Australia & New Zealand

[Don Guillette]

Next week my wife and I are heading off to Australia and New Zealand. I'll be off the air for a few weeks.

I love the folks from "down under". I met a bunch of them when the America Cup races were held in San Diego many years ago. The American boat crews were very stuffy but not the Aussies. We met a bunch of them at a bar on Shelter Island and all I wanted to do was buy them a round but they heard none of it - I had to put my money away as they were the biggest dudes I've ever seen in my life. The gals with them had the longest legs I've ever seen. I sell a lot of stuff in Australia and New Zealand and those folks are the easiest to deal with. I just love them and if I didn't like living in the US, Australia and New Zealand would be my next choice.

I'm a beer drinker and it's not easy ordering a tinney (beer) in Australia!! It goes like this ... Barman: "G'day mate, are you right with a "pot" of Victoria Bitters?" or "G'day mate, a jug of Melbourne Bitters?". Before you go to Australia you have to figure out what a "pot", "a jug" and "a pint" is. Also, you have to know what "are you right" means?. It means "are you OK with".

The high point of this trip for me will be a America Cup Boat shore cruise in Auckland. We did that same shore cruise in St Martins a few years ago. Before the event the skipper asked if anyone wanted to be the guest skipper. I raised my hand and got the job. We were about 5 miles off shore at the end of the cruise and the skipper had his eye on two blondies, but he couldn't drive the boat and deal with the gals at the same time. I noticed his problem and asked him how these boats handle. He asked me if I had any sailing experience, which I told him I did, and he said that I should take the wheel and drive the boat back. Now he had only one thing to deal with.

What a thrill it was. As Chris Mathews once said "A chill went down my leg!!" but not for the reason he had. These America Cup boats are so responsive. They handle like a race car and you need "soft hands" or you over steer.

Be checking in with you guys "from down under".

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Enjoy the trip Don but forgo the VB beer and do it right with Steinlager. VB is only a shade above XXX.

 

[Don Guillette]

Don: OK, I'll take you advise and toast the first beer in your name!!

I notice you sail on Narragansett Bay - I grew up on Narragansett Blvd in Edgewood, RI not far from Edgewood YC. Graduated from La Salle Academy and Providence College and went to work for a RI company - Amica Ins Co. Loved sailing on "the Bay". Loved the "Beetle Cat". Of all the boats I've owned - power and sail - that boat is my all time favorite.

 

[woodster]

I would wish you good luck on your trip down under ...but haveing been there i know you will not need it because you will be in the hands of some of the finest host this world has to offer....just dont have a dingos breakfast ( a leak, a yawn, and a look around ) when you are down there...and if you like the art gallries in Arizona...and are close to Melbourn go to a place about a hours ride called Daylesford in Hepburn Shire and spend the the day you will love it i am sure of it ......

regards

woody

 

[sandpiper10471]

When in Auckland, go the the Maritime Museum, right across the road from the America's Cup boat. Allow yourself at least a full day there. I did four, but maybe I am kind of slow. Wonderful progression of performance dinghies through history, including Bruce Farr's first design - a Moth dinghy.

 

[Don Guillette]

Don S/V Illusion: I've seen Steinlager in our local markets but I thought it was a German beer. I didn't realize it was a New Zealand beer and their biggest seller, so I decide not to wait until I got to New Zealand and bought a 12 pack this morning - it's now half gone!! I shared a couple of them with my neighbor. My wife wanted to know why we were drinking beer at 10:00AM? I told her it's 5:00PM somewhere, maybe New Zealand (actually, I think they're behind us time wise but I'm not sure), and that I was conducting an experiment.

You gave me a good beer suggestion, MATE!!

 

[Benny17441]

Not to mention it is spring season down there. Bailing out on us in the winter, ah?

 

[Don Guillette]

Just got back from Australia/New Zealand. Great trip, both are beautiful countries but I've never seen so many sail boats in one place as I did in Auckland. Someone told me one in four families has a boat. Didn't get to go out on the America Cup boat, which happens to be right next to the place the helo crashed a couple of days ago.

When we were leaving the harbor in Sydney the cruise ship ended up in the middle of a race fleet. My cruise ship next door neighbor happened to be a sailor and as we watched the boats he asked me what I thought of the sail trim on the race boats. I answered with the question, what do think of the sail trim and what would you change. He told me the trim on all the boats looked pretty good to him. That answer got him a beer at the bar because the trim on EVERY boat in the race was perfect!!

