The folks at Blue Highway Games sold me a new game recently, and now that I’ve conducted thorough play-testing aboard Two Lucky Fish, I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up!

[Click to enlarge: a hard-fought match between my father and me.]

The game is called Bananagrams, and despite what you may think, it’s not Scrabble. The Bananagrams website is very informative, with complete instructions and other information that should help you decide if it’s the type of game your crew will enjoy.

I’ll describe the game in a bit more detail below, but here’s why I think it’s an especially good boat game, in particular:

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I’m aboard Two Lucky Fish at Port of Edmonds, my home marina, and I’ve met several members of the Minnkota Cruising Club. They held a small Memorial Day service this morning, and I was invited to participate.

What a great idea. While it’s wonderful to be out on our boats for the long weekend, it’s also enriching to remember the reason for the holiday.

One of the club members, Bill Guthrie, is a bagpiper. His performance gave the service a bit of fanfare and a sense of ceremony.

Don Spinar delivered a short but powerful message, during which he read the poem “In Flanders Fields”. If you aren’t familiar with it, and even if you are, take a moment and read it.

After that, Bill played Amazing Grace on the pipes and we made a short procession to the end of the dock, where each of us dropped a poppy in the water.

I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.

Thanks, Minnkota Yacht Club, for letting me join in your tradition!

So claims Navagear informant Carl.

We’ve written about margarita recipes before, here and here.

Those are all wrong, according to Carl. Instead, here’s what you combine:

2 parts 100% Agave Tequila.
1 part Agave Nectar
1 part lime juice (from freshly squeezed limes
1 part water (pure spring water would be best)

Mix. Poor over ice. Garnish with a slice of lime. Salt the glass…or not…as you prefer.

Right off the bat, I was a little bit confused. What the heck is 100% Agave Tequila?! And along comes Wikipedia to my rescue…

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See, the website is http://getstorganized.com/, so if I’ve understood this correctly, we’re being implored to get…you know…”storganized”.

All kidding aside, this outfit has an entire line of creative, innovative storage solutions for homes, RVs, kayaks, and boats. Lots of these products are now available at Fisheries Supply.

There are a lot of clever ideas here, and GetStorganized  founder Theo Mittet obviously knows what works and what doesn’t. Check out Joe Grande’s blog posts about how he’s using some GetStorganized products aboard his boat, Whisper.

One of my favorites is the Smart Piston Tube. “It’s a short tube with a sliding closed cell foam piston which separates clean and dry items from wet and dirty ones. It is a wonderful way to separate clean and dirty socks and underwear without wasting space. Just pack your clean clothes into the tube. When your socks are dirty, push them in the opposite end of the tube, moving the piston back to the top.”

Hey, good idea!

Plus, he’s right here in Seattle, and I like to support local businesses whenever I can. Good luck, Theo!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Have a PFD Protocol! The Coast Guard and the Safe Boating Council seem to agree.

[Thanks to Captain Richard Rodriguez for pointing this out...I didn't even know it was National Safe Boating Week!]

SEATTLE - In preparation for the 50th Annual National Safe Boating Week, May 17-24, the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary along with boating agencies from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana are asking boaters and beachgoers to take special precautions before getting into the water as the boating season begins and summer temperatures rise.

To encourage the mandatory use of life jackets by children, Dairy Queen has teamed up with the Coast Guard and the state boating programs as well as other state and federal agencies to reward children wearing lifejackets with coupons for free ice cream. Dairy Queen has been a staunch supporter of boating safety for eight years and will again provide safe junior boaters with a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cone if they are 16 years old or younger and wearing a lifejacket while boating.

With record temperatures forecasted for the weekend anyone who chooses to beat the heat at a local river, stream, or pond should be very cautious as they could be entering a very deadly situation.

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During my recent voyage to Friday Harbor, it seemed to me that I needed a tide table several times a day, during various discussions and, of course, while underway. It’s no problem underway…I keep a little tide book at the helm.

But once I was out of the boat, talking with other skippers or planning a passage over lunch, I missed that little tide book. I don’t dare remove it from the boat, though…there’s just too much chance it won’t get back.

If only I had tide tables on my phone…

I decided to ask maritime electronics geek Ben Ellison (Panbo) where I could find tide predictions optimized for display on mobile devices. He referred me to ActiveCaptain’s Jeff Siegel, who, it turns out, knows a lot about this! Here’s what Jeff told me:

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I don’t know if it’s “gear” or “gadgets”, but I do know one thing: Bacon is delicious!

I also know that it’s a mess to prepare and to clean up after. It’s fine at home, but on the boat, I don’t really want the splattered grease and the messy pans. Let’s face it: as delicious as bacon is, preparing it on a small boat can be a major hassle.

Until now…

After an absence of over a year, Costco has finally brought back my beloved Ready Crisp bacon. Just in time for the summer cruising season!

I’m completely serious about this. I love Ready Crisp bacon. Here’s why:

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Aboard Vessel Assist Remedy, Captain Richard Rodriguez is consulting with Arwen about a particularly tricky maneuver.

Look at the concentration. I tell you, it’s an honor just to witness this kind of synergy.

I don’t know for sure if “famy” is a word. It’s the opposite of “infamy”, I figure.

Anyway, Two Lucky Fish and her crew made it into Captain Rodriguez’s Vessel Assist blog, but not in a bad way!

We got to visit Diligence, Captain Richard’s “home away from home”, yesterday before we headed out for a day of San Juan Islands cruising. What a sturdy and comfortable little ship. I can see what he likes about her.

However, speaking of infamy, I feel it’s necessary to note that after giving our mutual friend Mac a hard time for using his bow-thruster to dock, Richard’s Diligence features…what’s this?…a bow thruster!

If you don’t check Panbo every day (like I do), you ought to look at Ben’s post about Garmin’s “secret” bid to buy Raymarine. I don’t know enough about the marine electronics business to tell you what this might mean. It bears further study.