Kathryn’s Voyage Blog

Publish Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Location: Port Severn, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 44° 48.243′ N  79° 43.766′ W

I’m sure most of you have read Dave’s blog by now about our Double Trouble in Port Severn.  We have been blessed in that we have had very few mechanical issues with our trusty little ship, so we were down right dumbfounded when not only one but two things went wrong. We were also disappointed because Dave’s dad Tom was coming to meet us and be a part of our adventure going over the Big Chute Marine Railway.

The weather has continued to be cool and rainy this summer, and finally there was going to be a two day break with sunshine and temperatures near 80 , which were to coincide with Tom’s visit and our Big Chute journey. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.  Our two pretty days were spent at the dock running errands and doing repairs (thank goodness for Tom’s car).  The warm days appeared to bring a fresh hatching of mosquitos in the still, fresh water cove we were moored in. Unbelievable!

As is often the case, bleak moments can have brilliant rays of sunshine.  Our bright spots came in the

form of family and new friends.  Tom’s timing was perfect.  He not only had wheels to loan us to gather parts; but more importantly he provided an additional mechanical perspective, along with humor and warmth of life perspective (not to mention a few nice dinners out). 🙂 Tom stayed on the boat with us in his sleeping bag. He was first up every morning greeting the day with a shower and great smile. He ran errands, solved problems, ate ice cream, knew when to help and when to go for a walk, took pictures and provided a great cheering section.  All this from a man over 80- years old and a recent cancer survivor — Tom you are an inspiration to us!

We arrived in Port Severn knowing no one and left with a new dear friend, Hutch. I’m fascinated by human nature and our human experience. I often wonder what it is that makes people instant friends,

while others people you can know a lifetime and not call them friend. Hmmm…. I don’t  the answer to this question, but I do know Hutch was an instant friend, a kindred spirit as Ayla says.    Hutch has been around the world twice via ship during his 7 years in the navy, and loved the perspective it gave him for a lifetime.   After our repairs were complete and we prepared to continue our voyage, Hutch presented the crew of Three@Sea with his Bosun’s Whistle.  He’d kept his whistle for over 50 years as reminder of the places he’d been and the things he’d seen while traveling in the navy.  A Bosuns Whistle was originally used to pass commands to the crew when a voice could not be heard over the sounds of the sea and bad weather.  It was also used for ceremonial purposes like piping dignitaries aboard, or Evening Colours. It was a gift with a lot of heart, just like the person who gave it to us.  Thank you Hutch, we’ll take good care of it.

Under the small world category, we had the good fortune to meet Chris and Stephanie, who have been traveling aboard Three@Sea for months via our blogs.   When they realized we were going to be

coming through the Canadian North Channel, Chris took the time to write us his personal cruising guide of the area since he had been boating these waters his whole life.  We found his advice on anchorages to be invaluable and referred to his extensive document everyday while cruising the area.  Unfortunately Chris was not in the area when we went through, although we did get to meet his dad Jim in Little Current.  However, on Sunday when Chris and Stephanie were heading back home to Toronto from the North Channel, they found Three@Sea in Port Severn and stopped by to say hi.  What a treat for us to meet them, and be able to thank them personally for all the wonderful advice.

During this trip our minds are filled with history, geography, navigation and boating skills, but is the people we meet along the way that fill our hearts.