Lately my blog entries have been sporadic, but that doesn't mean I've become lazy. Boat chores keep recurring on a regular basis I do not want to bore you with, but there were interesting developments I'd like to share with you. To start off, Benno and I are known for changing our travel plans frequently like monthly, weekly, daily, and yes, sometimes every two hours! So if we are being asked: "Where are you headed next to?" Our answer might not be the same a week later. Two weeks ago, I thought we'd spend the next hurricane season again in Curacao, the Caribbean.

Last week, Benno and I went for a few days up to Canada, via Detroit, visiting family. February is not our favorite month in this country notorious for its arctic temperatures, although the weather was not too bad. It only snowed a little the night before our departure with slippery and icy roads the next morning. We were glad to board the plane for our trip back to Miami and as I am writing this, we are under anchor in the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Aah!!

So the big news is, while we were in Canada, we signed an agreement to purchase a little house in the rural area of Leamington, close to Wheatley and only a minute or two from the shores of lake Erie. This will be a summer retreat for us in Canada's 2nd warmest area with Vancouver in British Columbia being the warmest. Leamington is half an hour's drive from Windsor Ontario and another hour to Detroit, Michigan's International Airport. As per Wikipedia, Leamington lays claim to being the "Sun Parlour" of Canada due to its southern location. Point Peele is the southernmost point of mainland Canada, and the Point Pelee National Park is nearby. Leamington has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the vicinity

In May of this year Diesel Duck will be arriving at the Leamington Municipal Marina where she will be docked while her crew will be busy with renovation and beautification projects on the house all summer long. I am sure that by October we will be more than ready to head back south for more cruising and relaxation in warm waters.