Good Sunday morning. It's a beautiful, clear, sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. The price for a clear sunny winter sky is the cold -24 degrees Celsius (minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit). It's a lovely morning to be inside sipping coffee and writing to you. Yesterday, March 1st, it snowed all day in my hometown of Mont Tremblant. A few times throughout the day as the snow continued to fall, I silently repeated the familiar..." in like a lion, out like a lamb in my head. As I so often do; when I am writing to you, I find myself thinking of something and then looking it up for more information. I was surprised that this idiom has been around over 300 years. I have heard the version that it predicts if March comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. This year, it was undoubtedly "in like a lion" and we will have to wait and see if it is "out like a lamb."

I like this idiom and think about it every March 1st. In like a Lion, out like a lamb.

Last Sunday, February 23rd, I was on the CSL Tadoussac, cooking my last day, completing the 24-day relief job. The plan was to cook breakfast, lunch, and supper for the crew and complete my day after serving and cleaning at the end of the day. Lorraine (my sister, best friend, and publisher) joined me around 10h30; she was staying with a friend in Brampton (35-to-115-minute drive, depending on the traffic.) The CSL Tadoussac is one of the old classic ships with accommodations on both ends of the ship. The Chief engineer, engine crew and galley crew have cabins at the after-end of the ship. The deck crew and Captain have accommodation at the forward end of the ship.

The deck crew and Captain have to come back aft for all their meals. During the winter, the forward accommodations are not used.

Lorraine often comes on board during lay-up and fit-out to help me when I am working alone. She usually stays in one of the deck crew's empty rooms, however, on the CSL Tadoussac, the deck cabins are located up forward and not available. All the rooms back aft on the Tadoussac were occupied except for the 2nd cook's room and it was filled with items that had been delivered and were waiting to be installed or moved to their new location. The second cook's bathroom was also made available to the contractors working on board. The contractors came every morning as I was getting my first 05h45 coffee and left as I was finishing up the last of the supper dishes.

I knew the Tadoussac was going to be a great job when I was greeted by this message my first day. What more can you ask for. Fresh coffee to start you day.

Most of the contractors brought their own lunch, but I invited them to help themselves to the desserts that I had made for the crew. I was cooking for eight plus myself. I always made extra food because there were certain contractors or company people that would join us for lunch or supper.

This berry custard pie is always popular and I gained some new fans when the extra workers tried the leftovers.

Nobody can resist peanut butter cookies. I was nice to find chopped peanuts in the dry store

These mini strawberry tarts were a huge hit

I was disappointed when the day after Valentines I saw the leftover chocolate dessert still sitting in the fridge. I asked one of the extra workers if he had a piece of the valentine’s dessert and he said he thought they looked too special and were only for the crew. I said anything leftover at the end of the day is a free for all.

I am compensated with a dollar amount for each extra meal that I serve. I would have happily served the extra people without the compensation, but the list of extra names helped to account for my food budget. I had been on the CSL Tadoussac in 2021. I remembered some of the crew from my first time there. There was another crew member who I had sailed with on another ship. I felt very welcome. There was a lot of activity on the ship. Normally, there is a time during the winter when the ship sits silently waiting for spring fit-out. All the crew spending winter at home. The ship keeper watches over the ship until the crew return for spring fit-out and the new shipping season. There was no quiet time for the CSL Tadoussac, this winter with contractors working on different projects and making improvements and repairs in areas that cannot be done when the ship is in operation. When I joined the Tadoussac I was shown to the new chief cook’s room. It had just been moved to a new location (the old location of the Chief Engineers office.) It was freshly painted and was one of the nicer rooms I have stayed in. The bathroom was newly transformed and over the first week, the rest of the pieces arrived (shower caddy, and medicine cabinet) The medicine cabin made me laugh when I first opened it. The fully mirrored interior making me jump. It reminded me of fridge shopping the previous month at home. I opened the door of a high-end fridge, and the inside was fully mirrored with lights. I thought it was funny that like me and my new fridge I just got while I was home, I was going to be a part of the new fridge updates on the Tadoussac.

