Reactions from Readers

  "I want to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation for your on-going account of your family's trip around the world. From the very beginning, I have been enthralled by the lyrical beauty of your writing.... As a resident of Orleans, I look forward to the day when I will be able to personally thank you and offer you a giant bag of Hershey kisses for all the pleasure you have given me.''  

             - Richard Lussier

  “As I stood on the beach, only a metre away when you stepped ashore, a feeling of infinite sadness and loss swept over me. The feeling one gets when saying goodbye to loved ones, not knowing when you will see them again. No longer will you be part of my life, the eagerly awaited dispatches have come to their safe conclusion. A joyful but sad finale. Following your departure those four short years ago. I was filled with horror, fear, but absolute admiration and awe for your pluck and determination at embarking on such a voyage. I can only imagine what your families were feeling. Thank you, thank you for all you have given, sharing yourselves so openly, your joys, sorrows, hopes and fears. Your humanitarianism is a shining example to us all. Welcome home, my prayers will be with you as you adjust back into your life in Orleans. God bless you all, and thank you for bringing some "Magic" into my life.

- Lynne Brooks

  “I did not even wait for my coffee to read the dispatch this morning... and like Diane writing it, I had tears in my eyes reading it. And I also had tears in my eyes last Sunday when we saw Northern Magic go by on the Ottawa River. My family and I greeted you on the river (the last house east of Petrie Island) with a big Welcome Home sign. We would not have missed your return home for anything. Like so many Citizen readers, I am sad that it is over. What you did is so incredible. Thank you for sharing your four-year trip with us. I look forward to reading your book; I will probably read a section every Saturday morning with my coffee!

- Monique DesLauriers

  “I have just finished reading Diane's last dispatch and I am already in withdrawal. What a wonderful adventure. Thank you for letting us share your experiences. We enjoyed following you around the world and are thankful that you are safely home.”

- Marian Cumming

  “Just read your last dispatch. I think if was one of the most emotional dispatch you have written. It makes me think about my own family and life in the city and the envy I feel. Your experience will last forever and will be replayed by you in your minds for many years to come. This treasure you have brought back in your hearts and minds is priceless.

- Angelika Gruhs

  “I have enjoyed immensely sharing your adventures as you circumnavigated the globe. You have touched the hearts of so many readers as you candidly reported the ups and downs of your travels. Several dispatches were particularly poignant. I felt for you as you awaited alone for the results of your breast cancer test. Many others were equally touching. Your last dispatch leaves me very emotional as I feel for your mixed emotions of returning. I hope to meet you briefly at the homecoming. I have made a small token of my appreciation for your weekly dispatches and hope it will serve as token of the affection we have all felt for you and family. Thank you!

- Beth Mackay 

  “My wife and I have been reading with, fascination, the episodes of the Northern Magic. We would like to thank the Stuemer family and the Ottawa Citizen for sharing this fabulous experience with us. In particular we have enjoyed Mrs. Stuemer's very human and intimate style in telling the story.
We are so happy that there is a book planned. We hope that there will be even more opportunities to read what Mrs. Stuemer may have to tell about in the future.”  

            - Owen Nasr

  “Diane’s description of what happened to them at Three Rivers - dispatch # 124, I believe - rates way up there with the best and should win a Pulitzer. Great teaching tool for Creative Writing. Thoroughly engages the reader. Felt by the end I had lived through it all.” 

            - Michelle Barrett

  “You have captured the attention & imagination of those of us who only dream of travelling the globe. I've enjoyed your dispatches through the years. It will indeed be strange to not have your column to read anymore. I think that I am most struck by your words when you describe a moment in which you want to engrave in your memory to relive over & over through the years. Our kids grow so quickly & change so rapidly, I envy you, Diane & Herbert, to have had your children close to you for the last four years. My hearty congratulations to you, as parents, for having the courage to take this voyage.

            - Laurie Becksted
 
  “I lived this journey vicariously through you. Your children have received a gift that cannot be compared to anything they will receive in the future. You have done something truly wonderful for them and for those of us who wish we could have gone for the ride. Thank you again.”

 - Stephan Friend

  “Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure with so many of us and for being so human with the people you have met along the way. Your description of some places (eg: Egypt) really made me laugh, as they are so true. You have a real gift of writing. Welcome home. I am glad God kept you all safe during your voyage.”

