I am writing this blog on Monday, June 3rd at an altitude of 38,000 feet. We are on way back home to Starship after spending ten incredible days with loved ones as we celebrated Alex’s graduation as a Marine Engineer Officer from the Canadian Coast Guard College. Our trip to Nova Scotia was perfect and I would not have changed a thing! We just need to catch up on sleep now!

This was a much-anticipated trip for many reasons. It was my first time travelling off the boat in almost 11 months. We were booked to spend most of our time in an Airbnb house and I was really craving the comforts of the soaker bathtub, queen sized bed and open living space. This trip was also giving us time with family we have not seen in a long time. Jason’s mom, Val, and brother, Matt, flew out from Winnipeg to join us! It had also been five months since we’ve seen Alex.

Alex has spent the last four years going through the intense Officer Training Program. Living on campus, he has created a new world for himself and we were thrilled to step into that world for a little while. For years we have been hearing about the classmates he’s become close friends with and we were excited to meet everyone.

It was more affordable for us to buy plane tickets to Halifax and do the drive than to fly directly into Sydney so that is what Jason, Dylan and I did. Alex and his girlfriend, Sophia, drove to Halifax to meet up with us. Our friends, Jennifer and Dale, who came to the boat in February, also came to Halifax to see us. All seven of us enjoyed brunch together. That was followed by shopping and a short walk along the waterfront.

In the afternoon, Alex and Sophia took Dylan back to the college with them. Alex had helped organize a sailing regatta so he was bringing Dylan back to stay on campus for a night and be out on the water for the races the next day. Dylan was thrilled to have a taste of college life and to have that time with his big brother! They even got some fishing time in together! Jason and I stayed in Halifax to spend a fun evening catching up with Jennifer and Dale. The next day Jason and I drove to Sydney to reconnect with our boys.

The Airbnb house was a great space for us to relax and spend some wonderful family time together. The first few days we were busy shopping. Being in Canada was an opportunity for us to get our hands on stuff we can’t get down south. It also allowed us to stock up on things like coffee and peanut butter at much more affordable prices.

Early in the week, Alex took us for a tour of the college! Finally, we were able to see first hand where he was living and learning. He proudly showed us areas such as some of the machine shops and the very interesting simulator room. His dorm room was so much smaller than I had envisioned. He really didn’t seem to mind it though. We figured the small college living space was strategically planned to allow them to prepare for the tight living quarters they will have once on ship.

I was also able to get some time alone with Alex. As a belated Mother’s Day gift, he took me out for a sushi lunch! Since he’s left home, I always cherish that rare one-on-one time I get with him.

This trip was the first time we had met Sophia. We had heard a lot about her and knew that this was an important person in Alex’s life so we were thrilled to finally meet her! She is a first-year student in the navigation stream of the officer training program and is doing very well.

The evening before graduation festivities started to kick off, we hosted a steak and lobster dinner at the house. Joining us that night was Alex, Sophia and Sophia’s mom, Charlene. Dinner was delicious and, once done, us girls left the dishes to the boys as we had an important task to do! The beautiful gown Sophia bought for Alex’s grad needed to be shortened. After that we had cake and Alex opened his grad gifts. It was a really nice and memorable evening together.

The next day brought us back to the college for the awards ceremony, BBQ and social evening. For the awards ceremony, it was neat seeing Alex and his class march into the room in his ceremonial uniform . It was the same uniform he wore for grad the next day, just without the jacket.

We all enjoyed the BBQ after that soon shifted into a social evening with live music. We finally got to have a drink in the college bar, Chez Nous, we had hear so much about!

Hannah, one of Alex’s closest friends from Winnipeg was there! Her boyfriend, Angelo, is a classmate of Alex’s graduating as well. We were happy to see and catch up with her as she has been a friend of Alex’s since grade 7.

Alex encouraged us to stay later so we drove Dylan, Val and Matt back to the house so Jas and I could go back to the college. That gave us more time to get to know some of his friends better and hang out with him and Sophia and Hannah. When we started to see ‘after party’ plans being discussed we determined it was time for the parents to let the kids be kids so we headed off.

Graduation day, Saturday, June 1, is a day I will remember forever. It started with hair appointments and before we knew it, Val, Matt, Dylan, Jason and I were all looking our best and on our way to the graduation ceremony. I had tears and goose bumps watching Alex come into the room in his full ceremonial uniform this time. Marched in by bagpipes we watched him perfectly follow orders from his Chief Cadet Captain and stand for his final inspection.

The ceremony was long but wonderful. The speeches given by dignitaries of the college were meaningful and well presented. Their words emphasized the intense training each cadet went though both in the classroom and at sea phase. Their words also highlighted the strong bond the class of 2024 developed. The valedictorian’s speech had everyone laughing. Looking over at Alex and seeing him almost crying with laughter, we knew there were parts of the speech that were based on ‘inside stories’ only he and his classmates knew. Before we knew it, it was the moment we had all been waiting for. It was Alex’s turn to walk across the stage to receive his Nautical Sciences degree from the University of Cape Breton along with his Transport Canada diploma. We could not have been more proud of him in that moment. It was emotional to see them all stand at attention again for the Chief Cadet Captain to announce their dismissal for the final time before the grads threw their hats up into the air…one was even successful at getting hung up in a spinnaker sail hanging from the ceiling.

