Boat Shows - Gone Sailing

Toronto Boat Show 2022

Jan 252022

Jayne and Mike in Praia da Vitoria, Azores 2021

Jayne and I are giving “Sew What” and Azores Part 1 & Part 2 presentations at the Toronto Virtual Boat Show this year, via Zoom, https://www.torontoboatshow.com/seminars/ search Jayne Finn & Mike Evans, hope to see you there ! All times are EST.

Azores Part 1 Please click this link to download an 88 page PDF version of our Toronto Boat Show presentation, GoneSailing Azores Part 1

Come sailing with Mike, Jayne and crewmember Mark as they prepare Loon’s Lace for ocean sailing in Lewisporte and then depart from Fogo, Newfoundland for Horta in the Azores. Sun,

Whales, birds and sea life surround them sailing past the Offer Wadham Islands to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, where they encounter cold, fog, waves and wind shifts. Once over the Grand Banks, the Labrador currents 6 degree Celsius water begins warming entering the gulf stream & Azores current.

As the offshore Atlantic’s depths plunge thousands of feet, dolphins keep them company and endless night skies filled with the moon and stars help pass the long hours of night watches. With daytime temperatures climbing into the high 20’s, they heave off to Faial to await daylight to enter the harbour at Horta.

1350 miles, 11 days and 1 PCR test later the crew of three are in Peter Cafe Sport celebrating the crossing.

During this seminar we’ll look at preparing the boat & crew for the crossing: yacht insurance options, upgrades, sewing, autopilots, sail plans and so on, as well as, discuss route planning, weather routing and the customs and immigration check-in process for Portugal and the Azores.

Azores Part 2 Please click this link to download an 91 page PDF version of our Toronto Boat Show presentation, GoneSailing Azores Part 2

In Part 2 Mike & Jayne explore Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge & Terceira.

We’ll visit sites in and around Horta, look at anchoring, tying to Wall 1 and 2, the dinghy docks, services and what’s nearby for provisioning etc. We go walking to Monte da Guia & Queimado, Caldera Faial and Capelinhos. We anchor behind Pico in a gale, hike the volcano and stay at a vineyard’s stone cottage. Sailing to Sao Jorge we anchor at Velas and tour the island by car to visit the Fajas. From Sao Jorge we sail to Terceira and the anchor at Angre do Heroismo, hike Monte Brasil then sail on to Praia do Vitoria where we anchor off the beach before moving into the marina. From Praia we explore Terceira by car, rent an apartment, prepare the boat for haulout and winter storage then fly to Sao Miguel to return to Canada.

SEW WHAT? Sewing Tips and Projects for Your Boat – Click to open a 49 page pdf of Jayne’s presentation

Tired of windows in your dodger that are cloudy or scratched but the rest of the canvas has some years left? Has the sun shortened the life of some of the stitching on your boat cover? Got a rip in your spinnaker? Want to personalize or refresh the interior of your boat? Learn how to make these fixes yourself.

The focus of this presentation is the information you need to take on a marine sewing project or repair. We will look at the types and weights of threads, machine types and what to carry in your onboard sewing kit. We will review various marine applications and what fabric is best for that application. The presentation is loaded with tips and includes links to suppliers and resources, including how-to videos.

Azores Crossing

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Nov 262021

We’ll be giving presentations at the Toronto Boat Show Sat. Jan 22^nd – Sun. Jan 30^th

Please click this link to download an 88 page PDF version of our Toronto Boat Show presentation, GoneSailing Azores Part 1

The “Azores” trip, we had dreamed of, discussed and put off for 20 years, this was to be the year, 2021, we’d finally make it across! After almost 19 months locked down, away from the boat due to the pandemic, we drove out from Ontario to Lewsiporte, Newfoundland, and spent 14 days in quarantine. Finally we could start getting ready for the crossing. There was much to do: a new life raft, autopilot, windvane, and offshore insurance all needed to be purchased. The first aid kit and flares were out of date, we got Crew Over Board tags for our lifejackets, paper charts, sailing directions and digital charts in three different electronic formats. Jayne was also busy sewing our new “watch keepers” dodger extension in between sanding, painting and waxing the boat.

After almost 20 months away Jayne removes the cockpit cover

We had enlisted the help of new crewmember Mark to come along to help with the long days of sailing ahead, we’d planned for 10 x 24 hours a day to sail from Fogo, Newfoundland to Horta in the Azores, about 1300 nautical miles away, as a crow flys.

Fogo, Newfoundland to Horta, Azores course line

Sun, Whales, birds and sea life surrounded us sailing off the Newfoundland coast past the Offer Wadham Islands, to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. At the Grand Banks we encountered cold, fog, waves and wind shifts, which made for some difficult sailing. Once over the Grand Banks, the Labrador currents 6 degree Celsius water begins warming, entering the gulf stream & Azores current as you near the mid-Atlantic.