All the beers were great. I tried them all -Toohy's, XXXX, VB, Steinlager and a bunch of the local brew stuff. Saw some of the greatest looking woman in the world and that was before the first beer. After a few they looked even better.

 

[Rick D]

Don, Those Beers...

...are called beer goggles!

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Don S/V Illusion: I've seen Steinlager in our local markets but I thought it was a German beer. I didn't realize it was a New Zealand beer and their biggest seller, so I decide not to wait until I got to New Zealand and bought a 12 pack this morning - it's now half gone!! I shared a couple of them with my neighbor. My wife wanted to know why we were drinking beer at 10:00AM? I told her it's 5:00PM somewhere, maybe New Zealand (actually, I think they're behind us time wise but I'm not sure), and that I was conducting an experiment.

You gave me a good beer suggestion, MATE!!

Glad you enjoyed the trip, and the beer Don. I've been somewhat fortunate in that a local liquor store here at home was kind enough to order me some Steinlager but it just tastes better there! Maybe fresher; maybe the ambience of Auckland or Sydney Harbors. Probably both!
I can't recall the street in Auckland behind the marina with all the marine stores. Never imagined there could be so many, so close and each one more helpful than the next.

Welcome back to reality.

 

[RichH]

Welcome back .... the forum has been 'slim' without you !!!!

BTW/FWIW - my extended family once owned a major beer brand (brewery). They would never drink any beer older than ~10 days after processing was finished.
In southern Germany and in Austria, etc. anything older than ~10-14 days ---- goes to the sewer. If you remove all the 'biologicals' via 'micro-filtration', etc. in order to gain 'stability', the beer will then taste 'morbid'. 'Good' beer is a 'living fluid' and you HAVE to drink it 'fresh'. !!!!!
.... and then there are some 'beers' that have 'meat tenderizer' (papain enzyme extract) added that essentially dissolves your tongue so you think its 'smooth' --- would be an absolute hanging offense in 'the old country'.

.... anyway, welcome back and hope that someone saved you some leftover TURKEY.

 

[Don Guillette]

RichH: With every place we visit the local brewery is one of my first stops - I love the stuff (most of the time) that the locals brew up. Two of the best here in AZ are in Prescott and Bisbee. I have a spare refridge in the garage, which I converted to a kegerator - holds a 1/4 keg. It's the hit of our neighborhood. My wife had a fit when she heard what I was going to do but I drilled the hole for the spigot before telling her. It's always better to ask for forgiveness than permission!!

We missed turkey on turkey day BUT my first stop after we got over the 4 hour flight from Auckland to Melbourne and then 16 hours to Lax and another 1 hour to Tucson (why our travel agent routed us backwards to Melbourne when we then had to fly over Auckland is beyond me) was the super market to buy a turkey. I'm going to smoke it in a couple of days.

The following has nothing to do with sail trim but some listers might find it interesting. I'm a big fan of the Pitmasters BBQ TV program and a couple of months ago I decided to buy a smoker like the cooks on the program use where the fire box hangs off the side of the cooking area. I couldn't afford the $800 and up models so I bought the Char-Griller Smokin' Pro Grill & Smoker from Walmart (best price I found at $157) and proceeded to modify it.

I replaced the cheap wood with oak, added 4 bigger wheels, installed tunning plates to better regulate the heat, added thermometers, extended the chimney down to the cooking grate and sealed all the leaks. The higher priced smokers parts fit together better but you get what you pay for.

Cook time means nothing when you're smoking. It's all about the temperature both in the meat and the smoker itself!! I purchaced a temp probe that measures both. Additionally, the temp gauge that comes with the unit is junk and it's in the wrong place. I installed 3 high quality temp gauges - one on the fire fire box and two on the bottom part of the lid. I also converted the rig to propane so I don't have to mess with charcoal and propane makes it easier to control the temperature.

I've smoked ham, St Louis ribs (my favorite and best cook so far), tri tip, brisket and chicken. All came out great and taste better than anything I've done on my 4 burner BBQ. When I fire up my smoker it draws a neighborhood crowd!! Hopefully, the turkey will come out great. The max temp for the turkey is 165 degrees. I'll take it off at 160 degrees and let it cook up by itself to 165. It's overcooked over 165 and don't trust the pop up thermometer that comes with the bird. Remove it and place your temp proble in its place.

A great web site for smoking info is www.amazingribs.com. It's more info about smoking than you can digest. I got my smoker conversion plans from that site.