I finished my previous blog with an upcoming mini-vacation: visit the East and North sections of Martinique by car.

 

February 11, our first day, was just a day trip: we came back to Komeekha to sleep. ...

February 8

Everything works .... almost! Our dinghie motor is now working! Yeh ! We’re just missing our genoa.

This whole experience really showed me how important a dinghie motor is when you cruise her...

January 26

 

Since my last blog, Sainte-Anne was our home anchorage. We had seven boats of friends nearby. Despite the unusual wet days, our social life was at its peak. With them, we had a chance to go...

January 15

 

(Photo:  Schoeler Library, Fort-de-France)

What a delightful time we had with Ellie and Theo. They were a good crew: helpful, pleasant, they never complained and enjoyed themselves. After An...

January 5

My last blog was on Christmas Day. We were in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. I feel I should write more often; those who read these blogs tell me they enjoy them. Yet, our life on Komeekha is somewha...

December 25

 

How far can dust travel? Within a room? Within a city? Within a country? How about across the Atlantic! Yes, the sand dust of the Sahara (Sahara Air Layer) is upon us again this year. This...

December 15 – BEQUIA

 

Yes, we’re still in Bequia. We’re waiting for a motor part of the dinghie which is supposed to arrive from the States this Friday. In the meantime, Frank has been rowing to shore ...

December 7

 

If you read Frank’s Facebook posts, you’ll know that Frank arrived in Grenada mid-November. (Note: Granada is in Spain, Grenada is in the Caribbean Sea.) He prepared Komeekha, our sailboat,...

Marie-Claude was not able to join me mid November to come to Grenada and launch Komeekha. She had doctors appointments that could not be changed so she arrives December 5^th in St. Vincent instead. At ...

Been here 7 days now that encompassed 4.5 days of getting Komeekha ready for launch and operational on the water.  Let me start by saying when we put Komeekha away in the spring for the Grenada summer...

Sometimes, not much is happening, we’re just chilling: we go for walks, we swim off the boat, we do happy hours with friends, we read our books/the news, we communicate with friends and family. We hav...

March 14 – Cruisers Tools and Dropped Anchor

Anse d’Arlet is a snorkeling paradise. Because of it, it is hard to find a place to drop anchor. We’ve read in some articles and Facebook (FB) posts that an...

(It’s a long one. You may want to pace yourself.  I’m sorry. There’s so much to tell you!)

It was a nice break from a constant moving boat to rent a car and spend a couple of days on land. Anse Mitan, ...

February 23

Most anchorages on the West side of Caribbean Islands have boats within 20 metres of each other – it can be crowded. Sometimes, a boat ahead of another will float on top of its neighbour’s ...

February 15

Happy chaos is how a friend of mine described carnival days in a city in the Tropics. It’s the best term I would also use for Martinique’s 4-day carnival. Each day has a parade starting at ...

February 11

 

Since we arrived in Martinique, we stayed in three anchorages: Le Marin, Sainte-Anne and Fort-de-France. Martinique has many anchorages, many points of interest, many hiking trails. It wou...

February 1

As planned, we hiked a couple of times in St. Lucia with our friends Benoit and Dominique (sailboat Andromeda). Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, is flanked by 2 hills: Admiral George Brydges Rodney's ...

January 23

In Bequia, our friends from Sherbrooke, Jocelyn and Natalie on Mordicus, arrived as planned after a full day sail from Martinique. We knew they would be tired so we had happy hour on Komeekh...

January 14

In my previous post, we were planning to leave Canouan the following day (Jan. 7th).  However, Mother Nature had other plans for us.  On the days we leave our anchorage, we always confirm th...

January 6

We left Carriacou on January 3rd, early morning: perfect winds, gorgeous scenery along the way - Union Island, Tobago Cays, Mayreau Island. By lunchtime, our anchor was holding us in sand bot...

December 29

Christmas was very different this year than last year. Last year, in the Bimini Islands, Bahamas, we celebrated with 4 other boats from Quebec: happy hours, potlucks, etc. This year, it was...

December 22

We're alone now. Our friends are sailing North. They hope to get to Antigua before coming back down to Grenada at the end of their season. We had a good time together. Maybe we'll see them ...

