Sloops, Cat Boats, Herreshoffs, boat builders, boat shows and more!

I’ve attended the annual Maine Boatbuilder’s Show in Portland, Maine a couple times in the last 5 years. All the gorgeous boats are what draw me in. I continually keep tabs on who’s making cat boats. I love the catboat with it’s gaff rigged sail, broad cockpit, stability in the water and it’s a breeze to sail. I don’t know of any specific boat builders in Maine making cat boats, but I’m sure you could find one willing to take on the project if you have the plans and specifications in hand. They might even go the extra yard to design one for you.

Great Harbor Boatworks, Southwest Harbor, Maine

This is an awesome boat yard and builder with deep roots in Maine. Great Harbor Boatworks, Southwest Harbor, Maine. The son of famed boatbuilder, author and story teller Ralph Stanley (see below).

Walking amongst the boatbuilders for me is a surreal experience. I suppose at some point in my life I’ll at least attempt to build a boat. I was accepted a few years ago into the Apprentice Shop boatbuilding school in Rockland, Maine but because of some serious knee issues I ended up declining the 2 year apprenticeship and since then I’ve been on the outside looking in, but what a view! The wooden (and even fiberglass) boats displayed at this boat show and others like it in Maine are incredible. It’s also fun to talk to the builders themselves as many are not representing large companies, but are the actual boat builders themselves. You can feel the love of handcrafting a boat in their voices and in their eyes as they describe the process that goes into the final product.

My daughter’s canoe was built by a talented boat builder north of Bangor a few years ago. We met him at the Wooden Boat Show in Rockland back in 2003. It took almost 2 years before the boat was finished. They have a backlog as do most of the custom boat builders in Maine. The Wooden Boat Magazine boat show is now held in Mystic Seaport, CT. The only in water boat show in Maine is held in Rockland, Maine now and sponsored by Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Magazine.

Tales of a Maine Boat Builder – Ralph Stanley

Some great video to view while you start your search for more.

Wooden Boat School Brooklin, Maine – Sailing a Cat Boat – YouTube Video

Wooden Boat School Skiff Building in Brooklin, Maine – YouTube Video

The Watch Hill 15 designed by Herreshoff and built by Maine boatbuilder Alec Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks.

Herreshoff  Design- Alerion 26 – Sailing in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta off Cape Rosier, Maine

Restaurant Review

Alisson’s Restaurant & Bar - Dock Square – Kennebunkport, Maine

Alisson's Restaurant Dock Square Kennebunkport, ME

Sunday April 30, 2011

Around 5PM my wife and I went into Allison’s Restaurant for the 2nd time. We’d eaten there for lunch once before. We like to spread it out in Kennebunkport having eaten at the Hurricane Restaurant which is almost next door to Allison’s, Bandaloop for all natural organic food, The Clam Shack for whole fried clams and fried clam strips and Henry VIII Carvery for roast beef or pork sandwiches.

Alisson’s is a casual dining restaurant with a very nice bar. As we had arrived in time to watch the 2nd half of a disappointing Boston Celtics’ loss to the Miami Heat, we sat at the bar, but the loss didn’t spoil the food or our frame of mind. My wife had pan seared scallops which were perfectly cooked and extremely fresh tasting. I had sauteed lobster, shrimp and scallops in a wine sauce with a light crispy breading. Scallops were done perfectly, lobster was tender and the shrimp was a bit overdone but still very much edible. The veggies were ok, we’re not much into steamed carrots, my baked potato was perfect and her risotto was very good too she said. I don’t like it so I didn’t try it. She had half of my potato as she only nibbled on the risotto. There was butter involved in the eating of the potato! The butter came whipped in little ramekins which is always better than having to unwrap it and it seems to melt better too. Sometimes the little things make a huge difference in a dining experience.

Alisson's at Christmas

That was the extent of our meal. Very nice. The bartenders were friendly and efficient. Lots of HDTV’s that were easy to see from every table and chair in the bar. Alisson’s is open for lunch and dinner. Check Alisson’s website for any additional information.

