Jazzy Lady's 2019/20 Cruising Adventure

Vessel Name: Jazzy Lady
Vessel Make/Model: Catalina
Hailing Port: Montreal
Crew: Meg, Mark, Annie, Alistair
23 April 2020
30 March 2020
25 March 2020
13 March 2020
21 February 2020
21 February 2020
08 February 2020
16 January 2020
09 January 2020
03 January 2020
29 December 2019 | Paradise
17 December 2019
12 December 2019
06 December 2019
06 December 2019
24 November 2019
Recent Blog Posts
23 April 2020

REFLECTIONS

30 March 2020

Night Watch

(March 28th)

25 March 2020

Emergency Migration

Emergency Migration

13 March 2020

The Three Musketeers

Mark has gone away for four week-long stints of work, one each month since December. The first time we had Tracy with us, the second time we had my Mom with us, last month we had Walden to play with every day after school and this month it was just us three musketeers:) So it actually felt like [...]

01 March 2020

Jazzy Lady bursts at the seams

*This post starts while on the last full day of our trip, and ends a few days after our arrival home.

21 February 2020

Still in Spanish Wells

At home one of my favourite summer delights is lying in a hammock listening to the wind rustle through oak or maple leaves. Another audible treat is the smoother, lighter swishing of the wind through the needles of a pine tree. Here in Bahamas I am storing the audio memory of wind through palm trees. [...]

25 October 2019
megan osler
Untitled

After spending 5 nights in Annapolis it was TIME to move on! The pattern seems to be one day rain, one day sun lately so it feels like we were only half as productive as we could have been in the tourist department. Our first full day in Annapolis we simply mozied around and sought out the best restaurant to eat crab soup at. Other than that, our only accomplishment was finding Halloween costumes for the kids at a local second-hand charity shop. The thing about being on a long trip is that you are removed from the regular rat race of all those annual traditions that usually play out in a very similar way every year. Canadian Thanksgiving was the first and now Halloween coming up. You take away all the buzz at school from the kids’ friends discussing their brilliant costume ideas and the pressures from other parents bragging about their handy-work done on their homemade costumes or great deals found purchasing costumes 3 months ahead of time and all of a sudden (for me, if I’m honest) a big sigh of relief. No stresses over time crunch and expectations of producing the best costume of the year. I know it sounds awfully cynical but this is one of the reasons I’ve been excited for out trip: getting away from the societal rat race. Afterall, on a practical level, we have no idea where we’ll be on Oct 31st so we can’t make any commitments to the kids about what Halloween will look like. With that said, I’M the one who dragged us into the consignment shop and said “pick a costume, kids!” This is the first year the acquiring OF the costume has come BEFORE the idea FOR the costume. After the above rant, I must admit, even though I am NOT a particularly crafty person, I HAVE always taken pride in having a go at MOSTLY homemade costumes each year...a habit passed down to me by my Mother and Grandmother from my childhood costumes.
Back to the topic this blog is supposed to be on: sailing! Sunday poured rain so we did our shower, laundry and Internet Cafe day (though we’ve since succumbed to the temptation of a subscription for unlimited data). Mark and Annie are involved in the ongoing quest to install video-editing software for our new but lower-quality laptop so we can start producing some vlogs. Monday we had breakfast at a very eclectic diner with phenomenal, nation-renowned crab cakes. Then we walked it off on our long trek to the grocery store. In the afternoon we connected with a family friend of Mark’s parents. He and his wife are making their third sojourn down south on their live-aboard motor cruiser. They had us over for dinner that night and now the kids will never turn back: “No offense Mom and Dad but we prefer giant motor boats to our piddly sailboat” Tuesday was spent at the United States Naval Acadamy. A truly impressive tour. This is where the country ‘build leaders to serve the nation’. We went in for a full guided tour and it really was worth it. A bit long for the kids but they were troopers. We got to witness the impressive daily roll-call presentation in the main courtyard before the ‘midshipmen’ go in for lunch. The Acadamy was founded in the 1840s and became the Nation’s naval Acadamy in 1850. The first year saw 50 students and now the numbers are at about 4,500 with 600 faculty members. They host a four year post secondary academic program that is FULLY funded by the federal government. While I’ve never been a huge proponent for the astronomical emphasis the US puts on ‘defense’ funding, I have to admit, it was really inspiring, as the main message I walked away with was the values placed on developing well-rounded citizens with the highest level of duty, honour and loyalty to their community, locally, nationally and internationally. I feel cautious of what seems to be a fine line between government propaganda and the importance of respecting the extraordinary contributions made, over history and every day, by billions of people around the world who dedicate their lives and/or give their lives serving their country on behalf of the world’s civilians. After four years of “free” training and education, every student then owes 5 years of service, in the navy, to give back to their country. The whole experience of this institution was a lot to take in.
Finally yesterday we picked up anchor and headed south for St. Michael’s, on the east shore of the Chesapeake, a few hours away. We hosted cocktails with some new friends; our first young family! They are also from Quebec, with 3 girls, on a TWO year trip!
We all agree, St. Michael’s may be the most charming town we’ve ever been to. Lovely residential roads with cobblestone sidewalks and dozens of exquisitely-kept original homes dating back to the late 18th century. We had a ton of fun at their maritime museum, the highlights being on the renowned oyster and crab industries that date back to the mid 1700s. We could have stayed for another night or two but we’re feeling the pull to continue south to warmer climes. (Sorry to rub it in) We were aiming for the Solomon’s today but wind was against us and we had to turn in to an anchorage 30 miles short of our intended destination.
Photo: Thought it might be interesting for people to see where we are on the map
Comments

About & Links