Posting this a bit more than two months after I took it.  Did the edit on my computer at home, but I haven't had a lot of rainy days suitable for inside jobs this summer.

Here's the video:
https://youtu.be/if9liUnpFKU

Bequia Easter Regatta 2018

Went through Bequia Easter regatta Sunday April 1st.  Anchored off the beach, quite close to the top mark and got these bits of video as we were getting ready to sail south to the Grenadines.

https://youtu.be/nKEKrb6YOBw

Bequia pictures

Here are some pictures from my favourite Carribean Island Bequia

Sunsets

https://youtu.be/uvTGJddh3qg

Sunset from the barefoot base at blue lagoon, SVG

Tourist time in the Tobago Keys

Here’s some footage from some recent tourist time in the Tobago Keys marine park in SVG

Petit Bateau video

Instant Snow

Hi World

I’m in Thunder Bay Ontario for Christmas.  It’s been bloody cold here, so I took advantage of that to make some instant snow.


YouTube link

SVG Botanical gardens

Hello world

Still working on producing some video content for social media.  Not really happy with the longer video blog format so I'm going to try some short ones instead.  Here's a sample


https://youtu.be/GijIjBLDpdI

First Video Blog

Hi there

I produced a video blog about the process of building my sailing school.  This one is mostly a trial run.  It's about what I a have been up to this fall.

Here it is:

Adaptive Monohull cruise.

Hello World.

I am Joel Taylor.  I am exploring doing some adaptive sailing and as part of that my sailing partner Jen Weterings and I took some disabled friends out for a cruise.  I acted as skipper for 1 day and Jen as skipper for the remaining 2 days.  We sailed the completely unmodified Fraser 30 pictured below. The criteria for the crew to be safe on this cruise was that they were able to climb three vertical steps with assistance.  When not skippering, Jen and I were available to assist the crew where needed.

"Blue Rose" a Fraser 30 sail boat.

Karen Bowen wrote the following text about our cruise.

SAILING ON THE BLUE ROSE - KAREN’S BLOG SEPTEMBER 1ST-3RD 2017

Before we headed out, I had a day of prep Thursday cooking healthy food for our team: Joel, Renuka, and Jen.

Lunch with Jen, Karen and Renuka

September 1st - woke up after four hours sleep I was very excited for our adventure and couldn’t sleep. Felt completely shattered, but looking forward to sailing on the Blue Rose - “Rosie”, a 30 foot Fraser sail boat. 

Jen came and picked me up and helped carry my backpack and sleeping bag to the car. I have been living with MS for the past 14 years and my mobility is challenged. I was grateful to have some help.

Jen and I arrived at the dock to meet our skipper  Joel. Ken, the owner of “Rosie” , was there to greet us and wish us a safe trip. We headed to the boat. Jen assisted me on as my legs felt weak - hang in there guys!

Joel gave us a tour of Rosie pointing out the control panels and the engine: I learned how to do a W.O.B.B.L.E. check of the engine: We checked the WATER FILTER then the OIL  levels, the BELT checking for damage and tension. Next were the BILGES, we looked for signs of leaks which may indicate something more serious.  Then the LEVELS and the ENGINE/EXHAUST - We allowed the engine to warm up, so it "ticked over" smoothly before setting off.

All looked good!  Next, Joel showed us the map and and discussed our course. 

Joel Taylor

We made a lunch of salad, cheese and fruit.  At 1400, we headed out to Bowen Island. Jen  steered us out as Joel, cast off lines and pulled in fenders, Jen successfully steered us clear and safely away from the dock and other boats, Renuka and I kept watch and held out boat hooks to made sure that we didn't hit other boats, or the dock, as we left the dock. 

 I took port side watch and noted the markers we passed, as we left the inlet. A motor boat sped by, breaking the speed limit in the inlet. Ken referred to these boaters as “credit card captains”. I continued to watch for deadwood, other vessels, people, crab traps and tankers. We noted a tanker was moving, and steered clear of it.

After a time, I went on the bow and took bow watch - the scenery was breathtaking - we passed Lighthouse park and Whytecliff park as we made our way to Bowen. I felt an incredible sense of freedom.