I should do a review of Bandaloops too. It is awesome as is Henry VII Carvery!

Tom's of Maine All Natural Soap & Toothpaste Products

All Natural Tom’s of Maine Products – Toothpaste & Soap

This morning I took a shower with the most incredible smelling and cleansing soap I’ve ever used. I’ve actually been using it for a while now. Tom’s of Maine Energizing Natural Beauty Bar with Citrus Oils. I love it! I’m going to eventually try some of the other soaps, but I’m so happy with this one that I haven’t purchased any others.

Energizing soap description from their website:
“Our ultra-rich bar soap formula leaves your skin clean and fresh and is enriched with premium moisturizing olive oil and natural vitamin E. It’s clinically proven to maintain the moisture of your skin with every use. Maintain your skin’s moisture – without the artificial or synthetic ingredients that you don’t want on your skin today, or in your world tomorrow.”

I’ve been using Tom’s of Maine toothpaste for years now. It gives me the results I desire in a toothpaste. Clean, fresh teeth and breath. I use Listerine too, but that’s been my regiment mouth wash for as long as I can remember. Tom’s of Maine has not been around quite as long. The toothpaste I use is usually what Rite-aid has at the time, but I try to get Anti-plaque and Whitening and Sensitive. I’ve used most of them, but at this point in my life I like these two for my own oral hygiene needs.

Antiplaque & Whitening toothpaste description from their website:
“At Tom’s of Maine, we do it naturally! We use naturally sourced silicas derived from sand to clean your teeth and help maintain their natural color. Xylitol and natural flavor oils combine for a bright, minty taste! The result is a confident smile, all without artificial flavors or preservatives and no animal testing! Fluoride-free formula: Some people do not want fluoride in their toothpaste. We produce this toothpaste without fluoride because we respect our customers’ diverse needs and interests.”

Flouride-Free Sensative toothpaste description from their website:
“Tom’s of Maine uses the same, FDA-allowed, ingredient to fight tooth sensitivity as the leading brand. We source naturally occurring nitrate ore for our active ingredient Potassium Nitrate, clinically proven to help reduce and relieve your painful sensitivity caused by exposed dentin on the surface of your teeth.Some consumers prefer a product without fluoride, which is why we are pleased to offer a fluoride-free version of our sensitive toothpaste!”

You can purchase Tom’s of Maine Products through my affiliate link below if you like. Just do a search for Tom’s of Maine.

Friendship Sloop 'Chrissy' - All 'Chrissy' Photographs by Alison Langley

The Friendship Sloop has its roots in Friendship, Maine. A few years back I actually owned a Friendship Sloop. Named the Coast O’ Maine, it was a 36′ wooden gaff-rigged sloop built in 1967 in Ipswich Mass not in Maine. It had a sordid history including the original owner dying at sea after being hit by the boom and knocked overboard to being used by 3 convicts as an escape vehicle on the Piscataqua River on the Maine/NH border. It now resides up near or on Lake Ontario from last reports.

The friendship sloop dates back before 1900 and was originally used as a lobster/fishing boat on the coast of Maine. In this article in Wooden Boat Magazine, Harold Burnham is featured. Great story. I met Harold a few years ago while a Friendship Sloop owner and member of the Friendship Sloop Society. Click the link to read the story “Lobstering Under Sail”.

Harold Burnham builds boats in Essex, Massachusetts on a little peninsula behind the Essex Maritime Museum.

