[jcmannone]

After your ship is secured for the evening, the choice of libation does indeed depend on your mood.

I''ve been reading about the 18th century Royal Navy and the drinks their sailors enjoyed. Though the captain often had fine cognac, the crew were often issued beer or grog. From my understanding, grog was diluted rum.

So, during this time of year I make a "nog grog". A good quality egg nog is added to Barbados Rum and Napolean Brandy (2:1 or 1:1) and topped with freshly grated nutmeg.

Simply as a curiosity, Dry Creek wines have beautiful pictures of large sailboats on their labels- much prettier than the wine is good.

I pilot a different kind of ship right now, an airplane, but researching various forums for information on 18th century rowboats and sailing warships has gotten me excited about getting into sailing (maybe someone knows a sailing club in East Tennessee).

Finally, on a sober note, we private pilots have a simple rule concerning alcohol: 12 hours from bottle to throttle (which I extend to 24 for strong drink).

Clear skies and fair winds.

Happy New Year!
John