509
fax: 415.863.3504

SCUBA Diving Oahu Hawaii With Kaimana Divers

2014-09-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

SCUBA Diving in Oahu with Kaimana Divers Honolulu, Hawaii (Me with the yellow flippers)

My dive buddies and I made sure to reserve our spots on the boat Nacho a few days in advance! We opted for the morning departure, which caters to more experienced divers and offers the advantage of calmer waters and less wind. The boat runs twice daily for a two-tank dive trip, making it easy to plan your adventure. We were conveniently picked up at our hotel in Waikiki and dropped off at the boat in Kewalo Basin, Oahu. Tanks and weights are included in the cost, with additional gear available for rent if needed.

Our adventure began with a short but exhilarating 10-minute boat ride to our first dive site: The Seatiger. As we cruised over the calm morning waters, the anticipation among the divers was palpable. The Seatiger, a 168-foot Chinese merchant ship, rests on the ocean floor as an artificial reef—a project initiated in 1999 by a local company to enhance marine habitats. Today, this sunken vessel is a thriving underwater ecosystem and a must-see dive site in Oahu.

As we approached The Seatiger, the crew gathered us for a thorough debriefing. The dive master painted a vivid picture of what awaited us below. The ship lies at a depth of about 120 feet at its deepest point, with the deck sitting around 90 feet. This depth means the site is best suited for advanced divers, and the morning’s calmer conditions made it an ideal time to explore.

We were briefed on the layout of the wreck, with its towering superstructure and open cargo holds, offering a mix of narrow swim-throughs and expansive areas to explore. The dive master highlighted key points of interest, such as the wheelhouse and the ship’s stern, where marine life tends to congregate.

Gear-up, wetsuit on, and jump in the water. The water temp in summer is around 79 degrees fahrenheit.

The visibility is not great today due to Hurricane Julio (2014) passing the islands about 2 days ago. We had about 60 feet of visibility in areas.

We follow the mooring line down 100 feet to the bow of the boat. The boat bottom rest at 120 feet.

As I got closer to the bow of the Seatiger on my descent, I saw two massive Green sea turtles resting next to each other.

As for what we might encounter, the possibilities were thrilling. The Seatiger is home to an array of vibrant marine life. Schools of colorful fish, including yellow tangs and butterflyfish, are common sights, darting in and out of the ship’s nooks and crannies. Larger residents like moray eels, octopuses, and even white-tip reef sharks are often spotted around the wreck. The dive master also mentioned the potential to see Hawaiian green sea turtles, gracefully gliding by or resting on the deck.

Hawaiian name for turtle: Honu

Everything underwater deserves our kindness and respect. As divers, it’s crucial that we stay mindful of our surroundings and avoid touching anything during our dive. Marine life, including turtles and coral, should be left undisturbed. Coral, in particular, is delicate—while it may seem sturdy, it’s easily damaged. Touching it can break its protective mucous layer, allowing bacteria and other harmful substances to penetrate and potentially kill the coral. By keeping our distance, we help preserve the fragile ecosystem that makes diving so special.

It's taken many years of SCUBA diving to achieve perfect buoyancy. Keeping neutral buoyancy while scuba diving is key to less Co2 consumption, safety of reef and others. Fine-tuning your weights and controlling your breathing are important factors to maintaining neutral buoyancy or less buoyancy shift with depth.

Dropping down into a 'cavern' (penetration inside the target venue) on the shipwreck with no lead line. No line was needed since we were only going one layer deep. If multi layer penetration, always use a line so you do not get lost in the venue.

Please note: Do not enter a shipwreck unless you have been properly trained in technical, full-penetration wreck diving.

My dive buddy taking amazing photos of our adventure. I jumped out the window to see some fish!

Two eels hanging out next to each other. The highlight of the dive! I've never seen two eels in the same hole.

Too many divers. We upset the marine life.

Our second dive was at MarioLand. The GoPro died. Ops! Need to charge the battery for tomorrows diving with Lisa!

DAY TWO - SCUBA Diving with Lisa - Afternoon diving

MarioLand, located off the coast of Oahu, is a dive site that truly lives up to its playful name. This underwater paradise is known for its vibrant marine life and intriguing rock formations that make every dive feel like an adventure through an aquatic playground.

Afternoon diving is less advance, shallow diving. I really like the dive masters at Kaimana Divers and their equipment is new! Lisa, who use to live in Oahu, got us a Kamaʻaina rate.

One of the highlights of diving at MarioLand is the chance to encounter some of the more elusive residents, such as octopuses and moray eels, hiding within the crevices of the rocks. The site also offers the possibility of spotting larger pelagic species, like reef sharks or even the occasional eagle ray, gracefully passing by.

The visibility at MarioLand is usually excellent, allowing divers to fully appreciate the beauty of the underwater world. The relatively shallow depths make it accessible to divers of all experience levels, while the varied terrain provides plenty of opportunities for exploration and discovery.

Drop down to 50 feet to a reef, Lisa and I are enjoying the small reef life.

Green Turtle at a cleaning station. Cleaner fish are fish that provide a service to other fish species by removing dead skin and ectoparasites. It's like a spa for fish!

The topography of MarioLand is what makes it particularly special. The site features a series of large lava rock formations that create swim-throughs, arches, and small caves. These structures not only provide shelter for marine life but also add an element of excitement as you navigate through them. The rocky outcrops are adorned with coral and sponges, adding splashes of color to the otherwise rugged landscape.

