Gratefulness and Thanksgiving

Our original plans, pre-COVID, had us arriving in Annapolis, Maryland this weekend on our way to the Caribbean.  It is this weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) that the United States Sailboat Show is held in Annapolis every year.  This event is a highlight for many Canadian and American sailors looking for gear, ideas, and seminars, and to explore the latest and greatest new boats and chartering options.  It has also become the mecca for sailors headed south to the Bahamas.  These sailors gather here to wait out the end of the hurricane season and to take part in the show festivities.

An aerial shot of the Annapolis boat show in 2019

​Once the calendar flips to November, the sailboats huddled in Annapolis start looking for the first weather opportunity to start heading south out of Annapolis and connecting with the ICW (the Intra-Coastal Waterway), which is the little inland water highway to Florida.  Next stop after Florida? Crossing the Straits of Florida to the Bahamas.

A view of the mooring field at Annapolis in 2019. Lots of boats waiting to head south!

Wild Horses would have been one of those boats.  One worldwide pandemic later, everything has changed.  Wild Horses will now be in Canada this winter, sitting stored in her steel cradle at Loyalist Cove Marine in Bath, Ontario.  The Canada-US border remains closed.  The 2020 United States Sailboat Show was officially cancelled about a month ago.

It is disappointing but, truly, our family has fared really well so far through the pandemic.  Finances are stretched for some and lack of social connections getting to others but we have all remained healthy in terms of COVID.  And, thankfully, those of us with other health issues have been able to receive the care we need (shout out to my dad who is working through a few health struggles right now). 
​
For the crew of Wild Horses, we are grateful for what we have and how we are spending our days.  We are focusing on today but keeping our Caribbean dreams alive.  Yesterday (Sunday), was a case in point.  We had an amazing day taking Wild Horses for her last 2020 boat ride.  Trident Yacht Club to Loyalist Cove Marina.

​The weather was sunny and clear as we departed Trident Yacht Club, helped off the dock by Mike’s dad (Mike’s mom and dad puppy-sat Ocean for the day and delivered our car from Trident to Loyalist Cove). 

Wild Horses on her last day at Trident Yacht Club for 2020

A view of Trident Yacht Club as we left for Loyalist Cove Marina

Mike standing watch at the helm while our autopilot steers the boat

​We had a perfect Northeast wind making for a calm trip through the Bateau Channel and along Lake Ontario in front of Kingston.  

The last lighthouse as we leave the Bateau Channel

A view of Old Fort Henry in Kingston

A lone sailboat passes by as we make our way on Lake Ontario

Victoria makes some minor rigging adjustments underway

Our arrival at Loyalist Cove was easy – we were greeted by two very capable dock hands who easily secured Wild Horses to her temporary slip at the service dock.  Thankfully the wind was light and didn’t cause additional challenges – our long and beamy Wild Horses, just fit into the slip.

An aerial shot of Loyalist Cove Marina, with our approach and landing spot highlighted

At dock, we did a few of our decommissioning tasks (oil change, winterize engine, waste tank pump out and diesel top up) before closing up the boat for the day and heading back to Trenton. 
​
Wild Horses is ready to be hauled out on Tuesday.  

Mike changing the engine oil

Wild Horses in her slip awaiting haul out

It was a short summer season this year but we are thankful for having a season at all.  There was a time in early spring that we were not sure that the boat would see the water at all and with the second wave of COVID-19 in full swing, we are reminded about how lucky we are to have had such an amazing summer in the Thousand Islands.  For that, and for so much more, we are very, very grateful.  We are not where we thought we would be in Fall 2020 but we are thankful for where we have landed - happily at home in Canada, surrounded by our friends, family and the Canadian healthcare system as we do our part to re-flatten the curve. 😊  Happy Thanksgiving from the crew of Wild Horses!

Our favourite crew member enjoying a fall day on Wild Horses