The Treats and Trappings of Canada

Dec 1

Dec 1 The Treats and Trappings of Canada

Megan

What's this? I'm running water without subconsciously counting the number of times the pump turns on?

What's this? My bed isn't moving while I sweat into my sheets?

What's this? I am sitting without being surrounded by cacophony of wind, wake, and waves?

What's this? My kids aren't sitting on top of me, or beside me, or across from me 24/7?

What's this? I just did a load of laundry even though I did one 3 days ago?

…Sounds like I'm ON LAND!

Yup. We made it back to O Canada almost 4 weeks ago and oh holy crap I forgot how easy it is to live on land. The space. The easy access to cars and grocery stores. The laundry machines (I seriously groaned that one haha).

No wait, I've got a better one...the COUCHES!! (Or SOFAS depending on where you are from)...omg. So comfortable. I haven't been this comfortable in 2 years.

Now now, don't worry, we won't be lulled back to land life by the riches and the resources that surround us. But it is nice to realize how comfortable things can be when we do decide to pause the sailing game years from now. I can truly say I did not realize just how comfortable land life was until now.

We got lucky with a late fall so many of the leaves were still hanging when we arrived and we took advantage with some beautiful hiking with family.

This is what happens when boat kids see snow again for the first time in a couple years. Hours of fun!

So besides sitting on couches and taking long showers we are actually very very busy. So many appointments, some superficial (first hair cut I didn't do myself in 2 years) and some less so (health cards, mortgage, selling car, passports, medical check-ups, vaccines). And of course so many visits :) We were so so fortunate to see Greg's family a few times over the last 2 years and during those visits we got to spend several weeks in close quarters (in my opinion, when you have no where to run, no where to hide, it makes for very efficient and intimate visits...which is good when you love the people coming to visit). My parents have visited as well, once in St. Martin for 3 weeks at the end of 2019 and then again Bonaire for 3 weeks this summer. Those visits really really help. When we got here it was surreal enough without the shock of laying eyes on our parents "for the first time" IRL in years...phew.

However, my sister and my brother and there respective families we have NOT seen in 2 years (last time was briefly in September 2019) and being able to finally hug them and relentlessly tease them has been freaking amazing! We have already had a big campfire together, day-drinking and got sibling tattoos (twice!)...and we are still here for another 4 weeks.

Getting Here

We seriously had reservations about leaving the boat for so long. Two months, 9 weeks exactly, seemed very, very long. Very, very nerve wracking. Would she be safe? Would she be ruined, broken, moldy, stripped, floating??? We have friends there checking on her and the marina is great too but still...it's not the same. And it is our home.

So in addition to that worry, it was incredibly difficult actually preparing the boat for us to not be onboard. So many small repairs we wanted, and some we needed, to address before she sat still in the slip. One of which was ensuring the bilge pump worked on automatic setting which we knew was broken and definitely needed to be sorted before leaving the boat unattended. After one purchase and return and one delivery and very awkward install we got the pressure switch working reliably but also realized there was a giant amount of water in the sump from running the AC in the marina in Bonaire mixed with some oil from a small but steady leak from the generator (also recently fixed) and so we took the time to also clean out the bilge properly...which is a big job. And that's just one item. Blarg. And as usually once you start fixing something 14 other things pop up. So of course it was about 3 weeks of "boat prep".

It had been a long time since we’ve seen a sunset over an airplane wing…

…and we very quickly had to get used to wearing masks in public.

Outside of the boat stuff, the "life prep" for leaving was equally challenging. Even just packing was a giant project that required huge amounts of laundry being carried and cleaned in one slow machine, staged organization and trying-on of warm stuff and folding since there isn't room on the boat for 5 people to pack duffle bags at once. Emptying the fridge and freezer and defrosting and drying whilst also still having stuff to eat was an interesting balance. Taking the time to go to get groceries or eat out was less and less of an option in the days leading up to our flight so we had to plan really well and then just make do. Then of course there was paperwork and COVID tests and transportation to sort out...most of which is a bit more complicated in the islands (except they are really advanced in the testing game, like really really efficient and cost effective...waaaay better than Canada). We narrowly avoided disaster when we realized the tester than came on board was conducting Rapid tests and we needed PCR tests to get into Canada…we stopped him after 2 and confirmed we needed PCR tests, he called his office, and we got re-tested…phew! Honestly you’d think that’d be obvious but we’ve had so many different kinds of COIVD tests (deep nose, shallow nose, shallow nose & throat combo, blood….sweat, tears…jkjkjk) that we weren’t sure if this was just a different kind of PCR test. But after the second one we paused game to double check. Good thing because I can honestly say if we got turned away at the airport with the wrong test in hand I would have broken in half from stress.