A few days after I got to the Tadoussac. A new mattress was delivered and Lorraine made my bed for me.

The cook mentioned to me that the new fridge would require me to find locations for the food during the installations. I said that would not be a problem and had an immediate solution. In 1994, when we moved to Tremblant, we started in a little condo at the ski resort. It was a short walk to the little chalet that we were renovating into our restaurant Creperie Catherine. We were hired to cater an event before the completion of our new business. Out of the necessity of finding fridge space, we decided to turn the bedroom into a fridge (only possible in the winter). We lined the bed and furniture with plastic, opened the window, and used Mother Nature to keep our items cold. We put a fridge thermometer in the room and regulated the temperature by opening and closing the window. In 1994, it was just for a day or two. However, the temporary fridge on the CSL Tadoussac would have to be in operation a little longer. We closed the room's doors right off the galley; it was originally the Captain's dining room and was now used for storage. We moved the refrigerated items into the homemade temporary fridge. I arranged for one crew member to check with me at each mealtime to see if the window needed to be opened or closed to regulate the temperature. It worked out perfectly, and when the job took a few additional days to complete, it was not a problem.

This room was the original the Captains dining room. It is used for storage now. The groceries are also passed through the open window. I transformed this room into a temporary fridge and we regulated the temperature by opening and closing the window. This of course is only a solution with the help of Mother Nature and the cold winter temperatures.

It was fun when the announcement came that the fridge would be ready, and I made a grocery order with some of my favorite items that I could use during my time onboard. I knew that the permanent chief cook would return before the ship departed on their first trip and make the big fit-out order. The CSL Tadoussac made 108 trips last shipping season. Their departure date scheduled for the beginning of March means it will be off to start another busy season. Last year, they were on short runs, meaning they were almost always in port, and everyone was working, keeping the galley busy. I enjoyed my 24-day relief job on the Tadoussac. When I got notice that the permanent chief cook was returning, I planned my last few days. I wanted to cook some of the crew's favorites. I also planned my cleaning schedule. I wanted to make sure that everything was nice for the returning cook. Lorraine helped with this big task of cleaning and organizing. Lorraine came to see me often and when she came to spend the day with me, she did the dishes and helped wherever she could. The days flew by, and we accomplished a lot. We also shared a lot of delicious meals. As well as making meals that the crew would like, I made Lorraine's favorites. Normally, I eat on the run, and I don't sit down to eat when I am working, but the extra help from Lorraine left extra time to sit down for lunch and supper. I was excited to have the opportunity to make some meals that Lorraine had only heard me talk about, and like you, she had to imagine by viewing the photos.

Lorraine, myself and my one crew member who was following the Keto program enjoyed the roast pork dinner with chimichurri and mashed cauliflower. The rest of the crew indulged in the mashed potatoes with gravy and corn.

The Garlic shrimp with broccoli was so delicious. The crew enjoyed it with curried rice.

This salmon patty was so delicious with the pickled onions and cilantro mayonnaise. It went perfectly with sliced avocado and coleslaw. Lorraine had brought the cilantro on her way to the ship. This is one of our favorites

Lorraine went twice to get parsley. I made chimichurri and it was popular with everyone.

I like serving egg sauce with baked salmon. I had a crew who like vegetables so I made extra roasted spinach.

I often offered salad plates for lunch. This one was created with curry mayonnaise and roasted turnips. The crew member who ate it, said it was delicious.

I made imitation crab cakes. I made them with soft bread crumbs made with homemade bread. They came out really well.

The bread was popular with my Tadoussac crew.

I like serving mushroom sauce over pork and chicken.

The last few days were a whirlwind and like usual, I planned to clean the stove on the last night. Lorraine helped to scrub the pieces that could be removed, and I cleaned and scrubbed the rest. I had turned the stoves off the moment I finished cooking the steaks Saturday night. When the stove was cold, I finally had the chance for a big cleanup. I had made Chinese food a few days before and the chicken wing honey garlic sauce I was making boiled over. The thick sweet, garlicky sauce immediately resembled tar as it attached itself to the hot stove top and started to smoke. I panicked, not wanting to set off the ship's alarm. I asked Lorraine to swing open the back door, and I turned on the fan. The smoke was not evacuating fast enough, and I sent Lorraine to run down the hall to the chief engineer's office to let him know that a pot had boiled over, not an actual fire. I was happy to avert setting off the alarm. I have accidentally set off a ship's fire alarm system in the past (burnt shredded coconut for coconut cream pie, and an oil spill while making Yorkshire pudding, there were actual flames that particular time). The deafening alarms that ring to alert fire are always very disruptive, especially when there are crew sleeping.

