2026 Shakedown Cruise

This was my first official shakedown cruise. I'm not usually ready, but this year, I made it!

I'd heard the stories, friends who forgot food, forgot tools, forgot their own rain gear and things not working properly.   I braced for chaos.

Instead?  We had blistering sun.  Then thunder, lightning, and buckets of rain.  Then sun again.  Somehow, through it all, nothing went seriously wrong.

Three boats.  A mission to have fun.  A three-hour trek to Whelpley's Cove.

Checking our usual waypoints along the way, because sometimes a channel marker buoy drifts over the winter and you don't want to find out the hard way.

We grabbed a mooring.  We ate.  We laughed.  We slept.

We moved up river to the outside of Kingston Creek.  More food.  More laughter.  Rinse and repeat.

While I was heading home, I realized: an uneventful shakedown cruise is actually the best kind.  It means the boat is ready.  It means I'm ready.

So, here's to the quiet trips.  The ones where nothing dramatic happens and everything goes right.

What's your favourite part of a shakedown cruise? Let me know below.