The biggest thank you of all goes to our son Trev.
Because of his independence, his balance and attitude towards life he, without knowing it, has given us the freedom to keep our dreams alive and do what we love to do. As a parent it would be awesome to share more of this with him, but heck! He’s 24! He can have his own adventures when he grows up.
Our thanks and gratitude to friends and neighbours at Spruce Harbour:
John & Cheryl who are passionate about adventure and exploring new places and new lifestyles; Dave & Ane who gave us their wisdom, ideas, knowledge, time and expertise on everything from storing stuff on deck and below, provisioning, charting, how to’s – you name it – they know. Thanks to Heather L for suggesting the blog we are using today. Big thanks to Ian H and Bruce W for their expertise in the shipwright business. Thanks to Ian & Marilyn for all your encouragement and giving us the “looking good” wave each week. Thanks and gratitude to our new friend Paul G who encouraged me to work at West Marine and get the staff discounts (a must for anyone going offshore!) and for Paul’s calm demeanor during our last few weeks of anxiety and his caring way of sending us off with fantastic treats from Terra bakery the morning of departure. Having Scott W with us on our first voyage was an honour. Not only did we enjoy his humour (Debbie’s bread bags), but also his expertise in seeing fishing boats in the dark (and also on the radar, but who’s looking at that!), and in keeping all of us company during our nightly watches.
Thanks to Barb and Ian for sharing their offshore memories, tips and expertise and for always making it sound like “no big deal”. Long time friends of 15 years Marg & Sigge who are such ambassadors for the live aboard life style and have that just-do-it kind of attitude – thanks for all your encouragement over the years. Thanks to Kathleen, whom I have only known since January and only because of yoga. Kathleen introduced us to her friends Rob & Ladonna in Sausalito who have been an amazing couple and so warm and welcoming on our arrival. Also thank you for sharing your yoga practice and all your tips you provided during tea time were terrific. A warm thanks to Leigh for all your encouraging words and the fantastic banana loaf you made for our voyage. It was so kind and considerate. Ron & Ruth many thanks for the use of your slip for August – while we were in the “centre” of things it was a nice opportunity to chat with all the neighbours and get advice from everyone (no shortage there!).
Mike & Gillian have been friends and neighbours for some time now and listening to their stories and adventures over the years has just added to our desire to explore the shores they have been to. Thanks to Mike as well for being with our beloved Spanker during her final days at Spruce and for lovingly caring for her until she passed away. Well Steve – your fishing apparatus sure proved to be a hit! We rigged up the “tried and true” fishing gismo Steve gave us and before we had time to figure out a bucket, or a way to bring a fish onto the boat in the middle of the ocean, BOOM we had a TUNA! The next 10 minutes was like watching a Lucille Ball episode… with Wayne playing the role of Ricky! What a hoot! Steve’s daily chats and advice post shower each morning (coffee mug in hand) was a delight and we are so grateful to both he and Dionne for their suggestions and information on travelling down the coast. You have been truly an inspiration to us and to anyone wanting to go offshore. Great positive attitude and such love for each other… still!
Bella – my thanks to Laurie for her “offshore cruising kit” filled with all sorts of goodies and to her positive, get out there spirit ‘you go girl’ attitude. We don’t need bikes – we will never use them, we don’t have space! Take the bikes she said to me! Sharon and Ken – thanks for the incredible information on cruising down the coast, so relevant in so many ways. Yes we did get my bike from the storage locker in Sidney and after one week in Sausalito someone else went to Sidney and picked up his bike and brought it down on the plane to the tune of $150 USD. Thanks for the best piece of advice! We cycle everyday and everywhere in Sausalito. Our Scuba Man – Martin – thanks for all the great spots to dive locally, for all your advice along the way and being such a great neighbour.
To new friends Rhonda & Peter we are passing over the “get out there in any weather” torch! We have been known to be a little crazy sailing during the winter, but it has paid off in so many ways. With your new boat we hope you will be “out there” and feeling the winter air and experiencing the solitude as we did. Thanks to Randi & Cecil for continuing to show living and loving the outdoors as they do. Such an inspiration to all of us. You are sailors at heart, it’s ok we understand the power boat thing! Thanks for your stories on the Cayman’s. My special thanks to Mike S for being such an awesome yoga student. Thanks for all your encouragement! Thanks to Gail & Bruce for your encouragement and positive thoughts. Dennis G – the Great Escape! Big thanks for all the ideas, research and suggestions along the way. Judy thanks for sharing your practice and to both you and Urs for your encouragement, your stories of adventure (back in the day) and sharing the ‘yard’ with you was a pleasure.
Thanks to Teresa in the office for all your suggestions and assistance and to Mike – the greatest engineer and the most helpful wharfinger person ever. Our marina was blessed when you two came to us.
To our live aboard friends in Brentwood Bay – Bert & Mejan – thanks for all your positive reinforcements along the way and for cheering us on.
Our friends who have bathtubs:
Our friends Francie& Ian who have always shared in our sense of adventure. Our thanks to Dave & Denise who are always willing to listen to our stories, share in our adventures and are so generous to us. To Lyle & Veda who are following close behind us, thanks for sharing our dreams with us. A very special couple – I call them the cheering section – Marta & Andreas – they have been there (pioneers at Spruce Harbour, built their boat and taken it offshore), always ready to help with a project (Andreas built our dodger) and to lend advice or treat us to an incredible feast. Listening to their offshore experiences made it seem simple and with their “can-do” way, we felt – hey – we can do this! To Brenda who is the best crew person and always keen to help out or tear the heads off prawns. Thanks for always being so positive in sharing our adventures.
Our friends on the Island – John & Karen thanks for all your help while you were in town and your encouragement. Our love, gratitude and thanks to Terry & Kevin, Sue & John, Larry & Liz and Rob & Hilary. Special thanks to Hilary, without you I would not have been on the cruising committee and may not have met all our wonderful friends. Your friendships all mean so much to us and your never-ending encouragement … “if anyone can do – Wayne & Elly can do it”.
There will be a rendezvous in the Caribbean… not to worry!
Our Crew:
I mentioned Scott, the other two crew members to give our gratitude to is Linda and Ian. Linda came to us as a referral from Scott and was a great help in sailing the boat and being my buddy on night watches. Our love and thanks to Ian (our engineer). Ian rigged the gaff to secure the tuna, was head butcher in slicing the tuna into perfect steaks and could secure anything to anything… just give the man a piece of rope!
To my yoga community and teachers:
My heartfelt gratitude for sharing your knowledge, your wisdom, your friendship and your life’s experiences with me. Being able to come to my mat and practice yoga is the greatest gift I can give myself and to share this with others is an even better gift. I am blessed, Namaste. Yes, there will be a retreat coming soon to free you from the winter blahs.
Normans & Nellies:
There are others who have inspired us along the way, and we thank them all for their own ways. Just as we have mentioned those who have had a positive influence on us, in life there are those who have also inspired us by having a negative influence. We thank those people as well. It is necessary to have a balance of positive and negative in order to determine your own path and this also makes you focus and strive for your dreams. Negative Normans and Nellies I call them – and a big thank you to you. You have also inspired us!
