Navigating the Saint John River on a 25 ft Catalina: I'm turning 40, now give me my boat!

You never know what mourning the loss of someone close to you feels like until you go through it. You think you know, but you don't. I was shocked by the news of my mother's sudden death. She was only 68, and although looking back we can see her health was spiraling downwards, it still came as quite a surprise. I miss her every day, and my heart aches as my children, twin three-year-old girls at the time, reach new milestones, and I know that their Nana Lynda isn't here to be part of their lives.

My mom had graciously, and unsurprisingly, put some money aside for me in her will. Enough money for my husband, Jason, and me to buy our first sailboat - a dream we both shared. Sure, we could have put the money towards our mortgage or an RRSP, but I wanted something significant that I could remember my mom by. Something that brought a smile to my face every time I looked at it.

I shared my passion for sailing with Jason when we first started dating and I told him that I would have a sailboat by the time I turned 40. But as the years moved on, and our lives took on more and more responsibilities, and along with that more and more debt, this goal I had set for myself was drifting further out of reach.

But now, five short months before my big milestone birthday, we were in the market for a sailboat! My dream, which has grown into our dream, was coming true. We researched many different models, but with our budget, and our crew consisting of me and Jason, our two girls, and our 75-lb dog Gibson, the decision was easy. A 25 ft poptop Catalina would serve us well. With a V-berth that sleeps two people easily, a quarter berth, and a modified settee that sleeps another adult comfortably, as well as the pop-top which provides a six foot six inch headroom and enclosed head, we were set!

We found Ole Blue in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The previous owner had recently made many upgrades, and was relocating to the West Coast, so everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, came with the boat. From wine glasses, lifejackets, and three sails to the eight-ft inflatable dinghy, two outboard engines and the trailer to pull her on. We placed a lowball offer, and out of mere necessity, he accepted.

Although it was late in the sailing season (September is when most people are scheduling their haul-out and dusting off their decommissioning checklists), we launched in the Saint John River and sailed her straight through until Thanksgiving Monday. Mom must have blessed our new vessel from the heavens, as we had a beautiful fall. The winds blew south on our voyage from Gagetown to Gorham's Bluff on the Kingston Peninsula, and exactly two days later changed to the North to send us back to our home Marina with an unforgettable final sail of the year.