Limes

Not for nuttin' let's talk about Limes.

Here at ORYC the transients are all but gone, we're the hold outs and will be heading out shortly, as soon as Bonnie goes away. After two months its time to shake out the sails and try our hand at sea once again. Over the course of the last several weeks we've met a number of folks both at the resort and the marina. One of the nicest gestures has been those folks departing leaving us gifts. To be more specific we've been gifted tomato sauce, olive oil, fruit, eggs, laundry detergent, coffee, etc... ; on our budget these items are much appreciated. However, there is one particular item that everyone has gifted to us, limes.

Why is it that everyone buys limes but no one seems use them? Is there some universal imperitive that directs poeple in the tropics to buy limes and then because the lime is thought to be magical they never eat them?

Limes are a small citrus fruit, Citrus aurantifolia, whose skin and flesh are green in color and which have an oval or round shape with a diameter between one to two inches. Limes can either be sour or sweet, with the latter not readily available in the United States. Sour limes possess a greater sugar and citric acid content than lemons and feature an acidic and tart taste, while sweet limes lack citric acid content and are sweet in flavor. (Wikipedia).

What is the attraction of the lime? Are the limes in a grocery store the fruity equivalent of the lobster cleaning the inside of the restaurants fish tank, "Don't eat me, I just work here, but please take me home and release me."

Do limes have some telepathic ability allowing them to control us less developed fruits. Don't leave me here with the oranges and grapefruits, take me home and worship me by placing me in a bowl on the counter.

Is it that we all understand the lime to have mystical powers and we wish to be in their good favor by selecting them to go home with us?

In India, the lime is used in Tantra for removing evil spirits. It is also combined with Indian chilis to make a protective charm to repel the evil eye. Furthermore, it was believed that hanging limes over sick peoples cured them of the illness by repelling evil spirits lurking inside the body. (Wikipedia)

Could this be a Bahamian t'ing? Do all visitors to the Bahamas understand the connection of the lime to the British empire and therefore take a bunch home to recall the glory days of Brittania.

In order to prevent scurvy during the 19th century, British sailors were issued a daily allowance of citrus such as lemon, and later switched to lime, which was not as effective at preventing scurvy but led over time to the nickname "limey" for all Britons. (Wikipedia, I have to say here and now that I believe this internet thing is going to catch on).

Perhaps it's the limes apperance, after all green denotes balance, harmony, and stability. Green is life. Abundant in nature, green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment. After making a trek across continents to land on the sandy white shores of the Bahamas do weary travellers need the soothing charms of GREEN. Remeber, its not easy being green. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiIWMWWVco .

What to do with the lime? Perhaps there is some festive way to celebrate the lime, to include it in our daily rituals, like saluting the setting of the sun. Perhaps there is an opportunity here to use the natural goodness of the lime and avoid yet another prefab, preserved concoction marketed to the masses, perhaps using the lime and its natural juices can put us in touch with our inner self, perhaps there is a limey recipe for greatness.

1 oz Gold Tequila, 0.5 oz Silver Tequila, 0.5 oz Triple Sec, 0.5 oz Orange Curacao, 0.5 oz Fresh Lime juice and 2 Lime Wedges. Rim margarita glass with salt. Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Squeeze limes and add to shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into a margarita glass.

Now we just need folks to leave us some salt; SALT, SALT, SALT!

TS Bonnie has passed us by and is now atop lower Florida. She has left us with gusty winds and a full day of rain both of which are keeping us tucked away down below. Our staying on board where it's cozy and dry is due soley to the passing of the storm and has nothing to do with having spent last night at Junkanoo. Perhaps we will hang up some limes to cure us of the hang over illness by repelling the evil spirits lurking inside our bodies.

Open Water SCUBA Diving Certification

Well, we are entering into our seventh week tied to a dock at the Ocean Reef Yacht Club, they make it just too damn attractive for us. We’ve gotten a little lazy and the girls love being right next to shore. We’ll be moving next month sometime…somewhere, but until then we will enjoy. So, what do we do with ourselves when we have land at hand and nothing but time? Much like Burgess Meredith we enjoy reading.

Although we actually get to read a lot and watch reruns of our favorite TV shows online, we also join in the various activities here at ORYC; Bingo, Karaoke, Sing-Alongs, Movie Night, etc…. In addition we, or should I say Vicky, decided to conquer a fear. We decided to take up Scuba Diving and today we completed our third and fourth dives with Grand Bahama SCUBA (http://www.grandbahamascuba.com/) going first to sixty feet onto a wreck and then later to forty feet onto some coral heads.

Our previous Scuba attempts were so called “resort” courses where you receive a few pointers then it’s off to twenty or thirty feet. OK…I made it to twenty or thirty feet and Vicky made it back to the beach! She just couldn’t get comfortable with the breathing. This time around we’ve done it right with Fred and Melinda Riger. First, with some pool side instruction followed by a couple of shallow dives to get ourselves accustomed to the equipment as well as just being, and breathing!, underwater.