            - Line Gregoire 

  “Anxiously awaiting your book. Your courage, determination and perseverance have to propelled you into stardom, you people are genuine heroes. As everybody says: "Saturday mornings will never be the same, you have left your mark and then some, looking forward to reading about your travels in your upcoming book."

            - Mario Boileau

“Last Sunday on Petrie Island was great. We could see many boats heading east to meet Northern Magic. The crowd kept growing but the highlight (for me) was looking at the horizon and seeing Northern Magic escorted by all those boats and in the background, the traffic on hwy 17 at a standstill...what a sight!”

             - Lyne Desjardins  

“Thank you for allowing all of us "armchair sailors" to be included in your wonderful adventures over the last 4 years. I have enjoyed every installment since your trip began. You shared so much with your readers - your fears, hopes, frustrations and joys. You will have to continue writing Diane - you have a wonderful talent. Thanks again and welcome home.”

- Sheila Pocock

  “My husband and I started first heard about your adventure when you were in the Galapagos Islands and have been hooked ever since. Thank you and your family for a most wonderful adventure. I was glad you all made it back home safely but I am also sad the adventure has ended, but alas all good things must come to an end. Your dispatches are definitely going to be missed, the Saturday paper is not going to be the same without you. Look forward to getting your book and seeing how the family is makes out back home.”

             - Susan Macklin  

  “Why is it that I can't read your dispatches without getting a tear in the eye?”

-  Jim and Ellen Smith

  “Thank you so very much for sharing your experiences with those of us lucky enough to have received the Ottawa Citizen. I started reading your adventures two years ago after moving from Toronto. I look forward to your book. I was one of the thousands to greet the family home at Petrie Island - welcome back and thank you once again.”

            - Karen McLeod 

  “I have treasured the time I was able to spend every Saturday morning with your dispatch from the Northern Magic. I have followed your route around the world and have enjoyed the trip! Thank you for making it so memorable and wonderful and vivid. I will be on that list to get the first book, hot off the presses. A heartfelt thanks from me.”

- Donna Pascal

  “Congratulations on reaching your goal of circumnavigating the globe and a big ‘Thank You’ for four years of wonderful Saturday mornings.”

            - Jacqueline McKenzie 

  “Once again Stuemers - welcome home. Not one to be outdone, I leaned on my car horn as long as I dared, and as long as my wife and kids would permit me as you coasted to your anchoring spot, surrounded by a flotilla of mixed watercraft. I was both overwhelmed and proud to bear witness to the thousands of friends, fans and family who were there to greet you today.”

            - Vic Rajewski

“Welcome Home! During your trip my family and I moved to Ottawa and away again. While we were there, I got hooked on your weekly dispatches and have continued following your exploits in the year since we moved away. Your voyage has been an inspiration to me. I wish I had the courage to sail around the world. I wish you fair skies and following seas in your future endeavours, you've touched my family and me in a very rememberable way. Godspeed.”

- David Layfield

 “Rejoiced and agonized with you all of your journey. Thanks for being compassionate human beings.”

            - Arlene & Bob Salmon 

  “It was incredibly terrific to be a part of your homecoming today. You have no idea how thrilled I was to be there. Thousands must have turned out to see you safely pass by. I hadn't anticipated how much of a rush it would be to share in your arrival at Petrie Island. When you returned my wave, it really hit me - you truly are Canadian heroes to each and every one of us, not only because of where you have sailed, but because of the way you have reached out to so many others along the way, so successfully, and so unselfishly. You have represented Canada unofficially, but you have been and still are our most famous Ambassadors. It was wonderful to hear your voices, and to see both the tears and the sparkle in your eyes as you described a few of your many adventures and the people you have met en route. Not many of us could manage to sing more than a few words of O CANADA before getting all choked up.”

            - Graham Vokey 

  “We went to the river, today, to welcome you back to Orleans. I don't know which were the more plentiful, my tears of excitement or the rain on my face. We stopped again, along the highway and parked just beside the road so that we could observe more closely. It was a very heartwrenching experience.

            - Betty Clermont 
 
 “Never in a million years would I want to emulate your endeavour. However I am very proud to live in a country that includes folks like you as residents and allows people like yourselves to pursue their adventures. Like thousands of others I will have to kick my Saturday morning Northern Magic habit. Most of all thank you for sharing your adventures with the arm chair sailors.”

            - Mike Sharpe

  “I was at Petrie Island this afternoon to greet you back from your odyssey. You are an inspiration to us all present and thank you so much for sharing with us the thrills and tribulation of your voyage. I have always been touched by your frankness demonstrated in your weekly dispatch, which I always read with great anticipation, and your speech this afternoon was no different. Good luck to each and everyone of you in your re-adjustment to land life. My Saturday morning read will never be the same.

