Getting ready to go

We have finally made up our minds that Jovietal belongs back in Canada where she can be properly taken care of and enjoyed.
Lying here for 10 months on a tropical jungle mooring has been hard on her.

Back to El Salvador Mar 09

Leaving the boat in El Salvador for a year was really not the smartest thing we have ever done however, we are convinced that it makes more sense to bring her home rather than leave her in foreign waters for a couple of years until the G.D.K.'s are out of the house!
We arrived during the Easter holy week which is crazier than Christmas. Everything was closed and our pre arranged rent a car drove off without us. Apparently, Avis rented all their cars and closed up shop for the holidays.
Only in El Salvador.
This capped the "oh shit" moment we had waiting in the Houston Airport while looking at gift shop electronics. Michel realized he forgot our navigational chart dungle in his desk at home. We can't go anywhere without it.
We Fed exed ( is that a word??) it to to Quebec in hope that Giles our other crew member who was leaving in a few days to join us in El Salvador could bring it with him. As luck would not have us the "package" arrived the day after he left.
This little package would hold us up and keep us hostage to the bureaucracy's of El Salvador.
Waiting....waiting ....waiting...cleaning, fixing..fixing...paying...paying..
Some may think we were relaxing in the sun drinking icy beverages - that is a sailing fantasy.
The reality for us:

Our lovely Jovietal is covered with two inches of bird crap!
Our dingy has 29 holes in it, sails jamming, upside down& backward equipment and $$$$$
leaky shafts.........the list goes on
Without the help of and Fred and Giles the boat would probably still be at anchor.
Giles was a real gift as he has an amazing ability to fix corroded electronics and trouble shoot most of the troubles.
We did manage to take a small break to visit with our wonderful friends the Dardano's which is always an exciting time.
Stay tuned for the posts sailing from El Salvador to Huatulco Mexio!

Getting ready to sail Jovietal back To Canada

A little bit of Deja vous here...things are piling up ready to go down to the boat. Again we hoping to stay within the 50 pounds per bag limit.
I made the mistake of booking Flights to El Salvador in the middle of Easter.
It is a huge celebration and everything is closed.
We are bringing Jovietal home! Michel, our nephew Fred and Michels long time friend and adventure partner Gilles from Quebec are sailing her to Puerto Vallarta where another friend Don is joining for the bash up the coast.
I will try to keep you posted here on our progress.
We hope to have Jovietal back in Thetis this summer mid June.

Changing Boats

How simply wonderful to downsize.
It's nice to be back at home although we miss our boat very much

how to read the blog

The posts are rather random and at times I had a hard time getting the posts out on the net. The newest post is first and when you reach the bottom of the page a green prompt "older posts" will lead you to older posts.
Click on it to get the next set of posts.
Have fun

Reflections

This was probably the most amazing experience we could share together as a family.
Cruising was really just what our family needed to reconnect and learn from each other.
When Michel and I arrived back home, the girls had surprised by having the house clean and decorated with welcome home messages.
They presented us with a large card thanking us for this amazing adventure.
Josee wrote:
This trip meant everything to me...I am so thankful for those time the wind was in my face and sun in my eyes. I had a big grin on my face, and all my worries were gone.
I knew my family was the best family to be taking me a journey so big; so loving, and full of joy. I know we may have of struggled, and might of not been the best sailors of the sea, but we are the strongest, and made a life time story. We may of thought everything would be normal, but we are not normal. We are the Poirier family and I am proud to be in this family.

Chantal:
I guess I changed my mind when I thought I did not want to come. I must of been crazy! The whole entire trip was unbelievable! My most vivid memory was waking up in the morning walking into the cockpit and seeing a spectacular beach right in front of my eyes. it made me realize how lucky I was to wake up in a place that hardly anyone in the world can see.
It really changed my life. the whole entire trip was amazing and made me see life is worth living at its fullest, and we sure did live life at it's fullest down there.

Genevieve: You were right, in every possible way, 1 million percent. Our trip was life changing- each of us grew and changed into mature, intelligent, globally aware, well travelled human beings. Who else can say that at 17?
We truly know the value of a dollar. You have shared with us your dream and given us new and exciting dreams for ourselves. You have given us so much in the past year. Things that money can't buy. You've given us the gift of travel...which we will keep with us forever and pass on to our own children.
You have given us the gift of perseverance, which you have mastered- taking care of 3 teenagers Girls!) as well as taking car of a 51 foot boat. I'm sure other cruisers would marvel at your courage.
You have given us the gift of love, even when we didn't deserve it. And most of all you have given us the most amazing, wonderful and unforgettable experiences.
Our hearts will always be with the ocean, and our family will always be able to reminisce about our crazy adventures we had together. I love our family and I love and admire your both.

Was our trip everything dreamed it would be? I would have to say no, it was more enriching than what I could of imagined.

Welcome home

Back to reality. This is what 8 months of mail looks like. Most of it is junk mail!
Such a waste of resources.
What's with this Capitol One banking mailouts!.
I received over 12 credit card invitations and 7 congratulation you have won a Caribbean cruise notifications.
Really quite amusing after travelling and seeing people so happy in Central America with virtually noting.
Do we really need all this stuff?