For those that are wondering, Insurance companies rank SCUBA the 64th most dangerous recreational activity, the 63rd is Bowling. Scuba diving is very safe if you simply watch your air gauge. If you end your dive with plenty of air there is plenty of time to ascend slowly eliminating any of the ill effects such as the bends.

We both still enjoy snorkeling but there is something very special about the weightlessness and the relaxing feeling of simply ‘cruising’ around under water taking your time to observe the marine life. For the most part you are able to simply observe. Fish just swim around without paying much attention to you. That is…unless it is a remora!

A remora is a suckerfish that likes to attach to other fish (mainly sharks). They do this with their slat-like flat portion behind their head. They create a suction and take a firm hold against the skin of larger marine mammals. By sliding backwards they can increase the suction and they release by swimming forward.

On our third dive there was a remora that must have mistaken us for a ‘large marine mammal’. He started following us and was actually quite pesky. He was only a few feet long, with no teeth, so he wasn’t scary but pesky none-the-less. Imagine Vicky’s surprise when he snuck up from underneath her belly and decided he wanted to attach himself to her. Yep, it took her a few minutes to get her breathing back in rhythm! When we surfaced after our dive we asked Fred and Melinda about the remora. We found out he hangs out at this dive spot regularly so they have named him Edward. They couldn’t tell us why they chose the name Edward, could it be the flat head?

So, the homework is done, we have completed our training, the dives were spectacular and our certification cards will be in the mail! It was not only fun but we can now say we actually accomplished something while spending our 2 months tied to a dock on the Grand Bahamas Island!

Puppy Ponderings

Hi! The humans have been giving you the low-down on our sailing adventure so far. We wanted to give you our side of the story!

My name is Mija (little girl in Spanish) and I just had my 8th birthday on July 1st. I sure am glad they decided to do this cruising life while I was younger! It is a lot of work keeping watch to make sure they don’t screw up out there. I also need to ‘run the rails’ periodically to make sure the coast is clear. While on my run it is important to bark at the waves to make sure they know who is in charge. I knew there was stuff under the water and this one day we were visited by Dolphins. They are big and grey and fast; I knew there was stuff under the water.

I am the eldest and have seen more of the world than that pip-squeak Chula. OK, truth be told, the only thing I have seen that she hasn’t is the state of CA but I don’t let on. I just let her think that before she arrived I led a life of high adventure.

How do I like the cruising life? Well, when the humans first bought the boat I wasn’t too thrilled. The first time out I laid on the cockpit floor and shook like a leaf! After a few times out I got my sea legs and now I am just a salty old dog. The only thing I like better than when we are out sailing is a dinghy ride! When they start lowering the dinghy I go crazy making sure they know I expect to come along for a ride.

Alright…Chula wants to chime in.

Hi, my name is Chula (cute in Spanish) and even though I am the youngest (three) I am 10 pounds heavier than Mija so everyone thinks I am the oldest. I am not sure why but humans have a need to point out my size. And, it is always the ones who are carrying extra ‘junk in their trunk’ that point out my size! Takes one to know one!

I love to eat! Thankfully the humans loaded up the v-berth with 150 pounds of our dog food along with puppy treats. Out in these remote islands you can’t find dog food so it was good thinking on their part! Not that I wouldn’t have minded eating human food!

Oh, the other thing the humans loaded up on was puppy pee-pads. Not for me mind you! I have great bladder control. The other one, well let’s just say she sometimes can’t make it through the night. They have dedicated one of the heads for her. They turn on a night light and put a pad down each evening. She is SO spoiled!

Everyone’s favorite question is, “Where do your dogs go potty?” Silly question! We are dogs so we go ‘outside’. When we are underway sailing or at anchor that means the outside rails of the boat. Sometimes we go up on the anchor locker. Our favorite time to go there is a night time so if Ed gets up to check on the anchor in the middle of the night he can find surprises! We hear some dogs ‘hold it’ until they get to shore. Why would you do that? It is so much fun to watch the humans pick up after us!

I have a lovely, thick black coat which makes cruising a bit more challenging. In the sun I get REALLY hot! I prefer to stay in the cockpit in the shade while Mija runs around the rails of the boat. My boy, Ed, is so good to me. The life jacket I used to have is one of those orange contraptions with a big Velcro band that went under my tummy. Whew…would I get hot! So, he went on line and found these really cool inflatable life jackets (Critters Inflatables) and what a big difference! Mom found a white t-shirt too that they wet down and put on me occasionally. I look so ridiculous in it that I put my tail between my legs when I wear it! OK…it does help keep me cool though.

Alright Mija, your turn.

