MILFORD SOUND APRIL
After spending the night on the Wanderer, seeing the fog and rain against the backdrop of mountains and waterfalls, I had to get up early and pee!! The toilets were outside and the stern of the boat. There was still a drizzle in the air and a little chilly. This woke me up and despite still being dark, I thought I'd give the on board swill a try!
So, I'm cold, damp and still a little sleepy from the bunk bed and the guy next door who knocked the wall every time he rolled over in bed. The pot of coffee set out for us looked inviting. I pour a cup, add the obligatory milk and sugar and head up on deck to enjoy the damp morning! THIS STUFF WAS TERRIBLE! Reminded me of a trip to Cape Britain Den & I took a few years ago Atlantic Salmon fishing. The coffee there was weaker then dishwater. When the owner asked how we wanted it, I replied, "the night before, make a pot of coffee but use twice as much coffee and half as much water as you usually do! Let is sit all night. Then before you serve it the next morning, boil it on the stove for 5 min!" Those recommendations didn't work then and I've learned to refrain from giving too much advice to cooks, especially when you could be thrown overboard. So, I decided I'd head up on deck and try to make the best of the situation.
So I'm choking down this stuff and walking around the deck when I look inside the cabin and notice a welcome sight. Sitting on the buffet was a French coffee press, recently filled with the precious black nectar and steam coming from the top!! I dumped the swill overboard and headed in to grab a cuppa of the good stuff before anyone else arose from their sleep! Finally, I had a coffee worthy of the mornings experience. I continued my tour of the deck, watching the scenery and letting the drizzle run off my poncho warming my inners. This experience is certainly worth the trip as a whole. I can't say I'd drive to Milford Sound purely for the coffee though!