            - André Léger  

  “Thank you all so much for four great years, our hearts, laughs and tears were always with you and today the reality of what your fine family have accomplished hit home hard. Northern Magic was not quite as large as we had somehow imagined. We left our Marina at 10.30 am this morning and came upon your beautiful boat, flags raised just before Rockland Marina, what an amazing feeling for all passengers on board, one we will never forget . Thank you for bringing the closeness of your family home to all of us. We welcome you home and thank all the powers that be that you arrived safe and smiling, and to Michael, whom we witnessed swimming to the shores of the Ottawa River. Thank you, thank you ALL for the pleasure of being part of the final leg of your journey. May you all continue to grow and share in each other’s company.”

        - Patricia, Brian, Harriet, Joan, Will 
 

“Superb saga. I have followed your trials, tribulations and triumphs and congratulate you. You have brought the real world closer to us all.”

            - John Garland 

  “Your dispatches, Diane, have given me so much pleasure and vicarious adventure that I just had to go down to Petrie Island to welcome you home. As someone who also chokes-up easily, I think I cried as much as you did during the speeches. And I didn't even get off the dock. It is hard to believe it is all over.”

            - Clarke Hamel 

  “Dear Stuemer family, what will I look for, first in the Saturday Citizen now??? Yes, for the last 4 yrs I made sure I would not miss my weekly visit aboard your sail boat every Saturday. It is 12:17 Sunday p.m. in a few minutes you will all be back home. Thank you for sharing your lives, your hopes and questions with us during these last 4 years. Thanks for the great adventure we shared with you.”

 - Louise Currie

  “We have taken great pleasure in following your travels and welcome you all home today, glad that you are safely back. Your family values have inspired us in so many ways. Congratulations on the completion of your dream and best wishes to each of you as you embark on the new challenges in your lives. Thank you for your wonderful articles, Diane. My Saturday mornings just won't be the same without your stories.”

- Dianne Hay

  “Welcome home to all of you and, Diane, thanks for the exciting, heartwarming, sometimes chilling, always exciting chronicle you've given to all of us.”
            - Elaine Bazinet Smith 

  “The headline "Northern Magic-Last Dispatch" brings sadness as your marvellous trip comes to an end. No more Saturday feature to read over a cup of coffee and anxiously scan the article to make sure all is well. Congratulations on making your dream come true.”

            - Nancy Fecteau 

  “As I write this greeting, you are within three hours of Petrie Island and I will be one of many to welcome you home. Each Saturday morning I have looked forward to each installment of your adventure Diane, not because I was living my life vicariously through you but because my lifelong ambitions have paralleled yours. So today when you step off Northern Magic into the arms of so many well wishers, I will be as tearful as you because I know the bittersweetness of today - mission accomplished...but wistfully still out there in the world somewhere!!”

            - Pat Dobie
 

  “A fantastic modern day saga of the sea.”

- Hugh Hope 

  “You caught my imagination on your very first dispatch 4 years ago and thanks to you, the Saturday Citizen became an event in this house!”

            - Brenda Larocque 

  “WELCOME HOME!!! I have been following your trip from the start. What an adventure. Exciting, funny & very nerve racking at times. I am happy your all safely home, but... I am really going to miss those Saturday morning dispatches.
Looking forward to seeing you arrive at Petrie Island.”

            - Deb Lajoie  

  “Words cannot describe the feelings I have right now. I have journeyed with you for the past three years, waiting anxiously for each Sunday’s update. I have felt your joy, your pain and your terror on the high seas. Through all this time I have taken a few trips myself (Mexico, Costa Rico to Panama and through the canal) but no matter where I was, I searched for an internet cafe each Sunday. I am so happy you have fullfilled your dream but I will miss you horribly. I cannot begin to express how close I feel to you, yet if we passed on the street you would have no idea who I am. I know that there are a thousand others who, like me, want to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! It has been an incredible journey. Thank you for sharing it with us.”

- Jared DeWitt

  “Welcome home - so happy you are back safe and sound. Congratulations seems like such an anaemic word with which to reward such a remarkable journey. It is difficult to find the word that captures what all of your efforts and your well earned and unqualified success deserve. But now what are we stowaways going to do Saturday mornings??? Please consider follow-up dispatches about life after circumnavigation - we can't just stop this journey cold turkey!!
Meanwhile may your lives be filled with the same riches you have left in your wake and may fair winds blow Hershey kisses to you forever!!”

