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We are back in Canada, settled into quarantine in a hotel near the Calgary airport after our Australian sojourn, 1,200 kilometres from the nearest open water … and we’re thinking about a sailboat. A sailboat was bound to factor into our future.  After our adventure of bringing Popeye from Thailand to Hamilton Island , we knew that we could handle actually living aboard a 40+ foot yacht for extended periods of time. We had offers to crew on other yachts or even to borrow Popeye when we were in Pittwater, but cruising on someone else’s schedule and route doesn’t afford the same feeling of freedom that having our own boat would. As much as we love our place in Canmore, we keep running into people who give us great ideas for places to go, sights to see, experiences to have ... An idea of the marine traffic in part of the Northern Hemisphere right now ...  When COVID closed down everyone’s access to travel, Kate and I turned to vicariously exploring far away places via ‘blogs and...

Last week, Gabby received a call from her friends Allan and Vicki.  They were having their new catamaran delivered from Perth, Allan had fallen ill and they needed crew.  Would Kate and Sean be able to help out by crewing from Portland to Bermagui? It didn't take much pondering and we found ourselves on two trains and then a bus bound for Portland. Portland is in the SW of Victoria and Bermagui on the south coast of NSW. Therefore our route was to include a transit of Bass Strait. Bass Strait is the passage of water that divides Tasmania from mainland Australia. It has the reputation as one of the world's most treacherous waterbodies due to shallow water, currents and weather systems. Indeed, the coastline from Port Fairy to Cape Otway is known as The Shipwreck Coast.  "I have seldom seen a more fearful section of coastline."   - Captain Matthew Flinders What were we thinking?! Our route Fortunately due to improved navigation and weather forecasting, a transit of Bas...

Having accomplished the task we came to Australia for (Graham's memorial service), we wanted to get back to some 'normal' routines.  As autumn is surely on its way, preparations like cutting and stacking firewood for the winter are things that need to be done.  As all the Findlay girls and their husbands were available, we jumped into this task with both feet. Susan and Graeme turning logs into bite-sized pieces Log-splitting fun! The two properties have no shortage of firewood, having at least 50 acres each that rolls down to Main Creek.  Graeme and Wendy headed down to cut up the bigger deadfall at the creek and put it on the trailer.  It was then brought up to the shed, where we had a hydraulic log splitter waiting.  If you've never had the opportunity to play with one of these marvellous toys, I enthusiastically endorse the satisfying and effective work that can be done with it.  We all finished the work with our fingers and toes attached and working (e...

There is a group of intrepid folk in Flinders who get together each morning for a swim from the pier to the yacht club and back. Sean and I joined in the fun, meeting at 7:30am.  Although we did not swim every morning as do some hardy souls.  With the tide out, the swim to the yacht club was very shallow.  On these days, we swam out to the boats, around the pier and back to the beach. When the weather is calm, the water is very clear and swimming is like flying.  The seabed is rippled sand, seagrass and kelp. Over the sand, we kept a watch for the odd crab or a sting ray.  The seagrass is home to Victoria's marine emblem, the Weedy Sea Dragon.  Shy and well disguised, they are hard to spot but we kept a sharp eye our nonetheless!  A great way to start the morning!

  Nazaaray  is the vineyard next door to Gabby's and they make the very yummiest wines. We managed to arrive in Flinders in time for the picking of the 2021 Chardonnay. A great day out socializing with the neighbours.  And we were treated to a preview of the just-bottled 2020 vintage! Nazaaray is the Peninsula's southernmost winery and is run by Paramdeep and Nirmal Ghumman, hailing from Punjab in India. It is managed using sustainable practices - planting of natives trees, minimizing chemicals by using chickens and sheep to keep down the weeds, using hay as mulch, handpicking the grapes (see above!!) and handmaking the wine. Their wines are superb.  Nazaaray Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 was rated in the top five Australian Pinots tasted by wine writer Janice Robinson and their wines appear on wine lists of some of the best restaurants in Melbourne. And here we are, kicking back sipping on some gems.  We both love the chardonnay, the pinot is amazing and the shiraz w...

  The story of Monkey, Popeye's HIGHLY Unofficial Mascot ... When we were in Thailand, about to embark on our grand adventure bringing Popeye back to Australia, Craig commented that he would like a piece of artwork to fill the blank wall above the salon table.  That big, blank wall needs something ... "What a fine idea," we thought and immediately embarked on finding the perfect piece of art.  We had a few criteria for this search: it needed to fill the space, it needed to be as hideous as possible and it could not cost more than $10! We came across stunning sunsets painted in gaudy colours on black velvet but were unable to negotiate prices much below USD 50. (seriously!) And the same with the water colours and those stunners on banana leaves.  Yet we persevered!  It was in Bali on a visit to the Gitgit Falls.   On the walkway down to the falls, we had to 'run the gauntlet' of vendors with the warning not to take interest in anything or the vendors wi...

Want or need to go to Australia right now (during COVID)? Here’s what you need to do: Have a valid reason for going. Australia has restricted the number of people that can fly (or even come by ship) into the country. You may end up waiting months for permission … even as an Australian citizen. Apply for an exemption for the travel restrictions (if you are not Australian) and prepare to wait weeks for an answer. Oh, and you must be married to an Australian or the answer is no. Once you get your email with an exemption for the travel restriction, ponder if you still need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).  SPOILER ALERT - you do. Go onto the Australian Border Force website, find the online application for an ETA, fill it in until you reach the screen that won’t let you continue, saying that no one can apply for ETAs right now due to travel restrictions. Find and call the number for Australian Border Force, then find out about the unpublished website for applying for a...

 COVID lockdown has enabled us to knock off items on our longterm to do lists.  Things such as touching up chips in the paint in the hallway around the house, rearranging the artwork and sorting out the coat closet where things had been shoved the day we moved in.  Those tasks are the "nice To Do" list - they are things that have minimal impact on your day-to-day life but give smug satisfaction when they are complete. It was while sorting out the coat closet that I came across the bag of courtesy flags from our trip on Popeye from Thailand to Australia.  The six flags (Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Singaporean, Australian and Canadian) were in varying degrees of discolour and tattiness.  They represented a grand adventure but, really, what to do with them?  Toss them?  Ohhh, that's as tough as parting with baby memorabilia.  Are you even allowed to toss flags? What is the etiquette on flag disposal?  Hang them?  Hmmm, faded, tattered and ...