When Plans Change: Turning West Instead of East

Sometimes the adventure is the one you didn’t plan for

Hi Boat Besties!

Well... the summer sailing season of 2026 did not exactly go according to plan!  So much has happened since I last wrote. Honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin.

We expected splash day to be exciting. Instead, it became the catalyst of several weeks of troubleshooting issues. I can't even explain how disheartening it was to believe you winterized an in 'working condition' sailboat, to experience so many issues right after splash day.

If you've been following along, you probably remember that this was supposed to be the year. The big one. The year we finally took Agra2 East, headed down the St. Lawrence, around Newfoundland, and eventually made our way to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

And quite possibly, this would be the beginning of our Grand Adventure; heading south toward the Caribbean for future winters.

We had been working toward this trip for a long time. There were lists upon lists, repairs, upgrades, boat projects, planning, second-guessing, more planning... and then even more boat projects.

We were going East.

At least, that was the plan.

And then Agra2 reminded us that, when it comes to boats, plans are really just suggestions.

Oiye what a mess Agra2 is in!!!!

Splash Day ... and the beginning of the plot twist

Getting Agra2 back into the water was exciting. After everything we had done to get her ready, seeing her floating again felt like such a huge accomplishment.

Of course, because this is Agra2 we're talking about, she couldn't just quietly behave herself.

We started having engine issues immediately. Some of the problems were things we already knew about, and some were new surprises that sent Tom straight back into troubleshooting mode.

The motor mount bolts had been giving us trouble pretty much since we bought Agra2. We had worked on them before, but now we were dealing with another round of engine problems at exactly the point when we were supposed to be heading off on a pretty ambitious trip.

On top of the engine issues, we still had so many incomplete projects. The solar panel wiring was one of the big ones, and Tom was working like mad to get everything finished.

He was confident that his projects could be completed as we set off on the adventure.

I didn't have quite the same confidence.

The last thing I wanted was to be somewhere off-grid and have an issue that required a part we couldn't get. I know you can't plan for every contingency — every boat owner knows there is always something broken; you just don't know what it is yet — but in my world, if you're going on a big trip, you should leave with your boat in the best shape you can possibly get it.

And suddenly, as the days passed, the projects remained unfinished, the motor still wasn't cooperating, even the head started giving us issues, and the solar panel wiring was incomplete.

Then the calendar started to matter.

On top of everything else, I had been sick for weeks, and Tom had sent me home to recoup.

We had already been delayed. We had already spent more time getting ready than we had hoped. And the window for making our way East was getting smaller.

But the engine wasn't the only consideration.

The Newfoundland question

The more we looked at the trip realistically, the more complicated it became.

Newfoundland had always sounded incredible to me. It was one of those destinations that felt like an adventure worthy of all the preparation.

But getting there wasn't simply a matter of pointing Agra2 East and going.

There would be long stretches between safe stopping points, and I'm still not completely comfortable with anchoring. There would be different weather challenges to contend with. There would be open-water passages, currents, tides, fog, and all the other things that come with taking a sailboat into a very different environment.

Tom was also supposed to take a course to help him learn more about navigating currents, tides, and weather in the ocean. Unfortunately, he only signed up for the course and received the materials in June, which meant he was really rushing to get through it before we were faced with those challenges for real.

And then there was the biggest question of all:

Were we actually ready?

Was I ready?

Not just could we do it?

Could the boat do it?

Could we handle the stress?

And, perhaps most importantly, could we enjoy it?

Because somewhere along the way, I realized that I didn't want to spend the entire trip wondering what was going to break next, living in a constant state of stress, and worrying because I didn't feel ready.

I wanted to sail.

I wanted to explore.

I wanted to wake up somewhere new, drink my hot chocolate, relax in beautiful anchorages, explore little towns, and have adventures with Tom and Ryleigh.

I didn't want our dream trip to turn into a test of endurance.

And I definitely didn't want to be so rushed that we started making mistakes.

I didn't want to simply check destinations off a list. I wanted time to smell the roses. I wanted time to visit the small towns, meet the amazing people along the way, and hear their stories.