Four dives total in two days. I would have liked to see more and get in more diving, but the conditions were not great due to the passing hurricane.

Diving at MarioLand is an unforgettable experience that captures the essence of what makes Oahu’s underwater world so unique. Whether you’re swimming through the arches or marveling at the marine life, this site offers a magical glimpse into the wonders of the ocean.

Lahaina Return Race 2014

2014-09-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hawaii Yacht Club 71st Annual race from Lahaina, Maui to Honolulu, Oahu

Regatta results for Gerontius

Racing on the beautiful Gerontius, a Bruce Farr 42 built in New Zealand

Set sail on Friday night around 23:00 after a crew meeting and dinner at the ala moana shopping mall - food was horrible.

Mostly motored the whole night from Waikiki and arrived at Larry Ellison's island at dawn, the Hawaiian island of Lanai.

Once we got to Larry's Island (Lanai - located just 9 miles off the coast of Maui), we made breakfast and went for a swim. I lost all video of us swimming with spinner dolphins and our visit to the Manele Bay. Shoots!

I don't remember the exact reason why, but we could not sail into the Manele Small Boat Harbor. Instead we found a mooring outside the marina and anchored up for the night.

French press, fair trade, organic coffee. I can do without a head, but coffee I can not skimp on! That's a damn good cup of java!

There was no head on our boat, so several of us swam about 200 meters to shore and hiked to the Four Seasons located in Manele Bay. The hotels is your quintessential beach resort with epic views, over priced beers (10 bucks), and staff, clad in monkey suits, that kept an eye-out for freeloading cretins like us.

Capt. Chris helps prep dinner. Here we have our antipasto or 'before the dinner' -- gorgonzola stuffed portobello mushrooms.

This beautiful lady did all of our shopping, food prep, marinating, coffee production, cleaning, and she's a bad ass sailor! Currently, she's in South America opening up a vegan restaurant. Looking forward to running into her again!

Crew enjoying a happy hour on the boat after a long night sailing and fun day on Lanai.

Happy Hour in Lanai on Saturday night

After antipasto, primi course was on the grill - marinated chicken!

Hotels on Lanai

Did I mention there was no where to sleep... NO berths on the boat. Some of the crew slept on deck. I ended up in the V-berth, extreme forward end of the hull, on a spinnaker sail. Rocky night, little sleep.

Up with the sun on Sunday, off we sail to Maui

Sailing on Sunday, Aug. 31,2014

Sailing past Lanai on Sunday

We are not in San Francisco anymore. Look at that blue water!

Crew sailing away from Lanai to Maui

Still sailing with just the main up

Sunday around noon we finally made it to Lahaina, Maui. Short one hour stop to pick-up ice, more spirits, potty stop, and a bit of a walk on land.

I think we got one dorado / mahi mahi.

Surf right outside of Lahaina Yacht Club

With only an hour on Maui, we stopped for a beer at Lahaina Pizza Company. Great views from their deck.

After we left Lahaina, it was my turn to drive. Was at the ol' nautical steering wheel for about 2 hours.

Raft'ed up and ready for Happy Hour in Honolua Bay, Maui

Back dive off the boat in my swimming dress

Happy in Honolua Bay

Swimming in Honolua Bay at sunset

Boys Water ballet!

Judging the water ballet!

Do these goggles make me look fat!

Things got all upside down! Jumping off boats

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 at 8:05AM - the start of the Lahaina Return! Lets go!!

It's all downwind from here... hours! Go Frenchy!

The banana on Gerontius

The crew made a decision to sail to the north of Molokai (the fifth largest Hawaiian Island) and enjoy the views of the highest sea cliffs in the world.

Facts: "The south shore of Molokaʻi boasts the longest fringing reef in the U.S. and its holdings—nearly 25 miles (40 km) long" wrote geoscienceworld.org.

Sailing side by side, until...

Molokai (the fifth largest Hawaiian Island). Views of the highest sea cliffs in the world.

Sailing pass the north side of Molokai on Gerontius (Farr 42)

If you'd like to see the photos from our long weekend of sailing, check out my Flickr account here!

Still sailing by Molokai

Sailing to Mexico First Then Hawaii

2014-07-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Our plans have changed as of Saturday, July 26th. Tomorrow Sunday, July 27th we are sailing to Mexico to pick-up someone who is about 150 miles off the Guadalupe Island or Isla de Guadalupe. We will need to make a stop in Ensenada, Mexico first to clear customs. Ensenada is "Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico, the third-largest in Baja California. Lying 125 kilometres south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula, it is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, "The Cinderella of the Pacific"." Wiki

We are currently in San Diego, California at the Kona Kai Marina getting ready to set sail tomorrow.

I wasn't going to bring my passport for this trip. I was packing the morning before getting on my flight and thought, if anything happens, I might end up in Asia. Best to bring the passport... just in case." Turns out I will need this document.

After we pick-up a friend in Guadalupe Island area, we will sail them to Bahia Tortugas or Turtle Bay, Baja, Mexico.

From Turtle Bay, Mexico we will sail to Hawaii. Here is a great blog about the Turtle Bay Baja area. I will have to update my photos when we land in Hawaii. Sailing Blog Info for Bahia Tortugas.

That is the new plan as of 4PM today.

Today I'm very tired and I think it might be the San Diego heat.

As the adventure continues, I will try to update. However, once at sea, there will be no updates and no Internet.

