Booze and Boat Bits #2 (5 short items of interest)

1:  Yesterday was one of my worst sailing experiences ever.  It wasn't the boat, and it wasn't the wind.  It was the dynamic of the people aboard the vessel.  I think it was also something dark welling up from the murk and ruins under Lake Union, because there seemed to be a general sense of grumpiness and lack of good cheer among all the Duck Dodge participants.  Why else would we see no one raft up at the end of the race, especially on Pirate Night???  All dressed up and in no mood to party.  What made yesterday even more disappointing was that this was the night we chose to introduce Bev to the Dodge.  This was not a total failure, but it was a lesson and a letdown.  The event is well-described by Zanne over at Zzyzx Kitchen.

2:  You must join the Revolution.


3:  Divers from the Center for Wooden Boat's Lake Union Project found something far worse than a sunken barge:  a dead man.  This is not a joke, and it is not funny.

4:  While we were in Tacoma last weekend tending to the Kalakala, there was also beer happiness.  First, Zanne introduced me to The Swiss, a funky and historic pub that's been around since the 1940's while the building itself dates back to 1913.  Here, over a couple of pints of my dear Kilt Lifter, Zanne and I debriefed after our ferry restoration experience.  Then, naturally, we hit Tacoma Boys and Sonic.  From the former I brought home a couple good finds, but the one I want to rave about is Stone's "Odd Year" special, the Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout.  This is brewed with anise, oak chips, and Belgian yeast, yet surprisingly the end result doesn't scream its ingredients.  It is simply a hard and heavy stout in, as everyone now knows, my favorite style.  This was a decent consolation to KGB's passing as a seasonal.  Of course, now it's summer, and everyone is putting out Gorram hefeweizens.  Bah.  Still, cheers--again--to Stone for some damned inventive brewing.

5:  As reported by Three Sheets Northwest, liveaboards in Seattle are being threatened again.  New regulations, if put into place, would limit liveaboards to 25% of slips at any given marina.  This could lead to simple and gradual attrition of community.  This is a lifestyle I was very, very close to becoming a part of, and, as both a sailor and a misfit, they have my support.  Let's hope that public outcry prevents these regulations from happening.  C'mon, Seattle, do something right for boaters.