Today we went offshore to spear fish with our friends aboard Sandpiper. They go offshore to spear pretty much all the time for food, and have a Hawaiian sling (a type of spear) that we could try out. We found some coral and got into the water. Sandpiper got some fish right away. Grant saw a huge lobster in a hole but it was successful in hiding far enough in that we couldn’t get him!
Then, just as we were about to leave, Mark from Sandpiper came back with a fish and said he had spotted another lobster. Grant went over to the spot and speared a medium-sized lobster. Amelia spotted a mega-lobster and Mark speared it. It is the biggest lobster we have seen!
Our friends on Sandpiper put a lot of time into spearfishing and it really shows! They usually get snapper for dinner and will fillet Lion Fish too. They shared a Lion fish fillet with us and it was really good!
Because we only caught a medium sized lobster, we baked it for an appetizer and then made burritos with some chorizo from the store. Amelia made handmade tortillas because the store didn’t have any. She used 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons lard (substituted butter), 1 1/2 cups water. Mix all together and then lightly fry on a skillet.
The chorizo, can of black beans, onions and green pepper was heated up in the same pan after the tortillas were made. (The tortillas took a long time, rolling them out and heating them.)
And to finish the meal we added fresh cantaloupe slices, still chilled from the store! Fresh produce is still a luxury.
Sunday night was Oscars night—our chance to reconnect with American celebrity culture. Another cruising boat put on a voting contest at Chat and Chill, the bar on Volleyball Beach. Amelia spent hours researching websites and blogs to create her “winning list” because with all the business of cruising we haven’t seen or heard of most of these movies. She entered her picks into the contest’s computer (all very sophisticated) and won the grand prize, a bottle of Pusser’s Rum, by a landslide. Amelia would like to thank the NYT and Washington Post websites for their advice.
-We continue to relax here in Georgetown for a while, having fun with the regatta and scheming about what we will do for hurricane season.
VELOCIR 
Why am I not at all surprised that Amelia would win? Even when she doesnt know the movies, her innate abilities triumph over all..what a great grand prize!
That food look so good! I will definitely try those recipes…FYI, for the tortillas, the Mayan women in Guatemala take the dough for tortillas and roll it into balls, then flatten between their hands, and pull into a circle…theirs are corn, so might be different from your wheat, but it might be a faster technique…I will have to show you sometime!
What a great fishing/spearing adventure, you guys are getting good at this hunter-gatherer thing!
much love,
Emily
I sure envy you the seafood but am enjoying fresh produce so perhaps it’s a trade off! We spent yesterday skiing at Telluride so it was great to sit down this morning and look at pictures and read of sunny beaches! Great job on the Oscar picks, Amy. Yeah for internet research! Don’t feel badly about not seeing any of them; we haven’t seen many either! so I have added a ton of films to my Netflix list,when they come out.
Sounds like you are having great fun connecting with people again and some more opportunities for exploration. Glad to hear it.
Say high to your Mom & Dad when you see them; it should be any day now I believe.
Have fun, Aunt Sandy