I had hoped to leave the boat all shiny, clean, dry and lovely so when we return all tired and cranky we'd have such a lovely homecoming to Matriarch. Such is not going to be the case. On a sweaty and rainy morning as we tried to get the last of our to-do list complete (close through hulls, final battery top-up, open cabinets, prop up mattresses, empty garbage, stow cockpit cushions, etc) I will confess the boat is not very tidy and will require some effort upon arrival to sort before we sleep that evening. I am optimistic we won't have bugs. That's about all you can ask for I think.

Being Here

I have a very good imagination but I must confess it is hard for me, sitting here by the fireplace on our old couch that is living at my in-laws house, to picture Matriarch floating in the salt water under the tropical sun. It's like watching a movie or something in my head...a made-up story rather than a concurrent reality. We’ve been in touch with our friends and the gentleman running the marina where our home lays in waiting, and all is good so far they say. So for now, in part because there is too much to hold onto in my head already and in part because it truly is pointless to worry about, I am letting go of the boat and trusting she will be there when we need her.

There are so many feelings we are experiencing here that are hard to articulate. And that's not something I usually struggle with. This intense comfort, happiness and familiarity, and feelings of safety and simplicity on the one hand are quickly lulling us into an easy life (keep in mind someone is usually cooking my meals and spending time with my kids since we are staying with family and friends...sooooo sweet.). We’ve taken the time to drive by our house and our condo and living in Canada again has started to feel possible, more possible than we would have believed when we first got here. We find ourselves imagining city-life in Toronto and how we would spend our time…

It’s been a joy watching our kids reconnect with their cousins after a couple years not seeing each other.

…and nothing like cooking in a “real” kitchen again!

However, we know that this steady stream of fun isn’t “the real life” and if we were to move back home life would quickly return to the pace and predictability we aren’t yet ready for. We are home, but we are on vacation. And like all vacations, it’s a whirlwind of entertainment but not representative of day-to-day life. There are many things about being back here that aren’t what we are looking for. The pressure to work for one. Greg has confessed how hard it is to visit friends who are all onto their next venture and not feel a tremendous pull to be a part of that scene. It’s not that he wants to work at break-neck speed again, but being here (without the full-time stress of boat-life) he’s feeling the vacuum of work and it’s uncomfortable for him. Don’t worry though, I’ve given him lots of jobs to do like ordering parts and organizing our photos…he will get through without a mid-life crisis. For me, since I’ve been working part-time this whole time we’ve been away, I don’t have the same experience as Greg; however, for me I feel a GIANT NEED to be helpful to family or friends and no disappoint anyone that wants to get together with us. This has resulted in some very tired nights and three somewhat neglected kiddos. Also don’t worry here, they have grandparents that are allll over them with love. But it does pull at my heart strings a bit when I get back from being somewhere else and the kids run up to me, hugging me saying how much they missed me and haven’t seen me all day and when are we going to have a family day? My answer is: in 4 weeks.

It was great to hang out with our best friends from Milton. And oh boy those tasty Canadian beers, eh?

Of course we made a stop for some of our favourite Indian food. Silver Spoon we’ve missed you!

Bottom line for me is that this time is limited and we need to make the most of it. Which comes at a price: fatigue, emotional overwhelm, disrupted routines in family and school work. But it is so worth it and this precious time will be over before we know it.

It is safe to say that we are happy, comfortable and yet also sure that we want to keep sailing and travelling for the next few years. No question about this. It will take time for us to process this "Canada experience" and it will probably happen after we leave, conflicted but determined are good words for now.