Family & Friends Who Came to Visit

Chris's brother Mark from Calgary pays us a visit in Fethiye Bay, Turkey from November 18-21.  Being that our trip is almost over, Mark wanted to see what it is all about before it's too late.  "Camping in style" was his assessment!  Thanks for the great visit, Mark!  We enjoyed having you on board and appreciate the effort and long distance travelled.

Sheila's cousin Marjol and son Sebastian from Holland join us on board for a good long visit with gorgeous sunny weather in the SW of Turkey and a touch of Greece from October 14-24.  We tried to squeeze in a bit of everything (and succeeded!)

Stephen Richards and partner Pat, part of the Richards clan still in England drop in for a surprise visit in Seville Spain to rendevous with us and Chris's parents while they are also visiting.   We enjoyed having them on board for dinner to give them a small slice of the cruisers' life. 

We are very happy to have Chris's folks, Vince and Ann,  from Victoria, B.C join us in Seville for Easter.  They arrive in mid March, in time to be involved with all the Easter processions and even manage to catch the first bull fight of the season with us!   The boys have not seen any family members for quite some time so it is a real treat to have Grandma and Grandad on board for a few weeks.

After many attempts, we finally manage to have Nik Heise, from our old neighborhood in Calgary, come aboard Tioga for an extended stay.   At 14 and by himself, Nik flew to Lisbon, Portugal where we picked him up at the end of September.  He traveled and lived with us until Seville, Spain before heading home in mid November.  Now that's a record for a guest to spend time in our small boat!  Thanks for being part of our family Nik.  

Once again our good friend, Wayne Boldt, comes aboard Tioga, this time to help with our Atlantic crossing.  He arrived June 1st in Florida and spent the next six weeks on board before flying home to Calgary from the mid-Atlantic Portuguese Azores.   Here, before his depart, we manage a dip in the cool Atlantic ocean.  Thanks Wayne for everything!

Dave, Carmen, Danielle and Spencer Lake, friends from Calgary, Alberta took a week's vacation to visit Manzanillo, Mexico and surrounding area.  We managed to meet up with them for a few special days and create some great memories.  Here, we explore the colorful streets of  Bahia de Navidad.

Mike, Merete, Nikolai and Ellen Heise, our neighbors from Calgary, Alberta came to visit us in Puerto/Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for Christmas.  The kids picked up as though we had never left and our families together enjoyed a week of adventure combined with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beach.

Wayne Boldt from Calgary, Alberta arrives in Ucluelet, British Columbia to assist us on our first ever offshore passage, a 8-day voyage to San Francisco, California.  The extra crew member was a huge help as we all experienced time that will bond Wayne to our family forever.

Vince and Ann Richards from Victoria, British Columbia (a.k.a. Grandma and Granddad on the coast) along with cousin Nicholas from Edmonton, Alberta bid us final farewells from the Victoria inner harbour as we set off to bash our way up the Juan de Fuca Strait to Ucluelet, British Columbia, our final jumping off point from Canada. 

John Gray from AutoControl Medical and his family from New Westminster, British Columbia enjoy a day sail from Westport harbor out to Sidney Spit, British Columbia and back.  John delivered a spare Animas insulin pump for Gerrit ...Thanks!

Joel and Gerrit take their cousin Kyla from Drayton Valley, Alberta out for fish and chips when she visits them in Victoria, British Columbia. 

Grandma Leona from Breton, Alberta enjoys some precious hugs and kisses from her grandsons when she visits in Victoria, British Columbia.  Trips to visit Grandma and Grandpa on the farm will be put on hold for awhile.     

Kurt, Lynnette, Amy, Christopher and Charlotte J. from Calgary, Alberta enjoy a great visit to Victoria, British Columbia and a heartfelt farewell to our family.  Remember, it is not good-bye, it's see you later!