Harold Burnham Lobstering on the friendship sloop ‘Chrissy’ out around Gloucester, Massachusetts

Read all about the Friendship Sloop, see great photos, sloops for sale and the summer schedule of regattas. All sailors and landlubbers alike are welcome on the boats at most of the regattas. Rockland, Maine is a great place to view Friendship Sloops during the Friendship Sloop Races. Link to Friendship Sloop Society

Back in the mid 1980′s my wife and I stayed at an inn in South Brooksville, Maine. It was named the Buck’s Harbor Inn. The house is still there but the inn closed at some point in the last 20 some odd years. Seeing the house brought back some fond memories of our stay in that little town known more for it’s hospitality to schooners and their guests than anything else. The Buck’s Harbor Marina is still there serving the thousands of sailors that cruise into the tiny sheltered harbor every sailing season. We first discovered it when we took a cruise aboard the Nathaniel Bowditch in the very early 80′s. We fell in love with the town so we went back as landlubbers and stayed for a few days at the inn.

South Brooksville is near Ellsworth which in turn is near Bangor, so you need to travel a bit up the coast to get there. If you’ve ever been to Castine to the Maine Maritime Academy then you’d know how far it is from New Hampshire or Boston or Southern Maine. I’ve been to Castine more than once too with my daughter who had visions of attending the Maritime Academy a few years ago. But back to Buck’s Harbor and the Buck’s Harbor Inn.

One rainy day we didn’t have much to do, so I found myself in the kitchen with the owner. Being an aspiring chef back then I asked if I could help with the prep for the evening’s meal at the inn. They served dinner by reservation almost every evening during the season. I don’t know if they were open in the off-season. It’s been too many years to recall such a minute detail, however the rest of the story is as clear as if it had happened yesterday. While doing some prep we obviously were talking about the inn, cooking and the evening’s menu. The conversation went to my clam chowder which I was eager to talk about even back then. She said she had some room on the menu for my chowder as long as it tasted good enough. Well I was up to the challenge for sure! She told me to go shopping for the ingredients, that she’d pay for them and the chowder would be on the menu that evening if she approved it. So… off to Ellsworth I went! I was back within an hour and I was making my ‘famous in my own mind’ clam chowder.

About an hour later I’d finished the chowder. I’d used Gorton’s Minced Clams or Snow’s I forget, but they were canned clams for sure. I’d bought them at Shaw’s in Ellsworth. This is an important part to this story so pay attention. That evening everyone in the dining room was treated to clam chowder. We were amongst the dinner guests that evening at the inn. The dining room was full for the one time seating. Out came the chowder and of course it was not announced that I was the maker of the chowder until all had had their fill. Several diners requested seconds as it was announced their was plenty. Before the main course was served the owner came out and announced that one of the guests had made the chowder. Well a local fisherman whom I’d met a day or two earlier was among the guests that evening and he was in on the ‘clam scam’ as I like to call it. The guests raved about the chowder which made me feel very good of course, but they were all raving about the freshness of the clams! Knowing they were in clam country, they were just under the assumption I’d dug them myself. The local fisherman from Cape Rosier helped the story along by saying he and I had dug the clams that morning over in the clam beds off Cape Rosier. We laughed hysterically afterward as we’d ‘enhanced’ the clam chowder story and pulled it off. It was pretty spontaneous at the time, but he was quite the character and his story was as big as Maine itself.

So the clam chowder was a success. It was served at the restaurant until it closed as I’d left her the recipe. The ’clam scam’ story has probably been forgotten, but it still lingers in my memories of our stay at the Buck’s Harbor Inn.

Hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe from Maine

“The Wood and Canvas American Beauty is a 13 foot version of the popular 17 1/2 foot Atkinson Traveler. In keeping with its Maine Guide canoe lineage, the Beauty is an excellent all-purpose canoe. It tracks very well, yet its modest rocker and short length ensure easy maneuverability. Designed primarily as a solo tripper, it can also be used as a tandem canoe. Its light weight and ease of carrying make it an excellent canoe without the extra size and weight of the traditional model.”

Rollin Thurlow taking the 13' American Beauty hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe for a spin.