Bula, Bula

Support for the Great Pacific Race Monterey to Hawaii 2014

2014-07-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

One week from today I will embark on a voyage on a 57' Bowman Ketch sailing yacht from San Diego to Hawaii assisting (if needed) 13 teams of rowers out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Teams of 4, 2 and solo are rowing from Monterey, Californian to their final destination in Oahu, Hawaii for the Great Pacific Race.

As of July, 17th, the racers have been rowing for 38 days completely self sufficient. No help from the support yacht, making their own water, cooking their own food, sleeping on the boat, and navigating at night while rowing the whole time! We, a crew of six, leave San Diego next week to 'catch' the racers and give support or rescue, if needed. Follow the racers here at Yellowbrick. At the bottom of the page, click and drag the nav button to the left show the start of the race and the progress of the rowers. One solo rower, Elsa Hammond 29, is now rowing to Mexico and is out if the race. This woman is an inspiration. "She lasted longer than two male solo rowers — including one who had to be rescued" wrote the Monterey Herald

On a sailboat without the Interwebs, cellular service and cocktails (yes, not even wine), this will be both a spiritual and educational journey out at sea for over 5 weeks helping these rowers complete their goals and finish "the biggest, baddest human endurance challenge on the planet". At first I was talking myself out of the adventure and coming up with all kinds of kookie reasons why I shouldn't go i.e. watering my plants. After a dinner with my brother Mike on the 4Th of July, it was decided that I would stop talking myself out of adventure and just go! Great advice Mike.

The boat is named Cloud Nine. She's a 57' Bowman Ketch that has rounded the world three times on expeditions and one of the first to completed the North West Passage while Roger Swanson was her captain. "Rare is the sailing resume that boasts 217,928 miles, three circumnavigations, multiple voyages through the Arctic and Antarctic and the first east-west crossing of the Northwest Passage by an American-flagged sailboat. Pretty impressive for a Midwestern-born pig farmer-cum-electrical engineer-cum-entrepreneur, but no one ever accused Roger Swanson, of Dunnell, Minnesota, of mediocrity. Swanson, who sadly passed away at the age of 81 on December 25, 2012 after a battle with cancer." Sailmagazine.com

She's beautiful and tough!

Photo by Roger Swanson

I don't know much more than that, really. My friend Ellen introduced me to the skipper. I called the skipper. We talked. The skipper purchased my plane ticket to San Diego and I leave next week.

At sea for 5 to 6 weeks as support to the teams racing and doing 'arts and crafts' on the boat, this means sanding and varnishing and 4 on, 8 off. Crewing on a boat of 6 -- on watch or duty for 4 hours, then 8 hours off duty to sleep, read, collect samples for the 5 Gyres.

5 Gyers' mission is to "conduct research and communicate about the global impact of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and employ strategies to eliminate the accumulation of plastic pollution in the 5 subtropical gyres."

Each day I will dedicate time to the 5 Gyres Marine Debris Observations with a one-hour observations where I log all the trash that I see floating on the ocean surface.

Once all team finish and are safely on shore in Hawaii, Cloud Nine will rest at the Kaneohe Yacht Club. That's when the surfboards come out

For more information, cheack out New Ocean Wave's website.

Bula, Bula!!!

How to ReUSE Glass Bottles and Plastic Bags by Shopping in Bulk

2014-03-01T15:05:00.003-08:00

Shopping in bulk is not always 'easy', but like Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green". I keep my empty plastic/glass containers, bags, and herb bottles and reuse them at Rainbow Grocery, a worker owned coop.

Rainbow Grocery's has been in San Francisco’s Mission District since 1975 and some of it's employees have been working there for over 25 years - some history in this beautiful City.

Updated 2019 - Rainbow only uses compostable bag. These plastic bags I'm using in the above photo are from my house and I re-use them.

I keep all my grains and nuts in glass mason jars. Once they are empty, I keep them in a canvas bag ready for my next shopping adventure. Shopping in bulk allows me to purchase the exact amount of a product I need for my week or for a specific recipe. I can purchase 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 3 tablespoons of curry, 1/4 cup of brown mustard seeds, 1/2 cup of bath salts, small amount of detergent, body lotions or nut butters. The point is you do not have to purchase a full bottle of an ingredient or product when only a small amount is needed for your recipe. Shopping in bulk allows you this freedom.

In this case, I was able to purchase my quinoa plastic free by reusing my own glass mason jar. I've got the tare weight and the product number listed on the jar.

I used my empty mustard seed container to purchase whole black pepper. Cover the label and the barcode on the back of the container.

TARE weight is the weight of an empty container. By subtracting it from the gross weight, the weight of the goods carried may be determined. Read more about it here: Tare weight

I've got my empty plastic bottles washed and ready to go!

Once at the store, weigh your empty bottles on the scale. The weight of my empty reusable bottles is different for each container, so weigh them all and label them with a sticker. The TARE weight for this bottle is 0.13 - on a sticker, write "TARE 0.13".

Find a product that best fits your budget and fill your container. You'll notice a number associated with each product. With a sticker provided, write the product number on the bottle next to the TARE weight. In this case, it's 9009. It's that easy!

I had an empty olive jar and I needed more olives. Clean out the jar and lid, get the TARE weight and post the sticker over the barcode.

After weighing the jar, find the olives you wish to buy and fill the jar.

After filling the jar, I add a sticker just above the TARE weight with the product number. This makes it easy for the checkout person to find all the information in one area.

I don't have to worry about the olive juice spilling in my bag or on my bike ride home like it would when I used the containers provided by the grocery store.

This looks much nicer in the fridge as well...

