Waiting for the storm

All hatches have been battened down, fenders, port and starboard, have been doubled, and the dinghy has been relocated to the back yard… oh, and we've put the snubbers on the dock lines. All is well on Shannon's Spirit and Abbey Acres is snug as a bug, including fireplace in the rec room and camp stove set up in garage in case of power outage. Ahhh, life is good. Hope your hatches are locked down and your lanterns are at the ready. Here comes winter! Always CJ

Beautiful Maple Bay

A beautiful, cool, sunny day reminds me why we moved here 20 years ago. This will be a very different winter for us as we've decided not to do our usual RV wander through the state parks of southern CA and AZ. Hopefully we'll get to see more sunny days between the rains and winds. No complaints though. We love it here.
Hope all is well with each of you. Always, CJ

It’s all about the soles…

A slightly embarrassing story, but a story nonetheless:-)

So, I got up this morning and it wasn't raining; awesome. Got dressed, grabbed Maddie and went for a walk. We walked all over the marina property and out onto the side of the road for a while. The ground was wet but not too bad. After our walk we returned to the boat and tidied up a bit.
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While I was tidying I couldn't help but notice that the cockpit needed sweeping so I got out the soft brush and dustpan and commenced to sweeping up the cockpit sole (that is the nautical term for the floor in the cockpit of a sailboat). The space is small and a bit segmented requiring the sweeper to sweep around obstacles, like the steering pedestal, and usually requires some form of inventive gymnastics to accomplish the sweeping to a satisfactory level.

Now don't get me wrong; I am not, nor have I ever been, a neat freak… But, after all, we are at a yacht club rendezvous so I want the boat to look at least nice, not perfect but at least cared for. This is a long way of saying I was crawling around trying to sweep the small corners of the cockpit and,every so often, I found a mud smeer (!). I'd no sooner clean it up, and I'd find another. It took me a couple laps of said cockpit sole before I realized it was me! And my shoes! That were leaving mud sneers as I crawled 😱

Tools down, checked my shoes and, sure enough, the soles of my shoes had collected lots of gooey dark mud on our walk and my wiping them off on the lawns hadn't been enough. Bottom line: this soul (me) had to wash down the cockpit sole to erase the mess left by the soles in the photo. DONE! No more chores today. TTFN. CJ
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Bonding Time…

If not "for the courage of the faithful crew"… I might not be lying here at 0700, wrapped in warm blankets, listening to the pounding of the pouring rain. The SE wind, as forecast, has also just arrived.

Yes, Maddie and I left the dock in Maple Bay yesterday and, after an uneventful three hour motor boat ride, we arrived safely at Telegraph Harbour Marina. It was the strangest arrival I have ever experienced. Another club boat and I arrived within minutes of each other. We both had made reservations and we both attempted to raise the Marina on the VHF. No one answered. We could see the Marina was almost empty. There were only 2 or 3 boats tied up and they were residents. So, with not too many viable options, we arrived as planned, selected our slips and tied up. We were advised by one of the residents the cafe was open but there were no dock staff on duty. So, like you would, we settled in to enjoy the Luke warm fall sunshine and had a nice afternoon and dinner before retiring for the night. The predicted rain arrived about 0400 and the expected SE wind began to show itself about 0600. Today should be very interesting as our club cruise registration was 'sold out' and a large number of boats are expected to arrive. I think it's safe to say they need not wait for the official check in time of 1300. Anyway, the good news is this is Maddie and my first solo trip on SSpirit so it's been a good learning experience. having always sailed as a twosome, I had to move fairly quickly when something needed to be done under way. Thank goodness for the auto pilot. Maddie was very good and she seems to have accepted that I'm not all that bad after all. I know I'll be dumped into the #2 position the minute Kathy gets home and that's ok. I'm happy for what I have and am tickled pink to be out on the boat, even if it is raining and going to blow. I'm glad we're all tucked in. The rain is supposed to stop tomorrow and the winds are supposed to be light on Sunday, the day we head home.
TTFN. Tata for now. CJ and Bosun Maddie.
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A wee story about Mother Nature... just a quick one.