This is the description of the hand-crafted canvas on wood canoe we had made for our daughter’s graduation present when she graduated from UNH (U of New Hampshire) back in 2005. We actually ordered the canoe in the summer of 2003 at Wooden Boat Magazine’s Annual Wooden Boat Show in Rockland, Maine after seeing the incredible hand work and attention to detail done by Northwoods Canoe Co., 336 Range Rd, Atkinson, ME 04426. This canoe is very light and it is gorgeous. Right now it’s in a storage unit in New Hampshire while our daughter is living in Seattle in a tiny apartment. She’s used it a few times and it will be here waiting for her to reclaim it at any time. I just had to mention this company. I don’t know what kind of a backlog they have at any time, but we were on a year and a half waiting list back in 2003. They were not mentioned as exhibitors at the 2009 Wooden Boat Show, but their website is up and active. If you are looking for a really well built canoe or you need a restoration these are the guys. You’ll probably have to wait, but the wait will be well worth it.

Click Link Below for YouTube Video:

Canoe maker Rollin Thurlow discusses his craft and the heritage of the wood and canvas canoe.

Book by Roland Thurlow

The following link will take you to my Personal Chef site where you can view many of my original recipes including Lobster Corn Chowder.

© Southwestern Style Lobster Corn Chowder or Maine Lobster Corn Chowder

Slow Cooker Mate™ is the FIRST 3 chamber slow cooker that cooks an entrée in the bottom chamber while 2 separate side dishes cook in the top chambers. It is also versatile enough to be used to cook a one pot meal. You choose!

Asparagus Chowder Recipe with Bacon

This is an original copywrited recipe by ‘A Notch Above Home Chef Services‘. You are free to copy for non-commercial usage.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bacon chopped into tiny pieces
• 2 large bunches of asparagus to be used as follows:
• All the tips of the asparagus spears – about 2 inches of the top of the spears – cut pieces in half – set aside
• Cut the remaining asparagus stalks into small pieces and set aside separately from tips
• 3 scallion stalks finely diced
• 1 large shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves finely diced
• 1 medium leek finely sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of salted butter for grilling asparagus
• 1/8 lb of butter (half of one stick) Optional
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper puree (about 1 whole roasted red pepper)
• 8 medium red potatoes
• 1.5 – 2 quarts light cream (depends on how you like your consistancy – I recommend you start with 1 qt and add as needed)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup semi-dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 leaves finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 Large Stock Pot (8 quarts)

Putting it all together:

1. Puree the whole roasted pepper and set aside
2. In a large skillet first saute the asparagus tips in the butter until tender – medium low heat – do not burn the butter
3. Take the asparagus tips out and set aside and repeat step 2
4. First slowly saute the bacon until crisp
5. Add wine and the cut up stalks of asparagus
6. Add the scallions, shallot, celery, garlic and leeks as asparagus stalks saute.
7. Cook down until almost all the liquid is gone and stalks are tender remove from heat.
8. Add all the herbs to hot mixture and stir in. Do not cook anymore.
9. Place the entire contents of the pan (includes asparagus, scallions, shallot, celery and garlic) into food processor or blender or a tall container if you are using a hand mixer
10. Take 2 potatoes and clean for bad spots, dice and place in boiling water. Cook until falling apart soft. Puree these potatoes with the contents of Step 7
11. Scrape this entire mixture into the stock pot.
12. Take 6 potatoes, dice in small bite size pieces, boil until tender.
13. Drain and add to stock pot
14. Add cream and 1/8 lb of butter to stock pot
15. Add grilled asparagus tips and pureed roasted red pepper to stock pot
16. Bring mixture in your pot to a bubbly slow boil stirring often to keep the dairy and potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot.
17. As soon as the mixture comes to the slow boil take off heat immediately.
18. Do Not Freeze for future use. The potatoes will disintegrate and lose flavor. Store tightly sealed in fridge if you are not going to serve immediately.

Serves probably 8-10 in large size bowls.