We all had photo opportunities with him before meandering down to the reception. There we were introduced to one of his instructors who laughed as she showed us a picture of Alex in one of her classes. In the picture he was sound asleep! Alex defended it by saying it was during a break. His instructor then reassured us that Alex was a wonderful student and that she wishes him much success.

Before the dinner began, we had time to go hang out in the common area by Alex’s room. This gave us an opportunity to kick our shoes off and relax on the couches for a bit as we finally got a chance to look at Alex’s diploma and degree. Once Sophia joined us in her beautiful gown (she had four outfit changes that day!) together we all walked down to dinner.

Through all this, Alex’s little brother was taking it all in. Dylan gave me a big, proud smile and ‘thumbs up’ when we watched his big brother cross the stage. We, of course, want Dylan to choose his own path in life but we now see that he is starting to create a strong interest in following Alex’s path. We will do everything we can to encourage and support that if he truly also wants a career as a Coast Guard Officer.

The formal dinner was followed by an exciting countdown. From the very first day, four years ago, a clock has been running counting down every month, week, day, hour, minute and second! All the graduates gathered with champagne in hand for the final and much anticipated count down to zero!

The live band was excellent and successful in keeping the dance floor packed the entire night. It was fun to see Dylan join us all dancing! Dylan made quite the impression on Alex’s friends and he seemed to just fit right in. He was even taller than some of the girls which he thought was pretty cool! All good things must come to an end so by 1AM we felt it was time for us to go. As expected, the parties at the college continued into the wee hours of the morning. 

Back at the house late that night it was time to say some tough goodbyes. Val and Matt’s flights left super early the next morning. It was so wonderful to spend those few precious days with the two of them. Sadly, we aren’t sure when our next opportunity is to see them again.

That morning it also was our time to head off. Up early, we got going on our huge task of packing everything. On top of all the shopping we did, we had with us all the online shopping packages we had delivered to Alex. Needless to say, getting everything to fit in our bags and suitcases was a challenge. We picked up a cheap, used suitcase there and Matt also brought us an old suitcase to use. Looking around the bedroom at the chaos I felt completely overwhelmed! I decided it was best to leave it all for Jas to pack up so I went downstairs to make breakfast! 😂

By about 10:00 that morning, Sophia and Alex rolled in. I had prepared a feast – fresh fruit, hashbrowns, egg wraps, bacon and pancakes for our breakfast together. When we were done, we cleaned up, loaded the car and said some teary goodbyes. Alex is in Sydney for another week before flying to Victoria, BC to board his ship, the CCGS John Franklin. After that he will fly back to the college to see Sophia, pick up his car and drive to Winnipeg. After a visit there he will be flying back to Victoria to go back on his ship for another month. He does plan to come out to see us on Starship this winter and we already can’t wait for that to happen!

As we get closer to getting back to the boat I am catching up with work emails. I recently started a remote part-time job. I was able to arrange a position working with a previous employer at the University of Manitoba. I really want that to work out but time management will be a biggie for me as I finish Dylan’s school year and help get the boat ready to head south. Working on travel days will be challenging so we are just going to have to play it all by ear. Again, I hope it works out as having an income coming into Starship would be sweet!

I feel we are at a significant turning point in the Big Trip and as a family. Alex is now off to work in his career, Dylan is just finishing grade 6 and we are coming up to our one-year anniversary of when we started this journey. It was July long weekend last summer when we moved our lives onto Starship in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We also are about to start making our big push south to Panama. We plan to be there some time in August in hopes of avoiding the worst of the hurricane season.

As we continue our long travel day here, I am excited to get settled back on the boat tonight. I am relieved to feel that way as I wasn’t sure. I can truly say now that it feels like we are going home. Starship is our home. This next week is going to be huge for us though. We need to provision the boat with water, propane, diesel, gasoline and food. We are also hopeful that the parts we brought back for the water maker will resolve our issues. The steering cable should be a relatively quick fix but after about nine weeks of sitting still, we will need to check to make sure all is ready mechanically for us to be on the move again. Squalls and thunderstorms are becoming more frequent so, once we get going, we will have to also manage those carefully.

This coming week I see we will be continuing in +30 degree heat and around 80% humidity. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any anxieties about the challenges ahead but I feel ready to overcome them in order to continue this exciting journey. As we have seen over and over again, we have to get through the bad stuff to get to the good stuff! 💗

Quick funny story – so Jason has had a bunch of Canadian coins he’s been trying to spend before getting back to the Bahamas. He made a good attempt to spend it all at the Halifax airport’s Tim Horton’s this morning but he still has several dimes and nickels. He kept that change in the front zipper pocket of our brief case. That is the same pocket we keep our passports in. So, fast forward to us arriving at the customs desk here in Nassau airport. Once we get called up, we provided the lady with our passports and we have our curising permit and boat insurance papers at the ready should she ask to see them (she didn’t). All of a sudden, a dime falls out of Jason’s passport as she is holding it. A few minutes later another dime falls out of Dylan’s passport as she examines it. We apologized and she kinda laughed it off. After getting her nod of approval we collected our passports from her and walked away. We laughed with the same thought – we just did the absolutely most pathetic attempt to do a monetary bribe with a customs official! 😂It wasn’t even the right country currency! 🤣

The blog below talks about why we have decided to add the above Coffee button. 😊

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