I'm going to make a soup that requires 1 cup of cannellini beans. I measure out one cup, use my own bag, tag the product number and done! In some cases when I'm purchasing herbs, I will write what's in the bag or jar. This will help with herbs that look alike.

When I run out of hand soap, I keep the plastic container and refill it with more hand soap. Seems simple, but it takes some effort. This bottle leaks when I travel with it, so I found a container that holds the same amount of liquid with a strong lid.

Get the TARE weight and cover the barcode with the sticker. Find a hand soap you enjoy and fill the bottle.

Once home, fill the 'nicer' container with the hand soap.

Here's the kicker. This soap is just as nice as any, but much more affordable at $4.01 compared to the other brand at $12.95

Being green and saving money... it's worth the effort.

Looks nice and it smells just as good as the $12.95 hand soap.

In a reusable glass jar, fill up on coconut butter or oil. I use this on my skin, in the fry pan, to brush teeth, etc.

Why do all this? Well, besides being a little kind to the environment, shopping in bulk is a great way to save money. For every bag I bring from home, I get 0.10 back at check-out. Also, knowing that I'm shopping at a local coop is a big plus.

Little Vine on Grant Street has the BEST bulk Bozzano Ranch virgin olive oil and it's a local producer out of Stockton, California. In 2006 I purchased beautiful bottle of olive oil while traveling around northern Italy. I love that I can continue to use this bottle.

Bozzano Olive Ranch offers Bulk Purchases, as well as Custom Milling and Bottling at competitive rates.

If you need more information, please watch this video on 'Rainbow Grocery's How to Shop in Bulk'. It's a little old. Currently, you get .10 cents for plastic bag you reuse.

Phuket, Thailand

2013-12-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

Nai Harn Buddhist Monastery -- Chalong, Phuket, Thailand
Thailand for a few weeks in Dec. 2013 and a few weeks in Jan 2014.

"Many people believe that the Nai Harn monastery helps prevent the area from overdevelopment as it is said that Samnak Song Nai Harn owns a lot of the beachfront land (that can’t be sold under Thai law). When visiting, there is no specific dress code apart from avoiding too-revealing clothes such as singlets or shorts on women as it is a place of worship. Shoes must be removed when entering the building."

And, I'd like to add, watch out for the dogs. They are not friendly, but they do listen to one of the monks that cares for them. I was able to speak to the monk for about an hour. He had made one trip to the US... Texas of all places. I wish I got his name.

Rawai Beach with Ko Bon (Bon Island) in the background. Solo day on my scooter exploring the island.

Shops outside the Elephant Shrine at Phromthep Cape cover up to escape the midday sun.

If you are hungry, there are street vendors waiting to cook up a good meal.

Elephant Shrine at Phromthep Cape Up the steps from the car park is a shrine to Brahma that is surrounded by 100 wooden elephants of every size.

Elephant Shrine at Phromthep Cape - Phuket, Thailand

Stopped on the road to take a photo of the luxury resort Royal Phuket Yacht Club and the Nai Harn Bay

Finally, I didn't get lost!

After a long day on the scooter exploring the south part of the island, I need a bite to eat with a view. I found this lovely restaurant on the Nai Harn beach called Mama Seafood. Shaded by the tress and canvas umbrellas, the Thai restaurant serves fresh, local fish, produce and beer. For 180 baht (5.50 USD) I got an entree and a Chang beer all the while with my toes in the sand and an epic view of the beach at sunset.

Mama Seafood restaurant located at Nai Harn beach - epic sunset and dinner for one and my new friend. See photo below.

This guy was just taking a nap. There are a lot of wild cats and dogs running around, but people seem to feed them and take care of them.

Mama Seafood Restaurant at Nai Harn waterfront

Sun is setting and I still have a long way back to Chalong Bay by scooter. Heading back the way I came - don't want to get lost in the dark. About 45 minutes from my hotel.

Stopped at the night market in Chalong Bay area to explore the food. It's nice being on a scooter. I can stop and go as I like and parking is not an issue. Vendors, farmers and local chefs converge under the gas lamps to cook, chop, and make magic flavors.

Stopped at the night market in Chalong Bay area to explore the food

Looks like hot-dogs!

Three people on one scooter!? No problem. We were doing about 45 to 60 kilometers per hour on these little bikes. Currently at a red light so I could take a photo.

First Ticket in Chalong Bay. Got pulled over. Keys taken. Ticket given. Walk 50 meters. Pay ticket. Get keys back. Continue on my way. 500 baht spent very well...

Back at my hotel - Super Green Hotel located at 42/14 Soi Chalong Pier, A.Mueng, Phuket, 83300 Chalong. If you are at the airport, tell your driver you are going to the hotel near the roundabout on the same street as the pier in Chalong Bay. No one has GPS and my driver couldn't read english text. If you do hire a taxi at the airport, find the metered taxi or make a deal before you start your trip. I made a deal with my driver for 700 baht (that includes a 100 baht airport tax) or about 16.00 USD.

Yes, that is 7/11 - I will talk about this later. Photo taken from the bar at my hotel. Second night in Chalong Bay - now off to check-out the 'working women' and girly-boys at the local bar. Yikes!

Across from the hotel is a 7/11 convenience store. They are in vogue. Not kidding at all. You can buy a 7/11 t-shirt and most tourist are wearing them while traveling around Thailand. 7/11 was my breakfast stop while traveling around Phuket and later Chaing Mai. A steamed red bean bun for 15 baht and a coffee (strong and good) for 35 baht (1.50 USD). This breakfast was a deal too good to pass-up.

