Our plans have changed a zillion times in the last month. We’ re going, no we are heading home, maybe we’re crossing, we’re not crossing. My head has been spinning as we weigh all of the options. But, finally, a decision has been made.

We are crossing to the islands for a while and returning home earlier than usual. Mom is relatively settled in the nursing home of Caressant Care in Woodstock. She is not very happy with her room at this time but is awaiting a move to a more permanent spot there. Once she is in a permanent bed, she can request a private room with more space for some of her belongings. With her own things around her, I think she might be happier.

So, we are taking this opportunity to cross over to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island, probably tonight or very early tomorrow morning. Once we are checked in etc, I will notify all of you of our safe arrival. Friends on a large catamaran, MarNel, will be accompanying us. Pete and Lani have been as far south as Venezuela and Panama but are just cruising to the Bahamas this winter. They are great fishermen and divers, so they will push us to do more and catch more, I am sure.

Once we are in the islands, I hope to promote my book and get more distributers and orders. So, we may even go to George Town, Great Exuma, this year as there are many potential buyers anchored there. I also need to check in with Bernadette Chamberlain in Staniel Cay, the illustrator for The Pig That Couldn’t Swim. I sent her a copy of the new book about Penny and want to see if she is interested in illustrating this one as well.

I hope to get the MiFi up and running in the islands and, if so, we will be able to use this e-mail address all winter long. But, I will keep you informed of which address to use to contact us more easily.

All our best to everyone ashore, love and hugs,
Heather & Murray

Hello everyone

It is a gorgeous sunny day here in West Palm Beach as we sit at anchor. But it hasn’t always been this lovely and warm and we have had several major issues since our last report.

In late December, we pushed hard and motored over 200 miles in the first few days of our journey. But Murray noted that our stern was more sooty than usual and we were also burning through the fuel at an alarming rate. This indicated to him that we had injector problems and needed to have them re-built before we could continue on our journey south. Using the MiFi ( I LOVE it!! and will write a report about it for the website) I checked the internet and found a couple of repair shops south of Vero Beach that specialized in injectors. One of these was very near to our friends, George and Nancy who have a place on a canal in Hobe Sound. They offered their dock for the duration of the repair and we took them up on it and arrived at the dock on Wed, 28th. They had left their house open, guarded by Katie , the springer spaniel, who greeted me with a lick and a wiggle. I remembered where to find the car keys and we delivered the injectors right away. Maybe Friday, maybe Tuesday was the promised delivery date.

George and Nancy do a lot of entertaining and we always seem to arrive when a party is planned. They volunteer at a local school and had invited some teachers and their spouses to dinner. It was a lively group that shared the table that night and the conversation flowed freely. Two nights later, they had a group of 17 workers and spouses from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store ( where they also volunteer ). This time I was able to assist Nancy with the preparations and again a wonderful time was had by all. We were especially happy as our injectors were repaired and ready to be re-installed the next day.

New Years Eve day found Murray buried in the engine room. Three injectors came out easily and were replaced by the re-built ones but the fourth gave him difficulty. George came up with a can of PB Blaster ( as seen on TV ) which did the trick. We were repaired and the larder was full. Departure was planned for the next day.

It was not to be. I received a Skype call from our son, Steve, who told me that Gramma was back in hospital. I spoke to the nurses and was told that she was improving but had chest pain and shortness of breath. Her bleeding time was also prolonged. They were going to keep her for a few days and that she may need a nursing home bed sooner than expected. After the New Years holiday, I contacted CCAC ( who administer the long term care beds ) to change her priority for placement. The CCAC caseworker from the hospital, Lisa Eichler, called back and we spoke extensively about the issues. Her plan was to support Mom in her current room with Personal Support Workers until a bed became available. With that news and the word that Mom was much improved and would be discharged very soon, we departed our friends’ dock.

