What do we do in Canada, home away from home
8th Apr, 2019
Snow, hey???
We Ski ( we do have a Summer as well)
Deep snow,ungroomed slopes
Snow shoeing and dog sleding
Family time…
Birthdays parties, and beach time in our local Lakes
Lots of special moments like the first day of school. Little one wants to go too!
Canoying trips and camping
This fire is looking good!
Weddings and family gatherings..
These 2 are ready to party!
Special time with my beauties…
Love my aunties. 2 out 6 beauties! Wish I had them all on this photo.
Trips to Portugal to spend time with Mom and siblings. 2 are missing on this photo
Trips to the Lakes with the other Mom, in Canada, to watch salmon spawning…
At the Fall fair
Camping with the grandkids
Good job at setting up the tent
Time to rest now. It must have been hard work!
Hike to nearby falls
Special outings at Christmas with Mom
Visits with elderly friends
Shopping for cars…its hard work, but someone ‘s gota do it. Delivered and received in the Fall
Ready for Halloween….is it time to trick or treat yet???
Portugal
More family time, my Mom meeting Ben for the first time, the youngest great-grandson.
With much of the traditions dying down in the villages, it was nice to still see this celebration in my hometown.
When I was growing up, it was traditional to decorate the streets where the procession passes. That was always fun. Everyone competed to have their street look the best. These days only looks like this near the church.
The procession is followed by traditional folk music and big barbeque at the park along our little river.
More family times and birthdays. My lovely sister in law, and my grandson’s other grandma
Grandson Tiago’s 9th Birthday
And road trips through our beautiful Canadian Rockies
Glacier Lakes.
Espectacular mountain scenery
On the drive up it was Fall, but coming back a week later, was Winter Wonderland. Nice wildlife.
One of the trips we brought Mom along.
Boatbuilding
Cruising is about fixing boats in exotic locations. Well, I consider Vernon to be an exotic location, so how about BUILDING boats in exotic locations?
To get from LIFE Part 2 to the shore and back requires a small dinghy. Most people, including us, us a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) with a 15 hp outboard. It works well as a ‘runabout’.
But it uses a motor, which is noisy and boring And it doesn’t keep you fit. It rows like a brick, and doesn’t sail at all. What one really needs is a boat that can carry lots of people and shopping, can motor, row, and sail, and do all of those with panache. And it needs to be less than 10ft long and capable of being hoisted up on our davits between the two sterns.
Such a beast does not exist. So I decided to design and build one. And so I did, in our parking space in the parkade below our Vernon apartment. Then, last summer, we tested out the first prototype, which worked well, although I didn’t get to try it in any wind, nor with a bigger motor. So now I am making a second prototype with a few design modifications. But where is the time to complete it and test it?
It is made of 3mm plywood with a covering of glassfiber cloth and epoxy resin. Very light stitch and glue construction.
A tyvek sail for prototype 1. This summer I will have a proper 6 sq m sail, and then ultimately an 8sq m sail.
So far, so good.
Off to Canada on Wednesday for Mum’s 90th birthday, then will be back on board Life Part 2 in Antigua in a couple of weeks.
Update Spring 2018- Guadaloupe to Barbuda
21st Mar, 2019
Current Location: English Harbour, AntiguaCurrent Position: 17 0.54 N 061 45.8 W Click to view map.Continued from spring 2018 Guadaloupe to Trinidad Wow…I can’t believe it has been a year since my last post. As promised here is Guadaloupe Part2, showing you more of our beloved French island. Not only we enjoyed the wine the (more...)Arrived in Grenada
14th Mar, 2019
Current Location: Prickly Bay, GrenadaCurrent Position: 11 59.91 N 061 45.79 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 79 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt was good to get out of Chaguaramas. It is a great place for getting work done, but not for chillaxing, being very industrial. (more...)Back on the Water – Finally!