December 15

I made a Carribbean-like breakfast of champions this morning: eggs, fried plantains and stuffed eggplants. Oooh so yummy! It makes me realize that we don't et meat everyday here. I probably...

December 15

I made a Carribbean-like breakfast of champions this morning: eggs, fried plantains and stuffed eggplants. Oooh so yummy! It makes me realize that we don't et meat everyday here. I probably...

December 15

I made a Carribbean-like breakfast of champions this morning: eggs, fried plantains and stuffed eggplants. Oooh so yummy! It makes me realize that we don't et meat everyday here. I probably...

December 7

I love food.  I love cooking it, trying new ingredients, creating new - not repeatable - recipes.  And I'm not afraid to use visitors or Frank as ginnypig.  LOL!  I guess I've been lucky so ...

We often live through situations in which we don't have as much control when living on a boat as when living on land.  As a situation unfolds, Frank and I often need to take a mental step back, list o...

November 21.  What a great day Monday was for us and our friends Susan and Rachel:  a tour of the island!  Before Amoy arrived with his air conditioned minibus, Frank and I dropped off a propane tank ...

November 19

Forecast is a week without rain!  Yes!   We can confidently leave windows and hatches open, let the breeze go through the hot air inside the boat, cool and dry our skin/hair, let us complet...

November 13



The day we were leaving the AirBnb (Saturday), it poured all night and day.  We tried to wait for a lapse between two clouds - Mother Nature had decided that this would not be the case.  So...

November 7



We're back, Grenada!  We flew in yesterday on an uneventful 5-hour Air Canada flight.  The day started at 5:15 from the home of Drew and Jill in Brampton.  Our wonderful friends had picked ...

We've arrived at our final destination!  We are so happy of our achievement.  What a journey!

Here are a couple of subjects that have nothing to do with Grenada but that I wanted to mention:

Many anch...

March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everyone!

Before I talk about Mustique, I'd like to tell you about the city buses on these Caribbean islands.  My example is of St. Vincent, but we've experienced the s...

March 4

I just noticed that I haven't written a blog in more than a week.  I know that some of you enjoy reading them, so I'm sorry to make you wait.

One of the reason for this delay is a severe back pa...

February 23

With a heavy heart we said our goodbyes and hugged Harald and Melitta two days ago.  We had a happy, memorable vacation together.  We promised many more.

Before heading out of St. Maartens y...

February 15

So much happiness when we spend time with Frank's cousin Harald and his wife Melitta. We get along so well.  Harald and Melitta are easy going, happy people, always something interesting to...

February 5

I love sunrises when we travel.  They are beautiful:  vibrant colours, sometimes playing hide and seek behind small clouds, changing in colour and intensity every minute.  That special momen...

January 31

Since we arrived in Puerto Rico (PR), we welcome the day with calls from the neighbourhood roosters.  These colourful birds are everywhere:  on sidewalks, alleys, parking lots.  Some of them...

January 22

Ponce, Puerto Rico (PR) is a thriving city, the second biggest after San Juan to the North.  It was founded in 1692 by Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza.  His great-grand-father was the conquistad...

January 18

Wow!  So much happy emotions this morning when I woke up and saw Puerto Rico South West coast a mile away, Faro Los Morrillos proudly perched on top of a sunlit escarpment.  A welcome sight!

January 14

So much has happened since my last blog.  Crooked Island, overnight to Caicos, Iridium GO dies, Caicos for 4 days, planning of our longest non-stop trip of 3-4 days.

Before I go further, let ...

January 6

There's so much to do and see in the Exumas.  People spend weeks here.  For us, we only sailed to Norman Spit and The Mice.  We have a lot of mileage to do this year so we have little time to...

January 2

The Bahamas really have a extraordinary geography.  All around the 700 islands, the corral reefs and banks are no more than 20 feet.  Once we cross the waters from island to island, the ocean...

December 30

I am often pleasantly surprised how our reality turns out to be so much better than expected.

When we left Miami, we were alone and we planned on spending a couple of days on Bimini Island t...