Vegetarian Asparagus Chowder Recipe with Dairy

This is an original copywrited recipe by ‘A Notch Above Home Chef Services‘. You are free to copy for non-commercial usage.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bunches of asparagus to be used as follows:
• All the tips of the asparagus spears – about 2 inches of the top of the spears – cut pieces in half – set aside
• Cut the remaining asparagus stalks into small pieces and set aside separately from tips
• 3 scallion stalks finely diced
• 1 large shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves finely diced
• 1 medium leek finely sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of salted butter for grilling asparagus
• 1/8 lb of butter (half of one stick) Optional
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper puree (about 1 whole roasted red pepper)
• 8 medium red potatoes
• 1.5 – 2 quarts light cream (depends on how you like your consistancy – I recommend you start with 1 qt and add as needed)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup semi-dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 leaves finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 Large Stock Pot (8 quarts)

Putting it all together:

1. Puree the whole roasted pepper and set aside
2. In a large skillet first saute the asparagus tips in the butter until tender – medium low heat – do not burn the butter
3. Take the asparagus tips out and set aside and repeat step 2 with the cut up stalks of asparagus
4. Add wine and the cut up stalks of asparagus
5. Add the scallions, shallot, celery, garlic and leeks as asparagus stalks saute.
6. Cook down until almost all the liquid is gone and stalks are tender remove from heat.
7. Add all the herbs to hot mixture and stir in. Do not cook anymore.
8. Place the entire contents of the pan (includes asparagus, scallions, shallot, celery and garlic) into food processor or blender or a tall container if you are using a hand mixer
9. Take 2 potatoes and clean for bad spots, dice and place in boiling water. Cook until falling apart soft. Puree these potatoes with the contents of Step 7
10. Scrape this entire mixture into the stock pot.
11. Take 6 potatoes, dice in small bite size pieces, boil until tender.
12. Drain and add to stock pot
13. Add cream and 1/8 lb of butter to stock pot
14. Add grilled asparagus tips and pureed roasted red pepper to stock pot
15. Bring mixture in your pot to a bubbly slow boil stirring often to keep the dairy and potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the stock pot.
16. As soon as the mixture comes to the slow boil take off heat immediately.
17. Do Not Freeze for future use. The potatoes will disintegrate and lose flavor. Store tightly sealed in fridge if you are not going to serve immediately.

Serves probably 8-10 in large size bowls.

Steve’s Clam Chowder Recipe is a Secret No Longer

New England Clam Chowder with 4 Variations

The secret is out. This is my clam chowder recipe.  The one I call the heart stopper. The one with the cream, the fat and all the taste! This chowder recipe has evolved over the years to what it is today. I don’t guarantee you’ll love it, but I honestly think you will.

Ingredients:

4-5 quarts of fresh littleneck clams (about 2 cups cooked and chopped)
(save broth after cooking to cook potatoes in)
(Substitute for littlenecks – 2 cups of canned minced clams, chopped clams or baby clams or a combination of any or all, then well drain (save juice from canned clams to cook potatoes in)
1 tablespoon of granular garlic or two garlic cloves mashed and finely chopped
6 strips of bacon very finely chopped (freeze before chopping)
1/2 medium sweet onion finely chopped
1-1/2 lbs of red potatoes diced (less than 1/2” pieces, peeled if you wish. I just cut out the bad spots if there are any.)
2 cups of finely chopped potatoes (in addition to the 1.5 lbs)
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon of ground rosemary
1 quart of heavy cream
1/4 lb of salted butter
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oyster crackers

Preparation of littleneck clams:

Wash the littleneck clams (they can be sandy) and place them in a large pot along with water (6 cups). Cover the pot and steam clams just until opened, about 6 to 10 minutes depending upon the size of the clams. Drain and shell the clams, SAVE the broth. (You may want to wash the clams in the broth after shelling to remove any additional grit.) Mince the clams and set aside. It is IMPORTANT to filter the clam broth either through coffee filters or cheesecloth before using. Set aside for cooking with potatoes. Rinse your pot. You’re not done with it yet.

** If you decided to use canned clams this is the point where you get out the can opener and drain the minced clams and save the juice from the cans. It’s ok to do it this way. I do it all the time.
Now that you’ve prepped your bacon, potatoes, clams, onions and chopped basil you are onto the final preparations for your chowder.

