<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Agra]]></title><description><![CDATA[Embark on an unforgettable journey with Agra's sailing adventures.]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:10:29 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Countdown to Departure: A Month of Chaos, Progress &#38; Heartbeats]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Hi Boat Besties” started as a simple idea for our future YouTube channel, but it may become something bigger. More than a greeting, it’s a way to welcome readers and viewers into our sailing journey aboard Agra II. As we prepare for this next chapter, we’re building not just a brand, but a community of friends following along from shore and sea.]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/countdown-to-departure-a-month-of-chaos-progress-heartbeats</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0d0cadeaabd65b0048410a</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 5 : Sailing Out East]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 14:37:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_a88696a843ae42e0a9e8f7ba4eaf4609~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_563,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Winter Watchman]]></title><description><![CDATA[While we settled into our long winter’s nap at home, Sharkie stayed aboard to make sure Agra2 remained safe and sound in her winter PJs (also known as the winter tarp).  He took his job very seriously even if he did  snooze through most of it. Sharkie has been on every sailing adventure with us — from our early days on the Shark 24.  Our sassy first sailboat who was speedy but lacked some comforts that I truly needed when sailing.  Sharkie was there through all the growing pains of learning...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/the-winter-watchman</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ac571195f89686635a9782</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 5 : Sailing Out East]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:12:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_56d1651d969342b785dabf039763c6ac~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_900,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dreaming the Voyage Before We Sail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Planning, fearing, and falling in love with the unknown, one nautical mile at a time Before the first nautical mile is ever sailed, it is imagined. As our beloved sailboat, Agra2, enjoys her long winter’s nap on the hard (stored out of the water for the season), I find myself not at the helm, but at my office desk, snuggled in my favourite blanket, hot chocolate warming my hands.  I’m surrounded by the tools of my imagination: Waterway Guides spread open like treasure maps, Navionics casting...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/dreaming-the-voyage-before-we-sail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69687111801fea0f880aa8f5</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 5 : Sailing Out East]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:31:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_6008d513c37748d88465161bac3141dc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_750,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Living in the In-Between : PTSD Update 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[2025 felt like a year of holding our breath.  From the outside, not much may have seemed to change. But behind the scenes, this year quietly reshaped our path forward in ways we’re still learning to understand. Early in the year, we learned that Tom’s psychologist had submitted a report to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and PCVRS (Partners in Canadian Rehabilitation Services) stating that, despite ongoing treatment, Tom’s PTSD symptoms were not improving.  In his professional opinion, a return...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/living-in-the-in-betwen-ptsd-update-2025</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695ac793bd1cfb4bde7c6f6d</guid><category><![CDATA[Sailing with PTSD]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_8f6ae50587034fadb5cdb77b81ce40d7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_736,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Season of Becoming: Wrapping Up 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our Thousand Island Stomping Grounds As we closed out the 2025 sailing season, we didn’t just leave the yacht club, we left with heavy hearts.  There was a weight to that final walk down the dock, the familiar sights and sounds suddenly feeling fragile, like something we might not get back in quite the same way.  What surprised me most was how hard that goodbye felt.  The yacht club has been more than a place to tie up our boat; it’s been a community, a constant, a second home.  And this...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/a-season-of-becoming-wrapping-up-2025</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6959d9c7bd1cfb4bde7a72fb</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_1a1adce470734704bed253c952bd11a7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_489,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[October: Holding On a Little Longer]]></title><description><![CDATA[October is my favourite month of the year.  But it’s also when life on land starts demanding attention again.  With our hearts and minds divided, we managed only one last day sail to Thousand Islands National Park. The water was too shallow to reach the docks, so we anchored and went for a hike around the island instead.  As the sun set, we made our way back to our slip.  Many boats were already on the hard, wrapped and dressed for winter.  Only a dozen or so remained in the water, the ones...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/october-holding-on-a-little-longer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6959e3c5bd1cfb4bde7a88b0</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_333b4b5c92f8496daf666d2f383760df~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[September: When Everything Finally Clicked]]></title><description><![CDATA[September arrived with what I imagine perfect summer days are supposed to feel like.  Warm, but not punishing.  Comfortable enough to linger on the boat without sweating buckets.  For the first time all season, we could spend real time aboard and  start wrapping up projects that felt like they had lasted forever. I finally waved the white flag watching Tom struggle with the windlass, and we bought a new one.  