Monday, September 1, 2025

Yondering in the Summer of 2025

The summer of our Waupoos adventures, we continued to fly the BPYC burgee and hoisted the Waupoos flag on the halyard, too. 

So many perfect moments. Swimming in the lake on hot summer days. Watching fireflies spark in July, and shooting stars blaze trails in August. Admiring the birds and the bugs and the clouds; and the feel of the breeze on skin warmed in the sun.

Yondering in the Summer of 2024, we only managed to get the boat out for twenty days in total. This year the boat was out all summer long! 

We probably spent half summer at the dock at Waupoos. Generally I am not a fan of being tied to a dock as I'd rather be sailing or swinging on an anchor in the summer breeze. Rob and I kidded about getting our money's worth, but what a view!  Cottage life without the cottage. 


Many days exploring "The County" and its charms.

Lots of time sailing, too. Lake Ontario, Bay of Quinte, Saint Lawrence River, Prince Edward Bay. 

Our first-ever cruises to Big Sandy/Wolfe Island, Main Duck, and Trident Yacht Club.


24 Nights at anchor! Twelve different "ports of call":  Cobourg; Sandy Cove;  Prinyer's Cove,  Waupoos Marina, Little Bluffs, Waupoos Island, Stella/Amherst Island, Brakey Bay/Wolfe's Island, Trident Yacht Club, Van Deusen, Big Sandy/Wolfe Island, Main Duck.

Two trips back home with eleven nights ashore in Toronto to enjoy the comforts of home and visit friends and family.

For three weeks or so we had the company of Alcyione, with Alex and Aldo. Shared suppers, sails and swims.

In August, Alex, Parshvi and Nora visited us for a couple of nights, to our absolute delight. Nora loved sleeping in the V-birth, and in close quarters I watched her wake up in the morning and start the day by studying her wiggling hands and feet. Such a joy to see her toddling on the dock. And so much fun hosting them all and sharing our little slice of heaven. Alex was to start a new job the following week, and it began to feel like "back to school days."

Colder weather settled in the last half of August and by the final week, the lake had cooled considerably for swimming. Rainy, windy days followed and we had a few cozy nights on board with the space heater.

Griskit accompanied us on all our travels, via car and boat. Sea sick only twice! Eventually she got quite comfortable. By August it got to the point where we would take her off her leash when we were at the dock. I wanted to keep her on board, but she managed to saunter off several times, thankfully returning after her evening prowl.


We loved it so much we've reserved the same slip for next summer!

Friday, August 29, 2025

"The County" in Prince Edward

Having a car, we could easily get around "The County" while we enjoyed our summer living aboard Yondering in Waupoos. 

Free and easy rides on the Amherst Ferry, which we usually watch from the boat while sailing in the Bay of Quinte. Lovely drives along Loyalist Parkway, covering ground that would take Yondering hours to sail, in minutes. 

Quilts are painted along many of the countryside barns, which we  discovered is the Prince Edward County Barn Quilt Trail. A modern barn quilt movement started in the early 2000s, inspired by traditional fabric quilts. These painted wooden panels offer representations of family history, cultural traditions, and rural craftsmanship. Quilt colours often carry meaning—blue for peace, red for strength, and green for growth. 


County Cidery
Rose Museum

Waupoos

Waupoos is a sleepy, pretty little hamlet. 

Just a five-minute walk away from the Marina there is a 'pick your own blueberries' place, which made for an afternoon of fun when Alex, Parshvi and Nora came for their visit. As well as a constant supply of fresh berries for healthy breakfasts. 

Waupoos Tarts is a ten minute walk for incredible lemon and butter tarts. So good! The small self-serve shack proudly displays the Cottage Life write up from a few years' back.

We stocked our pantry with local treats from Waupoos Estates Winery, including pickles, cider, wine and local honey. 

Stella's Eatery, featured in the 2025 summer edition of Food and Drink magazine and a destination for local diners, was a twenty minute walk or five minute drive. We enjoyed a delicious, satisfying meal there one cool, late summer evening. 

Another afternoon stopped by  County Cidery, did a cheese tasting at Fifth Town Cheese, and treated ourselves to a stop at Vickis Veg  There's lots on offer from county breweries, distilleries, and roadside produce stands. 

Kingston

A fun excursion to the Sheepdog Trials at Grassy Creek Park, where we watched the border collies compete. We also saw sheep shearing, wool spinning and weaving. My favourite on the day was the raptor show, and seeing the Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Red Tailed Hawk, Kestral, and Harrier.

Another day we ventured to the Great Lakes Museum to tour the S.S. Keewatin but didn't book ahead and all the tours for the day were sold out. Displays and exhibits were glimpses of cruise travel in the 1950's, and a look behind the scenes into Victorian-era dry dock engineering.

Wellington/Bloomfield

Drake at Devonshire was a fun day trip and a very tasty lunch. A great spot to watch the waves on a windy day. In addition to a stunning lakeview, there is an indoor games room with a backgammon table. For dessert we wandered the streets and enjoyed gelato.