Just a wee story, about nature in our own backyard.  Ms. Maddie and I have a morning routine, quite a ritual actually. It involves me getting up first and usually having to wake her up (gently). She then collectsTeddy in her mouth and comes to greet me.  Teddy's a very important part of this ritual; not sure what we'll do if he ever gets lost or totally destroyed (there's not much left now ::-)  Anyway, the usual ritual is, once awakened and after the usual morning greetings (including a back scratch and a bow) we three proceed to the back door where Teddy stays behind (as enticement to return) and M heads out to do her business. Once completed, she sprints (full speed) to the back door and leaps into the air, capturing Teddy in her mouth, before continuing back into the house and to her, still warm, bed for a little more sleep.  It's a bit weird, but it works. What can I say?

This morning was different.  Maddie woke me up barking, just before 7. Hmm, that's different.. so off I padded to see what was up.  I could tell by the curtain being slightly ajar, she'd been peeking out the sliding door at the back yard; so I did too.  Seeing nothing untoward I carried on as usual but not so Miss Maddie. Nope, her butt was planted firmly on the floor in the middle of the family room and she wasn't going anywhere. This was the first time in over 5 years, she hadn't raced me to the door.   

Not too many options here. I donned my warm, plaid, working jacket and slipped on my old but functional 'duck boots' and opened the back door carefully.  Nothing. I was about to step out and decided (being the survivor I am) I'd best be armed for the unknown... so I grabbed the umbrella  :-)  Trajectory's not great, but it gives me 2-3 extra feet of distance 😁  Anyway, I stepped out, into the yard quietly and stopped to assess.  No bloodied mess on the lawn, no gate swinging open in the wind, no skulking racoon, cat or squirrel... Then I saw it.

A hawk, about the size of a raven, sat quietly on the side fence, watching me watching him or her. It sat quietly until I took a few steps towards it, and then she or he flew to a part of the fence a little further away and then headed off to places unknown.  It was pretty neat. The air was still and there was no traffic or other noise.. just me and the hawk.  

Declaring the coast clear, I invited Maddie out to do her business and she complied.  All is well in the neighbourhood/ Ahhh, great start to the morning.

Blessings and Adventures

How does one prepare for a Camino? Great question, with an answer I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes and felt it in my heart. Stamina, energy, commitment, inner strength and gut determination all factor in. Weeks and months of physical training (working up to 15 and 20 km hikes), hours of research, dozens of conversations, miles of pavement pounded in the search for just the right pair of shoes… and more.  Everything you've ever done in preparation for an international trip and a bunch more…that's how you prepare.

 And then there's the backpack. Not  just any backpack  though. It has to fit well, be the right design for the trip and, above all else, it has to hold everything you will need for your journey and still come in at 10% of your body weight.  Some choose to ship their kit ahead of them, and that's their choice; but some choose to do the pilgrimage the 'old' way…and that is Kath.  She's left the country and is en route to Portugal via Ireland (where she will have a short visit with her cousins before flying to Porto).

We've agreed, for sanity's sake, to not set up a schedule for communication, but rather to stick with the old adage 'no news is good news'.  This will allow Kath to immerse herself in the experience itself and to follow whatever path she chooses … to its end.
We will stay loosely in touch; the hearts demand it.

Back at the 'ranch' life goes on. The orchids are blooming and Maddie's doing her shopping at Home Depot. All going well Maddie and I may enjoy some days aboard the good ship SSpirit. We shall see.

