Due to pressure building on all sides (Canada, Norway, etc.), I finally caved, took a Boating Safety Course, passed the exam, and am now the proud bearer of a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (Canada).
Phyllis
I have to admit that I was leery about writing this review of Carolyn Shearlock’s and Jan Irons’ fresh-off-the-press cookbook, since John and I do a lot of cooking, both on and off the boat, and are a long way down the gustatory road from making casseroles with condensed mushroom soup and dried onion soup [...]
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The fog lifts as we steam between the islands in the approaches to Rose Blanche, the east end of the road from Port-aux-Basques, and the west end of our cruise of the Newfoundland South Coast. The village curves around a number of little coves, its brightly coloured houses separated by meandering lanes, picturesque proof that [...]
Tucked in among the many rocks and islands enclosing Burgeo, the Burgeo Marine Service Centre takes a bit of tricky navigation to access but once in the welcome is warm. June, the harbourmaster, greets us enthusiastically and shares her plans on how to make the marina more attractive for visitors. The next member of our [...]
As we have a ‘hankering for an anchoring’ after all the time we have spent alongside in various communities, we decide to check out Deadman’s Cove, near the entrance of La Hune Bay, one of the numerous steep-walled fjords that pierce the southwest coast of Newfoundland. With light winds and sunshine forecast for the next [...]
Once again, thank you to all of you for your support in the wake of John’s accident. (As this is a boating site, I thought I should use marine terminology!)
Herman Fudge, self-proclaimed welcome wagon and traffic control for McCallum, a nonroad-served village nestled in among a group of islands at the mouth of Hermitage Bay, stands on the floating dock and waves us in. Grabbing the springline, he holds it while I get ashore. Before wandering off he points out the store near the [...]
Thank god for Marjorie! Our laundry was taking over the boat—in more ways than one—and so finding a laundromat was the driving force behind our decision to come to Hermitage, a road-served, larger community than the outports we’ve been fortunate enough to visit over the last while. So learning that a laundromat is not one [...]
During our rushed trip along this coast 13 years ago, we rode out a gale laced into the snug anchorage at Piccaire, Hermitage Bay. While waiting for the gale to pass, we hiked across the small peninsula that separates Piccaire, the site of a long ago community, and Gaultois. The trail was hard to find [...]
My quads have finally stopped screaming every time I go downhill, but it took three days for them to recover from ‘The Epic’. That’s what John and I are calling the nostalgic hike we took to the lighthouse that guards the west entrance to the narrow fjord that cradles Francois.
John and I were working below, tied up to the dock in Hermitage—a place that doesn’t get a lot of visiting boats—when we heard a thump on the deck. Poking his head out the companionway, John was met with a bag of perch fillets, from fish caught in the bay that day, landed from a [...]
The island community of Ramea glistens in the sunshine as we pull up to the wharf in Ship Cove. As we adjust the lines, Brian, the harbourmaster, appears and welcomes us in. After making sure we are comfortable, he settles in for a chat. It sure is good to see the sun, John offers. Brian [...]
A sense of déjà vu hangs over Morgan’s Cloud as we once again steam out of a harbour, right into thick fog and swell. John’s daughter and son-in-law, who have reverted to drug mode, are stretched out on the cockpit seats, this time draped with the camouflage-decorated tarp from our hiking emergency kit to protect [...]
A while ago I wrote about how we keep our hands warm when sailing and a number of commentors mentioned they really like Sealskinz gloves. Well, when something gets that much good press, who are we to argue? So we went ahead and bought ourselves a pair of Chillblocker Sealskinz gloves. And yes, you all [...]
Once again we’re off into the fog that has closed in, right up to the wharf this time. Our next stop is Grand Bruit, only 12 miles from LaPoile, so the youngsters decide to forgo drugs, especially since the first five miles of the trip is in the shelter of LaPoile Bay. This is probably [...]
As we steam out of Channel-Port-aux-Basques the fog closes in. As is our habit when underway in limited visibility, John and I between us work the radar and plotter to differentiate between the myriad rocks and a potential fishing boat hidden among them. The fog swirls around us, lightening up sometimes, then closing in again, [...]
If you look closely at a paper chart of the south coast of Newfoundland surveyed in the 1940s, you will see little black squares indicating houses in virtually every crook and cranny of this convoluted coastline, with symbols for churches and post offices dotted about. And on the ordinance survey maps the line with intermittent [...]
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Answer: The “over”!
In our Warm Feet, Please post of several years ago, we mentioned that we had purchased Dubarry Ultima boots and, after several years, were impressed. At that time, however, we weren’t ready to commit to anything until we had given them a thorough testing.
During the 15 years that John and I have been voyaging together, most of our passagemaking has been done double-handed, which, as any of you who have sailed double-handed know, means passing each other in the cockpit at watch changes on the ecstatic journey towards the sea berth or the less-than-ecstatic journey towards the cockpit! [...]
I recently wrote a post on spreading happiness, inspired by Tassio and Claudia’s website. Well, their website inspired me in another way, as well.
Over the years we’ve been voyaging, we’ve occasionally heard from people who accuse cruisers of being parasites—wandering the globe without giving back. And, yes, we’ve run across some cruisers like that. We call them “user cruisers”. They come into town, take from the generous locals (sometimes from people who have less than them), and then [...]
Last spring I wrote a post about our friend Alasdair, who at the time was planning a trip on his 26-foot Vertue sloop Sumara to Jan Mayen to climb Beerenberg. Well, he and his crew, along with another small sailboat and crew, pulled off the trip with aplomb!
No leaks down the exterior of the mast below the partners. Period. That’s what Waterboot promises and what it delivers.
The winter we spent in London England living on Morgan’s Cloud at St Katharine Haven next to Tower Bridge, was wonderful. We walked all over the city and soaked up the history and culture. And the pubs…wow!
My spotty memory has struck again! The two products I describe below work great and I want to replace them (or order more) but the details have escaped me.
Question [edited for brevity]: I did a quick search on your site, but didn’t find anything discussing foul weather gear. I’ve researched all lines and all levels of gear—West Marine, Gill, Henri Lloyd. I’d like to think this stuff may last me 10 to 15 years with proper care and avoiding snags anywhere on the [...]
Question [edited for brevity]: I was perusing the boats for sale on the web and came across a number of ferro-cement hulled boats and I was wondering what you thought of that material in general for use in a cruising boat. Is it ever a good idea or is it a matter of manufacturer and [...]