DOING THE JAVA JIVE ON BOARD BIANKA

I like coffee and I like tea

I like the java jive and it likes me

Coffee and tea and java and me 
A cuppa, cuppa, cuppa, cup

Java Jive by The Ink Spots

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Now Capt. Mike likes his coffee in the morning. But, make no mistake I don't pick my anchorages by their proximity to a Starbucks. I tend to get up early since watching the sunrise is one of the simple pleasures on board to be enjoyed with a mug of hot coffee.   I have two ways to make coffee on board. One is with a 12 ounce Bodum French Press Coffee Maker as shown in the photo above. It makes a good cup of coffee. It claims to be able to make three cups but, that would only be for ladies who lunch with pinkies raised. For me it makes only a mug with a little left over. On the negative side it does require one to strain it when pouring into the mug and then of course one has to get rid of the messy grounds at some point to clean it.

Since I hate to wait for my coffee I have found a great alternative to brewed coffee. One that does not have me waiting for that first sip. My preference for my morning joe is Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Coffee . Purist may scoff but, I find the taste very acceptable and is not as acidic and has none of the chemical taste that occurs with other store bought brands. Best of all  a teaspoon or more makes a robust flavored coffee that is drinkable soon as you pour the boiling water into the mug. Plus there are no grounds to clean up or make mess. Add a little splash of some Irish Cream liquor or rum and I'm ready to really enjoy the morning. I also use it when I feel like having a nice Iced Coffee drink in the afternoon since it will dissolve in cold milk too! I originally found the small 2 oz containers in a supermarket but, lately they seemed to have disappeared from the shelves. So I now order it in bulk Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Coffee from Amazon. This ensures I'll be able to have a good fast cup of coffee on board whenever I want it.

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A DOCKING WAKE UP CALL

I ran out of water last night. Both water tanks on BIANKA were now empty. Well, it looks like I'll have to take the boat to the dock for the first time since June. So when I awoke at around six am I made plans to head over to the dock and refill the water tanks. Normally, this would be a liesurely procedure. I would first have my usual Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Coffee  along with a muffin or perhaps a Granola bar. But, there was an added urgency this morning. The winds were currently 7 to 10 knots out of the south but, they were expected to pick up to 15 to 20 with higher gusts as a cold front approaches. I wanted to be off the dock before they pinned me to the dock if I could help it. So I skipped my wake up coffee. In the cockpit I planned my approach to tie up to the face dock  of the marina. I even took into account the falling tide and wanted the bow to face the current as I docked. I thought about the logistics and which side to put the fenders on. I took out my dock lines and fenders and rigged them up on the side that I was sure was my plan. After they were rigged I went forward to drop off the mooring and then realized that everything was rigged on the wrong side for my plan.  So I had to re position everything again.
LESSON LEARNED: Next time take fifteen minutes and have your coffee before working on any plans or urgent ideas in the morning.