Family sets sail to the Caribbean

Family sets sail to the Caribbean. The Kilgour family of Swansea was crowned first in fleet among 26 boats that entered the racing class of the Caribbean 1500, a 1,500-mile sailing race. They took Overall Handicap Honours in the race that started Nov. 2. The family is on a year-long sailing trip of the Caribbean. Kathleen and Colin are pictured here with their children Mithchell, 11, Gillian and Clare, 9, and crewmates Ian McLean and Dwight Hawkins following the race. Courtesy photo

At an awards ceremony, Friday, Nov. 13, the family was recognized first in fleet among the 26 boats that entered the racing class of the Caribbean 1500.

Setting sail Nov. 2 on their vessel, Bojangles IV, husband and wife team Kathleen Kilgour and their children Mitchell, 11, and twins Gillian and Clare, nine, were one of eight family boats that participated in the 1,500-mile trip. Bojangles IV, a Gulfstar 50 Ketch, took Overall Handicap Honours in the race.

"What a passage," said Colin Kilgour, the skipper, in a statement. "A full seven days of great winds, with all of it aft of the beam. This was Bojangles' first trip offshore and the boat performed like a dream in the big seas and strong winds."

He credited his family crew, which also included support from friends Ian McLean and Dwight Hawkins, for their tireless work to keep the boat moving quickly and on course.

"While we sailed on port tack the entire journey, there were many sail changes, regular trimming and much hand-steering as we worked out way down the rhumb line in following seas," said Colin. "There are some fabulous sailors and terrific boats in the rally and it is a great honour for us to have achieved this overall result."

The race attracted participants from 23 states, three Canadian provinces, Germany, the UK and New Zealand. The boats averaged 47.5 feet in length.

The Kilgours have been sailing Lake Ontario for 15 years both competitively and recreationally, said Kathleen in an email from the British Virgin Islands early this week (the cost of long-distance phone calls is about $2 a minute from there, she said).

"We started on a small 27-foot boat and then a 33 and our current home is a 50-foot long ketch. All our kids have grown up on keels boats," said Kathleen. "We have spoken at the Toronto Boat Show about sailing with kids. Colin was a provincial champion laser sailor when he was a teen."

The Kilgours are currently two-months into a year-long sailing voyage of the Caribbean. At the end of July, they packed up their Swansea-area home to move aboard Bojangles, docked at the Port Credit Yacht Club. They spent the month of August preparing their sea legs and gearing up for their trip. They embarked on their trip that had been years in the making on Sept. 8. The family is chronicling their adventure on their blog at sailbojangles.ca

Kathleen calls herself the headmaster of the Bojangles. The self-described community organizer is wearing many hats while out at sea. She's crew member, wife, mother, teacher and chef. Settling into a routine that includes eating, sleeping, school, boat maintenance, "life maintenance" and overall fun, proved challenging throughout October, blogged Kathleen.

"It seemed to me my plate was full, chock-a-block," she wrote.

The Kilgours are now living in a space less than a quarter the size of their backyard so they try to respect each other's space, She admits on her blog that tensions can run high in such close quarters.

The year-long voyage aboard their beloved Bojangles was a decade-plus in the making. Married for 15 years, Colin and Kathleen say such a trip was in their future before they tied the knot. Sailing for Colin has been an almost life-long endeavor while Kathleen learned to sail soon after she and Colin met. Their kids, say the couple, have a love-hate relationship with the sport.

"While they miss their shore side friends and their cable TV, they love being on the boat and love exploring new places by sea," blogged the couple.