13th Mar, 2019
Current Location: Chaguaramas, TrinidadCurrent Position: 10 40.95 N 061 38.04 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 331 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt has been a long time. We arrived in Trinidad at the end of June 2018 to leave the boat on the hard for the (more...)I have waited 41 years to get one of these…
22nd Oct, 2018
Current Location: Vernon, BC, CanadaCurrent Position: 50 15.36 N 119 17.39 W Click to view map.So now with the big 60 approaching, it is with great excitement that I can reveal that it has finally arrived… She has been christened Sally, after the red MG Midget that I owned when I had just graduated (more...)Off to Guadaloupe
19th Mar, 2018
Current Location: Islet du Gosier, GuadeloupeCurrent Position: 16 12.1 N 061 29.6 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 130 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereA bit of an update. . It was fun to visit once again some of our favourite spots in St Lucia and (more...)Now THAT is Why We Go Sailing
2nd Mar, 2018
Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 5.4 N 060 57.74 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 23 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereOn Wednesday we finally had our new forestay and furler fitted, and we managed to escape. Enough of boat maintenance for a while. (more...)Mais Oui, Toute Marche!
10th Feb, 2018
Current Location: Le Marin, MartiniqueCurrent Position: 14 28.08 N 060 52.51 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 23 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereYep, (almost) all is working now. We needed some different scenery, and we desperately needed to stock up on cheese, salami, and wine, so (more...)Fixing Boats in Exotic Locations
7th Feb, 2018
Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 5.42 N 060 57.67 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 1 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track herePeople say that cruising is actually better described as ‘fixing boats in exotic locations’. We can attest to that. Since we got back (more...)Back On Board in St. Lucia
27th Jan, 2018
Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.34 N 060 57.48 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 3717 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereYes, we are back. After a very pleasant 6 months in Canada, including canoeing, hiking, an Alaska cruise with my Mum, and skiing, (more...)Dodging Irma
15th Sep, 2017
For the past week we have been canoeing in the Bowron Lakes in mid BC. What an awesome week, even though we had all sorts of weather, including rain – but thankfully no mosquitos! Meanwhile Life Part 2 was sitting safe and sound in St. Lucia. When we left for Bowron we knew that Irma (more...)BOAT = Bring Out Another $Thousand
29th May, 2017
Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.32 N 060 57.52 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 214 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIn Barbuda our windlass gave up on us. Well, actually, it was a combination of two things: our anchor chain was rusty and (more...)Racy Photos from Martinique
15th May, 2017
Current Location: Cocoa Point, BarbudaCurrent Position: 17 32.95 N 061 46.18 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 32 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAlthough we spent quite a bit of time in Martinique we didn’t write much about it, only a few photos of the Carnival and (more...)Sailing the Most Beautiful Yachts in the World
25th Apr, 2017
Current Location: Falmouth Harbour, AntiguaCurrent Position: 17 1.14 N 061 46.36 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 183 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereShe is 78 years old but, as befits her name, still as hot and sexy as a prom queen. Helped, no doubt, by the (more...)Beautiful Saint Lucia
11th Apr, 2017
Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.34 N 060 57.53 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 36 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereEnjoying Saint Lucia We are delighted with beautiful sunsets every evening from our anchorage in Rodney Bay. Noel enjoying a nice swim (more...)Still in Martinique
6th Mar, 2017
Current Location: Case Pilote, MartiniqueCurrent Position: 14 38.48 N 061 8.41 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 114 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereWell, here we are still sitting in Martinique! Ceu has been to Canada and back to see the grandchildren. Now my sister, Mitzi, and (more...)Mid-Ocean Live Update
31st Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 20.24 N 059 42.9 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 6 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereJust left Barbados for a quick over night reach to Martinique. Will do full update when we get decent internet (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
28th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 15.93 N 059 38.81 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 19 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereArrived in Barbados . Drinking wine. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
27th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 23.09 N 059 20.34 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 292 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereLand ahoy…I see land !!! Arrival is near! Caught 2 more fish and had our first squall all at the same time. Lots of excitement. Looking forward to rum punch! (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
25th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 44.87 N 054 20.76 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 82 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereNot much wind, have slowed down. New ETA Sat. Maybe. Who knows? Nice weather though . (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
25th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 50.09 N 052 56.16 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 211 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt is late at night, and the stars are shining brightly. So beautiful! Wind finally picked up, so doing 7 Kts again. 400 miles to go. ETA Fri eve, we hope. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