Ball! While Chula and I don’t have much in common, the one thing we both are obsessed with is our ball! Our favorite thing is to go to the beach and chase the ball. I used to be afraid of the water. Matter-of-fact, I wasn’t even a good swimmer. When we lived in Long Beach, CA I wouldn’t even put my paws in the water’s edge. Now…I barrel right into the water. Most of the time though I let Chula swim out get the ball and take it from her when she gets to the beach. She needs the exercise!

I don’t like to be left behind on the boat when the humans go anywhere. I let them know by howling at the top of my lungs when they leave. It isn’t so much that they are leaving us behind as the fact that when the dinghy motor starts up…I want to go for a ride. A dinghy ride is my ultimate favorite thing. All they have to say is, “dinghy ride”, and I go crazy!

We are at a marina right now in The Grand Bahama Island. That means the humans have taken their bikes out of the lazarette. They also have this really cool dog cart (Crooser Carrier) that they can attach to one of the bikes so we can go places with them. Usually they take us to the beach! We didn’t like the cart too much at first and we barked non-stop to protest. Then, the benefits started to dawn on us. There are screens on all 4 sides so we get a really nice breeze….especially if Ed peddles fast! Then, of course we are in the shade. Lastly, Ed gets to do all the work while we relax!

So, how do we like our lifestyle? We love having the humans around all the time. They used to leave for 8-10 hours a day before we took off. They said something about needing to make money to buy dog food and puppy treats. We aren’t sure how they can afford our food now but we are happy to have them around more.

We will be leaving the Bahamas shortly and going to other islands. The humans just spent a day sending emails and filling out paperwork so we will be able to go to these other islands without being quarantined. I am not sure what that means but they say it wouldn’t be any fun. Can you imagine, some of the islands, like Jamaica, won’t even allow us to come there! If you show up at an island that doesn’t allow dogs, or without the right paperwork, they say they may even euthanize us. Again, not sure what that means but I hear it is worse than being quarantined! Mom says Noonsite is a good website for this kind of information. What we don’t understand is why the humans don’t need shots or proof of their good health. From what we hear, they can have things a LOT worse than fleas or ticks!

Let me tell you, before we left, we went to the vet so many times. I hate going to the vet so I am glad that is done with! We had to meet the PETS requirements (Pet Travel Scheme) for some of the islands so we were chipped, got a new rabies shot, got titer-tested and had a bunch of new shots that are required over here.

There is only one big responsibility we have while cruising. We have heard of these things called Pirates! The humans say that is a glamorous name for a thief! It is our job to bark whenever anyone approaches our boat. We haven’t mastered how to stop wagging our tails while we are barking but we hear it helps make you look tougher. Don’t tell those Pirates that we really are only hoping that they brought puppy treats!

In general, we LOVE cruising! We still get to sleep the day away like at home. But, instead of those boring walks around the block we get to play in the sand and the water. The humans love having us around because it makes the boat feel like a home. They even say it is worth the extra effort it takes to fill out the paperwork required to bring us along. If you are going to bring your puppy dog(s) along with you cruising (why wouldn’t you?!) here are some tips.

A. Start the vaccination and paperwork 3 months before leaving.
B. Micro-chip your dogs. You have to get a new rabies shot after chipping your dogs…no matter when the last shot was administered.
C. Some islands require a titer test which really simply verifies that the most recent rabies shot worked. This test takes 30 days after the rabies shot and blood work are done. The vet sends in the paperwork.
D. Go to Noonsite and the island’s websites to determine requirements. IE: The Bahamas require Lyme, Leptospirosis, Adenovirus and Coronavirus shots which you may not need in the USA. The only vet in the USA that we could find that had these vaccines was Banfield. If they are new shots for your dogs then they will need a booster shot one month later.
E. Bring their food. Dog food is hard to find in the ‘out islands’ and if you find it the price is dear! We brought 150 pounds of dry dog food stored in large Ziploc bags. We put their food in one of those large plastic bins, with a screw top lid and seal that you can find at Pets Mart, to keep it fresh.
F. Bring along an airline approved pet carrier and the associated tags/labels required in case you need to return to the states with your pet.
G. Bring plenty of Adams Flea and Tick spray. The islands abound with these buggers and this appears to be the product that works best.
H. Bring plenty of Advantix Flea and Tick monthly treatments (available at Banfield). This also is the preferred brand for the islands.
I. Bring plenty of dog shampoo. Your dogs need a fresh bath to get rid of the salt water the same way you do!
J. Bring a clipper and extra blades if you need to groom your dog. You won’t find dog groomer’s on too many islands. Bring a nail clipper as well. We use one of those Pedi Paws which work great…just bring along extra C-batteries.
K. Bring plenty of their medications. We use Sentinel Heartguard that also has a flea and tick sterilizer in it.
L. Bring plenty of ear cleaner. We use the liquid cleaner as well as the ear cleaning pads you can get at Pets Mart. You will go through more than you expect because of all the swimming.
M. Bring pee-pads if you can train your dog to use them. Placing one down every night can prevent an accident on your rug!
N. Oh yeah….don’t forget the puppy treats!