Jul 4, 2016 | Flotsam
Now when I mention ‘spa day’ you might think of lilting music, maybe a massage, or a beauty treatment. There was coconut oil involved and even lavender oil and there was cake and a cocktail. Believe me when I say there was at least one cocktail!!!
But first things first…
One more night at anchor, a relatively calm night in the forecast. I was so encouraged not to be tossed from pillar to post that I made cake. My favourite onboard stove top breakfast cake (my recipe here), because to maximize the push of the outgoing tide we needed an early start to our day. Freshly brewed coffee and cake on the go at first light.
Breakfast Cake
Dislodging the anchor was predictably difficult. It, afterall, had held us fast for the past three days, one of them a twelve-hour gale. But with some forward throttle and Francois’ brute strength we were on our way. Perfect winds at our back, Captain deployed the Genoa.
Trimming the Sail
Four glorious hours cutting through the impressive four foot swells makes one very happy sailor.
Happy Sailor
François tried yet again for the catch of the day. No fish but look at that smile.
Persistent Fisherman
Now on to our ‘spa day’…
This may only be understood by sailors but when you can take immense pleasure and I do mean immense pleasure in arriving at a friendly marina, emptying the cabin, drying out the bilge (this is where the lavender oil came in to refresh), replacing everything neatly, plugging in the cabin heater, taking a hot shower (coconut oil required to remove tangles from my hair), and laundry…..so much fun doing laundry! And while we waited we treated ourselves to beers and fried clams.
Resetting
Who knows how far we could go with this renewed attitude?
Rimouski Marina
Five star spa on the water for $44 per day.
May 18, 2016 | Flotsam
It’s almost time for us to depart on yet another adventure. This time we’ll be travelling virgin territory since buying R.E.D. almost four years ago. It will also mean not only new geographic ground covered but new skills required. We will be entering areas where weather will be a challenge, tides and currents will need to be calculated, fog will be a factor. We are confident with our knowledge of weather, navigation and tides and currents learned from Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons courses. We have added a new-to-us-yet-to-be-named dinghy to our little fleet (story here). We have fixed a lot of the electrical issues (new battery, improved wiring etc.). For greater autonomy we now have solar (story here, here and here) and a generator (story here). Because of conditions we will face, a radar will be necessary. Finishing touches for its installation are almost complete. Will post that story soon.
So here you have it, our wish list. If we get to complete the list, we will be very happy and very proud of ourselves. If we get to complete only one, then it will be forever a part of our treasured memories…
1. To see the Norwegian tall ship, Draken Harald as she makes her way along the Saint-Lawrence for the 2016 Tall Ship Challenge
2. To reach Quebec City for the start of the Transat Quebec/Saint Malo
3. To experience the magnificent Fijords of the Saguenay,
4. To catch site of whales.
5. To visit the sea sculptures of Sainte-Flavie.
6.Maybe visit the Tiny House Eco Lodge, near Rimouski. Friends have already mentioned considering joining us there. Wouldn’t that be a great reunion?
7. A photo op of R.E.D. in front of Percé Rock.
8. And finally to reach the Baie-des Chaleur. On a recent train adventure with my son (story here) we passed by its beautiful waters. We have GPS and paper charts up to that point so would like to give it a try.
Chaleur Bay
It’s a fairly ambitious voyage but we are both up for the adventure. One of the great things about our little boat is that whenever we feel we have had enough, whenever we feel we don’t want to battle the tides, currents and prevailing winds back up the Saint-Lawrence, we can find a safe harbour, take train, bus or air back, collect our tow beast and the trailer and bring R.E.D. back home.
[mappress mapid=”6″]
