Solo sailing Grenada to Bequia
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 5th in St. Vincent instead. At ...
Read MoreThe 2024-25 Cruising/Sailing season starts
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...
Read MoreJust Chilling under the Sunshades
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...
Read MoreCruisers Tools & Dropped Anchor
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 ...
Read MoreTombolo and Bouliki
(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...
Read MoreRelaxing Week
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’...
Read MoreHappy Chaos
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 a...
Read MoreMartinique Week 1
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...
Read MoreSt. Lucia to Martinique
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'...
Read MoreBequia to St. Lucia
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 Komee...
Read MoreThe Stars Above Us
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 w...
Read MoreSun and Lambi
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 the...
Read MoreGames and Entertainment
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 probab...
Read MoreGames and Entertainment
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 probab...
Read MoreGames and Entertainment
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 probab...
Read MoreLocal Produce and Time Loss
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 s...
Read MoreThe Fridge
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...
Read MoreIsland Tour
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 ...
Read MoreSunny Days
November 19Forecast 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...
Read MoreSettling In
November 13The 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...
Read MoreWe're Back, Grenada!
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 ...
Read MoreAntigua, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes
March 4I 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...
Read MoreSt. Barthelemy
February 23With 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...
Read MoreHarald and Melitta
February 15So 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...
Read MoreSt. Maartens
February 5I 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...
Read MoreVieques and St. Thomas, USVI
January 31Since 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...
Read MorePuerto Rico
January 22Ponce, 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...
Read MoreWe Did It !!!
January 18Wow! 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!...
Read MoreThe Thorny Path
January 14So 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 ...
Read MoreBimini North
December 30I 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...
Read MoreGoodbye Mainland, Hello Islands!
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 opportuniti...
Read MoreJensen Beach
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 del...
Read MoreOh No, Aground!
December 6We'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...
Read MoreSt. Augustine
November 30I 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...
Read MoreCharleston
November 19There'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 ...
Read MoreTropical Storm Nicole
November 12Nicole 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...
Read MoreCacti, Palm Trees and Destroyers
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 h...
Read MoreCooking on Komeekha
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;
...
Read MoreNew York, New York
October 26 (I'm sorry for not posting a blog for many days. We had some difficulty with our website. It is now resolved.
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Read MoreDomesticity and Cold Weather
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.
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Read MoreSailing from Nova Scotia to Boston
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.
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Read MoreMy Project Management Skills Came Handy - Part 2
October 10
While this flood resolution was progressing, a lot more happened. Let's start with October 1, the day after my arrival.
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Read MoreMy Project Management Skills Came Handy Part 1
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.
...
Read MoreDear Fiona
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 Sco...
Read MoreLunenburg, Mahone Bay, Peggy's Cove
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.
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Read MoreMarinas Are Unique
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,
...
Read MoreWe Lost our Crew
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
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Read MoreBaddeck, NS
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
...
Read MoreSebastian and the In-laws
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...
Read MoreNorthumberland Strait
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 ...
Read MoreSeals are Curious
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...
Read MoreHere We Sail Again ....
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 cheris...
Read MoreMotor Oil Leak?
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.
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Read MoreQUEBEC, MON AMOUR
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 he...
Read MoreA BAYOU WITHOUT CROCODILES
July 6A 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...
Read MoreGananoque to Longueil (Montreal)
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.
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Read MoreUS Eisenhower & Snell Seaway Locks
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.
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Read MoreBelleville to Gananoque
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 ...
Read MoreSalad Anyone?
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. ...
Read MoreWelland Canal, Reservations Required
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...
Read MoreA Comedy of Errors
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 ...
Read MorePort Colborne & Welland Canal
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, ...
Read MoreTrail-Mix Cookies (Ricardo's)
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...
Read MoreSARNIA TO PORT COLBORNE (LAKE ERIE)
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 ...
Read MoreLake Huron & Sarnia
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 ...
Read MoreSeason Start
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...
Read MoreMcGregor Bay - South East Corner
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...
Read MoreCell Connection
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,...
Read MoreFish Spread (or Dip)
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 ...
Read MorePink, Blue and Purple Jobs
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...
Read MoreBuddy Sailing
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
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Read MoreNo Schedule
(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, ...
Read MoreKomeekha has a new Chart Plotter & Radar
On our last sailing day of the 2020 sailing season, the chart plotter failed to function. Since the radar had been acting up as well for the last 2 seasons, we ordered and installed a touch screen Ray...
Read MoreBlueberries !
On Fox Island (West side), there are many blueberry bushes. They might also be all over the island but we haven't confirmed it as yet. At this time, we can find a few ripe berries but mostly they ar...
Read MoreFox Island
(June 26)So far this season we've anchored at places we had not been before: Killarney Bay, McGregor Bay, Fraser Bay and now Fox Island. At Killarney Bay, we had anchored at Covered Portage and the ...
Read MoreFresh Herbs
I've been sailing for many summers but only during weekends and 1-2 week vacations. It's only our second summer that we've had a chance to sail for the whole season.
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Read MoreWater Temperature
Here's a contradiction - sort of: when we left Wingfield Bassin (45 nautical miles South of our current location) at 5:00am yesterday, the water temperature was at 11.8 degrees celcius.
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Read MoreKeep the Inside Warm
It's a cool day today. The water is still cold so the inside of the boat is cool-ish. I know that later this summer I would welcome this cool temperature; but for now we
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Read MoreA Brand New Sailing Season
(June 7) We're finally starting our sailing adventure for this summer! We left Wiarton Marina today, where Komeekha spent last winter. The staff did some minor repairs this spring.
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