By Katherine Stone
Ready to Come About (a memoir) By: Sue Williams
Sue Williams wasn’t a sailor and didn’t have an adventure bone in her body. Her idea of a thrill was doing applique! So it isn’t surprising that the cover of the book Ready to Come About is actually one of her appliques. They often say of life changing events that life seems to take on new meaning. Her husband Dave had just suffered a grand mal seizure caused by stress and sleep deprivation, and then been fired from his job after 11 years of loyal service. Sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night Sue exclaimed, “I know what the we must do. An ocean crossing’s what you’ve dreamt of doing, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Dave was an experienced sailor, and their boat named Inia, an Alberg 30, was a sturdy, ocean-going vessel. They took navigation and boat engine maintenance courses and a year to prepare themselves and the boat for the year long trip across the Atlantic. In their mid-50s, they had no blue-water experience, but they were well prepared.
Leaving Hamilton Harbour in May 2007 they were gone 373 days, had 14 offshore passages, travelled 11,000 NM and were 86 days at sea. Through all manner of catastrophes, they persevered, solved problems and accomplished things they never thought they could do. Overcoming sea sickness, sleep deprivation, losing both anchors and ground tackle, constant motion and mechanical problems it certainly lives up to the motto that “The rougher the passage the more joyful the landing”. Sue and Dave now truly understand that the mind has the ability to be tested beyond what is humanly possible and carry on.
Seriously doubting themselves, Sue wrote, “Up to this point, Inia had been in the water for a little more than a week and had travelled only about 150 NM from home, during which she had almost sunk, the head had exploded, the Zodiac had sprung a leak, we had run aground, and both the outboard and diesel motors had broken down. Yet we were heading for the Atlantic Ocean where there would be no stores, no help, and no turning back. Were we crazy? Right off our rockers?”
Although Dave may have been the captain of the boat, Sue was the captain of the voyage, as she was the one who decided that they must cross the Atlantic, and ended up steering the boat all through the Erie Canal and in and out of tricky mooring and docking situations.
Inia anchored off Ilha da Culatra, near Olhao, in the Algarve region of Portugal.
The book is available through Dundurn press for $20.99 at the Nautical Mind book store, Indigo Chapters, Amazon and has now been listed for 4-1/2 months on the best seller list. Come see them at the Toronto Boat Show in January and get your own autographed copy. I can truly attest that it is a great page turner and a MUST read for any woman who thinks that she couldn’t possibly go cruising, cross an ocean or who needs to get out of her comfort zone to grow and have an adventure – possibly learning more about herself. This isn’t to say that men won’t find the book interesting or enjoyable, as they certainly will!

By Andy Adams
Over the years Canadian Yachting has had the pleasure of doing several boat review articles on new Neptunus models and we are familiar with the qualities that Neptunus is famous for. They have all been exceptional yachts, but this is the one I would most want to own myself. It’s a personal choice and a matter of taste as to whether you would prefer to have a sedan express model or a flybridge but in my opinion, the flybridge layout offers some wonderful attributes.
We met with Neptunus Managing Director Jan Willem De Jong this past fall to take the new Neptunus 650F out in Lake Ontario.
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By Mark Stevens
I was first seduced by the United States Virgin Islands during a ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola to begin one of our earliest British Virgin Islands charters nearly twenty years ago.
A perfect sunset off St. John with St. Thomas views for backdrop.
Clearing Pillsbury Sound, surrounded by voluptuous emerald mountains as the ferry sliced through royal blue waters, I was struck by the unspoiled ambiance of St. John, the island gliding past our starboard beam and the irresistible charm of a village called Cruz Bay visible from our quarter stern.
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Story and photos by Matt Bera
We settled Svala into what my family and I had come to think of as the most desirable anchorage on Lake Ontario, on a sunny summer afternoon. With an abandoned settlement, an old schoolhouse full of swallows, giant snakes and a rum-running past, Main Duck Island had it all.
That we had to sail past the Psyche Shoal, a magnetic disturbance, and into the middle of the rumoured Marysburgh Vortex made an even better sea story. It had taken us two attempts, two years, two boats and a new sort-of experimental engine to get there.
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By Zuzana Prochazka
Never chartered? No problem. Here’s how to plan, execute and enjoy a vacation on a charter yacht where life is easy and the sunsets can’t be beat.
Decide on a crewed or bareboat charter
A crewed charter means you have a captain who manages the boat and maybe a chef or mate as well. Crewed charters ensure a safe and comfortable vacation with most everything done for you. The chefs are usually outstanding so if you’re a foodie, you’ll be in heaven and you may be able to pick up new recipes too. Larger crewed yachts may also have a mate who works with the captain and will do things like getting toys (kayaks, SUPs, snorkel gear, etc.) ready for you to use so you do very little work.
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On November 15th 2022, Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), introduced the industry’s first ever V10 outboard with the official launch of its all-new 5.7L 350 and 400hp Verado® outboard engines.
Consistent with the award-winning Verado brand, the new V10 engines are the quietest and smoothest in their class running 45 percent quieter than a leading competitor at cruise. In addition to NVH, the new Verado’s are not only compatible with the latest Mercury SmartCraft® technologies but will also be offered with an optional dual-mode 48V/12V alternator to seamlessly pair with Navico Group’s Fathom® e-power system, an integrated lithium-ion auxiliary power management system, providing boaters the opportunity to eliminate an onboard generator system.
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