Good morning. I am writing to you, thinking that next Sunday I will be writing to you from the Atlantic Huron. I am on standby, waiting to get confirmation on whether I will join in Nanticoke tomorrow mid-morning or if they will have to go to anchor due to wind. It's a lot like last Sunday when we were waiting on the weather to see if we would have to cancel our trip to Detroit for the Edmund Fitzgerald event at Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Thanks to everyone who sent photos showing us that we did make the right decision not to make the 5-hour drive in the snow. We were very disappointed to have to cancel, but seeing the pictures and receiving the messages that we had made the right decision made us feel better.

Last Sunday morning. Thank you to everyone for sending the weather updates mentioning that we made the right decision not to make the five hour drive to Detroit in the stormy weather. We felt bad to have to cancel. but agree it was the right thing to do.

I have joined multiple ships in Nanticoke over the years, and it is difficult to commit to an ETA because of delays due to wind. There is also the challenge at the gate because they only let you drive to the ship with an escort every few hours. To make things easier on Lorraine (my best friend, sister, and chauffeur), I am taking a car service to the ship. There is a lot of wind in the forecast, so I will have to be patient (not one of my best characteristics).

The red area indicates strong winds. Nanticoke is close to the black arrow and located in the red zone so I will have to be patient and wait and see if the ship has to go to anchor. I am getting my bags ready today incase I am joining tomorrow (17th) mid morning.

Lorraine and I have enjoyed a week together. We figured the ship would be delayed and called a friend in Orillia to ask if we could come and visit for a few days. We don't get to her area very often, so we set a plan in motion and made the drive to her place. It was exactly what Lorraine and I needed. The drive there was beautiful, and we were grateful for the window of good weather for the three-hour drive. The following two days were stormy, with a mix of rain and snow, so we spent them indoors doing something I never do: binge-watching two series. She has all the "good channels," and she has the biggest couch I have ever sat on. We each had our section to stretch out on. I don't have a TV at home, so this was a treat. Each time her husband came into the room or her son came home from work, they would look at us and laugh, finding us exactly where they had seen us hours before. Our friend is so easy-going, and wearing our Pajamas all day was encouraged. On Thursday, the weather had improved, and we were invited along to watch her 9-year-old twin grandsons play hockey. It was so much fun. We saw them play 5 years ago and were amazed by how good the game was. I was actually sitting on the edge of my bench, excitedly watching when they got close to the net.

It was so much fun watching the 9-11 year old co-ed team play hocky. It doesn’t get more Canadian than watching hockey in a cold arena with a Tim Horton’s coffee/tea to warm you up.

In Orillia, Lorraine and I stopped at a beautiful bakery that our friend introduced us to the last time we visited. We wanted to pick up a gift certificate to thank our host and hostess for welcoming us on such short notice. It is a beautiful place to stop. They offer a wide variety of sandwiches and pastries in the long display counters. They have every kind of jam, jelly, and preserves you can think of. I loved seeing all the combinations of bacon jam and spicy jellies that go so nicely on a brie cheese. So much to choose from. It's worth planning a trip there.

We stopped in this Orillia destination to purchase a gift certificate for our hostess. She welcomed us to come for a visit with very short notice. This is the back entrance.

It is so beautiful inside and all their food looks so delicious.
Mariposa Market - Mariposa Market

They had both baked sandwiches and croissant sandwiches. I like to serve baked sandwiches on the ship. It was fun to get inspiration from their display.

They had so many tempting treats. Their doughnuts were huge.

I love anything pickled, and have never tried pickled Brussel Sprouts.

On Friday, Lorraine and I made our way back to St Catharines and checked into another Airbnb. Staying at an Airbnb is relatively new for us, but we like to prepare our own meals, and the Airbnb always offers a fully equipped kitchen. The week before, I had stayed in an Airbnb in Port Colborne. I liked how close it was to Lock 8 and my favorite Cafe, "The Pie Guys." It is the perfect place to watch ships while enjoying a coffee and a treat. I picked Lorraine up at Toronto's Union Station last Saturday, and when our plans to drive to Detroit fell through, we decided to go to The Pie Guys on Sunday morning. It wasn't very busy because their regular patrons stayed home because of the weather, so with many of their tables empty, we decided it was okay to stay longer than usual. I was seated looking towards Lake Erie and the entrance of the Welland Canal. I could not contain my excitement when I saw a ship approaching. It was the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin. I have worked on her multiple times and messaged the 2nd Cook to come out and wave when they were secured on the wall. I knew they would be stopping because there were trucks parked on the opposite side of the canal waiting for them. I was so delighted to see the Martin, who had been on everyone's radar for a few days. The strong wind had pushed her into shallow water in the Detroit River, and it took multiple tugs to pull her off the riverbed and back into the channel. Once the ship was secured, I was not surprised to see them raise the white-and-blue flag. It is a safety precaution to send divers down to inspect the ship's hull after it runs aground. I could not believe my luck when I saw another ship I had sailed on: the AlgoTerra. They were coming upbound. I didn't recognize her at first because when I sailed on her, she was painted orange, and now she was painted blue. I went outside to take a photo of the two ships.

I messaged the 2nd Cook, Jude and he came out to wave. I hope to work with him again one day.

As soon as the ship was secured on the wall, they raised the white and blue flag indicating that there were divers in the water inspecting the ship.

I took a picture of Lorraine and you can see the reflections of both ships in the windows of The Pie Guys. It’s such a great place to watch ships.

I have been on both of these ships and it was fun to see them together. When I worked on the AlgoTerra she was entirely orange. She has had a makeover since then.

Another highlight of our week was picking up the calendars. We drove from Orillia to the printing company North of Toronto.

The garage door opened, and we had a quick chat with a familiar face before he passed over the boxes, which barely fit in the pretty red car that had my sailing bags and travel bags. We made one more stop at our favorite European Deli before heading west to beat the traffic exiting the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

Since I started writing to you this morning, Lorraine has joined me at the table, and she is filling out labels to mail the calendars. She asked me when I would be finished if I would sign the calendars. We are happy with how the calendars turned out and think you will like them too.

We are happy with the calendars and we still have some available. You can order them online and Lorraine will happily mail them out to you.
click on the link to order your Ship to Shore Chef 2026 Porthole calendar Calendars – Ship to Shore Chef

Lorraine made me a nice breakfast while I was selecting the pictures to share with you. It was coconut yogurt, granola, bananas, blueberries and ground Flaxseed. It was delicious.

Lorraine said we will have to arrange my luggage today in case I have to leave tomorrow morning. I am adding one new thing to my luggage: a stainless steel French press. The regular Cook on the Atlantic Huron wrote to me that the drip glass coffee pot broke, and she knows how much I like coffee. She said there was lots of coffee, just no coffee pot, so while Lorraine and I were in Toronto, we went to the St Lawrence market and I bought a little French Press. I tried it out to make sure that it was worthy of a place in my luggage, and it passed the test.