Picton

The town of Picton i close by for essentials, where we provisioned at the local supermarkets and LCBO. Ralph's Meat Market vacuum packs on request, which helped us keep things fresher longer in our cooler. Picton Laundry Co. is next to groceries and clean, with commercial grade machines, so we could do several loads at once and save both time and loonies on the chore.

When the car started making grinding noises, we were able to make an appointment with mechanics at Canadian Tire. While it was being serviced, I checked out the little shops and boutiques... my favourite store was Books and Company, where I spent a couple hours reading and browsing shelves. A late lunch at 555 Brewing offered tasty wood-fired pizzas and craft beer.  

And two unscheduled visits to the hospital emergency room! Both visits to Picton General Hospital were for medical issues arising, and because the town had no walk-in clinics, we visited urgent care at the hospital. After quick triage and prompt medical attention, we were soon on our way with prescriptions that were easy to fill at the pharmacy.


Friday, August 8, 2025

Blackberry Moon, August 2025






Anishnabe and Ojibway call the eighth moon the Blackberry or Thimbleberry Moon.  We were at the dock in Waupoos, watching the moon rise and then almost balance itself on top of Alcyione's mast, (Alex R and Aldo's boat). 

A few days later, we were off to Main Duck Island with Alcyione. The moon still full in the sky, steadying itself among the bobbing anchor lights.

This is the time of year for the Persaids meteors, so I have been lifting my gaze at night toward the heavens. Lucky to see some real beauties streaking through the sky, leaving stardust in their trail. 

Friday, July 25, 2025

Sailor's Garden, July 2025

Over the years my garden has evolved to be very low maintenance over the summer months because I'm so often away sailing.


In early June I was home to see the  stunning combo of dianthus and thyme. In the backyard, clematis was in bloom. 

The prickly pear flowered while I was gone, but Alex sent me a photo.Thankfully, he was coming by to water while I was away, or the damage could have been much worse. I did lose some herbs (corsican mint, red pansy), foam flower seedling, golden alexander seedling, bonsai juniper. Hostas and rogersia suffered some heat damage. Overall, things were looking pretty good when I came back, with orange lilies blooming, butterfly milkweed flowering, and clematis putting on a good show. 

I returned after three weeks on the lake to attend birthday celebrations for Nora and had a chance to catch up on the weeding, pruning, and watering.

We were home for several days and I ended up hanging out in the garden for hours every day, soaking up the green. And making some notes on some potential transplants for the fall. 

Photos below were taken the week of July 21. I absolutely love the micro clover patch of lawn, it is so green while the lawn in front has turned a dormant brown. Thinking I may overseed the front lawn with more clover at the beginning of next season. I love the results so much!

      






Friday, July 11, 2025

Argentine Fire

An Epic Epitourist! Laura and Peter hosted on Wolfe Island, and what better place to cook with fire than in the outdoor wood oven Peter built, with veggies and herbs harvested from Laura's garden.

Laura concocted the menu after collaborating with Kaarina. Both were drooling over Francis Mallmann blogs and videos. His latest book, Seven Fires, provided some of the recipes. Gorgeous photography but unfortunately, the recipes themselves were poorly edited. Ingredient lists would mention something and then omit it in the directions (and vice versa). A bit frustrating! 

Meat and flame are primal ingredients for a carnivore's feast, yet nothing caramelizes veggies and fruit like real fire. Delectable! And the different herb mixtures drizzled on top brightened the dark flavours. The roasted strawberries tasted even better than I thought they would.

I was a bit of a slacker this time around, as travelling by boat Rob and I weren't sure where we would end up - Kingston, Waupoos, Brakey? Sail in or drive? Kaarina and Laura kept me on the hook, literally, by picking up the provisions. All I really had to do was show up and help with the prep. 

Cocktail hour brought a Cynar Julep that was perfect for light nibbles without overpowering flavours and the modest alcohol content kept heads clear for cooking. Argentine wines were the perfect pairing for the meal. One Malbec grape was grown in Patagonia, and the other Mendoza, different elevations that gave the wines distinctly different profiles. And new to me - Torrontes - such great body!

Extra treat on the dinghy ride home was the full Buck Moon, fireflies sparking away and a sky full of stars overhead. Such stuff as dreams are made.



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Menu

Cocktails
Humous and pita + Argentinian Cynar Julep 

Main
Malbec pairings
Don Nicanor, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, 2022
Fin del Mundo Reserve, Bodega del fin del Mundo, Patagonia, 2023


Flank steak with chimichurri sauce

Domino potatoes drizzled with basil and oregano

Grilled fennel salad

Dessert: 
Laborum, Finca El Retiro, Valle de Cafayate, Salta, 2023
1300, Andeluna Valle de Uco, Mendoza, 2023

Roasted Strawberries with ricotta and mint

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This definitely distinct cooking style is hard to replicate in a home oven. That said, I sure am going to try a variant of those Domino Potatoes. And Mike P was already experimenting with flank steak within a few days after arriving home, with Laura advising, "the secret to tender flank is to cook it in one piece and slice across the grain."