It had been bitterly cold the previous nights, with temperatures reaching into the high 30’s and even frost in some areas, so leaving the umbilical cord of power and heat was a difficult move. But, a window to cross to the islands was in the offing and we were loaded to go. During the trip south from Hobe Sound, we found that the boat gremlins had again been at work. Our external speaker for the VHF radio wasn’t working! What the heck? It HAD been working! As it is an important piece of our safety gear, on Friday the 6th, we headed a little more south to an anchorage south of Flagler Bridge. Friends sitting there told us of a nearby marine supply place and we arranged to pick up the required speaker. Returning to the boat, Murray quickly installed the speaker and fixed our last ( we thought ) problem. I checked the weather once again, and made hard boiled eggs and cheese biscuits to eat during the passage. Now to get the charts organized, set up the route on the computer…..

Then the phone rang and everything changed once again. Mom had been deemed unable to return to the retirement home, even with assistance. She will need to stay in hospital until a nursing home bed is found for her. Murray gave me a hug and said ” I think we should go home”.

So, the plan has changed once again. Thank goodness we never write them in cement but always in Jello! We will continue our cruise for the balance of this month, staying in touch with the hospital and family the whole time. By early February, we will arrive back in Green Cove Springs, prepare the boat for haul-out, load up the car and head north. By mid February, we should arrive back in Tillsonburg. These dates are very flexible and subject to change as usual. If time permits, there are several cruising friends that we would like to visit on our way north.

So, hold on to your hats!! We will see you all soon. Much love and hugs,

Murray & Heather
still cruising after all these years

Here we sit, in our cosy boat, in a very quiet anchorage near Daytona.
Beside us is the SeaRay factory but it is quiet for the holidays.
There is only one other boat in our anchorage and he is a quarter of a
mile from us. Today was a long one, about 69 miles in total. I know,
that is just one hour by car!! But, a good day for a boat.

Early tomorrow morning, just after the dawn, we will slip out of here
and head on south. Ormond Beach, then Daytona Beach and then New
Smyrna Beach will all pass by before we anchor somewhere in Mosquito
Lagoon. It is much better than it sounds and we will again be alone in
a large expanse of water, with dolphins and pelicans stopping by for a
visit. I have a turkey breast to roast in the oven, along with some
potatoes. We will have stuffing, carrots and even a surprise dessert!
The wine won’t flow too freely, as we will be at anchor and anything
can happen.

But, when we lift that glass of wine, it will be in a toast to all of
our friends and family. May you have a wonderful and happy Christmas
and may 2012 bring all good things for you and yours.

Much love,
Murray and Heather
cruising again.

Hello everyone,

The weeks before our planned departure flew by, as usual, with a flurry of last-minute social engagements.

Murray purchased a new ( to him ) ham radio and we managed one more visit to St Thomas to have it checked out and to spend a wee bit more time with James. He does love his Poppa!

The last morning came all to soon and dawn was just breaking behind us as we drove down the road. The bright glow was creating vivid red steaks on the sides of the large blue silos and illuminating a strip in front of us. What was that indistinct line of light? As the sun peeked up further, we could see a rainbow was forming in front of the car. What a glorious sight, with the red sky behind and the rainbow in front! Murray stopped for me to capture the event on my camera. The photo seems to show a faint second rainbow, which I hadn’t noticed at the time.

But that was the end of the good times as we drove in and out of rain all day, sometimes almost too heavy to see the road in front of us. Luckily there wasn’t much truck traffic on this Sunday morning, so the splashing from passing trucks was at minimum. The border crossing was uneventful and shortly after nightfall, we stopped near Knoxville, TN, for the night.

Bright and early the next morning we were underway again and made good time, through scattered rain, arriving at the marina just after 4 pm. The office was closed, so we headed to the motel and settled down for the evening. This was the first year that we had opted to stay in a motel for the entire time that we were on the hard and prepping the boat.

The next morning, we were ready to work, to get the boat ready for the move to the workyard. This was scheduled for 1 pm but didn’t happen until after 3 pm. The boat was in good shape after its summer storage, with very little mould and no bugs to be seen.

The most exciting thing that happened that day was my book – I held the finished, printed form in my hand!!! How cool was that! Before our departure, I had contacted the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and David Hocher ( the owner ) said that he would take 30 copies sight unseen and where could he send a cheque. Wow – now I have sold some books!!

Since then, we have been hard at work and the boat is looking good. Murray is polishing today – wax on, wax off. We have the bottom yet to paint and can then arrange launch. The interior is all washed down with vinegar and water, the suitcases and bags unpacked and most systems tested out. All the food brought from Canada has been stowed and the lists updated. I haven’t started the process of filling lockers yet as it is much easier to load all of that stuff once we are in the water.

