45°15′18″ N 81°39′52″ W

Not sure what it is about boats & docks in marinas but they sure have a way of bringing people together.

This afternoon Chris & I were sitting in Ananda’s pilothouse having a quiet drink and a nice looking fellow from the boat in front of us strolled past and said hello – so we thought the only really neighborly thing to do was to invite him aboard for a chat.

William, from a CS 33 named “Liquid Fix” stepped aboard and the gamming began! William & his wife Deirdre are from Sarnia and have been sailing in the North Channel for several weeks. Like us, they are now preparing to head home.

William likes racing sailboats, as does Chris so the gamming kicked into high gear and time began to melt away. Next thing we know we see William’s wife Deirdre walking the dock looking for her husband. We called her aboard and she joined in the gam.

Now Deirdre tells us that she is a nervous sailor but after we heard what she had been through, she has to be a seasoned vet to still be on board and cruising with William. Sounds to me like they are a great team and it shows!

Our conversation drifted away for a bit towards how we all pay for the privilege of sailing these waters and William confessed that he was a successful businessman and inventor. He is a pharmacist by profession and he invented the device you see Deirdre holding in her hands in the photo above. Pharmacists all over the continent and overseas use this little device to help them accurately dispense prescription pills. Anyway, enough of that “work” stuff, let’s get back to other stuff that really matters…..

While we were gamming a New Orleans style jazz band set up shop on the boardwalk across from our boats and began jamming and busking. They were great and provided a nice background to our conversation. They also drew a pretty good sized crowd to support them and show their appreciation for the group’s efforts.

Time was marching on and William and Deirdre headed back to Liquid Fix for their supper. Then Chris sprung into action and began finishing work on his signature Dolly Parton Chicken Caesar Salad. How this salad got its name is a whole other “chapter” that I will save for another day….

Needless to say, supper was awesome, as always!

I was banned from the galley while Chris was making dinner so I walked ashore and called Catherine to check in and give her an update on our travel plans. When I was walking back to Ananda I spotted Deirdre enjoying a few moments on the deck of her boat and snapped this shot of a seasoned sailor catching some of the last warm rays of sun for this day.

Tomorrow Chris & I begin the last leg of our journey home. We will aim for Port Elgin or Kincardine, depending upon the conditions we encounter. Who knows, we may go all the way back to Goderich. We will find out tomorrow.

Stay tuned and cheers everyone!