We hope you are all enjoying the departure of summer and have your sails set for the onset of Fall.   Until I write again, this is CJ signing off.  TTFN









Sent from my iPhone

Homeward bound…

We had a great sail heading home from our few days across from Ladysmith. Warm sun and a steady breeze provided a wonderful sail home. Photo credits to Kathy,,,,

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It’s all about the toys…

> Some days it is. So here we are, anchored across from Ladysmith, and out come the new paddle board and Pup Plank. Yes two new skills in the works. Kathy is thrilled with her new paddle board and Maddie is turning into a diving and retrieving dog. All good fun!
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Home and harvesting…

It's that time again…garlic harvest done…tick! And a pretty good harvest at that. Unfortunately the birds enjoyed ALL the blueberries and the raspberries never matured… oh well; such is life :-). Hope your gardens are all you hoped for and you're enjoying late summer. CJ

And two weeks wind down…

And so it goes…. We've had a wonderful two weeks. We shared anchorages with friends: old and new. We've swum (is that a word?) in cold water and not so cold water. We've froliced and hiked, shared happy hours and meals, and spent quiet times reading and contemplating life; all the important stuff.
We expect to be home Saturday, just ahead of a rainy Sunday 🤞. We hope you've enjoyed your summer so far and have many enjoyable days ahead. Signing off for now, until next time. CJ

Playing in the Gulf Islands

Yes we are… still out here playing in our back yard. Nothing exciting to report but oh so pleased to be able to be out on the water. Hope you are all enjoying your summer. CJ

Sunset at Montague

Puttin' around the gulf islands with friends

We are home…

After an amazing 9 days... and a whirlwind introduction (with good friends) to some beautiful anchorages and the wonders of Mother Nature at her finest... we have returned to our home and are now catching up with our more domestic life :-)  Thanks for coming along on our journey.  Just for the record; we visited Alert Bay, the Pearse Islands, Farewell Harbour, Midsummer Island, Echo Bay, Samoom Sound, Sullivan Bay, Booker Lagoon... and then back to Alert Bay.  We ran into old friends from our blue water days and we met new friends along the way.  I hope your days have been filled with adventures of your choosing... TTFN until I write again. CJ

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Sunset in Booker Lagoon


We had a lovely sail from Sullivan Bay and, after shooting the rapids at the entrance to
Booker Lagoon (which was a rather startling event) we settled in to a lovely and almost empty anchorage. We dined on fresh salmon (our second such dinner supplied by the sea) and watched the sun set on another beautiful and secluded piece of paradise.

This has indeed been a memorable journey and a grand introduction into an uncrowded wilderness. Today we turn our bow towards 'home'. The forecast includes heavier winds later today and we hope to be across the open waters before it arrives. Until I write again. Fair winds. CJ

Sullivan Bay

July 25. Just leaving Sullivan Bay. Gorgeous country. Wonderful people. Old friends from blue water days. Onward to next stop. All well on board. Limited connectivity. Stay well. CJ

Echo Bay, Billy Proctor and friends

Our exploration continues. Having visited Mid Summer Island where we enjoyed a peaceful anchorage and (at least) got our traps wet (no luck), we carried on to Echo Bay. While somewhat busy, there was room at the dock for us and we elected to stay the night. Good thing as we met up with friends from our blue water cruising days and enjoyed a good happy hour before settling in for the evening. Another highlight of the day was a tramp through the forest and over to the next bay for a visit with Billy Proctor and his museum. Kathy had a good chat with Billy as her family had been quite involved with forestry in the area in years long past.

Photos today include; an example of the protected waters and islets, Kathy and Billy, Billy's museum and a great example of how to turn all those old fishing lures into art deco.

Hope all is well with each of you. We are fine and the adventure continues… today we head to Sullivan Bay. TTFN. CJ

The Broughtons

Yes, we are finally back in the Broughton's and they are just as desolate and beautiful as we remembered. We are enjoying cruising with friends and all is well. Each day is different. We have enjoyed warm sunshine, brazen fog, gentle winds. Calm seas and the company of good friends. We even caught a fish! And have our fingers crossed for our prawn and crab traps. Hope all is well with each of you. We are fine. CJ and Kathy

Evening song…

Is perfect. We 've had a lovely time at Conover Cove and by the time you read this we ll be half way to Sidney (the tides demand we slip at 0630) (remember the saying about plans made in sand). We met some wonderful folks while hosting at the dock. Some will, ,no doubt, become boating friends. After a couple of days in Sidney we'll be out meandering for a few more days. Hope your paths are running true. Always, CJ

Peaceful summer morning…

In Connover Cove

Ah. The still quiet in the early hours of one of our favourite places in the Gulf Islands. We are here as Park Hosts this week and have already met old friends (someone who actually remembered us and our dear SV Shannon). That was many years ago now. Anyway old friends and new, we have a nice group at the dock and the folks who are anchored are not too loud. It's all good.