The motel is interesting, to say the least. All units are non-smoking, so the tenants stand just outside and the smoke comes back in through the open windows. The small frig in our room has been great for holding some basic food supplies but at night it sounds as though it is breathing and sighing . Our week there is up on Monday morning and I think we will move aboard W4 then. Launch is planned for Wed and we will move down to Reynolds Yacht Centre at that point to complete the final preparations.

After about ten days there, we should be able to head off, down the waterway – just before Christmas. It will be hard to get together with friends, other than each other. We are so late this year that we plan to push on and get headed south. Besides, I have books to deliver.

Hugs to all, enjoy the Christmas preparations and your time with family and friends.

Heather & Murray
almost back aboard again

It is almost mid-Nov and usually by now, you would have received a letter telling of our arrival at the marina in Green Cove. But everything has changed, actually many times, in the last few weeks.

For a while our departure was delayed due to a MRI booking for me just after the scheduled departure. But, with persistence, I managed to get an earlier spot due to a cancellation. The pictures showed a herniated lumbar disc but, at this time, we have opted for a “wait and see” approach to the problem.

Near the end of September, Heather’s mom was admitted to hospital in Orillia with confusion and other signs of a stroke. Eventually she was transferred to the Rehab floor to re-gain as much function as possible. But, it soon became obvious that she would be unable to return to her current living situation. We had already done the research on nursing homes in our area and had narrowed the list down to the suggested five possibles. But, the waiting lists for nursing home spots are often at least a year long!

For a while, it appeared that Mom would have to live with us until a nursing home bed opened up. Heather spent hours on the phone and we visited five retirement homes nearby. Eventually we settled on one, packed all of her belongings in Orillia, moved them to Woodstock and organized her room. Then we returned to Orillia and brought Mom down to her new home in the Caressant Care Retirement Home. She seems to be enjoying it, especially the dog Lucy, who is just across the hall.

Heather has spent untold hours organizing phone, cable TV, medications, oxygen etc etc for Mom. But, things are almost all in place so that we may yet go south this winter. Right now we are planning on departing Dec 4th, arriving at the boat by Dec 6th and working like mad to get launched before Christmas.

It will be cold in Florida for working but it is freezing here! There was even snow on the ground the other day. It has been a long time since we have been in snow and the sandals tend to leak a trifle. Luckily, our sister-in-law, Barb, took pity on us and loaned us warmer coats for the next few weeks. Otherwise we would be scouring the thrift shops for warmer clothing. The only pair of gloves Heather owns are in the pocket of her rain gear. Guess where? On board, of course! And Murray may actually have to dig out some socks (he does have a couple of pair!).

On a happy note, the kitchen is finished and looks beautiful! We had a kitchen warming a few weeks ago ( any excuse for a party! ) and about twenty friends gathered to Ohh and Awww, drink wine and eat conch. It was a great evening and a wonderful way to celebrate the new kitchen. Now Murray is drawing up plans for a master bath renovation. There must always be a project in the planning stage, I guess. It is my job to find the funds to pay for these improvements, so I better start saving my pennies.

That is all the news from Tillsonburg. Write when you can and try to keep warm.

Heather & Murray
frozen to the ground

Once again, time has slipped away from me. But, in my defense, things have been hectic here at the house.

Steve and Katherine traveled to British Columbia near the end of June as her father was very ill. In fact they stayed there for six weeks. Luckily Steve’s job allows him to work from home, with a computer and cell phone. Unfortunately David passed away but they were there to see him each day and to make it slightly easier for Kath’s mom.

In early July, Murray and I drove to Ottawa to spend some time with Jeremy, Cynthia, Matthew and Samantha. Oops, she prefers Sammy now! The time flew by but they made plans to visit with us in August.

On the way home, we stopped in Cobourg to visit with Mary and Rob MacLeod. They had sailed to the Bahamas and met up with Murray and I in 2009. Rob is very computer-literate and has published several books on boating. By the end of the visit, he had put me in contact with a friend of his who could edit my book and put it into the format necessary for publishing. Wow, the book took a huge jump forward!

