The year 2024 ended with a strong finish – our whirlwind trip to Winnipeg for December. We crammed our three and a half week long visit full to the brim as we reconnected with as many of our loved ones as possible. I found it strange being back in Winnipeg for the first time since we started the Big Trip. Of course, the familiarity was comforting but there was always the feeling of a ‘quiet pull’ to be back on the boat. Morning Stars definitely is home to us now, but the trip was truly as wonderful as we knew it would be.

Jumping back to where my last blog left off – we enjoyed that final week in San Blas. Each day more and more boats came in to drop their hooks and we were thrilled to reconnect with so many friends we had not seen for awhile.

For our sail back to Shelter Bay Marina we decided to go straight through and not stop at Linton Bay as previously planned. We left as the sun came up and fifteen hours later, we were navigating the busy shipping channel towards the marina. Why do we always come into Panama’s crazy channel at night when it’s so much harder? Again, Jas did an excellent job navigating us around the massive ships – some on the move, some on anchor. Finally, around 9:00 PM we dropped our own anchor for the night in the bay just outside the marina.

The following day we brought Morning Stars back into the marina and got to meet Shane, the new owner of Starship! It was so bizarre to see someone else now own her, but he is a super guy, and it was easy to see how happy he was with his new floating possession!

When we got back to the marina after Christmas we were thrilled to hear Shane sailed Starship to the San Blas islands! We keep watch for Starship’s return but it hasn’t happened yet. We even heard from someone that Shane may be keeping her at a different marina in Panama going forward. He may not sail her back to Shelter Bay Marina. Is this it? Will we never see Starship again? I wasn’t ready for that. I am not sure I properly said good-bye to her. 😔

The early days of December were a blur of laundry, boat clean up and packing. We even did a bit of Christmas shopping in Colon before we left. Eventually, we found ourselves ready to go as we excitedly stepped off Morning Stars to begin our travels north.

After a long but uneventful two days of travel, we were welcomed with open arms back in Winnipeg and the fun began! I can’t believe how many friends and family we ended up seeing, it was equal parts hectic and wonderful!  Jas and I even treated ourselves to fly to Edmonton for three days to see our friends, Jennifer and Dale. That time was ‘rejuvenating’ for us. The four of us mesh so well partying or just chilling together and we did lots of both. We have now had a chance to spend time with them three times since we set out on our Big Trip and we can’t wait to see where our travels connect us again.

In Winnipeg, Dylan stayed at Jason’s parents’ house and Jas and I were in the house next door – Alex’s house – well sort of! The house next door is owned by Jason’s brother, Matt, but he does not live there.  It is an old, big bungalow that was in need of TLC. Alex, Matt, and Jason’s parents, Bob and Val, worked hard to get the house cleaned up for Alex to live in when he’s off ship.  After clearing out the clutter from the previous owner (a hoarder!), doing a bit of painting and flooring, the house is super for Alex! He seemed proud to suggest that Jas and I stay there. We surprised him by putting up and decorating a Christmas tree for him. He did quite clearly boot us out though when he got to Winnipeg on December 23rd! No problem, we gave him his space and moved ourselves the whole 50 feet or so on over to Bob and Val’s.

For a few days Dylan got put to work helping out at Underworld Scuba and Sport https://underworldscuba.com/. Our friends, Tessa and Travis, own the business and are super friends of ours! Jason, Dylan and Alex all did their scuba certifications through them. At the store, Tessa kept Dylan busy with inventory work, washing rental gear, vacuuming and doing some general sorting in the store. The weekend that Jas and I were in Edmonton, Dylan joined Tessa and her son, Jack, at a pool in the city to review some diving skills.

Eventually Christmas found us all as the visits, hugs and food continued. On Christmas Eve, my Dad and step mom had us and our boys over for a turkey feast and gifts! My family always celebrates Christmas on the 24^th so that was a very special night for me. ❤️

Back at Bob and Val’s later that evening, preparations were made for Santa’s arrival.  Stocking were set out along with a plate of cookies and a glass of beer for jolly old St. Nick. The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast treats as we opened gifts with Bob, Val, Matt and his girls, Brooke and Sara. I enjoyed a delightful Christmas nap that afternoon before we all got ready for dinner at our Aunt Fran’s. Each year she does a full, turkey sit down dinner for Jason’s huge extended family!  This year a whopping thirty-five people were in attendance!

The following day, Jas, Dylan and I collected on the thoughtful gifts Alex gave us. His gifts allowed us some much needed time together. For Jas and Dylan, he gave them an afternoon of Grand Prix go-cart racing. That evening Alex took me for sushi and to go see the new Bob Dylan movie – Complete Unknown. I always cherish my one-on-one time like that with him. Those were the best gifts he could’ve given us.

So obviously the picture above was NOT taken in Winnipeg! Our friends, Wolfe and Lu, had us over for a fun dinner and hot tub night and we loved catching up with them. Unfortunately we did not get any pictures that night so I thought I’d throw in a previous picture of us together. We have had several opportunities to travel with them on their sailboat in the Caribbean and this picture was taken on a trip to Haiti we did with them a few years ago.

Early New Year’s Eve morning, we started our two-day trip back to Morning Stars. All went smoothly and we had fun doing our own little new year celebration enroute!

The day we left Winnipeg, Alex also flew south! He went to Cuba for some well deserved fun in the sun with a big group of friends! A nasty stomach flu almost had him cancelling his trip but I am so thrilled he was able to go in the end. He had a fantastic time and wants us four to do a family trip to Cuba at some point!

Alex is coming to spend A MONTH with us on Morning Stars! 😍He is going to be crew going through the Panama Canal as a line handler and then will sail with us to several of the beautiful Panamanian islands on the Pacific side: Pearl Islands, Taboga Island, and Isla Contadora. The night we said our good-bye to Alex in Winnipeg was a bit easier this time due to his upcoming visit to us. He’s also going to do some safety exercises on board with us: fire drills, man overboard and evacuations. This is something we should be doing from time to time, so it feels fitting to do it with Alex, a Coast Guard Officer, before we set out on our huge 4-5 week crossing to the French Polynesian islands.

We have absolutely hit the ground running since we got back on the boat. Schooling and my work are in full swing and Jas has a long list of big boat projects to jump on: freezer unit and watermaker install, generator fix, dingy fix (yup again), bilge pump fix and lithium battery install. There are a bunch of smaller jobs to tackle too. We would love to get back to San Blas before going through the canal in February.  We will try to get some big stuff done right away so maybe the other work can continue at anchor out in the islands. I hope that works out!

The new year has some pretty exciting adventures on the horizon for us. I hope 2025 keep us safe as our wanderlust takes us to new, exciting horizons. For all of you, I hope the new year keeps your heart full and gives you the courage to follow your dreams – no matter how big or small they may be. The Big Trip continues to show me that just because something is scary or uncomfortable, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. It’s amazing what you are capable of when you put your mind and heart into what truly makes you happy.

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

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