December 24

Please note:  now that we left mainland, we don't have cell service unless we go for a beer or a meal in a bar, restaurant or hotel.  So I need to plan more carefully to catch opportunities...

December 18

We arrived yesterday in North Miami.  There's a nice bay between the Florida International University (Biscayne Bay Campus) and the Oleta River State Park.  In cities as populated as Miami ...

December 14

We had such a good time, I didn't have time or the energy to blog until we left, this morning.

At Fort Pierce, we had lunch with Howard and Marilyn, Frank's uncle and his wife.  What a delig...

December 6

We've been travelling every day from St. Augustine to Fort Pierce - 4.5 days.  We usually get up at 6:00ish to leave at 7:00 when the sun is up and we can see our surroundings.  Leaving earl...

November 30

I loved this city!  Again, there's a lot of history and cobblestone alleys.  The cuisine is so delicious.  We visited a small distillery of bourbon, vodka and gin.  The visit was interestin...

November 23

 In my previous blog, I talked about things that are changing as we head South.  I talked about language, trees and birds.  I forgot two other things that have changed:  cuisine and guns.

It...

November 19

There's was no point writing a blog before we got to Charleston and experience all the fun and history it offers.  Before I get into it though, I want to mention some of the little changes ...

November 12

Nicole has now passed us at Mile Hammock Bay, near Jacksonville, North Carolina.  Even 2-3 days before she came, we had winds strong enough to decide to stay put for five days instead of co...

November 8

Finally, we started to see cacti and palm trees as far North as Norfolk.  On our walk from Willoughby Bay to the nearest grocery store, we were happily surprised to see them.  It gave us hop...

November 1          

There's a huge difference in cooking method and menu between anchorage/marina and en route.  At anchorage, the boat is not moving; 

October 26

          (I'm sorry for not posting a blog for many days.  We had some difficulty with our website.  It is now resolved. 

October 19

          Two people, living on a 37-foot boat, require some rules (stated or intuitive) and respect of personal space even though they love each other very much. 

Well, we (Nigel and I) made it to Boston. Nigel offered to come along for the Halifax to Boston trip to add to his many ocean sailing experience. 

October 13

          One of the advantages of Frank's marina choice is the proximity to the airport.  Frank met me at the bagage claim with our buggy upon my arrival on the 10th. 

October 10

While this flood resolution was progressing, a lot more happened.  Let's start with October 1, the day after my arrival.

October 10

This is a long time since I've wrote.  And, many tell me they like reading my blogs.  I apologize for keeping you waiting. You almost got a 2-thumb-2-line blog last weekend. 

September 25

Dear Fiona, We planned your visit a few days before your arrival.  During that planning phase, we traced your progress from Dominican Republic on September 19 to your arrival in Nova Scoti...

September 19

Due to unfavorable winds these days, we decided to visit Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove by car.  I haven't driven a car since July in Quebec City. 

September 10

When we left St. Peter's for Halifax, we were now sailing on the ocean with Komeekha for the first time!  Like any new experiences that has unknown variables, I was both apprehensive and e...

September 6

Marinas are unique, with some commonalities.  As we progress on this adventure, we spend some nights in marinas instead of anchorages.  At marinas, we can reprovision on food,

August 19

No, we didn't throw them overboard!  LOL!

Yesterday, Daniele and Richard took the Maritime bus to Halifax to pick up their car and drive

September 1

Baddeck was everything we hoped for: a busy little place, seafood, friends and culture.

As soon as we paid for our mooring for 2 nights ($25/night), we found out

August 27

Since we left Summerside PEI, we crossed the Confederation Bridge and the Northumberland Strait to anchor at Brule at the end of the day (beside Barachois Harbour) and Havre Boucher in Nova S...

August 14

Our initial plans, back in Quebec City, were to go to Iles-de-la-Madeleine, a 89-hour trip.  After our experience with many long days and nights, we decided to forgo the islands and follow th...

August 11

Between Ste-Anne-des-Monts and Gaspe, we passed by the northernmost point of our trip, just before Ste-Madeleine.  Ironically, the weather got cooler from that point.  LOL!  We are so gratefu...