Up early from jet-lag, off for a walk along the Chalong Bay area while my travel partner slept. Searching for treasure or something that was open this early in the morning. Instead I found washed up fishing net. Sad, really.

Walked into the Phuket Cruising Yacht Club and met this Kiwi who was here on holiday before heading back in Indo to work on an oil rig - talk for a while, then continued on my walk. The people you meet along the way...

Phuket cruising yacht club, yacht services, local knowlege, dingy security, marina style, moorings, beer, happy hour, wifi, shower, ice, water, bottom cleaning, brokerage, bbq.

Don't smoke or your feet will fall off

Continued walking down the beach to final destination - Ao Chalong Yacht Club. It's the place to be on a Friday night.

On my scooter ready to roll off on adventure in Phuket, Thailand... more dangerous than driving in Italy.

Gas station on the side of the road - one bottle of gas please!

Heartbreaking to see these beautiful animals chained by their foot unable to walk around and in direct sunlight. These elephants were swaying back and forth in frustration and fear. Please do not ride the elephants while you are on holiday. This is not the life they should live... in chains.

My travel mate and I headed to Wat Chalong - I was driver on the scooter and she was a bit of a backseat driver. Note to self, get your own scooter in the future. It way too dangerous to have someone yelling at you while you are trying to avoid head-ons with cars overtaking in your lane. Wat Chalong is located in the northern part of Tambol Chalong on Chao Fa West Road. The name 'Chalong' means 'festival' in Thai. It's nice to stop by and see this, but after a while all the Wat's look the same. Same, same.

Stopped by the Karon Beach for an hour to hang-out and relax. It's 200 baht per chair at the public beach. We had a fresh coconut for 50 baht and a beer (I need it after the near miss in Patong Beach).

Very strange jelly like things (thousands of them) floating around the waters at Karon Beach, Phuket Thailand

At the end of our day and after nearly getting hit head-on twice in Patong Phuket area, we stopped back at Mama Seafood restaurant for a lovely dinner and sunset.

Mama's Seafood Restaurant - 180 bath for this and a beer.

Very beautiful beach front restaurant

Next day got up at 6AM and headed to the Big Buddha in the middle of Phuket. The two of us on the scooter as we struggled up the very steep road to the massive white buddha. Wasn't sure the thing had the guts to get us up there, but we made it in one piece. Big Buddha sits on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata and at 45 metres high it is easily seen from any location.

I wasn't in proper clothing, but free skirts and wraps are provided for us Westerners who are "inconsiderately dressed".

If you have the time, stop along the windy (windier) and windy road down from Big Buddha. There are several cafes along the way with epic views, relaxing atmosphere, strong Thai coffee and a bite to eat. It's more expensive to stop here, but the views are worth the extra 50 to 70 baht. The ride down this steep hill is sketchy so mind the sharp turns and go slow.

My travel mate and I were to meet the rest of our boat crew at 13:00 at the lighthouse in Chalong Bay. Here we waited for the skipper of our boat and our next adventure sailing the Andaman Sea.

Off on a boat!

Volcano, Amador County, California

2013-11-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

My family has a house about 20 minutes away from Volcano, California. As kids we would drive down here and explore all the old mining equipment and shop at the hippie jewelry shops. During a Thanksgiving trip up to the house this last year, we decided, after years of not visiting the area, to take a hike around and explore the National Natural Landmark at Black Chasm Caverns.

Not much open on Black Friday. To be more specific, nothing was open and no one was out and about in downtown Volcano; a census designated place (CDP). Take your time walking through the city, it's a 5 minute walk from start to end. However, for such a small town, there is so much history and is considered the “gem of the Gold Country”.

Mildred Hoover’s commented in her authoritative book, Historic Spots in California, “Volcano is the Sleepy Hollow of the West. One can look for goblins in the ghost rocks or headless horseman to come galloping from the steep wooded mountain road.”

Old Abe was cast in bronze by Cyrus Alger & Co. in Boston in 1837 and now resides at the intersection of Main and Consolation Street in downtown Volcano.

This 800lb cannon held by the Valcano Blues was only fired once during the civil war.

"Old Abe" was fired down main street causing windows to break in the shops that had not been warned or who were sympathetic to the south. Go Valcano Blues!!

"Hydraulic mining operations (high pressure water jets to wash gravel away from mountainsides), begun in 1855, brought thousands of fortune seekers to form a town of 17 hotels, a library, a theater, and courts of quick justice." wikipedia.org

A rusty mining trolley, pushed or pulled by men and animals, sits just outside the famous St. George Hotel.

"The historical "Mother Lode" belts the county entirely across, extending north into El Dorado and south into Calaveras, and in Amador are found the most important and most numerous leads upon it." amadorgold.net

Cobblestone sidewalks in downtown Volcano

Platform base of Bandstand is reconstruction of original portable bandstand built around 1856.

Portable bandstand in Volcano and me.

Cool, old 7UP sign on the main market

Jug & Rose Baking Company gets 5 star rating on Yelp.com

Historic downtown Volcano and Jug and Rose Baking Company.

Main Street Volcano, California 2014

Volcano Jail, built 1857

The jail is virtually escape proof, and the story goes that its first prisoners were the men who constructed it.

The Masonic Lodge, built in 1856 by Samuel Hayes and James Adams

Later that day we took a guided tour of the Black Chasm Caverns, designated a national natural landmark in 1976 because of it's rare helictite formations.