Final Preparations: Two simultaneous steps. Chowder Base and Potatoes:

This is your chowder base:

In a medium sized frying pan slowly cook the chopped bacon until almost crispy. Add the chopped onions and slow cook until onions are fully cooked but not browned. Stir in the herbs (basil, thyme and rosemary) while the onions are cooking. When done add butter and sour cream and turn off burner and remove pan. Let the butter and sour cream melt slowly.

This is the potato part:

On another burner you are going to cook the potatoes in your big pot. Place ALL the potatoes in your pot. Add the clam broth (or clam juice from cans) until it barely covers the potatoes. (You do not need to completely cover the potatoes.) Add some water if necessary. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Slightly soft is good. (about 12-15 minutes) Do NOT drain.

NOW… to the cooked potatoes you add the heavy cream, the chowder base (the stuff in the frying pan) Reheat the chowder until it is the temperature you prefer. Serve in your favorite chowder bowls with oyster crackers on the side. (Optional – Top off bowl of chowder with a leaf of basil and a dollop of sour cream if you want it to look fancy.)

Serves 8-10 depending on the size of your bowls.
Total Prep and Cook Time approx. 1 hr.

Variation #1 on the clam chowder recipe. This one with Half & Half or Light Cream. It only has some of the fat and it still tastes great. It’s  just not as thick!

Ingredient changes:

*1 quart of Half & Half or Light Cream (change from main recipe)
*1/4 lb of salted butter (change from main recipe)
*1/4 cup of sour cream (change from main recipe)

Variation #2 . Substitute the half & half/light cream with whole milk. This reduces the fat content in the chowder a little bit more. At this point the flavor will still be very good but the richness of the flavor begins to fade. You may like this variation if you’ve been on a low fat diet because you won’t miss the butter fat. You may also reduce the butter and sour cream or eliminate it, but flavor wise, I would not recommend it.

Variation #3. DAIRY FREE. You may use soy milk, rice milk or hemp milk in place of the dairy. It will have a different taste from the dairy based chowders, but if you are used to this type of substitution it will still be very tasty. Remove butter and sour cream from the recipe also.

Variation #4. For a clear broth clam chowder REMOVE from the recipe all milk, cream, half & half, non dairy substitutes, butter and sour cream. Pat down the bacon after cooking so it is dry and crispy. Pulverize the bacon in a mortar & pestle with your herbs. Sauté your onions in a small amount of extra light olive oil or corn oil. Add them to the potatoes with your pulverized mixture of bacon and herbs. The only additional ingredient for this recipe is clam juice which you will need when you replace the dairy products. So buy about 32 ounces of bottled clam juice. There is a clam base you can purchase which you would just add to water to taste as a substitute for clam juice.

*** The product I know is called “Better Than Bouillon”. There are several types of bases available.

Better Than Bouillion Clam Base

To Purchase “Better Than Bouillon” Click HERE

Disclaimer: Everyone cooks a little differently therefore there may be different results. If you screw this up it isn’t my fault. It’s happened to me, so it could happen to you too. Good Luck anyway! – Any images on this site are only representative of final products and do not represent any recipes found on this site.

These chowders are also Gluten Free. There is no flour in the recipes. Gluten Free Recipe Books Available. Gluten Free Cook Books CLICK HERE

HUGE NOTE: Please check the ingredients when using a clam base from a jar. It may contain wheat.
For Atkin’s Diet Atkin’s Diet Books or South Beach Diet South Beach Diet Books followers please refer to their websites for substitute recipes. By possibly eliminating the potatoes in these recipes it may qualify under both diets. Substitutes for some of the ingredients may be available. Check your ingredients carefully before making any determinations.

Slow Cooker Mate™ is the FIRST 3 chamber slow cooker that cooks an entrée in the bottom chamber while 2 separate side dishes cook in the top chambers. It is also versatile enough to be used to cook a one pot meal. You choose!