My name is Wayne Young and I grew up in Stephenville Crossing on the West coast of Newfoundland. My father also grew up in Stephenville Crossing. My ancestors on my father’s side were Acadian French, while my mother’s ancestry was English. My mother grew up on Random Island in Trinity Bay on Newfoundland’s East coast.
I have researched my paternal ancestry back to Pierre Lejeune dit Briard who came to Canada from France around 1650. My maternal ancestry is with the Stone family of Trinity Bay and has been traced back to Thomas Stone who came to Newfoundland in the late 1700s.
As I grew older, I became more and more interested in my family history. As I neared retirement, I often suggested that when I retired, I would not only research my family history, but build a website to share my family history. When I retired in 2002, my partner in life, Linda, presented me with a copy of FrontPage 2002, a sort of web building software for the technically challenged.
After getting a service provider and securing a domain, I starting building a website using the domain name deja-vu.ca. After many, many hours on the computer, I somehow managed to deliver on deja-vu.ca. Over the years the site grew and expanded to include our sailing activities and our travels.
In 2017, I decided to give my website a facelift. Frontpage 2002 was no longer supported and my boat’s name was no longer Deja Vu. I secured the domain for gallivanting.ca and started the migration from deja-vu.ca.
The Admiral
Linda Ferraro is of Italian heritage and is second generation Canadian. She was born and raised in Montreal, Canada.
In the spring of 2017, after a 30-year career at the Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, Linda retired and now spends more time on board.
Cruising
Growing up in Newfoundland meant that you spent a good portion of your childhood in a boat. A career with the Water Survey of Canada meant that you also spent a significant amount of time in a boat. In the 1990s, we sometimes sailed with friends who had sailboats. In those days we were busy with jobs and playing golf, but by the mid-1990s our interest in sailing and sailboats reached a new high. We started taking boating courses and looking at the listings of “boats for sale”.
In the fall of 1998, we became the proud owners of a C&C 27, a 27 foot sloop named Déjà vu. For the next few years we sailed Déjà vu on Lake Ontario and thoroughly enjoyed it.
In 2002, I retired from the Water Survey of Canada and to mark the milestone, I decided to sail Déjà vu to Newfoundland. We departed Toronto in June and returned in September. It was wonderful and in hindsight, a great way to adjust to retirement.
In 2003, we traded up to a Niagara 35, a 35 foot sailboat that would be a little more comfortable on longer passages. We continued to sail Lake Ontario, until the winter of 2008, when we again decided to set sail for the Canadian Maritimes. For more visit; Gallivanting 2008
After a most enjoyable summer, we hauled out in Halifax, Nova Scotia and returned home for the winter. In the spring of 2009, we launched and headed down the southern shore of Nova Scotia. We then crossed the Gulf of Maine, sailed down the New England coast to New York City and up the Hudson River and back to Lake Ontario. For more visit; Gallivanting 2009
In the spring of 2011, we took Gallivanting up through Lake Erie and into Lake Huron. For the next 5 summers, we sailed Georgian Bay and the North Channel.
By the Winter of 2017, plans were well underway for another passage to the East coast. This time around, we will be circumnavigating Newfoundland. In the spring of 2017, we are again heading down the St. Lawrence River to the Canadian Maritimes.
During the Summer of 2017, we visited Red Bay in Southern Labrador, where we entered “Ice berg Alley” and cruised down the Northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, visiting many historic Newfoundland communities, like Conche, Twillingate, Fogo, Bonavista and Trinity. In early September, we hauled out at Holyrood, near St. John’s. For more visit; Gallivanting 2017
In June of 2018, we arrived in St. John’s to launch and begin cruising Newfoundland’s south coast. We departed Conception Bay in early July and headed down the Southern shore of Newfoundland.
After several delays due to strong southerly winds, we rounded Mistaken Point on July 11 and headed west.
We visited many isolated communities along the south coast, including a visit to the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, completing our circumnavigation of the Island of Newfoundland at Port Aux Basques by late Summer. For more visit; Gallivanting 2018
In late August, we hauled out in Sydney, Nova Scotia and returned home for the season.
In the spring of 2019, launched and headed down the Nova Scotia coast to Pubnico, near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. From Pubnico, we crossed the Gulf of Maine to the United States and headed down the New England coast to New York. From New York, we headed up the Hudson River to Albany, NY, where we entered the Erie Canal. From the Erie Canal, we entered the Oswego Canal and entered Lake Ontario at Oswego, NY. After three years cruising the East coast, we arrived back at Lakeshore Yacht Club on September 15, 2019. For more, visit; Gallivanting 2019.
2020
The year started out fairly normal. Winter in this part of the world means snow and relaxing by the fire with a glass of wine.
By the time March rolled around, we had been skiing several times and a European River Cruise was planned for August.
Sometime in March, the “Corona Virus” showed up, first in the news, then in Canada. Before long, handshakes were out and disinfectant was in. By the end of April we were wearing masks. Life as we knew it was on hold.
All gatherings were in jeopardy and getting cancelled by the day. The launching of boats at our club was postponed indefinitely. People were hoarding toilet paper and other things deemed necessary to survive a pandemic. Businesses were closing their doors and socializing comes to an abrupt halt. Life is “on hold”. The European River Cruise was cancelled. We had to sit and re-think our summer.
Gallivanting was finally launched in early July, with the mast going on in the middle of July.
It is now nearing the end of August. Most of the last six weeks was spent on house projects and boat projects. Socializing remains on hold, which is probably a good idea, since we all smell like disinfectant.
2021
A year to remember or maybe a year to forget. For the first time time in more than 50 years, I did not get out skiing.
Not sure yet, if we are ahead of last year, but on Saturday, May 29, Gallivanting was launched, a month ahead of last year.
On Tuesday, July 20th, we departed Lakeshore Yacht Club for Cobourg, arriving at 18:00 hrs.. Despite the continued COVID restrictions, we were able to find a café (outside) serving wings and beer.
2022
COVID – Part 2.
A loose prop put a damper on our sailing activities.
Our activities were also dampened by some medical issues, including a bout of COVID.
An Australian cruising vacation, scheduled for November had to be cancelled due to medical concerns.
2023
COVID concerns have toned down.
A South American cruising vacation scheduled for February had to be cancelled, again due to a medical issue. Following 2 surgeries (me), we launched Gallivanting in late April (this time with a secure prop).
In the spring, we completed a road trip to the maritimes.
Then, in July/August, we completed a circumnavigation of lake Ontario.
Things are looking up.
2024
Our South American cruising vacation that was cancelled in February, 2023, came to pass in February 2024.
