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This summer my husband, Paul, and I bought our fourth offshore cruising boat, a new Southerly 480 built by Discovery Yachts in the UK.
Read more: Mediterranean Shakedown: A Summer Cruise in Spain
This month, Spirit of Portopiccolo, steered by Furio Benussi, with Alberto Bolzan at the mainsail, and tacticians Lorenzo Bressani and Gabriele Benussi, won the 50th edition of Barcolana, the largest regatta in the world held in Trieste, Italy
I don’t know what I expected the first time we made landfall in the Canary Islands but I have to admit that after sailing from the lush mid-Atlantic island of Madeira, I was seriously surprised when the barren desert-like landscapes of the Canary Islands came into view.
We did breakfast yesterday in the Greek port of Piraeus, just outside Athens:strong coffee, crisp bacon, fresh bread, and omelets spiked with Feta Cheese.
After much speculation Prince Harry finally popped the question to American actress and longtime Toronto resident Meghan Markle and people are EXCITED.
We had been out on the ocean for 17 days, just the two of us, keeping watch around the clock. One of us was always asleep while the other kept a sharp...
The sun rises over green hump-backed hills, backbone of an island called Prvic in the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Croatia, in the region of Dalmatia. We’ve docked overnight in one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. The hills look across a blushing expanse of water riffled by winds whose names we discovered yesterday morning at the chart briefing that began our Sunsail charter flotilla near a village called Primosten.
By Greg NicollIt was great to get back on Le Boat this past summer, this time on the historic Thames River. Our vessel was the Royal Mystique, a 43 footer with everything we needed for a week’s cruise in style.
John Burns, an English politician and noted London historian from the late 19th century coined the phrase “The Thames is a liquid history.”
Paul and I seem to love the extremes of cruising – long ocean passages where our skills and stamina are tested followed by lots of gunkholing where we poke along exploring creeks, rivers, cuts and canals to gain insight into the heartland of our destination. Boating began for both of us on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario and after setting sail for foreign ports in 1989 we have travelled through numerous canals including the Erie Canal and Intracoastal Waterway of the USA, the Corinth Canal in Greece,
Completing the Tour of the Six Celtic Nations. Sheryl and Paul Shard continue their sailing adventures with an autumn cruise of the Brittany coast of France aboard their Southerly 49 sailboat, Distant Shores II. It was a chilly and challenging summer aboard our Southerly 49 sailboat, Distant Shores II, exploring the beautiful west coast of Norway as far as 61°N and also the Celtic nations of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales and Scotland including the Shetland and Orkney Isles.
Lifestyle
The Secret Salmon Recipe – Finally Revealed!
It was during our annual trip to Nova Scotia that I was made aware of the special recipe for cooking salmon that was being held very tightly by an individual in Chester Nova Scotia. It was said that for several years this individual would show up at parties with this cooked salmon that became the centre of attention. Several people tried to pry the recipe from him - or was it the secret ingredients - or maybe some magic dust - that made this salmon so sought after?
One of our Galley Guy associates, Jim Grove was also on this list of seekers wanting to pry the recipe from Robert Helms, but to no avail.
Read more about The Secret Salmon Recipe...............
DIY & How to
What’s a yacht and small craft marine surveyor worth?
By Mike Schwarz
Pause for a moment and ponder this question. How much is your life and your safety at sea worth? Most people would say priceless and impossible to put a value on. And yet many people seem to misunderstand the worth and principle role of a marine surveyor, whose very job it is to ensure your safety at sea by surveying, inspecting and reporting on your expensive, potential new purchase. Instructing a marine surveyor to work on your behalf should never be seen as a distress purchase where price is the all-important factor, rather it is an essential requirement.
Read more about Small Craft Marine Surveyors........................
Boat Reviews
Excess 12 and Excess 15
By Kieran Flatt
Catamarans have many advantages for cruising: more space, more speed, no heeling and a more comfortable motion. However, many experienced sailors find them less rewarding and engaging to sail than a monohull. That isn’t an inherent problem with multihulls, though. Rather, it reflects the fact that most cruising cats built in the last ten years have been aimed primarily at the charter market, designed above all to be docile and easy for novices to handle.
Read more about the Excess 12 and 15....................
Looking for a boating adventure? set your course to Ucluelet
On the west coast of Vancouver Island Ucluelet is straddled between the famous Pacific Rim and the iconic Broken Islands.
The Ucluelet Boat Basin is steps away from the downtown core, and half-way between the iconic Long Beach and the Wild Pacific Trail
You are encouraged to take advantage of the untamed nature and sublime scenery while surfing, hiking, and enjoying the wildlife. Make the Ucluelet your base for exploration and adventure.
Read more about Ucluelet......................
Marine Products
See What You Cannot See
Electronic innovations that allow you to see in the dark, in the fog and in the depths
We cruising boaters often go places we have never been. Cruisers and fishing enthusiasts sometimes arrive in the dark, get caught in the fog or find what looks like a good anchorage, but do not have recent chart information or survey data to know if the anchorage is safe. We wander up rivers and into corners of small harbours in search of shelter or to pursue a particular finned prey.
Read more about Boating Electronic Innovations...............
