Invasion

Pillowy corn muffins.

This morning I found some guy named Simon Arnold had left his cell phone in the galley. At breakfast the crew told me that while I lay fast asleep in my bed at the Hilton, several groups of people had boarded the Marlin during the night.

Back in Savannah, I awoke several times to find people on the deck. Usually they were drunk. It was the middle of the night. And they immediately got off the boat when they saw me. One time Cap’ found four people on deck – two of them having sex beside the galley cabin top and the other two back by the aft cabin, looking out at the river!

Until this weekend, things in Wilmington have been comparatively subdued. On Friday I heard voices at around 1:30 AM. When I stepped out of the galley, I found a couple sitting on the dock overlooking the boat. I made eye contact with the guy for 30 seconds before his girlfriend saw me, and when she did, she said in a cheery voice, “Hi!” It was as if they’d been waiting for me to join the conversation.

But on Saturday, Simon Arnold had his lady friend up on the counter beside the sink and they were getting it on. The emergency exit for the fo'c'sle is behind the sink. (I often drop cups down into the fo'c'sle that are meant for the dishrack.) So imagine Mr. Arnold’s surprise when Rigby, who sleeps directly below the exit,  popped up like a jack-in-the-box on the other side of the counter. 

Moon-set from the 9th floor of the Hilton, just hours after
Mr. Arnold's escape from my galley.

Lex Talionis

People walk across our decks all day long. They peer into the galley. We are always on display. People see the ship as a public park – a giant floating jungle gym.  Still it’s kind of mind-boggling, the lack of boundaries or self-awareness that would make you climb on a boat, enter a closed door and start having sex in the galley. 

So now, without further ado, I’d like to take a moment to invade Mr. Arnold’s privacy. I won’t quote all his text messages (the ones with his Dad or with someone named, “Don’t Answer”), but I would like to share this one exchange with a Mr. Peterson, which took place at 12:25 AM:

Arnold: Remember that poem I wrote about us going dt?

Peterson: Yeah?

Arnold: I just got done editing it and it’s fucking rad as FUCK!!! It might be one of the best ones I’ve ever done.

Peterson: Yes dats what up

Arnold: Lookin at another board Sunday. Need weed. Left mine at the house. Help, baby,’ hel’

Peterson: Where u at?

Arnold: Baby boy. My head is tilting

Peterson: Hahahahahahahahah

It's true what they say. Revenge is sweet.

Sunday’s Menu

Breakfast
Dutch Baby and lots of bacon in honor of Cap’ Bill’s last day.
Lunch
Hamburgers and fries (though Cap was a bummed I left the skins on the potatoes, this meal was also for him). I really got the buns right this time – will post recipe later.
Dinner
Rice and beans with sausage. It was supposed to be baked chicken and mashed potatoes (again, for Cap’ – who truly only likes eating meat and potatoes – but the chicken wasn’t defrosted when I went to bake it so I had to revert to emergency meal.
I also made these super light and yummy corn muffins, by adding about a cup of cottage cheese, two eggs, and a little more than a cup of cheddar cheese to the cornbread mix. After pouring the batter for four of them, I added chilies and then cracked fresh pepper on top of the other eight muffins to signify that there was spice in them. 
Dessert
Frozen raspberry tart: a crust of graham crackers and butter with a topping of pureed raspberries, cream cheese, whipping cream and powdered sugar. If I make it again, I will add a tad of white pepper, salt and more sugar.

Before

After.