When Tom installed it, he didn’t just swap parts—he upgraded everything, replacing...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/september-when-everything-finally-clicked</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6959cc05bd1cfb4bde7a5434</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 01:46:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_aa39bcab4ab14abbb6322a66393c7aef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[August: The Hardest Month to Love the Boat]]></title><description><![CDATA[August arrived with heat that felt unrelenting, the kind that drains you before the day even begins. Life on the boat became harder than I expected, and the longer the heat lingered, the more complicated my feelings became. The windlass still wasn’t fixed, which meant every time we anchored, hauling it up by hand felt like a battle; especially in the heat.  Small tasks turned into heavy chores.  Sailing slowed, not because we wanted it to, but because things simply weren’t going smoothly. ...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/finding-refuge-from-the-heat-our-mermaid-island-escape-and-solar-panel-install-adventure</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6959779413d20d5a3d036afc</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2025 19:12:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_95f10c7dcb254f88bd2a539fce963fbf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_526,h_715,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slow Days, Soft Moments]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s something about those slow, hot summer August days at the yacht club where time feels like it loosens its grip.  The kind of days where nothing urgent is expected of you—except maybe fixing whatever decided to break that morning.  Mostly, though, the goal is simple: stay cool, stay afloat, and enjoy where you are. The heat this summer has been relentless.  I don’t handle it well, and I’ll admit there are days when the comfort of home and air conditioning sounds far more appealing than...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/perfect-summer-serenity-embracing-lazy-days-at-the-yacht-club</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69597295baf6b49521a88f88</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_da89e08c2fa240768d47e03ecc4d1140~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Mini Cruise, Despite the Heat]]></title><description><![CDATA[As work on Agra2 continues, we seem to spend more time at the dock than on the water.  This summer has been brutally hot, and if I’m being honest,  I’d often rather be at home with air conditioning than sweating buckets on the boat.  This heat just isn’t for me. I enjoy the comfort and space of my beautiful, spa-like shower at home far more than the cramped showers at the club, or the shower-above-the-toilet situation on the boat.  Don’t get me wrong, the showers at the club are clean and...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/a-mini-cruise-despite-the-heat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69594cc4bd1cfb4bde794dd2</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_82901cc34a16427fbdc59ba60392e87c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_434,h_590,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[First Sail of the Season]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s been a couple of weeks, and sadly, we haven’t done much actual sailing.  Complications with the new lithium batteries slowed us down.  Something isn’t quite working— something something inverter —and apparently we need another part… or maybe another inverter.  We’ve made so many trips to Marine Outfitters in Kingston that I’m pretty sure they know us by name now.  I don’t think that’s a good thing. While the electrical gremlins kept us dock-bound, we did manage a few upgrades.  One big...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/first-sail-of-the-season</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6959387d13d20d5a3d02def1</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_66930044f4f04f97a1045848a3ab6e7b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_434,h_590,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spring 2025: New Beginnings]]></title><description><![CDATA[Spring has arrived.  The snow has melted, the grass is turning green again, and everything feels like it’s slowly waking from winter’s long nap.  With that shift comes a familiar energy—anticipation mixed with a touch of nervous excitement. Tom has been especially eager to return to the boat.  For the past month, he’s been at Agra2 regularly, upgrading the batteries to lithium and de-winterizing her for the season.  I can’t remember the size of the batteries we had before—only that last year...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/spring-2025-new-beginnings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695874337098baf602221169</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60a24d_53b0f275b222433892887f6943c8d8ae~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_590,h_443,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Closing the Wake: A Season That Changed Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[On October 18th, we packed up for our final adventure of the 2024 sailing season; our short but meaningful journey from the yacht club to winter storage.  We arrived at the club the night before, knowing we had an early start ahead of us. I t felt strange walking the docks and seeing most of the boats already on the hard, wrapped and tucked away, all in varying stages of winterization.  Only three boats remained in the slips—quiet rebels holding on to summer just a little longer. By morning,...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/closing-the-wake-a-season-that-changed-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69582e6e7098baf6022160c8</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 29 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_664a377454ac4327bb08d780fc87d5c0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_540,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Letting Summer Linger before Winter Wrap Up 2024]]></title><description><![CDATA[Summer wasn’t quite ready to let go, and September delivered some of the most beautiful weather of the season.  With school back in session and summer vacations over, the water felt quieter.  Fewer boats.  Less rush.  