Fog at the Grand Banks of Newfoundland

As the offshore Atlantic’s depths plunged thousands of feet, dolphins surrounded us and endless night skies of moon and stars kept us company on the long hours of night watches. With daytime temperatures climbing into the high 20’s and the water temperature 22 Celsius we hove to off Faial to await daylight, and then entered Horta’s wonderful “volcanic” harbour, behind Monte de Guia, an extinct caldera.

Loon’s Lace tied up at Horta Marina

1350 miles, 11 days and 1 PCR test later our crew of three were in Peter Cafe Sport celebrating the crossing over a cold beverage.

Our crew celebrating in Peter’s Sport Cafe

Mark with business to conduct had to fly home, Jayne and I had 90 days on our Portuguese/Azores tourist visas, to explore the 5 Islands that make up the central group of the 9 island Azores archipelago.

After 20 years of dreaming there we were, Azores !

Toronto “Virtual” Boat Show 2021

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Jan 202021

SAILING NEWFOUNDLAND’S SOUTH COAST

Mike & Jayne – Culotte Cove, NL August 2019

Come sailing with Mike & Jayne as they close their circumnavigation of Newfoundland.

Departing from Gaspe, Quebec it’s 250 miles overnight to Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. From Port Aux Basques we sail east to many of the south coasts famous harbours: Isle A Morts, Garia Bay, Rose Blanche, Grand Bruit, Cinq Cerf, Burgeo, Grey River, Francois and Hare Bay. From there we cross to St Pierre, France to enjoy French food, wine and culture before heading back to NL. We tie up with the fishing fleet in St Brides Harbour to investigate rugged Cape St Mary and the sea bird colony there.

Rounding Cape Race in dense fog we hurry up to St John’s just ahead of hurricane Dorian. Sailing north from Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club we’ll visit Bonavista, Seldom, Change & Exploits Islands before bringing the boat into Lewisporte Marina to haulout for the winter.

Sign up on the shows web site to attend, hope to “see” you there.

Jayne is also presenting “Sew What” sewing for boats, see the site for times.

https://www.torontoboatshow.com/seminars

Sorry we don’t have time during the 50 minutes allotted for our show to cover the entire route from Lake Ontario to Lewisporte, Newfoundland.

Click this link to download the complete presentation for reference, it includes the Lake Ontario to Gaspe, Quebec, slides that are NOT covered in the boat show presentation.

Sew What?

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Jan 232020

Sewing tips and projects for your boat

Tired of windows in your dodger that are cloudy or scratched but the rest of the canvas has some years left? Got a rip in your spinnaker? Want to personalize or refresh the interior of your boat?

Here are jpeg versions of the presentation slides for the Toronto Virtual Boat Show, 2022 plus additional comparison slides and bonus projects.

Included is the information you need to take on a marine sewing project or repair. We look at the types and weights of threads, machine types and what to carry in your onboard sewing kit. We review various marine applications and what fabric is best for that application. The presentation is loaded with tips and includes links to suppliers and resources, including how-to videos.

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2020 Toronto Boat Show Seminars

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Nov 262019

We will be giving presentations at the 2020 Toronto Boat Show, our topic is “Sailing Newfoundland’s South Coast”.

Jayne is a special guest on Sunday January 19th at the Woman’s Day Seminars, “Sew What? Sewing Tips and Projects for Your Boat”

Hope to see you there!

Sat. Jan 18^th @ 2:00pm (Salon 107)

Sun. Jan 19^th @ 12pm (Salon 108)

Sun. Jan 19^th @ 3:30pm – 4:20pm (Women’s Day, Jayne only) – “Sew What? Sewing Tips and Projects for Your Boat”

Mon. Jan 20^th @ 3:30pm (Salon 107)

Tues. Jan 21^st @ 1pm (Presentation Theatre)

Wed. Jan 22^nd @ 1pm (Presentation Theatre)

2017 Toronto Boat Show

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Nov 222016

We’ll be presenting Newfoundland Circle – Part 4, at the 2017 Toronto Boat Show, http://www.torontoboatshow.com/ on these dates & locations.

Friday January 27th at 1600-1700 hrs – Presentation Theater

http://www.torontoboatshow.com/education/seminar-speakers/details/?dn=DAY%207&t=4:00pm&d=FRIDAY,%20JANUARY%2027&id=MIKEEVANSJAYNEFINN

Saturday January 28th at 1300-1400 hrs – Presentation Theater

http://www.torontoboatshow.com/education/seminar-speakers/details/?dn=DAY%208&t=1:00pm&d=SATURDAY,%20JANUARY%2028&id=MIKEEVANSJAYNEFINN

Sunday January 29th at 1130-1230 hrs – Salon 107

http://www.torontoboatshow.com/education/seminar-speakers/details/?dn=DAY%209&t=11:30am&d=SUNDAY,%20JANUARY%2029&id=MIKEEVANSJAYNEFINN

The tag line for this years show is below – hope to see you there and please browse the image gallery to preview what will be covered in the presentation,

Best,

Mike & Jayne

Jayne & Mike will provide valuable (and fun) information for anyone thinking of sailing down east. Departing from Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club they’ll take you across the great Bays of Conception, Trinity, Bonaventure and Notre Dame, on Newfoundland’s rugged east coast. Along the way they’ll tie up in fishing harbours, anchor in tiny coves, be visited by dozens of whales and go hiking in Terra Nova National Park. Jayne always has a special “In The Galley” feature to add!

