We've
been back in Canada for a bit now, and are actively attacking chores around our
cottage. It is remarkable how much
easier it seems to be to get a house or cottage ready for the season in
comparison to a boat. It may be that we
are a little too fussy with a boat - but then, we suffer breakdowns a little harder
while at sea off foreign coasts.
Sticking
with the chores here for a bit, the last two days have allowed us to turn on
the water, the television, and the internet; clean up the fallen debris,
uncover planters and such, re-install the hot tub, consolidate the tax
information for our tax guy, and deal with all the mail. As well, we have renewed acquaintances with
friends and family - indeed, we are having a big pizza party here tonight.
A
common problem with being away for six months is that people do not realize how
much we miss, and we flounder for a while without knowing who is or was
pregnant, who is or was ill, who went to jail, and who's parent may have died,
to cite some interesting examples. The
political forum is always full of scandals that we know nothing about. Still,
it will not take long to catch up.
As
for the last season, let's deal with it in the various categories.
We
traveled from Trinidad to Dominica, with considerable time spent in
Martinique. The sailing was all totally
without real scary times, and much of the sailing could be categorized as
ideal. The winds were probably averaging
a few knots higher than normal seasons, but without the high peaks. It was not a season for wine on the
foredecks, as the evenings were almost always with winds over 15 knots.
We
spent lots of time with longer-time friends like those on Silk Pajamas and Free
Spirit, and just had fleeting/too short moments with Easy Listening,
Tarantella, Nahanni River, Breezing Up to name a few. It seemed we were always just missing them as
we all bounced from bay to bay. Dawn's
sister Lorna and her husband Brian had a great first season with their 38
footer Peace and Plenty. We spent some
time with them, and assisted in the entertainment of sister Valerie and her husband
Rick when all were assembled in Rodney Bay for Christmas. Still, we let them have the majority of the
season without us, with the results that they made many friends and had their
own unique adventures. Their weblog
attests to this. You can click on their
link on our side-panel to the left.
We
only had one set of guests this year, but Ron and Judy arrived during the only
real significant piece of settled weather; making us able to ensure they got to
sail through the Grenadines as well as experience most aspects of the cruising
life. For sure, they were there for the
most successful bit of fishing, with us getting numerous strikes and landing
two lovely black-finned tuna.
The
weather net that is run by Denis (with assistance from Arlene) of Tiger Lilly
II is still providing us with lots of information and fun; and we probably only
missed about 5 morning all season. We
did not spend as much time with Tiger Lilly as last year, but got to attend
Denis' 75th birthday in Grenada, which was a great highlight.
We
did a lot more hiking this year, including some more challenging trails. Besides getting up into the Syndicate Forest
of Dominica, we also climbed to the Piton Creve Coeur near Ste Anne Martinique,
Pointe Du Cap in northern St. Lucia, Peggy's Rock in Bequia, Big Hill on Union
Island, Chapeau Carre on Carriacou, and Laurie climbed Mount Qua Qua in Grenada
while Dawn was nursing a foot injury.
Add two Grenada hashes (community hike/races with the "Hash House
Harriers"), and it was a strenuous season, with some exciting views.
Cat
Tales had the most trouble-free season in our history. We bought a new jib, and had a new bimini and
windshield installed; and were very happy with both. Problems with the starboard engine shooting
all her oil out the dipstick disappeared mid-season last year, mixing elbows
were renewed or cleaned, checks of cables and hoses are more frequent, and we
are running both engines at higher rpms to hopefully fend off carbon-related
problems.
All
in all, we enjoyed ourselves, our boat, and our friends in the Caribbean, and
still cannot see the end of this part of our short time on earth.
We
stopped on the way home to visit with Sue and Maurice Black, in Mississauga,
Ontario, and formerly of the boat "Strider". They entertained us, showed us some of
Ontario's best scenery including the northern views of the Niagara Escarpment,
and allowed us to enjoy their friends and family. It amazes us how much sailors have in common
and easily become close friends.
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| Here is a sample of the work done by Laurie on Cat Tales for haulout! |
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| Laurie and Maurice in Maurice & Sue's home in Mississauga. |
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| We got our cat fix with Bonnie and Clyde, Maurice and Sue's cats! |
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| Look who owns this place...is this Bonnie or Clyde? |
We
hope everyone has an excellent summer, and our little audience here finds other
pursuits. By the way, we intend to investigate
a rather different itinerary for next year - possibly spending more time in the
north, visiting islands we have missed in the past, and even storing the boat
in a more northerly locale. We'll try to
keep you posted.
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