This is one of our regular island spiced breakfasts. We like ours served with sliced bananas and almond milk (or yogurt for a non-vegan).
Ingredients
4 cups Old Fashioned oats
1/8 cup brown sugar (1/4 cup if you prefer a sweeter granola)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 ½ TBSP ground cinnamon
1 ½ TBSP ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil (alternate use vegetable oil)
¼ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, or both mixed)
Directions
• Preheat oven to 275 F
• Mix all dry ingredients (except raisins), add oil, then molasses and stir to mix well
• Place onto 2 baking sheets (silicone baking sheets work best)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes. Watch for burning, as soon as it starts to brown, call it done. Allow to cool and mix in the raisins.
• Store in mason jars or a well-sealed container.
While cruising, we (mainly Gwyn) keep experimenting with new recipes, mostly vegan, and a few have become our favorites. So we have added new blog pages (see on the header above) to provide easy access to an alphabetical sort of the various recipes to make them easy to find after the blog post containing the recipe ages. So you will start seeing recipe posts as we get around to writing them up. First ones will follow this post. Enjoy.
Up bright and early as the sun was just coming up to catch the current flowing out of the Delaware Bay for most of our trip down the Bay to Cape May.
OK, so the Cohansey river was unique and absolutely isolated except for the very visible mammoth steam plume from the nearby Salem nuclear plant. Then again, I guess that’s better than a mammoth coal dust plume, at least as long as nothing goes wrong and someone figures out how to “retire” the plant eventually.
Once underway, it was the normal challenge of crabpot dodging – good thing I had that strong coffee.
Of course the crew kept a sharp eye out for crab pots.
The trip was uneventful until the current turned before we got to Cape May giving us a bit of a bucking ride rounding the Cape.
Lucky people who have a short enough mast to cut through the canal rather than go around the outside!
But we did get to see the beach where many like to hang out.
Finally we made it into the harbor and kicked back for the night. But not before the Coast Guard showed up and made all the boats move closer to shore so we were no where near the channel. Our shallow draft came in handy. Next day we had a quick look around the harbor then a long walk through town to the grocery store.
OK, so a classic shot on the bridge into Cape May
With groceries in hand, it was a long walk back to the boat for a beautiful sunset before setting off to Block Island.
OK, so we got a lazy start out of Chesapeake City. Decided to give Charlie a long walk in the morning and explore Chesapeake City. What a gorgeous town with many houses beautifully restored. Nothing was open on our early weekday walk and it was cloudy – but it was still beautiful! Have to return to explore in more detail. Anchorage was serene and calm in about 10 feet of water.
In the morningBlue Sky at rest in Chesapeake CityMain StreetTown HallTown Hall ClockBeautiful restorationBeautiful homeLoved the flower pot lady
However getting out the next morning proved a challenge. After all the posts online we expected problems but with our dilly dallying in town, we managed to leave right after low tide of 0.4 feet. Chart wise we should be good at 7.5 feet. However, we attempted multiple exits and found the deepest point at only 3.7 feet, so enlisting all 150 hp of our engines we furrowed our way, plough style, through the sand until we got out. Methinks there needs to be a bit of dredging there to get to the charted depth. There may have been deeper water somewhere but we sampled most of the exit (including the recommended NE corner) without success.
On the C&D canal leaving Chesapeake City behind
After breaking free, we had a delightful 1.5 to 2 knot current push through the canal to Delaware Bay. This made for a quick transit and a subsequent push down the Bay with the favorable current at about 1 knot until the tide turned about an hour before we got to the Cohansey River. (Local boat knowledge note – watch the tide line and if favorable stay to the channel side of the line. The current reverses in the shallows about an hour before it reverses in the channel). In short, if current is favorable, stay towards the channel until it turns.
Keep your air conditioners running courtesy of your local nuclear plantLots and lots of reeds and grasses – no beach in sight
Cohansey River – home sweet home for the night. Only place I have anchored where the power of the current kept us pointing at the current but the power of the 8 knot breeze kept us on top of the anchor despite the current. Boat, captain, and mates were all confused by this but we appear to be stuck solid for the night. Tomorrow – Cape May!
Chesapeake City sounded interesting so off we went the next morning motor sailing up the bay in 6 to 9 knot winds. It was pleasant albeit a bit sticky and hot as the temp climbed into the 90’s with humidity in the 70’s.
Then there was that darned catamaran that seemed to have a dead aim straight at us no matter how I altered course. #^&@%! Lo and behold, as we passed, we were enthusiastically greeted by Tommy Smith and crew!! Bonus! Undo the #^&@% and be delighted to meet such excellent friends on the journey – two days, two Annapolis friends.
Rest of the trip was more motoring than sailing due to a very light following wind that would have had us drifting along under 3 knots on wind alone. We arrived at Chesapeake City just in time to brace for another thunderstorm after having a bite to eat. Rained cats and dogs and of course our hatches leaked. Still working on that fix.
Chesapeake City just before our evening thunderstorm greeting