Due to low light and my iPhone, my photos do not do this type of formation justice. You must see this in person.

a wide variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and the vast arrays of rare helictite crystals, for which Black Chasm Cavern is justly famous.

Although small, Volcano is a town of many "firsts":
1854 First theater group in California
1854 First debating society in California
1854 First circulating library in California
1855 First private schools in California
1855 First private law school in California
1856 First legal hanging in Amador County
1860 First astronomical observatory in California
1978 First solar still in California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano,_California

Volcano (No. 29 California Historical Landmark)
sierranevadageotourism.org

Thai Crab and Mango Salad with Lime Pineapple Jalapeño Mint Dressing

2013-11-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

Dungeness Crab fresh out of the Pacific Ocean in a Thai style salad. Fresh mango, cucumber, basil, cilantro, mint, avocado, carrots, green onions, and mixed greens. For the dressing I blended pineapple, jalapeño, mint and lime.

No oils, no dairy, no gluten. Paleo. Local.

Ingredients:

- 2 or 3 fresh whole Dungeness Crabs
- 2 mangos
- 1 or 2 cucumber
- 1/2 cup basil
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup mint
- 3 scallions, green parts only
- 3 carrots, finely julienned
- 1/2 pineapple cut and blended
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- Mixed greens or 2 bunches of watercress
- Sriracha
- 1/2 cup fish sauce

Start with the carrots since they will need to marinate for about an hour. Chop or julienne. Mix the fish sause and sriracha in a bowl and add carrots. Set aside and get to the dressing next.

In a VitaMix blend the pineapple, 2 tablespoons of fresh mint and the fresh lime juice. Place this mix into a bowl and add the scallions (green onions) and fish sauce.

Place this in the fridge to settle.

After cooking your crab for about 10 minutes, clean it. If you need instructions on how to do this, please check out How to Cook and Clean a Crab.

Chop the greens and the mango and mix in a very large bowl.

Now you can drain the carrots from their bath and place them in the bowl of mixed greens. NOTE: Toss the carrot bath mix. You do not need or want that in your salad.

Drizzle the pineapple dressing on the mixed greens and toss until evenly distributed.

Do not add the crab to this large mixing bowl. Plate the mixed greens and top with fresh crab.

Garnish with the avocado and left over cucumber and serve cold.

How To Cook and Clean Fresh Dungeness Crab

2013-11-12T20:18:00.009-08:00

First you should have a current fishing license and know the legal crabing areas outside the Bay. Second, you should keep the male crabs while tossing back all female crabs so they can reproduce more crabs for next season.

Note: Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) may not be taken from, or possessed if taken from INSIDE of San Francisco and San Pablo bays at any time. For complete regulation information, see the California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet. Read more here: Fishing Map Of San Francisco Dungeness crab

If you look at a crab’s underside, there’s a 'flap' or apron with a distinct shape. Male crabs have a narrow, long apron and female crabs have a wide, triangle apron. Please make sure to return females back to the ocean. It's not legal to keep the females.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add one or two carbs. The crabs should be fully submerged and covered by water. The water will stop boiling for about 3 ot 5 minutes when the carbs are first put into the water. It's OK. Boil the crabs for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on their size. After boiling or steaming your crab, take them out of the water and 'clean' them for storage.

For starters, turn the crab over and use your thumb to pull the apron away from the body. See above photo

Place both thumbs into the apron area to pull apart the carapace from the body. The carapace detaches completely from the body, but watch out for the yellow guts. They sometimes fly all over the place.

Here you see the yellow guts in the carapace. Rinse the yellow guts off the body. I don't keep the carapace. Some people enjoy eating this part of the crab, but I do not.

Cleaning a crab is very time consuming and messy. Take your time and sample as needed.

Remove the gills from around both sides of the body. What I'm holding in my hand on the left side of photo

Decision time: Do you want to crack the body in half down the middle and server as is OR do you want the crab meat without the shell...?

Two crabs ready for anything!

I'm going to remove all the crab meat from the shell to make a salad. Remove the legs first and place them somewhere safe while you clean the body.

Crack the crab leg shell with a hammer or crab cracker. I've not mastered this process yet, but a good hammer and some chopsticks are very useful in a pinch. Toss the shell and keep the meat.

Now I have my crab meat ready for a salad, crab cakes, crab omelette or by itself with butter.

Thai Crab mango, carrots, cucumber Salad mixed with lime-pineapple-jalapeño-mint dressing. Another favorite is Crab Avocado Mango Salad with Pomegranates! You must try all of these dishes!

Crab Avocado Mango Salad with Pomegranates

Or an omelette like the one below?

Crab Omelette with ginger, green onions, corn, eggs, basil, avocado, and red onions with a side of brown rice, ginger and mint.

Crab Avocado Mango Salad with Pomegranates

2013-11-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

Take one:
Dungeness Crab with avocado, mango salsa, citrus dressing, and garnished with pomegranates

Take two:
Add arugula to the dungeness crab salad

Take three:
Stuffed avocado with dungeness crab. Add arugula as a base to help the avocado sit and not roll around on the plate

Ingredients:

- 1 Fresh dungeness crab meat (I harvest my own dungeness crab out of the Pacific Ocean, cook and clean it myself)
- 1/2 mango
- 1/4 of a whole orange, just the juice
- 1/3 cup red sweet onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 whole lime - juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of lime rind
- 1 small jalapeno chopped fine
- 2 avocados cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 fresh pomegranate

Make the salsa first

In a bowl mix the olive oil, lime juice, lime rind, orange juice, cumin, jalapeno, cilantro, red onions, and chopped mango. Put that in the fridge to marinate while you work on the crab and avocado.

