I'm sitting at the nav station of Swingin on a Star drinking a nice cup of coffee and trying not to spill it as the "Jungle Queen� (!?) powers by stirring our dock lines in its wake.

[Coffee Maker Rant]
We bought a little 4 cup Mister Coffee drip at Target for $29.99 and it's the best coffee maker I've ever owned. I've had Krups, Seco, Cuisinart and Delonghi, hands down this Mister Coffee is it. First of all it is rated at only 600 watts (low for a coffee maker, many are up around 1,000 watts) which is great when running on the inverter. There's a 12V perk out there but I prefer drip. It also finishes its cycle in less than 5 minutes so you don't have to wait so long for that first cup. The systems that let you attack the coffee before the pot is finished don't agree with me because the coffee at the start of the cycle is not blended and a bit too strong (which is fine with me but drinking this leaves the rest of the pot a bit weak). Hideko and I can enjoy a nice big mug of coffee each, quickly and with little mess. If we want another cup we just brew another pot; nice, fresh and ready before we are. Bigger rigs seem to take much longer even when set to brew a half pot and it is harder to get a consistent coffee water mix. This little guy will be a little more work when guests are on board but not much. The Mister coffee has a very small foot print which is greatly appreciated in our galley as well. Now when my Dad brings out the hand crank coffee grinder we'll really be set.