Don Mockford and Heather Mackey Christmas 2010

	TORONTO POWER & SAIL SQUADRON Celebrating over 60 years of boating safety education (Chartered in 1948)
	A message from two TPS members enjoying the cruising life
	Christmas Message 2010 from Don & Heather aboard Asseance This past year has seen us spend more time in Trinidad than we had planned or expected. This was mainly due to starting the year with Don recovering from his operation in October 2009. Don’s doctor would not let him do any work on the boat or any lifting of any type for 3 months and Heather has not let him do any heavy lifting all year. Sooooooo guess who does the lifting on the boat now!!!!! As Don was recovering, we were able to take in many of the cultural and carnival events in 2010. We have become big fans of the steel drum orchestras or bands and were very happy when our favourite band, PCS Silver Stars won the pan competition at the 2010 Carnival. By the middle of February we had spent more than 6 months in Trinidad and we were ready to hoist the sails and head North. Departing Trinidad we headed North-East to get east of the island chain and headed directly to Rodney Bay, St Lucia. 36 hours and 261 nautical miles later we dropped the hook in Rodney Bay after a great sail. The sail was only dampened because one of the support brackets on the dinghy davits broke. We needed to jury rig a fix to avoid damage to the boat or the dinghy. Thus, our first priority after arrival was to get the davits repaired. We had new parts shipped in from the manufacturer in Annapolis, MD and a local metal shop did the final fit. While Don was busy with that project, Heather was busy refinishing the outside woodwork (an ongoing maintenance project that needs to be attended to every 6 months!!) . When we left St Lucia for Martinique, the boat was sure shining brightly. Although, it was a short stop at village of St Pierre (North end of the island), we still found time to enjoy the baguettes, French wine and cheeses. The day we planned to depart, we ( plus a few other boats) were “chased” out early as we were anchored in the middle of the harbour area where the fishermen decided they were going to fish that day. No problem...off we went. Here is an example of Language... Their local French dialect the day before was not clear enough to convey their need in the morning... so they just rallied us as they saw fit !! We then chose to relax and enjoy a couple of weeks of R&R in Portsmouth, Dominica. We continue to return to this wonderful island which is said to be the only Caribbean island that Columbus would recognize today. But our goal for the year was to reach Antigua in time for the Classic Yacht Regatta in mid April. So, we continued our journey to Falmouth Harbour with an overnight stop in Deshaies, Guadeloupe. Our intention in Antigua was to check in with Customs and Immigration after dropping the hook in Falmouth Harbour and explore some of the other more remote bays of Antigua. But, every time we were set to depart, old friends arrived who we had not seen for a few months. So, you get the picture. We spent our days watching the classic yachts race and then the evenings partying. Many Mount Gay Rum parties were enjoyed and of course we departed with Mount Gay T-shirts and Red Hats - both of which are a must for every true cruiser!!!!!! Many of the photos we took of the classic yachts can be seen on our Flickr Photo site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/asseance - see the album titled “Antigua Classic Yachts Regatta 2010" After the regatta, we had a quick 5 day dash back South to St Lucia for Heather to catch a flight to Toronto to visit her mother. We sailed during the day departing the anchorage at dawn and stopping each evening - stops were in Deshaies, Les Saintes (Guadeloupe), Portsmouth (Dominica), St Pierre (Martinique) and then Rodney Bay. And of course Murphy was alive and well as we arrived in Rodney Bay. The anchor windlass decided not to function. Oh well, we went straight to the marina where Don stayed with the boat and Heather went to Toronto. The next day after clearing in, we checked the windlass and lo and behold it worked - there was no problem that we could find - and it has worked properly ever since - boat gremlins at work !!!! . The marina proved to be very convenient for Don to attend the Jazz Festival and many of the matches of the 2010 International Twenty/20 Cricket Championship. When Heather returned, she attended her first cricket match and what an exciting semi final game it was ! Sadly the Cricket fun came to an end and it was time to head South, but first there was a quick trip to Martinique for the last of the french wines, cheeses and pates! ( get the feeling, we like the French islands!!) . Then it was off to Bequia, the Grenadines, Carriacou and finally Grenada where we anchored in Hog Island, our favourite anchorage in Grenada. We stayed in Grenada for a couple of months and Heather enjoyed water colour painting and jewelry making and even participated in the first annual Clarke’s Court Bay Marina Craft sale and boat jumble - a jumble being where boaters try to sell off their no longer needed or wanted “stuff”. In mid August, we headed off to Tobago in company with 3 other boats where we spent a glorious month bay hopping and exploring the many beautiful beaches and sunsets of Tobago. Arrival in Trinidad was mid September, just in time for Heather to head to Toronto. Don followed in early October via the Annapolis Boat Show ( of course!) . In Toronto, we enjoyed visiting family and friends, Thanksgiving, special birthdays and dog sitting for Deb (Don’s sister) while she went to a business conference and then spent a few days on holidays. Deb’s 2 girls (Zoey & August - Border Collies) were fun, but are sure high maintenance !!!! In early November, we returned to the boat and Trinidad to do boat chores and get ready to sail. Of course, we partook in some of the beautiful cultural events happening this time of year in Trinidad. These included parang, calypso..and our favourite PAN !! It was hard to leave, but on Dec 15th we set sail for Grenada. We are now back in Hog Island meeting up with old friends, meeting new ones, taking in the Christmas celebrations and parties in the beautiful warm sunshine and swimming off the back of our boat Asseance :-)........ We wish all our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2011.
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