Cut the avocado any way you want. Cut it 1/2 and stuff it. Slice it in small strips and plate it. Toss it in a salad.

Tossed avocado and crab salad

Say hello to my friends from the Pacific Ocean.

America's Cup San Francisco

2013-09-13T12:16:00.001-07:00

Team Oracle USA at the Oracle Base at Pier 80 in San Francisco. Watching the Start and finish of race #6 an #7

8AM at the Oracle USA base in San Francisco to cheer the boys off - this place is massive and under very tight security

Friends and Family cheer on Team Oracle USA while AD/CD blasts in the background

I didn't realize the team boards at 9:30AM and are out on the water until the start of the race at 1:10 - long day for these guys.

Chase boat is ready at 9:30 as well

Off they go!

Inside they were giving tours of the base, no photos after this section. It was very interesting to see how the boats were built, the ovens used and where it all takes place. The hanger is massive

The Team Oracle USA base in San Francisco

Old sails from past races hang in the media lounge - very nice area and good coffee.

At the America's Cup at Pier 27 in San Francisco, Artemis skipper Iain Percy gives his 2 cents on race #6

Just for the Halibut!

Emirates Team New Zealand wins races 6 and 7 and it's now 6 to -1

Just after the victory gun, Emirates Team New Zealand sails by pier 27 with San Francisco Bay Bridge in the background

Some woman photo bombed my picture!! Damn her! Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Oracle USA

About 3:30 after race #7, Jimmy Spithill walking back to base at the end of the day.

Oracle wing after a day for racing

Pulling Oracle boat 17 out of the water

San Francisco Sept 2012 back when they were still on the AC45's -- Americas Cup Photos

Here are Club45 with America's CupCake at the St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC)

Team Oracle USA grinder at Club45 for the America's CupCake event Sept. 2012

Jonathan “Jono” Macbeth's talking about sailing and the sport at Club45

Grinder Jonathan “Jono” Macbeth at America's Cupcake event 2012

Sept 2012 on the San Francisco Bay with all teams for the 34th America's Cup series: Luna Rossa Challenge, Artemis Racing, Oracle Team USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, J.P. Morgan BAR, Energy Team, China Team

Artemis Racing on the Bay with Alcatraz in background - America's Cup Series in Sept 2012

Luna Rossa and Alcatraz 2012

Getting the books signed at Marina Greens

Book and poster signing with the sailors of Team Oracle USA

Jonathan “Jono” Macbeth - What a smile!

Riding bikes around San Francisco with grinder Shannon Falcone of Team Oracle USA

Few people gather and ride around San Francisco - photo op with Falcone. Really cool guy

America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global With Team Artemis

America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global With Team Artemis

America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global With Luna Rosa

America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global With Emirates Team New Zealand

America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global With Emirates Team New Zealand

Cake at the America's Cup "Challengers Countdown Reception" benefiting YachtAid Global

Photo op with Paul Cayard American yachtsman, professional sailor and CEO of Artemis Racing. He also lives near me so i can add neighbor.

Burning Man Black Rock City in the Dust 2013

2013-09-08T15:18:00.001-07:00

Getting my hair done at Burning Man 2013

From San Francisco to my camp total hours - 13 hours door to door. Sunday Night around 7:30PM at a total stop 7 miles from Gerlach, NV

You can ride your bike there. It might be faster to take the train to Reno, then ride your bike! This woman passed me as I was going 0.2 miles an hour.

Or you can fly in to Burning Man for a small fee of... Not sure, I got this one for free. I went up with Burning Sky camp to watch the skydivers jump!

When everything else fails, purchase a ticket on the sailboat (from Alameda, CA) and sail on in to burning man.

Found my camp around 10PM at night, hopped on my bike and went out to explore the playa. Now this is cool!

Speed boat at Burning Man - lots of boat this year.

Big Heart on the Playa

Always end your night with Sunrise at Robot Heart in the Outer Playa - My favorite way to end the night

Old school hair salon outside of the man. Getting my hair done after a long night out

Maybe you prefer to wakeboard around the playa. Wakeboarding on a skateboard at Burning Man

Tennis anyone - right before the Monday day party at Garage Mahal

SS Malibu at the Monday Day Party at Garage Mahal Camp

Dictators and despots, privates and seamen - mobilize by land, air or sea and join Garage Mahal on MONDAY afternoon at Burning Man for a celebration of all things militaristic. Come dressed in your finest tyrannical attire, fantastic fatigues and martial couture. Weapons of mass destruction are strongly encouraged.

Garage Mahal on MONDAY afternoon at Burning Man Bring out your big guns.

Dictators and despots, privates and seamen - mobilize by land, air or sea and join Garage Mahal on MONDAY afternoon at Burning Man for a celebration of all things militaristic. Come dressed in your finest tyrannical attire, fantastic fatigues and martial couture. Weapons of mass destruction are strongly encouraged.

♥ Aim your heat-seeking missile at our targets of opportunity!

♥ Engage in psych ops with new recruits!

♥ Enroll in basic training or suffer a dishonorable discharge!