It was the perfect time to stretch out the season just a little longer and escape the lingering heat on the water. The first weekend of September, we welcomed our friends Mike and Sam aboard for a short cruise around the islands near the yacht club.  It was a bit too windy for...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/letting-summer-linger-before-winter-wrap-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69581518564ad52a958f5d43</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_b57facd520d14c03a8c4dc9c9fac63c7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_590,h_442,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Where It All Began]]></title><description><![CDATA[Come with me for a walk down memory lane. It’s 2016. Our oldest daughter is 20, working, finding her footing, starting her life.  Our youngest is 17.  We’re nearing the end of a very busy chapter: the one where we’ve almost finished raising our little birdies and are getting ready to let them fly.  The chapter filled with early Saturday morning hockey practices, late evening dance lessons an hour away, rushing straight from work into traffic just to make it on time.  Out-of-town dance...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/where-it-all-began</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69532034386e8faaa221095b</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 :  Buying to Splash Day]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 31 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_c32ca99923804eb4825e89738ecc9658~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Late August Lessons]]></title><description><![CDATA[We’d been home for about three weeks, and maybe — just maybe — a little bit of adventure was starting to miss us.  Or perhaps it was missing Tom.  Either way, we decided to leave the Thousand Islands and head toward Kingston, at the edge of Lake Ontario, determined to squeeze every last drop out of late summer. We joked that we were going to say hello to Lake Ontario.  A small part of us missed the open water — the movement, the sense that anything could happen.  Tom was starting to get a...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/late-august-lessons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6957f3cddac9d8923d820fc3</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 24 Aug 2024 17:21:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_df010e49167c4fa9a7ad6c8a596c561c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Little Slice of Late-Summer Magic]]></title><description><![CDATA[Late August gave us those dreamy summer days where life slows down just enough to let you truly appreciate it.   Family came to visit us at the yacht club, and instead of buying tickets for one of the Thousand Islands cruises, we did something better… we took them sailing. There’s something so different about exploring the islands under sail.  No diesel rumble.  No loud commentary.  No crowd pressing in around you.  Just wind, water, and a sense of quiet wonder.  You can hear the waves...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/a-little-slice-of-late-summer-magic</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956f0ab3049016ee5431af4</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_d3b5c7ed0b88482f8194afdfd716a070~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_332,h_590,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Settling into Stillness"]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Calm After Motion From even the best vacations, it always feels like once you finally get home… you need a vacation from your vacation.  I definitely had that feeling. My land legs took their sweet time coming back.  Google graciously informed me that “Land sickness… can last weeks or months.”  Well, lucky me,  I had it almost the whole month we were in Racine and now it rears its ugly head when we arrive home.  If I was walking or in a car, I was fine. But the moment I stood still?  The...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/settling-into-stillness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956d266b825d96637d1e850</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 4 : Thousand  Islands]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_48d3a663e54a45999dfb4d03c178aa03~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_590,h_332,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Great Lakes Wrap-Up: A Journey That Forever Changed Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you had told me months ago that we’d pack up our lives, point Agra2 toward the horizon, and spend 2.5 months exploring the Great Lakes… I probably would have laughed, cried, panicked, and said “sure, why not?” all at the same time. Now here we are: home.  Salty hair washed, laundry done (mostly), the boat tucked in… and somehow, our hearts feel fuller and lighter all at once. This was not just a sailing trip.  It was courage, growth, laughter, tears, storms, sunshine, friendships, fears...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/great-lakes-wrap-up-a-journey-that-forever-changed-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956c5f4b11723d7bbae863a</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 3 : The Adventure Home]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 11 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_2b1e2355520a4515920149c104d1d306~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_623,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Anchor in the Dark : Why We Traded 'Someday' for the Great Lakes]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Anchor in the Storm: Choosing “Now” Over “Someday” With a car packed to the brim and our “first-mate” doggo at our heels, we headed toward Racine, Wisconsin.  We carried only the essentials, because on a sailboat, minimalist life is key.  But my mind was heavy with worries I couldn’t voice.  For most, this was simply the beginning of a ten-week adventure to bring our new-to-us boat, Agra2, home across 2,000+ nautical miles of Great Lakes water.  For me, it was a terrifying leap of faith. ...]]></description><link>https://agra2sailingwithlo.wixsite.com/agra/post/sailing-with-a-partner-who-has-ptsd</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65902d2139f29ee37a79df6c</guid><category><![CDATA[Sailing with PTSD]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chapter 3 : The Adventure Home]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:07:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f19703_1550767970a34ba4937b7abff78b55a0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator></dc:creator></item></channel></rss>