We were home for only one day as we did laundry, mowed the grass and re-packed to head for Bancroft where Bob and Jane Argue have their cottage. Once again these are boating friends who traveled with us several times aboard their boat, Flextime. It was a lovely and hot weekend. Doug and Sharon Sandercott also made it up north for a “land rendezvous” . They now have two vessels, their Beneteau “About Time” and a houseboat that they purchased in George Town, Exuma. That sounds like twice the work to me but they are looking forward to cruising again this winter.

On our return from Bancroft, we picked up my mom once again and brought her down to Tillsonburg. She does love it down here. But the intense heat kept us mostly bottled up in the house, venturing out for aqua-size classes and to build the fence at Steve and Kath’s. Yes, these crazy people built 100 feet of board fence during that hot spell! Murray and I tried to pick days that were under 30C and work in the shade where possible. But, the fence was done, except for the gate, by the time Steve and Kath came home.

The Ottawa contingent visited for 5 days in early August. They did some touring in London, visiting friends there and also Banting House, the home of one of the discoverers of insulin. The previous weekend had been spent at the Juvenile Diabetes Conference in Toronto. There Samantha saw lots of kids with insulin pumps similar to hers. They were encouraged to decorate them with sequins, paints etc. It was such fun to have Matthew and Samantha here! Steve and Kath arrived back to St Thomas just at the end of their visit but in time that we were all able to get together for one afternoon/evening.

The kitchen job has firmed up and we started tearing out the old cabinets after Labour Day. The new ones will be installed on September 12th and we want to be completely ready. The flooring needs to be patched under the cupboards ( we didn’t remove the cupboards when we laid the hardwood ) and some wiring changed. Once the cabinets are in, the measurements and template will be taken for the quartz countertop. Then we must find the right tiles for the backsplash to complete the job. When there is time, we will have to read up on tile installation!

In the midst of all of this carry-on, we had work done on our ham radio, ordered a used ham radio from eBay ( and it didn’t work! ) and ordered new taps and a garbage disposal unit for the kitchen. I have spent many hours on-line researching taps etc.

Since Murray got bored for a couple of minutes, he ordered trim for all of our interior flat-panel doors. He removes each door, sands it, installs the trim on both sides and then paints. I cannot believe the difference that it makes.

The Third Annual Edwin Street Party was held just before the end of August. Approximately 45 people attended and we had perfect weather for the event. The food was super and a real pot luck, although we contributed the burgers and the fixings. Quite a few people joined in on the dancing and I even led a line-dance troupe briefly.

Now the hurricane season has started with a blast. It actually starts on June 1st but there are seldom any storms until late August. For several days it appeared as if Irene would make landfall in northern Florida but she veered off, and headed towards North Carolina. What a mess resulted, with flooding in many of the coastal states and right up to Canada, affecting Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. For the next month or two, the first thing we check each morning is not our e-mail but rather, the hurricane site on NOAA. There is nothing further we can do to protect our boat but it just seems that we need to be aware of pending storms.

In less than 2 months, we will be back aboard! The time has flown by as usual. We need to check the lists, made before our departure from the boat, to make sure that all items have been ordered or repaired as necessary. This winter will be our fifteenth season of cruising! How long are we going to continue, you ask? As long as it is still fun.

And on that note, I will close for now. Hugs to all,

Murray & Heather
solidly aground

Hello everyone

As usual, time has gotten away with me and many weeks have passed since my last update. But life here ashore isn’t fraught with as much drama and angst as life aboard and that is a very good thing.

Arriving home shortly before Easter, we quickly settled into our little house. In fact Murray murmured “if only the boat was this easy”. We had arranged for the water to be turned off all winter and just remembered before departing Florida that it needed to be turned on again. Luckily our next-door neighbours were able to arrange that for us. Once the mail and the tax info was dealt with, we caught up with Steve and Kath and, of course, James. He took a little time to warm up to us but before too long he was acting as though we had never left. Getting to Ottawa was a little trickier but I got a ride down with my sister-in-law, Barb, in June and spent a weekend catching up with Matthew and Samantha ( oh, and their parents as well! ). Next weekend, both Murray and I will make the trek to Ottawa for a visit.