Click on the first image and then use your left or right arrow keys to quickly scroll through LARGE images – or click the Slideshow link to watch as a slide show

Note images are in reverse order – Lewisporte Marina to RNYC.

[Show as slideshow]

Newfoundland Circle – Part 3

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Oct 302015

Newfoundland Circle – Part 3 Presentations

Just waiting to get the dates and time confirmed for the Toronto Boat Show which runs from, Jan 9-17, 2016.

So far we are confirmed for two presentations at the Vancouver Boat show, may be more to come,

Wednesday, January 20 2016 at 5:15 pm

Thursday, January 21 2016 at 12:00 pm

Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton’s Harbour – “all around the circle”

In this year’s slide-show/presentation we’ll sail south from Lewisporte on beautiful Notre Dame Bay down Newfoundlands central east coast. We anchor in Morton’s Harbour, tie up with shrimp boats at Twillingate and visit Change Islands, Newfoundland ponies and walk the “Squid Jiggin” trail. Friendly locals at Fogo ply us with fresh cod and we hike to magnificent Brimstone Head. Arriving at Seldom Come By in a thunderstorm we stop to explore the workings of their museum/cod liver oil factory before crossing Hamilton Sound into Lumsden Harbour. From there we battle strong south westerlies crossing the great bays of Bonavista, Trinity and Conception. A blustery sail takes around Cape St. Francis, under towering Signal Hill into St John’s historic harbour. After exploring St John’s we sail to Long Pond, join the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club, and prepare Phantasia for winter storage.

Hope to have you in the audience !

Vancouver Boat Show 2015

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Jan 252015

Our Newfoundland Circle – Part 2 shows were well received, the audiences included a crowd of Newfoundlanders, I think we decided the wife of a brother had baked the Partridge Berry pie we had at Triton Harbour, if that makes any sense! It was nice to have my mom, dad (sorry not to see Marion) and sister as well as Jayne’s sister and partner in the audience. The weather in Vancouver was superb if a bit wet, some flowers out on our walk to Granville Island to view the in water part of the boat show. Jayne and I both liked the Nordic Tug 39, it’s beautifully finished, we’re starting to save now. With the shows finished we’re on Vancouver Island visiting family and friends in Victoria’s James Bay. My mom and I made a foggy drive out to Sooke yesterday but it was a bit wet for walking. Tomorrow at 615 we fly back to chilly Ontario, no flowers for a few months yet.

Chicago Boat Show – 2015

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Jan 182015

We flew in to the Windy City on Friday morning, rush hour was not the best time to arrive and it took an hour to get downtown from O’Hare. We didn’t realize how far west Chicago is either, it’s an hour earlier from Toronto. Our hotel allowed us to check in when we arrived for a much needed rest before the first of our two cruising seminars at 1 pm. Down East Circle was very well received by the almost capacity crowd. At 4:45 we did Newfoundland Circle Part 2 for a somewhat smaller group. Saturday morning we were guests of John and Amanda of Mahina Tiare, Jayne participated in a women’s panel discussion and I spoke briefly about our Down East Circle. We did Newfoundland Circle Part 2 to a small but enthusiastic group including a couple who had actually driven the Trans Labrador Highway. With a few hours off we got to check out some of the cool new gear and boats on floor 2. Sunday morning we walked over to The Art Institute of Chicago and spent a few hours enjoying the American Collection and the guest show of powerful works by Belgian artist James Ensor. We’ll be in Vancouver in a few hours to visit family and we’ll give presentations of Newfoundland Circle Part 2 on the 21st and 22nd.

2015 Toronto Boat Show

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Jan 122015

We’ve just completed three days at the 2015 Toronto Boat Show presenting Newfoundland Circle Part 2. For some fun last night we were up town in Toronto’s Junction neighborhood to visit old friends from Parkdale, and this morning while I went skating Jayne was off to catch up with one of her artist friends. All in all we’ve had a great time at the show, our presentations were well attended and we met many interesting sailors. There is a fantastic collection of marine goods and services at the show and we looked at lots of useful gear we’d like to add to our boat. Tonight, our last night in the city, we’ll walk up to Queen Street and enjoy dinner at our favorite Indian Restaurant, home tomorrow to Cobourg. On the 16th we’re off to The Chicago Boat Show and then Vancouver on the 19th.

Thanks to Kim, Cynthia, Chris and all the staff at the Toronto Boat Show, we really appreciate being invited !

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