Karen on the bow.

Lighthouse Park, North Vancouver. British Columbia Canada

We arrived at Bowen Island at 1730. As it was the long weekend, the government docks were full, so we decided to anchor at Mannion Bay. A beautiful bay. 

Once we anchored, Joel and Jen jumped into the water - I was eager to join them, but wasn’t sure if my legs could handle going down or especially up ladder, so I sat at the stern of the boat and watched Jen and Joel. Jen boarded the dinghy and with encouragement from me emptied a bucket over my head- it felt cold, but amazing. 

Rejuvenated, I made a dinner of brown rice pasta and sauce with spinach and kale. We ate and discussed our course for the next day, and after hit the hay around 11pm. I slept in the kitchen area it was actually very comfortable and the bench/bed was long enough for me. (I’m 6 feet!)  The waves lolled me to sleep,  I felt incredibly relaxed and happy. I could get used to this! 

Saturday September 2nd - In the morning made breakfast. After breakfast we plotted our course from Mannion Bay to Gambier. Once our course was plotted,We learned how to measure the distance and calculate the time it would take to get there. Distance equals speed multiplied by time. We estimated we would be averaging 4 knots speed so figured it would take us a few hours. I went on the bow and resumed my lookout. After an hour, I steered Rosie, she was a great boat to steer. We lost wind and tacked back and forth a few times.  Renuka took over under sail, and then realizing the wind had died, we motored the rest of the way.  

Here's some sailing pics:

Renuka docked us at Gambier she managed to maneuver Rosie in a very tight locale. We had arrived at Jen’s friend Ford’s majestic cabin. 

Happy helm Renuka post docking.

I jumped in the water and swam to shore. Joel brought me my poles and shoes. We all went for a swim then Ford offered his shower for us we took turns taking a shower it was fantastic and felt luxurious - Joel and I played foose ball while we waited for the shower. I won woohoo!

We were invited to join Ford and his friends for dinner, I had a great chat with one of Ford’s friends Karen whose best friend had a similar health “journey” to me - cancer and MS what are the odds? I promised to send her my e-book on navigating cancer. We had a great night talking to Ford and friends - Ford mentioned he wanted to give back to GF Strong, where he was rehabilitated. We also discussed new gene therapies that looked promising Crispr and the Cas 9. I texted my friend Marjorie who is a research scientist working with gene therapies and she was testing these therapies out for her work with childhood leukaemia  - small world!

Karen, Joel and Renuka at Fords cottage.

After dinner, we headed back to the boat and hit the hay.

Sunday the 3rd - we woke up made a quick breakfast and headed back to Horseshoe Bay with Jen as our Skipper. The scenery was spectacular on the way back. I was sad to see our trip end. Jen docked us safely at Horseshoe Bay and I disembarked as I was off to Duncan to visit a friend. Joel kindly fetched me a wheelchair and delivered me to the ferry terminal as my legs had given out. 

This trip was wonderful and a highlight - I made new friends and got to know other friends better. I felt adventurous and on the water, I felt like a normal healthy happy person not defined by MS or Cancer for that matter.

Joel, Jen and Renuka then sailed "Blue Rose" back to her home slip.

Sailing back to Vancouver, BC Canada

At this time the same crew are organizing an adaptive cruise on a catamaran in the Caribbean. The cruise will be on a 40 foot catamaran.  We are organizing the trip with Barefoot Yacht Charters in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where Joel is working as a charter skipper for the 2017/18 season. 

The crew were:

Joel Taylor

Adaptive Sailing coach. (Certified in multiple keelboat sailing schemes)

Joel can be reached at: (604)838-4269

joel@sailcoach.net

Karen Bowen

Jen Weterings

Renuka Senaratne

.

…

New direction

Hello All

I am thinking about a new direction for All Season Instruction.  I am feeling ready to get my own boat and start my own school.