That is important to me because of our Great Lakes adventure in 2024. That summer, our oldest daughter was injured at work, and all of a sudden our relaxing sailing trip became a ‘race’ to get home.

Mamma Bear mode had activated.

I wanted to be home to help my baby, take her to her many appointments, and be there for her while she recovered.

And I don't regret that decision for one second. Helping my daughter when she needed me was absolutely worth it.

But my one regret from that trip was the feeling of having to rush.

We did longer sailing days. We sometimes spent only one evening in a place before moving on so we could get home sooner.

Don't get me wrong — we did all the things on my list.

But we didn't have time for the extras.

We didn't have time to linger somewhere because we loved it. We didn't have time to discover the little things that weren't on the itinerary.

And I realized I really wanted that this time.

There was another concern too.

Once we left and it was just the two of us out there, I worried that we might feel pressured to make up lost time. Maybe an overnight sail. Maybe longer sailing days. Maybe pushing ahead when I wasn't mentally prepared for another anchoring situation.

And then there was the reality that Tom can sometimes push himself too hard. When he's fatigued, his decision-making can suffer, and that can lead to situations where either he gets hurt or something happens to the boat.

That meant the question wasn't simply:

Is the boat ready?

Or:

Are we ready?

It was also:

How rushed would this trip be?

And that mattered.

Making the decision

Eventually, we had to admit something that was surprisingly difficult to say out loud:

We weren't going to Newfoundland.

That decision came with a whole pile of emotions.

There was disappointment, of course.

We'd spent so much time preparing for this trip. There was grief in letting go of the plan we'd been talking about for so long.

But there was also relief.

A lot of relief on my part.

And once I gave myself permission to stop thinking about what we should be doing, I started to realize something.

We were already sitting on one of the most beautiful sailing playgrounds in the country.

So... why not Lake Ontario?

Instead of rushing East, we decided to stay home.

Well... not exactly home.

We decided to spend the summer exploring Lake Ontario.

And the funny thing is, I think we were exactly where we were meant to be.

Last summer we had spent so much time looking toward the next big adventure that we hadn't really stopped to appreciate what was right in front of us.

We've sailed parts of Lake Ontario before, but there was still so much we hadn't seen. So many interesting places we'd never visited. So many little towns and islands we'd sailed past without stopping.

And suddenly, instead of worrying about whether we could make it to Newfoundland on schedule, we had the freedom to say:

Where do we want to go today?

That felt... really good, a little scary but good.

There were no major deadlines.

No race against the calendar.

No need to push through because we had to make the next destination.

We could follow the wind.

We could stay somewhere an extra night.

We could change our minds.

We could explore.

And, most importantly, we could learn.

We also had time to work on the things that still needed to be done.

Maybe this was the adventure we needed

I won't pretend that giving up on Newfoundland wasn't hard.

It really was.

But I'm starting to think that sometimes the adventure isn't about getting to the place you planned to go.

Sometimes it's about recognizing when the plan needs to change.

This summer became something completely different.

Instead of circumnavigating Newfoundland, we'll be spending our summer sailing hundreds of nautical miles around Lake Ontario. We'll explore more of the Thousand Islands, visit places we've never seen, and maybe even visit some family along the way.

And who knows what else we'll discover?

So this isn't the story of the trip we planned.

I think Agra2 may have had the better idea all along.

One of the biggest reasons we bought Agra2 was because we had forgotten how to slow down and enjoy life. Rushing through our first season of ocean cruising would feel like we were defeating the entire purpose.

Although Tom's symptoms improve dramatically when he's on the water, we've never truly tested ourselves under the pressure of a strict schedule. This summer isn't about proving anything to anyone. It's about learning what this lifestyle looks like for us.

Newfoundland isn't gone.

It's simply waiting.

And honestly... I think we'll enjoy it so much more when we finally arrive because we're ready — not because the calendar says we should be.

Welcome to Lake Ontario Adventure 2026.

Let's see where she takes us.

Until next time, Boat Besties, keep chasing calm waters and following your heart. 💙