Two things happened recently. One, crabbing being good this season, we caught and cooked a big male honker, a definite (by at least two inches) keeper, and tasty as heck! Two, a favorite author… David Foster Wallace…died at the too-young age of 46. Now you might reasonably ask… “is there a connection?” There is…if somewhat obtuse. Several years ago, Gourmet Magazine sent DFW, known for his idiosyncratic, exhaustively detailed and witty writing style, out on assignment to cover the Annual Maine Lobster Festival. He delivered way more than they bargained for, but much to their credit, after describing it as “…hilarious, thought-provoking, very uncomfortable…” they published it. Warning: It draws a sharp focus on “lobstercide”. But given our collective crabbing adventures, it raises issues that any (all?) of us must have confronted at one “hey-the-water’s-boiling” time or another. So download it (pdf file)– if you dare! Whatever else one might say, it’s a great read.

But this one was very hard to ignore! Built in Anacortes…preliminary water tests in our own San Juans, she was a remarkable sight. Gave even the orcas a run for the money. And whether she’ll ever be able to actually run for the money (or rather, the America’s Cup) herself remains to be seen. Apparently there is a little disagreement about how many hulls a boat should have in order to compete in that long-standing international contest. But what a piece of work! (Article and photos were pulled from Seattle Times.) Continue reading →