The plan right now is:
1) In 2017, learn about multihull sailing and cruising, Trimarans in particular.  Try some adaptive cruising on a multi hull.
2) 2018 write business plan for the new school and begin promoting it.  Become involved with the ASA's new course structure to allow students to take 101-104 on a multi hull.  No mono's required.
3) 2019 Buy the boat and run ASA multi hull courses.  Begin modifying the boat to run Adaptive courses.  Summer at home base and winter down south.
4) 2020 Run 1/3 of cruising courses as adaptive courses.

So that's the plan.  It has now been written down, now to go out and get it done.

Update

Hello World, it's been a while.

In the priviouse post, I was in the middle of my first contract in the Carribean.  It was lovely sailing, and a good learning experience working in a base and teaching lots of ASA courses as well as helping look after the boats a bit.

About the end of that contract, I started getting emails from the Sun Sail Sailing school on Tortola.  After lots of interviews I ended up accepting a probationary position in their school.  I was home in Vancouver for 5 weeks, and I was off again for another contract.  It turned out that I wasn't a good fit for that school.  Learned a lot from the Principal and head instructor, but it wasn't the right place for me.

So it looks like I am going back to St.Vincent and the Grenadines to work for the Barefoot Offshore Sailing School.  I plan on two three month contracts, with the first beginning the last week in October and come home in January.  I'll return after a late christmas break for another three months.

On that topic, my wife Dana and I have a new home base.  I wanted to do some more long contracts, and Dana wanted to move home, so that's what we're doing.  We have moved into Dana's mom's house in Thunder Bay Ontario.  I think I am going to enjoy living in a smaller town.  There is also an active sailing community, with an event most weeknights.  The main race nights are Wednesday for the Yacht Club and Thursday for the sailing club.  There is a Lightning fleet here for some good one design racing.  I havn't sailed a lightning sincce I worked for the Kitsilano Yacht Club ages ago so I won't be short of sailing oppourites.

It's also easier to fly to the Carribean from this coast.  In December there will be a direct flight from Toronto to St.Vincent into the new international airport there.

The other new thing is I feel like I am gathering enough experience to think about my own school in the future.  I have an interesting 5 year plan that will be the topic of my next post.

Carribean Adventure

This winter i have been able to make use of the new qualifications I got last winter.  In August I started job hunting looking for a charter base or school that i could work for for the winter.  In the end it turned out that the places that a canadian can work are mostly in the Caribbean, and mostly American Sailing Association (ASA) schools. Fortunately i was able to cross over my rya qualifications to the equivalent ASA instructor qualifications.  After that I had more luck job hunting.  I had a few skype interviews, and then a job offer from Barefoot Offshore Sailing School.  Here’s a link:

http://www.barefootoffshore.com

So I arrived before christmas planning to teach my first course the week before christmas.  Unfortunately the students canceled that course due to a very rainy forecast and i worked for the base helping in the rigging department.  I was able to learn about the boats and how the base works and such instead.  I did get out for an orientation sail in 25 kn and 2 meter seas.  Average for the end of December i’m told.

Next I went out for a 7 day with a family of 3.  They found the waves a bit much so we focused on skills instead.  Spent a lot of time around Beckway.  Here’s a couple pictures:

Returned to base, switched boats and crews and went again.  The second crew was two couples with a bit of sailing experience, so we worked on a lot of skills and got everyone through to bareboat skipper.  I learned a lot about the ASA standard in the process and now I have a much better plan for the next time I get a full boat load of people who want bareboat skipper.  Basically get the middle level done by day 3 and then get ready for the harder skills.  Here’s some pics

Docking Video

Trying my hand at a how to video.

Sailed on Simply Sailing's SJ24 with members of the West Coast Sailing Club

A cruise with Chestermere school

I did a cool cruise with a group of students from Alberta.  Their school trip was to spend a week cruising around the gulf islands.  Lucky Chestermere students huh?

Here's a video

Enjoying J24 sailing

Part of my sailing work this season has been on a J24 owned by the Vancouver Sailing Club.

Here's a video from a fun day of training with two separate crews.

Paralympic sailing article

The following is the a very good article about the Canadian Sonar team, Tingley Campbell Lutes.  They have consistently been in the top three on the world cup circuit.  This makes them the only Canadian in the olympic sailing events that I expect to come home with a medal.  The rest of the team looks good, but good results for the able bodied sailors are top 10 finishes, not standing on the podium.