August 6

From my previous blog, our plans were to sail up the Saguenay River to Anse-St-Jean.  We timed our Tadoussac entranceway to get the currents pushing us up river.  By the time we turned North a...

August 1

Covid is over.  Engine is repaired.   Weˋre leaving Quebec City.  I never thought Iˋd be excited to leave this city.  Itˋs beautiful;  thereˋs lots to do;  and it has all the things a cherish ...

July 22

Making a big trip like this one, we need to live one day at a time.  Our mindset is now used to not worrying about the future when some delays are out of our control.  It's the most positive wa...

I cannot tell you the emotions that go through you when you see an oil leak that you cannot stop when you are on a planned long trip like we are on. 

July 12

I always have a good feeling going back to my childhood home.  Itˋs not the house that Iˋm talking about -- a farm on Ile dˋOrleans that my parents sold many years ago -- but the home (the hear...

July 6

A few days ago, as we were planning our next overnight stops, we saw this vast area dotted with islands and mini channels - a recipe for a perfect anchorage:  wild, quiet, mud bottom, kayak pote...

July 3

         

From Gananoque, we proceeded to Brockville where we met up with friends, David and Regina.  During that weekend (June 24-26), the Tall Ships were there. 

This is just to let you know that I'll post a blog this weekend.

Making a reservation for the US Eisenhower and Snell Seaway locks is very different from the Canadian lock reservation system. The Canadian one is easy to find and the US one is challenging to find. 

June 25

         

Since our experience with salads (June 20 blog:  Salad Anyone?), we've been wary of it - often looking hard into the water and the chartplotter to avoid them.  So far, it seems that Br...

June 20

         

From Toronto, we sailed (20-30 knot beam reach winds, 1-1.5 m waves = bumpy and fun!) to Presqu'ile Bay (near Brighton).  Beam reach winds are 90 degrees from the side of the boat.  Be...

The Welland canal passage starts with doing a reservation. Reservations can be done any time you have an idea what day you anticipate passing. Reservations can be canceled within specified time limits...

June 17

I don't want to set a precedent of writing blogs every 2-3 days.   But I couldn't pass up telling you about the experience we had yesterday.  A true comedy of errors from which we acquired a fe...

Port Colborne Marina is very well located.  It is near shops, the Welland and Erie Canals.  Its premises are very clean and spacious.  It has a Don Cherry bar.  The only setback is its shallow water, ...

During multi-day sail, I've started to make these delicious and healthy cookies.  I found the recipe in Ricardo's website - my favorite chef, from Montreal.  They're much cheaper than store-bought gra...

June 10-12

          Our longest sail so far:  46 hours.

          Of course, we could have stopped at a few places along the way;  but two reasons influenced our decision to sail non-stop:  we want to ...

June 7-10

          First, I'm sorry I haven't written for a while.  As you'll read in this and the next blog, we've been busy.

          I mentioned in one of the blogs last year that we don't usually ...

Here we go again!  After a decade of planning and discussion, we finally can sail our sloop to the Caribbean Sea.  How exciting ... and overwhelming and exciting and frustrating and exciting.  This ro...

We discovered McGregor Bay this summer.  The reason we never ventured into its miasma of rocky islands through a labyrinth of routes until now is because we didn't have the charts for it.  You don't w...

It often looks like where there is paradise on earth (no civilization, no noise/light pollution), there is no cell connection.  In the North Channel, to name a few:  Fox Island, parts of McGregor Bay,...

Last year, Frank's fishing, a food talk with a friend and the purchase of a fish dip at Gore Bay inspired me to make my own fish spread.  When Frank started to catch walleye, pike and bass, I started ...

I read in a sailing book once that this couple categorized the necessary boat duties by pink jobs (hers), blue jobs (her husband's) and purple jobs (either or together).  I liked that idea and started...

I heard the term "buddy sailing" last year.  Some of our friends had been sailing for a few weeks with other boating friends (2-4 boats together).  Even though Frank and I are introvert - we love

(July 6) 

One of our sailing rules is "we don't sail on a strict schedule".  We've learn through books and our own experience that when one (we) sail on a specific day because we need to be somewhere, ...