Simple gifts of welcome or thanks
Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016
While cruising, we receive help from other sailors on an almost daily basis. While a bottle of wine rarely goes unappreciated, it’s sometimes nice to say “thank you” with something special and homemade. Here are some of my favorite gifts, all of them quick to make and easy to stow.
Catch-of-the-day BBQ rub
Bottling your favorite spice mix or rub makes a great and easy-to-stow gift. Here is my favorite barbeque rub for freshly caught fish.
Makes about 10 tablespoons of spice mix, enough to fill a small spice jar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon coriander
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Mix your spices and put them in a decorative jar.
Hot rum mix
If ever there was a beverage for a cold night on the boat, it has to be hot buttered rum. This delicious hot rum recipe is sure to warm the cockles of fellow cruisers’ hearts. To add to this gift, you could include a bottle of your favorite rum.
Ingredients
1 stick salted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
Mix ingredients well until blended and put them in a decorative jar. Add a label with mixing instructions (one tablespoon of hot rum mix, one shot of rum, and one cup of boiling water).
Margarita marmalade
This twisted marmalade is great for both sweet and savory cooking and requires only four ingredients, all of which you’re likely to have on board. My favorite use for this marmalade is to put a dollop on top of cheese and crackers for a decadent happy-hour snack.
Makes 4 cups marmalade
3 pounds limes
4 cups sugar
1⁄2 cup tequila
4 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (such as Cointreau, or Conroy if you’re in Mexico)
Remove lime zest and slice it into 1⁄16-inch slivers. Juice limes and add water as needed to produce 4 cups of liquid. Coarsely chop juiced limes and tie in a cheesecloth bundle. In a pot, combine zest slivers and the 4 cups of liquid, immerse the cheesecloth bundle, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Remove cheesecloth bundle, return to a boil, add sugar. Reduce heat to simmer and stir until the mixture sets up (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in tequila and orange-flavored liqueur. Preserve your margarita masterpiece by canning.
A personalized map
Pick up a couple of extra maps the next time you’re at the tourist information center. As you explore, mark up the map with information especially useful to sailors: the best place to park a dinghy, a great chandlery, your favorite coffee shop, or the spot with the best fish tacos in town. Personalized travel maps are a fun way to thank a cruiser who’s just arrived in a new port or who’s sailing in the opposite direction.
A cruising care package
Package some of your favorite goodies for a new friend’s next long passage. Items such as sunscreen, ginger chews, chocolate, earplugs, tea, eye mask, and wet wipes are all good things to have on board. Bundle them up in a mesh bag that can later be used for storing fruits and veggies.
Sailboat glamour shots
Sailors love their boats like they love their children. We can really never have enough pictures of our floating pride and joy. Take a couple of glamour shots of a fellow sailor’s boat the next time you’re both out of the harbor. Print your photo and attach it to cardstock to make a personalized card.
A salty tale
Everyone loves a good sailing story. Give your favorite sailing book as an eBook or audiobook. For inspiration, see Good Old Boat’s Audio Sea Stories collection, which contains several salty titles in each format ranging from $15 to $20 (www.audioseastories.com).
Whether it’s a card, gourmet galley provisions, or a cruising care package, these thoughtful, easy-to-stow gifts are sure to leave your fellow sailors smiling. Happy gifting!
Fiona McGlynn started sailing dinghies at age 6 in British Columbia’s Deep Cove, North Vancouver, where she spent most of her time bobbing in the water because she enjoyed capsize drills more than sailing itself. In 2015, Fiona and her partner, Robin Urquhart, left Vancouver in their Dufour 35, MonArk, and plan to sail to the South Pacific. Read about their (mis)adventures and “boatsteading” tips at www.happymonarch.com.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