Before Mother’s Day, we brought my mom down for a visit. She helped me select flowers for the gardens and supervised their planting. Soon we will steal her away again for another visit and she will be pleasantly surprised to see how lovely the baskets are this year. Mom has been doing an exercise program and seems stronger than last year at this time. She still hasn’t got much stamina and gets out of breath quickly. The pool wasn’t open yet in May but she will be right in there this visit, joining me in the daily aquasize class.

The end of May found Darcie, Barb, Susan and I headed to North Bay for the day, to attend a baby shower for Susan’s daughter ( our niece ), Laura. She is due to deliver any day now. My nephew, Trevor, and his wife Joanne have just celebrated the arrival of identical twin boys. We will try to get Mom there to take a peek soon but the boys were quite small upon delivery and may not even be home to Waterloo yet.

In June, I qualified for my Old Age Pension. Yes, I am now 65 and able to retire. Thanks goodness I did that 14 years ago! Murray arranged a surprise party for me, with neighbours Pat and Bruce ,Mary and Roy, Bob and Mary,and family George, Barb, Steve and Kath in attendance. And, of course, James. He was the big hit of the party as he signed “more” with every mouthful. Especially when he tasted the cake. It was a lovely evening in our backyard.

As for house projects, Murray painted the garage floor recently and has helped Steve with his board fence project as well as re-shingling a small roof on the back of their house. Inside our house, we have been pricing and doing layouts for new kitchen cupboards and countertop. That project has taken a large amount of time and many decisions. But I think that things are nearly “set in stone” instead of our usual Jello and scheduled to start in August. Murray and I will be tearing out the existing cupboards and installing the balance of the hardwood flooring under the spots where the cupboards stood. In other words, preparing for the installation and saving money by doing some of the job ourselves. Murray continues to do small jobs for the neighbourhood and that keeps him from getting bored. A new HVAC system was installed this spring and the kitchen skylight was also replaced but the majority of these jobs were done by others.

This summer, we opted not to launch the Goman ( our 20 foot sailboat ). It cost a lot down here for launching it and for dockage and we didn’t get to use it as much as we had hoped. In fact, it is listed for sale on Kijiji

My spare time has been spent researching the process of publishing my children’s story. The artist from Staniel Cay in the Bahamas, Bernadette Chamberlain, has sent me digital images of the paintings she did for the book and they are great! Now I just need to buy a couple of expensive pieces of software, learn how to use them and get things to a state ready for publishing. Or, online, there are companies that offer that service, for a fee. An expensive fee. But, I am forging ahead, slowly.

So life ashore is different but also filled: with time spent with friends and family; with projects small and large; with learning new things and new places, and with loving and sharing life with a partner.

Hugs to all
Heather & Murray

Hello everyone,

Our trip north in the ICW was slower than usual as we stopped to visit with friends along the way. Because of the torrential rains expected ( which did materialize ) we didn’t depart Vero Beach until April the 6th.

That afternoon, we dropped anchor along the ICW, south of Cocoa Beach and in front of the house of friends, Ike and Carol of s/v Heron’s Wing. They kindly invited us ashore and we caught up on all of their news and shared a lovely meal.

The next morning, we headed north again, to Titusville, only 20 miles away. There we had arranged to meet some friends from Toronto area who rent a condo at Cocoa Beach for the winter. That was Marcel and Karen, formerly from s/v Southern Cross. Together we spent a leisurely lunch chatting about the changes in the Bahamas and in our lives. The next day, we had arranged to meet up with Pete and Lani from s/v MarNel for an early breakfast. Pete had had surgery on one leg on Thursday and had cardiac bypass surgery earlier in the winter. These problems kept them in the US and close to medical help for the past winter. Otherwise, we had hoped to travel together as we had done many years ago. Pete has yet to have surgery on the other leg before they can start to make plans for the future. Hopefully, that surgery will also go well.

Departing Titusvile near 10 am, we headed for the Haulover Canal Bridge. There we were delayed for about one hour while repairs were ongoing. The silver lining in this cloud was my chance to take closer photos of a roseate spoonbill. This pink-winged bird flew in shortly after we anchored in the canal and he then proceed to wade slowly through a nearby pond.