I cleaned the stove so it would be nice when the cook returned.

Lorraine cleaned all the stainless-steel so that it was nice and shiny

The button that I pushed in a panic to start to evacuate the smoke from the tar like substance burning on the stove. It started off as a honey garlicky sauce for chicken wings.

The last day on the Tadoussac was easygoing, with all the cleaning already completed. Lorraine had reorganized the drystore, I tidied up the freezer, and together, Lorraine and I worked on the fridge. The new racks in the fridge were different from the original, so we placed the items where we thought they belonged. We knew that the permanent cook would move things to her liking when she returned. I made cinnamon buns on Saturday instead of the usual Sunday. I made my mom's sugar cookies and cherry pie filling cake for the final day's desserts. I had a little extra time to make an instructional video of both recipes, which I hope to share with you in the near future. It will be a great memory of my time on the CSL Tadoussac.

Cinnamon bun Saturday, since Sunday was my last day.

I made instructional videos of both of these recipes. I will share them in the future.

I really enjoyed my time on the Tadoussac. The crew were very nice and I had an opportunity to spend a few days with Donna, a cook I had relieved in the past. She was visiting her boyfriend. It was nice to have a chance to chat. In the past we had just said hello in passing. I knew I would get along with her. It was always nice to join her ship. She always left everything so nice for me. Through conversation I found out that she loved cranberries, so I made cranberry orange scones before she left. I never made them before but have added them to my list of favorite recipes.

I added the orange cranberry to my list of favorite items.

The last day on the Tadoussac was easygoing, with all the cleaning already completed. Lorraine had reorganized the drystore, I tidied up the freezer, and together, Lorraine and I worked on the fridge. The new racks in the fridge were different from the original, so we placed the items where we thought they belonged. We knew that the permanent cook would move things to her liking when she returned. I made cinnamon buns on Saturday instead of the usual Sunday. I made my mom's sugar cookies and cherry pie filling cake for the final day's desserts. I had a little extra time to make an instructional video of both recipes, which I hope to share with you in the near future. It will be a great memory of my time on the CSL Tadoussac.

Lorraine always came to the galley first to let me know she was safely on board and at the end of the night…

…she would text when she left, passed my porthole, made it down the two-sectioned gangway and was safely in the car again.

We visited a few friends before making our way home. It was fun getting caught up. It is nice to be home and last night we attended an outdoor charity event. It was beautiful.

We had fun attending an outdoor charity event with Neighbor Susan and Luc. There was a tent set up with heaters. Lorraine found a nice spot by the wood stove. it was fun to be a part of a special evening. I seldom go out in the evening.

We have a few activities and events lined up. I am excited to share that after having a conversation with Andrea from DRE Designs Great Lakes Marine Products, Lorraine and I are planning to attend the opening of the Soo Locks on March 22nd.It promises to be a fun road trip and great event. I look forward to meeting Andrea in person. We are looking for a location for a book signing before or after the Soo Lock opening event. I will confirm the details when they are decided. Lorraine and I have also committed to attending Roger's "Official Launch Party for the 2025 Edition of Know Your Ships. It is Saturday, April 12th, from 10h00 to 15h00 in Algonac, MI. We look forward to the event with Roger. We were there last year and had a great time. Andrea will also be attending the event this year. Bring your books to be signed. We will also have books with us. We also hope to have an event after the Algonac Book signing. We have had many people ask us to come to the Alpena area. We are looking into the possibility to arrange a book signing in that area before or after the Algonac event in April. I will keep you updated when the details have been made. I started writing to you this morning. It is now afternoon and I will wish you a wonderful day before I sign off.