SV Mandolyn

Around age six the kids started asking life’s big questions. “Why don’t my own farts smell bad?”, was one such conversation. We didn’t have the scientific answer, but discussed it a little. After some thought, six-year-old West concluded: “Well, it’s a good thing I do most of the farting around here.” This seems somehow relevant six years later, when the four of us now live in approximately 250 square feet, and spend almost every waking moment together. Sharing tight quarters…

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If you’ve ever felt remotely significant in life, spending a night alone at sea is the cure. There you are, a vulnerable speck on the enormity of the trackless ocean. Then you look up to consider the unfathomable vastness of the Milky Way, which itself is a speck in the sea of the Universe. Or is the Universe just a simulation? If so, we were about to simulate our longest passage yet! Three nights at sea and 350 nautical miles…

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“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” -Ancient Internet Proverb We’ve all been learning Spanish for the past several months, and making good progress, but I really wish we had started sooner. As new Spanish students we’ve had to grapple with some shocking truths. Did you know that sombrero means ‘hat’? Or that salsa means ‘sauce’? All this time I’ve been wearing sombreros without realizing it and pouring salsa onto…

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Have I ever told you about the time I played with the popular punk band Blink-182? Of course I have! I bring it up shamelessly, I hardly need prompting. You probably asked me to pass the salt, or maybe mentioned the weather, and I responded with, “Salt and/or weather, reminds me of the time I played with Blink-182…” If somehow you’ve never heard of this event (presumably because we’ve never met), maybe you have some questions. You might be wondering:…

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You know that feeling that you get when you and your lover are prancing towards each other across a sun-kissed meadow, only to discover that you’re both running on treadmills? We experience this sensation in our dinghy sometimes when wind and current develop against us. We can see our destination, and we’d really like to get there… but our tiny electric trolling motor isn’t up to the task. Sometimes our destination is another boat, with a friend waiting patiently on…

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Flashback: Wednesday, February 8, 1989, 7:59pm. My 11 year old self is getting mentally prepared. All the lights in the family room are at full brightness: check. Parents are just upstairs: check. I glance to the window, it’s pretty dark out there. Not ideal, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Do I really want to go through with this? Yes. My friends at school will be talking about this tomorrow. I’m committed. I flick on the TV and…

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September found us making our way south down the coast of Oregon and into California, as well as beginning our grade 7 school year. Before we left home it was pretty common for somebody to ask, “Will you homeschool your kids?”, with maybe a hint of mischief in their eyes. “Of course we will.” I’d reply, oblivious. “How hard could it be?” Then I would stare into the distance and smile, imagining a typical day of homeschooling… I’ll wake up…

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Hawkins Cheezies, the pride of Bellville Ontario. This exclusively Canadian snack-food has always had a special place in the arteries of this family. In Bamfield, BC, on our final night in Canada, we had the concerning realization that we might not see Cheezies again for a long time. It was 6:50pm. The nearby general store down the inlet would close in 10 minutes, and was at least that far away. We jumped into our dinghy and shoved off, with cries…

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The next leg of our voyage would be south from Haida Gwaii, and down the west coast of Vancouver Island. Through sport-fishing crazed communities like Shearwater, Port Hardy, Winter Harbour, Walters Cove, and Bamfield. When you pass a stranger on the docks in these places, the smalltalk runs something like this: “Hey how’s it going?” “Good thanks, you catchin’ lots of fish?” “Yup, hundreds. You goin’ fishin’ soon?” “Yup, I’m actually fishin’ right now.” “Me too!” Or so I imagine….

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We’d always wanted to see Haida Gwaii and at this point we were in the right neighbourhood. Getting there would involve our longest passage yet, across Hecate Strait. Yes… Hecate. Strait. Steeped in legends of nautical disaster. Crusty sea dogs on the BC coast will chill your soul with terrifying yarns of the Hecate. For a sailor in BC who has worked their way around the other notorious features, this is the final battle. The main boss. Darth Vader. Sauron….

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