The 2026 Porthole Calendars are ready
To quote Lorraine (my sister, best friend, and publisher), my phone has rung more in two days this week than it has in the two months. I have been patiently waiting for a call for a ship. I am not the most patient person, and I was surprised that I didn't get a call yet. I am on the list with the office, so they can call me directly. I am also registered at the Union Hall in Thorold. I check regularly, and there are still six people ahead of me. It was starting to look a lot like last year, when I didn't get a job until December 14 on the Algoma Buffalo. I thought this year would be different because I am on the list with the CSL office. I wrote to my contact at the office, and he did not reply, so I assumed there were no jobs available yet. That was my status this past Monday. On Tuesday, I received a call from a shipping company I have never worked for. A friend of mine gave my name to their HR, and they called offering me a job. I was pretty surprised and thought Why not, It would be a new experience. The job would not start until the middle of November and was on a 30-day on, 30-day off rotation. I mentioned to Lorraine that this would allow me to accept an invitation to speak in Detroit, MI, at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. They had called me months before, but I told them that I was going to be sailing and unavailable. I was delighted when I called and was told, "Yes, please come to the event, which is The Edmund Fitzgerald 50th Anniversary Commemoration on Sunday, November 9. The event is from the 7th to the 10th. I am so pleased that I can be a part of this special event. I hung up the phone and told Lorraine we would be making a road trip to Detroit.
That night I started thinking about the job I had been offered. I was asked to send my certificates and other information to make sure that I qualified. I shared with Lorraine that I didn't think I could accept the job. The ship they offered me did not sail above Montreal, and I love sailing up through the Seaway and on all the Great Lakes. I called HR and thanked them for the opportunity, but said I wasn't ready to leave the Lakes to only sail on the East Coast. Not 24 hours later, CSL called to confirm my job for November and December. I questioned, "What Jobs?" The woman who called is so lovely and was not the one in charge of the two ships, but was calling for a colleague who was on vacation. I mentioned that I didn't hear from him and that I emailed him and never heard back, so I didn't think there were any jobs. She explained that he had me down for the Spruceglen in November and the Ferbec in December. I was so disappointed to hear that I would miss out on the Spruceglen. I explained that not 24 hours earlier, I had accepted an invitation to speak at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum for the Edmunds Fitzgerald 50th Anniversary Commemoration event. I would have to turn down the Spruceglen for November. A job which I really like, and as I was talking to her, I was thinking about the nice galley that was newly renovated, the nice convection oven, and all it had to offer.
I was so disappointed that I did not get the Spruceglen job for the month of November. It was a misunderstanding and I remind myself that I am where I am meant to be. Just the same as I was explaining to the lovely woman from the CSL office about accepting the Dossin Great Lakes Museum invitation on November 9th, making it impossible to join the Spruceglen, I was thinking about the nice newly renovated galley that the Spruceglen has. In the right hand corner is the convection oven that I liked to use. It was great for baking bread and making pizza.
She understood and asked if I would like to accept the Ferbec. I knew that the Ferbec did not sail with a second cook, and I had a suspicion that the fridges and freezers were on the level below the galley. I asked if I could think about it and call back. I wrote to the Captain on the Ferbec. We sailed together before, and I was hoping I could sail with her again. She is the one who took some of the photos of me in my first cookbook. We had a lot of fun sailing together, and I hoped she would tell me that the fridge and freezer were on the same level. She wrote back that the fridge and freezer are, in fact, on the lower level. She said the crew is very friendly and would help carry all the items up the stairs for me. I shared that with Lorraine, and she reminded me that I said after sailing on the Oakglen and the Algoma Guardian, both of which have fridges and freezers on the lower level, that I promised I would never do that again. It's too much, especially working by myself.
I took this photo on the Oakglen in 2023. I accepted the job to work by myself but didn’t know the fridge and freezer were on the level below the galley. My first trip up the very steep stairs, the bottom of the box of eggs gave out and the eggs fell onto the stairs The crew were very helpful carrying all the items upstairs for me for the month I was there, but it was a lot of work and I promised myself I would never work on a ship with the fridges and freezers on the deck below. I had to decline the job on the Ferbec for that reason.
Lorraine was right, and I called the office and said I would have to turn down the Ferbec. I added that I hoped they would have another ship for me for the end of November and December. She said she would keep me in mind. I always say I am where I am meant to be, and I will just have to be patient for the perfect job. I will keep you posted. I am very excited to be a part of the Edmunds Fitzgerald event in Detroit. Here is the link.
https://www.detroithistorical.org/events/edmund-fitzgerald-50th-anniversary-commemoration
I may see some of you there. The brunch is sold out, but I will be there for a meet and greet and will confirm the time with you soon.
There is more news.. We are excited to share with you that the 2026 Porthole Calendar is available for purchase. As usual, we had many porthole photos to choose from, and we think you will be happy with the ones we selected. We weren't sure if we could offer a calendar this year because of a postal strike in Canada. However, the Canadian postal workers are back to work on a rotating basis, so we feel reassured that we can mail out your 2026 Porthole Calendars to Canada, the US, and Worldwide, wherever you live, in time for the New Year. We are printing a limited number of calendars, so order early. Lorraine hopes to have a ship for December, so all calendars need to be posted before the end of November. We thought 2025 was a great year and believe 2026 will be extra exciting with Lorraine joining the shipping world too. I can't wait to see the porthole photos she takes.
The 2026 port hole calendar is ready. Click on the following link to get your copy. Order early. The calendars need to be mailed before December when Lorraine hopes to get a job on a ship.
Ship To Shore Chef 2026 Calendar – Ship to Shore Chef
This photo was taken on the Tadoussac, February 2025 during winter work.
It was fun picking out the porthole pictures. December was on the Algoma Buffalo. The 12-4 Wheelsman had a great Christmas spirit. It was a great crew and I enjoyed spending my Christmas with them.
In the next few weeks, we will be launching our new E-magazine. I will share some sample pages with you as soon as I get them online. The program I am working on has a great support staff who are helping me with the technical side of things.
Have a wonderful day.