Adventures on the Erie Canal
Having survived the fury of the ocean on our trip from the Dominican Republic to New York City, the Hudson River was a welcome reprieve. The trip to Toronto involved navigating the Erie Canal and the thirty locks to bring us to Lake Ontario-a seemingly easy task after our conquering the Nor’ easter that brought […]
Pummeled by a Nor’ Easter
“I got an updated forecast from our weather router, Chris Parker,” I said. The sun shining brightly, had us drinking our morning coffee in t-shirts, shorts, and bare feet in the cockpit. Our 1350-mile trip from Puerto Bahia Marina, in the Dominican Republic to New York City had us 600 miles offshore in a perfect […]
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
“John, you’d better get up!” It was Mike rousing me from slumber in his usual calm manner. This had to be serious… I had just fallen asleep. I glanced at my watch. 2 a.m. My shift on deck had finished an hour ago. The forward cabin where I slept was the worst spot on the […]
The great sailing adventure
“It’s the best place in the Caribbean,” said Roger. I figured he would know. Roger has been to the British Virgin Islands 17 times in the past 20 years and has spent the last 3 years sailing the Leeward Islands. “Little Harbour on Peter’s Island was written up in Sailing magazine,” he explained. “Now that […]
The Remora Fish Story
“That’s got to be the ugliest fish I’ve ever seen,” I said to my brother Neil. He proudly held up his prize for me to take a picture. “Is it even a fish? Maybe it’s an eel? Who ever heard of an algae-green fish with a sucker on the top of his head. Besides, it […]
The trip to the British Virgin Islands
Leaving Fort St. Louis Marina in St. Martin at 4 a.m. was a decision based on arriving in the British Virgin Islands during daylight hours. The plan was to check into Spanish Town. Immigration and Customs in the BVIs can be difficult. I know that from experience; they are sticklers for detail. The last time, […]
St. Martin
“High surf warning,” shouted the headlines on the internet. “Rare northwestern swell wreaks havoc on anchorages around St. Martin.” I could see the masts of the boat in Marigot Bay rocking back and forth violently as the huge rollers barrelled in from the northwest. A massive cold front extended from the Yucatan Peninsula to Nova […]
The trip to St. Martin with Marco.
“You are going to have to find them and bring them back for me to sign them out before we can allow you to leave Antigua on your sailboat.” I looked at the customs woman with disbelief. “They flew out of Antigua two months ago,” I replied. “Couldn’t you check the customs records at the […]
Sailing tales
“Help me! Help me!” squawked the handheld VHV marine radio. Roger, asleep in the V-berth of his recently purchased sailboat, woke with a start. He had anchored at Simpsons Lagoon, St. Martin, in the Caribbean, for the night. He had forgotten to turn off the radio last night before going to bed. Glancing at his […]
The Delivery
I had just come out of the Department of Surgery meeting. It was 5:45 PM. I was ready to go home. I am currently chief of surgery at a community hospital in Toronto, and the meeting had just wrapped up. The familiar ring of my cell phone went off. I glanced down at the caller […]