Little Not Lesser

Any of you out there who I have had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face, whether at an event or trade show, will know that I am of diminutive size. Other than sometimes wishing for another foot of height so I don’t have to pull a chair over to get things from the top shelf in the kitchen or longer legs to improve my running time, I am just fine with being petite. Perhaps this is due to the fact that size hasn’t really mattered much over the course of my life.

I was point guard on my high school basketball team. Granted, it was at an arts school where sports played second fiddle to rehearsals, but I was on the team roster nonetheless. My first car was a tiny little hatchback, which I managed to move houses with about five times in four years. Packing my entire life into a vehicle of those proportions definitely took some serious planning, but never was so much as a box left behind. My matrimonial home is quite small as well. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of space for my husband and I, a dog and two cats, but compromises were made. Our galley-style kitchen is only big enough for one (thank goodness it’s not usually me toiling over a hot stove) and there is no en suite bathroom upstairs (so we share with whatever friend or family member pops by for an overnight visit). Regardless, we love our home and have grown to adjust to its… well, shortcomings.

But small does not always mean compromise and it never has to mean settling, as Mike Milne found out while researching his New for 2012 feature. Each summer our diligent correspondent talks to as many manufacturers as he can to get the scoop on what’s new and exciting for the upcoming model year. The last few years have been particularly challenging as many boat builders cut back and slowed down to adjust to the struggling economy. But it seems most are back at the drawing board and have dreamed up some great new boats for the 2012 season. And if you’re looking at purchasing a smaller boat, there will be plenty of choices as the lion’s share of new models lie on the lower end of the size spectrum.

Scaling back on the dimensions has not affected the proportions of the innovation, though. Be sure to give the article a read to find out what’s coming down the pipeline for 2012 – and then mark your calendars to attend a winter boat show or two to see them up close and personal.

Although “Sneak Peek 2012” takes up about a quarter of our editorial pages, there is much more to the issue. Perhaps the most new and exciting for us at Boats&Places is the addition of Chef Derek Mayes, who takes over Galley Works from Katherine Minton. Derek is currently executive chef at Top of the Cove restaurant, which is located at South Bay Cove Marina on beautiful Georgian Bay. He has many years of experience cooking in some of the best kitchens and is eager to share his knowledge with our readers, taking top-notch recipes and making them work for aspiring onboard chefs. For his first contribution, Derek whipped up three amazing dishes full of fresh ingredients that are sure to tantalize those tastebuds. And we got it all on tape! For the first time, you can cook alongside our galley chef – just scan the QR code on the recipe page to link to the web video.

I can’t help but think it may seem trite to conclude that all things do indeed come in small packages, so perhaps I can put a little twist on the old adage with the observation of living my life on the shorter end of things… small packages can do truly great things.

Amanda