I had just returned to Antigua and was on a stranger’s dinghy looking for my boat that was supposed to be on a mooring ball in Falmouth harbour. I was somewhat disorientated because it was pitch black and it was a moonless night. I could not remember exactly where the boat had been moored but Read More

Sitting in the cockpit of S/V ILEANA amongst the megayachts as the sun sets reminds me of absolutely nothing experienced in my former life as a surgeon. It is a warm evening with a rare westerly breeze blowing gently from the stern. The biggest worry is trying to decide whether it is better to wander Read More

It was pitch black on our second night at sea. It was my turn for the 3-hour night watch steering the boat. The two other crew were exhausted after no sleep in 36 hours so they were below trying to get rest as the boat pitched and turned madly in the raging sea. The waves Read More

The rain is pelting down on the deck of S/V ILEANA as it woke me up in the forward cabin. Paul and I had driven from Toronto last night hoping that we could finally leave from our slip in Hampton VA and head South to Antigua on Saturday, November 12. S/V ILEANA has been sitting Read More

It was a long summer preparing for the trip down south. A sailboat needs to have a long list of safety equipment in case things do not go as planned. Examples includes things like emergency flares, lifejackets, Personal Locater Beacon(PLB) and if things really go very badly, an emergency life raft. All the rigging needs Read More

It was getting dark and a sliver of the moon was reflecting on the calm waters of Chesapeake Bay. We had just left Annapolis and were heading south to Hampton Virginia to wait for a safe weather window before heading on our final step of sailing to Antigua. There were to be about 100 sailing Read More

One of the best things about retirement is that you can do things that you didn’t have time for while you are working a 60-90 work week. Unfortunately for me, not being conditioned to all the fake news that flows through the internet, as I was too busy at work, I found myself googling the Read More

“Clear Caribbean waters, pink and white sandy beaches, a hot tropical climate, refreshing breezes, and friendly people draw tourists to the island of Antigua. Located in the Eastern Caribbean roughly 17 degrees north of the equator and ringed with coral reefs, Antigua is the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands. Known as the “gateway to the Read More

It was pitch black at 3:00 AM in the morning. The singlehanded race had started at 10:00 AM the previous morning but the winds had been light, so the progress had been very slow. My 51 foot Hanse was barely moving through the water. There were no stars or moon to help guide me. The Read More

I found myself alone on my sailboat ILEANA in pitch darkness. It was 4 AM. This was the last leg of the the 1500 nautical mile voyage from Bahamas back to Port credit on Lake Ontario. The wind was blowing 23 kn from the stern of the boat. There were massive waves making the boat Read More