The other thing this article does is address the water quality issue.  There is large amounts of raw sewage in the bay where the sailing events will take place.  This creates an obvious health issue.   Sailing specific media has talked this issue to death, but this is the first time I have seen any mention of water quality issues from any mainstream media outlet.

Good job CBC!

Here's the video:

Lee Shore's are bad

A truism in sailing is that Lee Shores should be avoided.  Traditionally rigged boats had difficulties working their way to windward.  Earlier this week there was a really good examply of this.

A pair of M32 catamaran's sailing in the Match Racing world championship event in Marstrand were in the prestart.  They sailed downwind up to a rocky shore, where the competitors used the rocky, lee shore as a barrier to prevent their competitor sailing to leeward of them and gaining the right to luff them up head to wind. One of the boats headed up violently and attempted to tack away from the lee shore, but they muffed the tack and ended up drifting down to leeward up against the shore.

A classic example of why Lee Shores should be avoided.

Here's the video

IMOCA Racing

This week the Transat Bakerly is winding up.  The majority of the pro offshore sailors are out for this race.

Line honours went to the Francois Gabart aboard the Ultimate trimaran "Macif"




Here is a good article about an english class 40 racer.
http://www.thetransat.com/news/view/phil-sharp-to-hell-and-back-in-the-transat-bakerly

The website is here:
http://www.thetransat.com/

Now the majority of the fleet is getting ready to race back to Vendee, France.



There are several interesting english speaking sailors in the event.   Most well funded is Alex Thompson on board Hugo Boss:



Conrad Colman will be racing his boat "100% natural endergy"
http://www.conradcolman.com/

and the Open 60 "O Canada" is getting ready for the Vendee as well.

http://www.canadianoceanracing.com/

English Speaking Vende Skippers

There are now 6 months to the start of the Vende Globe.  Competitors race around the word single handed in high performance open 60's.

There are a couple of english speaking sailors in the race this year.  One interesting campaign is run by Conrad Colman.  He is a very low budget, living the dream kind of campaign.  He is running a boat with an electric motor and solar and wind power.  Also, you can donate to his campaign to help him live his dream.

Check out the CNN Main sail piece here:


And his website here:
http://www.conradcolman.com/

Van to Port McNeil Delivery

Earlier I posted about the delivery I had planned from Van to Port Mc Neil.  The trip turned into a bit of a marathon.

According to Navionics, between April 4th at 1300 and April 7th at 1730 we traveled 243.6 Miles.  76 Hours including our stop in Port McNeil for engine repairs.

The trip started off quite slowly with a through boat check.  This turned up a couple of things, which we got sorted and then got moving.  This was the theme of the trip as we constantly had somebody playing around with the boat getting it set up and prepared for its offshore leg.

Lots of motoring for most of the first day, and then the engine quit with a blocked fuel line.  Got towed into Comox to make repairs and then off again.  The unscheduled stop totally destroyed my nav plan so I had to come up with a new one one the fly.  Ended up with a nice route up through Calm Channel and staying in shelter as much as possible.  We went through a couple of places with names like "Whirl Pool Rapids"  and "Green Point Rapids" with lots of current behind us.

We got up to the Johnston Straight quite a long way ahead of schedule.  The current should have been against us, but we found that there was 6 knots against us on the south side, but if we hugged the north shore we had null current or about 1 kn with us.  The forecast had been saying 40+ knot squalls due in the afternoon so we moved along from shelter to shelter and kept evaluating the weather.  About mid afternoon we saw visibility reducing and lowering layer clouds.  We prepped for rough weather and headed for a little nook for shelter.  By the time we got there there were signs that it was already passing after some gusts above 20 kn.  Visibility was going up, the barometer was rising and when we called the air port at Port McNeil they said the squall had passed them without any terribly high winds.  Onward we went and arrived in Port McNeil to clean up the boat and have a nice dinner.  Next day we handed the boat over to the instructor and crew and headed back home.  Quite a challenging trip, but I am very glad I did it.

Here's a bit of GoPro footage from our departure from Comox and entrance to the Broughtons.