♥ Enjoy our Agent Orange Punch!
(BRING YOUR I.D. - We will be checking them.)
Featuring bunker-busting beats on the Space Cowboys' Unimog by:
1200-1300: XO (Jory Phillips)
1300-1400: Deckard (Space Cowboys)
1400-1500: Tamo (Space Cowboys/Angels of bAss)
1500-1600: Shissla v sh00ey (Space Cowboys)
1600-1700: DingDong v JoeJoe (Brass Tax)
1700-1800: Trotter (Royal Soul Records)
1800-1??0: Jack Frost (Antarctica)

It's our DUTY to rock your BOOTY. See you at 1200 hours.

Garage Mahal on MONDAY afternoon at Burning Man

It's cheaper to drink at my camp sailor!

After the day party, this sailor hoped on a ship to sail the seven seas

Risking imprisonment, this stowaways was allowed to stay on the ship and sail away

Then we saw a big, big Ducky

So we drank more hoping it would help... with our sailing

UFO Crash Site Alpha 13. Poor little ET needs to learn to park his ride. Lucky for him, no parking tickets today

Jumped ship and got back on the SS Malibu and we headed to Distrikt!

Surfing at Distrikt was never better - surfboards and Distrikt 2013

Zebra People stampede Distrikt once again. These South African's traveled the distance to be here!

>

Flying GoPro at Distrikt - You are always being watched.

GIANT VW BUS AT BURNING MAN - sorry I was yelling, but this is so cool!! I have always wanted a VW BUS!!!

Best Day Party on the Playa - Distrikt (the old Deep End)

DJ booth at Distrikt

Skate Park at Burning Man - Get your boards or just use one of theirs. Nice little skateboarding park at BRC

Big Bug on the Playa - I think this is a cockroach

Then we had a wedding at our camp on Wed night

Wedding reception at our camp

Guest of the bride and groom at our camp

Weddings at Burning Man - Guest of the bride and groom

Wedding at our camp

Weddings at Burning Man

Best Coffee on the playa Sunrise Coffee - Me and my playa friend stoked for our daily trip over here

COFFEEE at Sunrise Coffee Burning Man

After coffee we road our bikes to the Duck Pond at Burning Man to ride the bucking duck

This guy can ride! Duck Pond Burning Man

I couldn't even get on the thing!

White Wed at Burning Man. I ended up going on an airplane ride up to 11,500 feet to watch skydivers jump out to the Playa. I was lucky to be a firefly! Burning Sky

A little dusty, but we are going up! Here I'm at the Black Rock City airport at Burning Man

Black Rock City Airport at Burning Man 2013

Take off and an aerial shot of the Playa at Black rock City Burning man

This is an aerial shot of Black Rock City at Burning Man 62,000 people 2013

Yay With my Swiss Jummper for Lauterbrunnen

Sunrise at the Temple with some IMAX guys. They are filming a documentary called Sand To Ashes about burning man. I look forward to seeing it.

Sunrise at Temple with the filming of Sand to Ashes, a new imax film about burning man

Sunrise at Temple with the filming of Sand to Ashes, a new imax film about burning man

Then there was another sunrise at Robot Heart at Burning man where I ran into allllll of my friends

Robot Heart Love

Golden Gate Bridge at Robot Heart Sunrise with my friends

I'm always ready with fire... I'm medically trained

Hunter S. Thomson at Burning Man right at Sunrise

Hunter S. Thomson at Burning Man right at Sunrise

Big, Big Ducky again...

Playa Barbie doll at burning man BRC edition

Houses and wagons

Bubbles and Bliss - morning sparkling wine

Bubbles and Bliss - morning sparkling wine

It all starts and ends at Distrikt

We are flying sailors

Join us if you can!

Fred and the Tahoe Crew at Distrikt!

Waiheke Island Yacht Club (WIYC) Pop-up Restaurant San Francisco

2013-08-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the America’s Cup backing, restaurateur Tony Stewart, who owns Clooney and The Hamptons in Auckland, brings Waiheke Island Yacht Club pop-up restaurant to San Francisco. The restaurant is named after an island off Auckland's coast and serves Asian influenced New Zealand cuisine.

Located in Pier 29 on The Embarcadero in San Francisco

As you walk over the artificial grass and up a few steps, you are greeted by lovely host flown in from New Zealand. From what I've read, some of the staff was flown in from NZ to give it an authentic flair. They are here for the life of the restaurant; July to the end of December.

Enjoy a California wine at the large wooden bar and relax on one of the sheepskin-covered bar stools. To view more photos of the bar and restaurant, check out the Photo Book on their website.

The décor was created by New Zealand’s Fearon Hay and he used American oak and macrocarpa, which are woods native to New Zealand and the Bay Area. Keeping it local.

First Course: Pink Hopper Prawns, crackling, watermelon, cream fraiche & avocado. 15.00

Compressed watermelon and the very light cream dressing really made this dish. Very light, full of flavor.

‘Hawkes Bay’ Cervena (venison) Tartare, oyster, radish & fresh horseradish. 16.00

Beautiful, amazing, and unique flavors

Second Course: Smoked Duck Breast, liver parfait, apricot, plum, hazelnuts & brown butter (tapioca maltodextrin). 21.00

The liver parfait, hazelnuts and brown butter made this dish my favorite. The duck was full of flavor and the perfect portion size.

Food is like artwork - just look at the presentation, colors and plate.

Free Range Pork, abalone & kombu broth, potato, pickled daikon & watercress. 20.00

Desserts and Cheese: New Zealand ‘Kikorangi Blue’, local fromages, cranberry walnut bread, quince paste & fresh honeycomb. 20.00

I'll need to return to try the sweet desserts. The fresh honeycomb and blue cheese was amazing