Even with the late start and the delay, we managed to arrive in Daytona just before dark. A vessel with a Port Stanley crew anchored nearby and we invited them to an impromptu dinner. The boat was Flight, from Green Cove Springs, owned by Jim from s/v Cheeseburger in Port Stanley. On board he had a crew member, Gary Foster who also sails from Port Stanley and who we have known for 30 years. Its a very small world on sailboats!

Saturday and Sunday we pushed on northward, against our usual rules. But, by this time we wanted to make up for the delays. Sunday night found us anchored in Julington Creek, on the St John River just a few miles from the marina. Together we launched the dinghy and attached the outboard. Just at cocktail hour, we motored up the creek to a restaurant that we had enjoyed many times by land: Clark’s Fish Camp. After a wonderful meal, we headed back to our boat and started to think about the work to come.

Reynolds Marina made us welcome once again and many of our friends were here, also de-commissioning their vessels. While I did several weeks worth of laundry, Murray poured gallons of water on the deck, sails and fixtures to wash the salt away. The sails were allowed to dry and then taken down, folded and stowed. The jobs flew by and the weather was lovely and actually almost too hot to work in the late afternoon. Haulout was scheduled for Sat the 16th and by 1 pm, we were buttoned down, loaded up and ready to head out. Thus ended our 14th season of cruising on Windswept IV.

The drive was uneventful, even with the threat of tornadoes further to the northwest. We had a mere scatter of rain and then dry pavements all the way home to Tillsonburg. Shortly after 9:30 pm, we drove into our driveway and were almost instantly welcomed home by our neighbours, Mary & Roy. They had taken extremely good care of our place in our absence and stacked the mail into neat piles on the peninsula in the kitchen. Unable to sleep immediately, we sorted mail for an hour or so, creating smaller piles. By the next day, the mail was dealt with and all bags unpacked, the phone and internet working. Murray said ” If only the boat was as easy to commission as the house, our life would be golden!”

So, now we are home, call or drop by for a visit. We would love to see you anytime.

Hugs
Heather & Murray

We arrived safely in Ft Pierce, FL at about 0930 yesterday morning. We dropped the hook outside Harbourtown Marina and launched the dinghy. That allowed us to head ashore to call customs and then get a taxi out to the airport. After $30 for the cab and about an hour or so, we were all checked in with a new cruising permit in hand.

Back at the boat, we made lunch and hauled the anchor once again. Sailing north in the ICW, we arrived at Vero Beach shortly after 1600 hrs. There we rafted up with a trawler named TicTac, owned by Dave and Brenda Johnson, old friends from Kitchener, ON. Brenda and Dave had kindly invited us for dinner and refused to allow us to lift a finger. By 2000 hrs, after being up for over 37 hours, we tottered back to our boat, showered to cool off and crashed right into bed. I don’t think either of us moved all night long.

We plan to spend a day or so here and then head on north again. By some time this coming weekend, we should arrive at the marina. Then, we will prepare the boat for launch and pack up to head north, hopefully during the week before Easter.

Those are the plans but weather and other issues may change those on us at any time. Until we see you,

Hugs from
Murray & Heather

We have turned the bow to the north. From Hog Cay, Jumentos, we sailed to Buenavista Cay, a distance of only 20 miles. Early in the morning, on Wednesday, we sailed on, making 110 nm to Little Bay, near Black Point, Exuma, arriving there just after midnight. On Thursday, we continued on sailing and motorsailing to Norman’s Cay.

And today, we are under sail currently towards Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. The weather looks good to head on up to Abaco on Sunday. That will have us making over 300 nm since Tuesday afternoon.

In Abaco, we will take time to do laundry and some re-stocking in Marsh Harbour and then head above the Whale Passage to Green Turtle Cay. Once there, we will start watching for a weather window to head back to Florida. The lock at Port Canaveral is closed until April 9th for repair ( this lock allows us access to the ICW ) and we will probably cross before then, so must come up with an alternate plan. Either check-in at Ft Pierce or head to Canaveral and plan to go back out to sea once check-in is completed.

That is the general plan for our immediate future. The radio has been giving us some trouble, so we may not be in communication as frequently as usual. Keep your fingers crossed that it works until we are in the US!

Hugs to all,
Heather & Murray