23rd Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 6.18 N 049 19.12 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 137 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereyummy…some nice hot chocolate. Burgers on BBQ. Bouillabaise, fresh bread. Gourmet dining at Heavenly Delights. One yacht in sight. Wish you were here. 🙂 (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
22nd Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 17.51 N 046 58.75 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 150 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereNot much wind, have slowed down. Now playing a domino game, mexican train. Ceu knitting scarves and dreaming of visiting grandkids in Canada soon. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
21st Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 28.25 N 044 24.46 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 133 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAuto pilo failed. Didn’t want to hand steer for 900 miles, so we heaved to for two hours while we installed the spare. Weather still good but winds lighter. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
20th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 34.78 N 042 7.42 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 131 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereHalf way to destination..yey! All is going well. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
19th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 40.61 N 039 52.08 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 176 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereCaught 4 fish today, all at the same time but 2 got away. Good size mahi mahi. Total chaos. Blood eveywhere. Ceu serving up sashimi now. Taking orders now. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
18th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 45.97 N 036 50.39 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 141 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereBigger waves today, up to 2 m, good surfing. Winds the same force 4 to 5 ENE. Spinnaker up again. Speed 8 Kts. Fresh bread. Caught barracuda. Too small. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
17th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 49.45 N 034 24.72 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 144 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereSpinnaker up. Blue sky. Caught tasty mahi mahi yesterday. Smooth sea. Not another boat or ship in sight. Saw dolphins. All is good. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
16th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 50.85 N 031 55.51 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 159 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereSlower today, big discussion about sail plan. Cloudy. Four fish got away with the lures, grrrr. Everyone is just chilling. Playing games. SEND MORE WIND 🙂 (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
15th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 49.48 N 029 10.62 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 155 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereSecond day out. A bit tired today, as it is a bit of an adjustment getting used to the sleep schedule with the night watches. In a few days we will all be fine (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Mid-Ocean Live Update
14th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 46.62 N 026 30.2 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 106 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereFresh bread just out of the oven, melted butter dripping…yummy. Sailing fast – 8 knots, one reef, bright sun. No fish yet. Life is tough 😉 (Sent by InReach satellite connection)And We’re Off!
13th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Furna, Brava Island, Cape Verde IslandsCurrent Position: 14 53.27 N 024 40.75 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 68 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereWe left Praia very early, like 3:30 am, on Thursday to sail to Brava. The winds started as very light, as (more...)No, We Are Not Quite On Our Passage Yet
11th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde IslandsCurrent Position: 14 54.83 N 023 30.23 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 117 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereThe message we sent yesterday was sent by our inReach satellite SMS device as we wanted to test it out. As you (more...)Mid-Ocean Live Update
10th Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 16 24.72 N 024 47.19 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 31 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereCaught some fish today – sushi for supper anyone? on our way from Mindelo to Santiago (Sent by InReach satellite connection)Happy 2017! Just arrived in Mindelo
3rd Jan, 2017
Current Location: Mindelo, San Vicente, Cape Verdes IslandsCurrent Position: 16 53.14 N 024 59.52 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 39 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereOur new year started with some serious hiking and awesome sailing. In Sao Nicolau we did a 15 km hike which (more...)In Tarrafal
30th Dec, 2016
Current Location: Tarrafal de Sao Nicolau, Cape VerdeCurrent Position: 16 35.04 N 024 23.34 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 82 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereHad a fairly slow sail across from Boa Vista to Sao Nicolau and now having a great time here. Quite different scenery. Very mountainous. Had a nice tour around the island in a taxi. Now just chilling out by our private beach. Ben and Jess leave tomorrow, and then we have a week before Roger arrives and we are ready to set sail for Barbados.Just Arrived in Sal, Cape Verde Islands
11th Dec, 2016
Current Location: Palmeira, Sal, Cape Verdes IslandsCurrent Position: 16 45.3 N 022 58.8 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 420 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereHad a fast trade-wind sail. Blue skies, not to much in the way of waves, but lots of speed. Did the whole trip in 66 hours – 6.8 kt average, door to door (well, anchor to anchor). We are now in Sal, and will be here for a week, as Ben arrives next Monday. Already got internet sorted out, so that is good. But I think we are anchored around a rock, so I guess I need to dive down and have a look at what is happening there. The party this evening is on the neighbouring Dutch boat, who arrived about half an hour after us. Sounds good to me 🙂On Our Way to Cape Verde Islands!
