Thanks Ottawa - It's Been Fantastic!

I'd like to think of our time right up to leaving Ottawa as Phase 1 of our boat adventure. 

This phase I call: Preparation. 

Many tasks went into this phase: renting our home, dealing with all things administrative and financial, phasing out of our jobs, attending sailing-related and off-shore safety courses, attending to medical and educational matters, and many other major ticket items that is necessary to leaving land life.

What would you take?

Wrapping up our work freed up a lot of mental space in our brains to then focus on the move itself. 


It felt extremely liberating to wake up on our first day of unemployment, but I did feel a greater sense of responsibility than ever before!

The last few days before departure were hectic, but strangely enough, Matt and I felt no rush and totally confident that everything would fall into place. And they did!

Tai's Clothes for the Boat

Maybe it's because we've done so many moves before that we are accustomed to this kind of transition. 

Or maybe we figured, there is just no sense to stress out because everything that needs to get done, will get done.

We have both gotten very good at specializing in certain tasks and I'd like to think we communicate well. 


We tend to 'check in' with one another at least once each day by phone. We'll also 'debrief' with one another at the end of the day right before bed. Just so we know we have moved a bit closer to the finish line. 

Sharing an email address and calendar helps a LOT too!

So in our last week in Ottawa, we had my out-of-town cousins visit, I met some friends for lunch, my dear colleagues at OCISO took me out for a delicious Ethiopian dinner, Aila had her Sparks graduation, I managed to squeeze in one last massage, we cheered my sister, Anice, on her first marathon (amazing accomplishment!!!!!) and our friends held a great big farewell party for us. 

It was so lovely to see some of our closest Ottawa friends all in one place. 

We have been in Ottawa for exactly 5 years and there are some very special bonds that we have formed over the years. 

Aila's clothes for the boat.

Some of them got up and said some truly sweet words about us. It was so touching to hear... and a little awkward! 😄

We got our U-Haul trailer 2 days before departure day, and we managed to load it all without much trouble. 


In fact, we didn't fill the entire trailer but I suppose having more space is always better than trying to squeeze in every last item.


Tomorrow, on the morning of May 29th, 2019, Phase 2 will begin. 

I'll call it: Move On-board and Prepare Boat.

Only Matt and I will be driving out to drive out to Chester, Nova Scotia, towing the rented U-Haul truck. 

We have given ourselves 2 days to cover the distance, so if all goes well, we will be sleeping aboard Anjulia Sue the night of May 30th. 

Tai and Aila will be staying with some friends for a couple of nights in the local neighbourhood. 

The Dreaded Tupperware Sort-out!

Then they'll be with Gong Gong until all 3 of them are scheduled to fly out to Halifax on June 10th.

This will give Matt and I some very precious time to move on board and get started on the long list of boat jobs that we have to do. 

I'm sure there will be some surprises and other jobs added to our list. It's in at the deep end for sure!

We aren't sure how long Phase 2 will last. As long as it takes to get the jobs done!

Especially those that require the boat to be out of the water. The jobs that we can complete whilst in the water, we'll probably not prioritize so highly. At least that's what we're thinking. Honestly, who knows?!


Phase 3 will be: Launch Boat and Learn to Live on the Water. 

This will bring other elements of learning and applying new skills like navigation, handling our boat (sailing, steering, anchoring and docking) our boat, and generally being more self-sufficient than ever, but still being able to go ashore if we want.

Phase 2 and 3 are a complete mystery to us since we have never been full-time live-aboards before. 

Well, we could not have asked for a better send off from our Ottawa friends and family. Now it's GO time!

Yummy Ethiopian Dinner with Colleagues

Farewell Party Brought to you by: Lillian, Karen & Sheree!

Packed and ready to unload on the other side