We hope your day will be a good one too.
Best, CJ

Finally of age…

Our pink dogwood is finally of an age.. and it's beautiful!

We're enjoying being home. The gardens call to us and the garlic looks great. Shannon's Spirit is ready to head off and we've already been out for a week. We're staying close to home this summer except for a week with friends in the Broughtons on their boat. Can't wait! Hope all of you have fun and exciting plans for the summer. As a friend of mine always says. "Stay upright".
Bye for now. CJ

Two amazing vessels

There's all kinds of boats on the water and we've been blessed with the sight of two rather unique ones. The first, an old schooner we passed when heading north to Pirates Cove on the 12th and the second, a rowing/sail vessel that just came into the cove now (1600 hrs on the 14th) after rowing from Pacific Pioneer Camp on the north end of Thetis island. They must have endured some rough water out there as the SE is still delivering her punch this afternoon.

We are at Pirates Cove doing our duty as volunteer park hosts. We're lucky to be able to do this as our yacht club (Maple Bay YC) has run this park host program since 1986. We love this place and have both been coming here since we were teenagers and carry many fond memories of the Cove.

Hope your good memories keep you company. Bye for now. CJ

We’ve made it home with much to share…

What an adventure we've had; and, yes, we are home (at least as far as Richmond for tonight and home to the Island tomorrow). Since writing last we travelled from Westport to Galway and then to Killarney and Dingle. We travelled via buses and trains (getting pretty good at dragging our luggage up, over and around) … and visited beautiful countrysides, magnificent estates and quaint villages. We learned a lot of history including about the conflicts that had such devastating affects and the ways people managed against the poverty and strife. We saw and learned about the stone walls that divide the grazing lands and we learned about the making of and various uses of thatched roofs. I could go on but won't. Suffice to say we not only visited some amazing places, we also met equally delightful people; folks like Paul & Linda who were our terrific hosts in Westport and Kathleen who gave us a personal tour of Dingle and the surrounding lands over the course of two - days and then drove us to the airport in Cork. We saw the Cliffs of Moher (from the water) and visited the smallest of the Aran islands where we toured the island in a horse-drawn carriage. We also visited Ross castle and then walked along the paths and through the fields back to the village. I'd be remiss if I didn't admit we enjoyed the food and sipped a few pints of the fine ales along the way :-)

We feel truly blessed to have had this amazing journey through rural England and Ireland and we've added many memories and stories to our 'collection' of life. The following are a few photos from the recent visits. Thanks for joining us on this journey. It feels good to know you're enjoying the accounting.

Hope all is well with each of you. CJ

Photos are:

Hooker boat racing out of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club.
One of many castle ruins.
Horse drawn carriage on the smallest Achill Island. This is Sandy, an eight year old mare who kept catching up to our cart. I was able to give her a scratch once the ride was over.
Clouds (I like clouds :-)
Ross Castle, Killarney.
Horse drawn carriage in Ross castle lands and park

Keswick - some more photos from week 2

 This next photo essay is a bit delayed. We’ve certainly been on the move these last couple of weeks!

We’re on the bus to Killarney today, so thought I’d take advantage of the downtime and the free Wifi on the bus. 

We had some absolutely stunning weather in the Lake District and I (Kathy) was able to get in a few hikes and admire gorgeous views around Keswick.  The little classic ferry boats allowed CJ (with her knee brace on) to join me on some shorter hikes along Derwentwater and I took off on three days for longer hikes with greater elevation.  

Around the lake (Derwentwater):

Bluebells in blossom

Hotel at Lodore Falls

Hike up the Catbells:

Hike up Latrigg Fell (and a few sheep!):