The Amazing Eclectic Mix

Amarula Custard

You have tried Amarula Cream, the worlds second most popular cream liqueur after Bailey's Irish Cream,, now try Amarula Custard!!

To make six portions you will need....
*  1 vanilla pod
*  2 cups milk
*  3 tablespoon superfine sugar
*  4 egg yolks
*  4 tots Amarula Cream liqueur

Now mix it....
*  Split the vanilla pod and place in a saucepan with the milk, slowly bring to boil.
*  Remove from heat, cover and infuse for 10 minutes before removing the pod.
*  Beat sugar and egg yolks together until thick, light and creamy.
*  Slowly pour the warm milk in, stirring constantly.
*  Transfer to a double boiler or place over a pot of hot water.
*  Stir constantly over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
*  Remove from the heat immediately before it curdles and add the Amarula Cream.
*  Strain custard into a pitcher if you are serving it hot.
*  If serving cold, strain into a bowl and cover with cling wrap to cool.

If this is too much of a drag, just toss a glug or two of Amarula down your throat!

See:  Marula tree

Cabotage

The prohibition on the carrying of coastal cargo by foreign vessels. The "Jones Act" does that in the USA. It is a short term vote catcher but eventually it destroys national shipping. The American and Australian Merchant Navies are just about dead.

Cape of Good Hope

Drake said "This is the Fairest Cape in the Whole Circumference of the Earth"  It was called "Cabo Tormentoso" or "The Cape of Storms" by Bartholomew Diaz, who discovered it in 1488. It was renamed "Cabo da Boa Esperanza" or "The Cape of Good Hope" by the Pope to encourage settlers! It is near Cape Point where the cold Atlantic meets the warm Indian Ocean. Also known as "The Cape". The climate is Mediterranean, with winter rain.

"Cape Size" 

The shipping term given to big bulk carriers that were too big to go through the Suez Canal before it was deepened and widened, they had to go around The Cape, hence the name. Their beam is too wide to fit through the Panama Canal, which can take vessels up to 32m wide. A Cape size bulker carries more than 100 000 tonnes of iron ore or coal, length is longer than 250m and they draw 17m of water or more.

Draft Survey

The operation of "weighing a ship". The heavier a ship is loaded the deeper it will be float in the water. Using the average draft the total weight of the ship and cargo can be found from tables and then the known light-weight of the ship is subtracted to find the weight of the cargo onboard.

Freefall Lifeboat

Most lifeboats are lowered on two wire rope falls, a freefall lifeboat is sent off down a ramp on the stern of the ship without any attachments. The crew are strapped in and don't rattle around too much!

Great circle

The shortest distance between two points on the surface of the Earth. It is a curve on a flat Mercator chart.

Hedgehog Potatoes

Something different.
Butter                               125 grams
White Onion Soup            1 packet
Potatoes, Large!               8 to 10
Slice potatoes into 3mm slices 95% through, same method as garlic bread.
Place the potatoes in an oven dish.
Melt the butter, stir in the soup powder. Add spices.
Spread the mixture over the potatoes. Open out the slices slightly so that some of the mixture can dribble in. Bake at 180°C for +/- an hour until cooked and golden brown on top.

Inmarsat  

 Marine digital telephone/telex/fax system routed via geostationary satellites operated by an international consortium, Inmarsat.

Iron Ore  

Naturally occurring iron oxide of different types. Used to make iron and steel.

Lulu

A free self-publishing expeditor! Write some fantastic novel/how-to-get-rich/lose-fat/fix-an-old-MG/biography book/CD/ring-tone and publish it! You can buy my book at:  

Marula Tree

A medium sized African tree that produces light yellow fruit that has a nutty flavour. It is a favourite food for various wild animals but does not intoxicate elephants or any other animal as the alcoholic content is just not enough. The fruit makes a great cream liqueur called Amarula Cream.

Nautical Mile

Roughly  6076 feet or 1852 metres. It is 1 minute of arc on the Earth's surface measured at the centre of curvature along a meridian. So as the Earth is not a perfect sphere the nautical mile is not a constant length and if different shapes of the Earth are used the length of the nautical mile will be slightly different. Few people can agree on the actual shape of the Earth. 

Ocean Routes

Company that specializes in giving weather and routing advice to ships. They are usually contracted by the ship's Charterer who think that Ocean Routes are infallible at routing ships around hurricanes, typhoons and other nasty weather systems. Their other function is to check up on the ship's performance and to see if the fuel figures are not being tweaked by the Chief Engineer!

Panamax

Class of ship that is the biggest that can go through the Panama Canal. About 225.00m length over all (LOA) and 32.20m beam. They carry about 77 000mt of bulk cargo. Cargoes include iron ore, coal, grains such as wheat and barley, fertilizers, chemicals and scrap metal. 

Pisco

Peruvian brandy. There is a major dispute between Peru and Chile over the name, they take it very seriously. Has great medicinal properties! Named after the town Pisco in Peru where it originated.

Pisco Sour

Mix this! But not if you are driving!
1 part lemon juice (use those small, hard lemons that are mouth-shriveling sour)
2 parts Pisco or South African Brandy (KWV brandy is the best)
Sugar to taste. Stretch it with lemonade.
Serve in a tall glass with crushed ice.

Rhumb Line

A straight line on a Mercator chart. Not the shortest distance between two places. The mathematical name is the Loxodrome, it cuts all lines of longitude at the same angle.

South African Wine

Very, very good. Not always the best (be realistic, all countries have plonk!) but there are many top wines right up with the best! Try some. Prices are low, even for the really good stuff! Do a "wine tour" of The Cape.

TEU 

Twenty foot Equivalent Unit. The unit for describing a shipping container.