8th Dec, 2016
In the end we decided it was too much of a rush to visit the Casamance area of Senegal. So, instead, we are sailing straight to Cape Verde islands tomorrow. We are aiming for Sal, the upper right island, where my son Ben will be joining us in a week or so to stay for Christmas. As per usual, we will update you all once we arrive there AND get internet sorted out. Though we may also send a brief message at some point by our Satellite text message gadget. The trip should take us 3 days.Tips for Sailing The Gambia River
24th Nov, 2016
Current Location: Banjul, GambiaCurrent Position: 13 23.67 N 016 37.41 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 97 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereCruising The Gambia presents a few challenges to the sailor that are a bit different from most other destinations. My hope is that these few (more...)Of Hippos and Chimpanzees – Cruising the Gambia River
23rd Nov, 2016
Current Location: Baboon Island, Gambia RiverCurrent Position: 13 36.28 N 014 58.65 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 94 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereBanjul is a delightful contrast to Dakar. It might be the capital of this tiny country with its 1.8 million inhabitants, but it (more...)Cruising Dakar and Senegal – Do We Have Stories to Tell!
18th Nov, 2016
Current Location: Banjul, GambiaCurrent Position: 13 26.37 N 016 34.87 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 91 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt was one small splash for a man – and a barely perceptible splash for Mankind. Ben Hooper waded into the water off the beach (more...)Canaries to Senegal – and a Personal Best
12th Nov, 2016
Current Location: Dakar, SenegalCurrent Position: 14 43.1 N 017 25.66 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 4 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereThis crossing of 842 miles was like our Lisbon to Morocco crossing – but more so. We set off with very light winds which, unfortunately (more...)Good Morning from Senegal
12th Nov, 2016
Current Location: SenegalCurrent Position: 14 40.22 N 017 23.09 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 805 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereGood Morning all Welcome to Senegal! We are so excited to post and tell everyone we had a great trip to the city of Dakar. Took (more...)Leaving Tomorrow for Senegal
5th Nov, 2016
Current Location: San Sebastian, La Gomera, Canary IslandsCurrent Position: 28 4.35 N 017 7.67 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 0 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereThe internet Nightmare continues. We use 3G on the phone, with a portable wifi hostspot to the laptop. Works sometimes, for (more...)Cruising The Canary Islands
4th Nov, 2016
Current Location: La Gomera, Canary Islands, SpainCurrent Position: 28 4.2 N 017 7.62 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 47 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereSorry about the delay but, beter late than never, here is our retrospective account of our time in the Canary Islands. Lanzarote (more...)Arrived in Tenerife!
28th Oct, 2016
Current Location: Radazul, TenerifeCurrent Position: 28 24.04 N 016 19.39 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 135 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereOnce again we had everything. First a fresh breeze that had us romping along at 7kts. Then, as soon as it was dark, the wind (more...)Leaving Lanzarote for Tenerife
27th Oct, 2016
Current Location: Marina Rubicon, LanzaroteCurrent Position: 28 51.38 N 013 48.91 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 16 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereThe wind has been acting up the last few days. For three days we had big waves coming from the north, and strong winds (more...)Highlights of Morocco
19th Oct, 2016
Current Location: Marrakesh, MoroccoCurrent Position: 31 37.77 N 007 58.87 W Click to view map.Wow..it has been a busy 3 weeks.. Since we left Lisbon on the 25th of September, we have done 2 long crossings, visited Morroco and one of the Cannary islands. We enjoyed morroco very much. People were just so warm and (more...)A 500 Mile Beat?!
14th Oct, 2016
Current Location: Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary IslandsCurrent Position: 28 57.7 N 013 32.38 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 459 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereA 500 Mile Beat!? Well, that was definitely not what signed up for. We left Rabat with a forecast that gave us favourable (more...)Leaving for Canaries Tomorrow
9th Oct, 2016
After a whirlwind tour of Morocco, which we have really enjoyed, we are now ready to leave. We will put together the photos and blog in due course, but right now the forecast says go tomorrow – or wait another week. So, once again, it ends up with a bit of a rapid departure. We would have preferred to stay another day or two, but that’s how the wind goes. The trip will be about 470 miles, and should have some nice fast downwind stretches again. So we hope to arrive sometime on Thursday, assuming an average speed between 6 and 7 knots. We are aiming for Arrecife, on Lanzarote. Once we are there we will sort all that internet stuff again, and then will be back in touch. In the meantime, we will be off the grid for a few days. Have fun in the meantime!