            - Sandra Plumley 

  “Wonderful stories! The Stuemers have captured the essence of life.”

            - Robin Craig 

  “Welcome home! You have done a wonderful job in safely circumnavigating our beautiful world, but you have also displayed a marvelous courage when things got very tricky. Your dispatches were the first thing we wanted to read every Saturday in the Citizen, Diane...you are a great writer and we will surely get your book. Herbert, you are one super sailor and versatile mechanic. Congratulations on your great voyage! Kids, we would love to watch you tell your pirate stories to your classmates. You too are really great sailors. We are all delighted that you made it safely home.”

            - Don and Marion Routledge 

  “What can I say that has not been said by so many others before me! Thanks for a wonderful adventure sailing around the world!!!!! I have laughed and cried over your visits to far away places and encounters with so many different people. But, now it is good to see you back! Thank God you made it through!!! At some points in your adventure I was so concerned for your welfare and safe return! Thank God everything up to now has gone so well!!!! Hats off to Captain Herbert and his patience with fixing the boat! I will be one of many ready to give you a warm welcome on August 26 in Petrie Island!”

            - Marta Varisco 

  “We've looked forward to Saturday morning papers for the last four years just to get Diane's latest dispatch on Northern Magic. We've laughed and cried with you over the years.”

            - Bob, Els & Krista Cordell 

  “If I was biting my nails while reading your dispatch, I can't imagine what you were feeling and going through while making that Atlantic crossing. There was certainly an unseen higher power at work here. I've been reading your dispatches since 1999 and have since reconsidered my desire to circumnavigate this watery planet!”

            - Vic Rajewski 

  “For nearly 4 years I have adventured vicariously through the exploits of the Stuemer family, a virtual stowaway brought to life through Diane's pen. At times, as a parent, I have cursed the sheer folly of subjecting ones' family to the incredible risk; and yet I cannot fathom how profoundly such a worldly education will enhance the lives of three young boys. I have been brought to tears and felt great joy from the experiences of this amazing family. My Saturday morning Citizen will not be the same anymore without you. Congratulations on such a successful voyage! Thank you for allowing me to ride along!!

- Munro Ross 

  “Your narrative still had us on the edge of our easy chairs until you emerged from the fog and had your first glimpse of our beloved country.”

- Fran and Jim Burton

  “As with all who have been following the adventures of this remarkable family, we wish them well and thank them so very much for the joy, tears, worry and wonder that Diane's weekly reports have given us. I'm happy they have made the final crossing in safety and look forward to seeing them arrive home to a welcoming city and country.”

            - Charlie Hendricks 

  “I laughed and cried when I read of your arrival. The Saturday Citizen will no longer have the same meaning for me. Welcome home and congratulations.”

            - Patsy and Family 

  "Like at least half the planet, I've been following your adventures on a weekly basis."

             - Louisa Thorne

  "I admire you all so much -- you have chosen to really live (although I'm sure you wonder if it isn't killing you!)

            - The Van den Bergs

"I was around the world a couple of times in the Navy in much larger and safer vessels than yours. I admire all of you for your courage, plus Herbert for his ingenuity, the kids for their faith in their parents, and Diane for her true grit amid crises and seasickness. She is such a good storyteller that I can ride the crests and sink into the troughs of her emotional waves.''

          - Alec Fox

  "Today is our small city's Santa Claus parade and everywhere we turn we are encouraged to `buy, buy, buy' for Christmas. Some times, many times, I wish I had the courage to give it all up and escape -- retreat to peace and family, etc. You are all so brave.''

          - Arlene Corrigan and family

  "Every Saturday morning I run (sort of) downstairs to find your column, Diane. I read it once, quickly, so I know the ending - that you are all OK. Then I read it again, slowly, to take in everything.''

          - Wanda Cummins

  "Just finished reading #65. I am old and could not stand such an exciting tale too often.''

          - Mina Routh

  "You are heroes to me -- of daily life with the elements, of mechanical engineering, as Canadian ambassadors of friendship.''

            - Penny Laycock

  "The weekend Citizen's accounts ... have kept us spellbound, envious, concerned and jubilant as we follow your fortunes across the oceans of the world.''

          - Tim Porter

 “I feel like I know you all and that I’m going over the waves with you. I follow you in the atlas and any books or documentaries take me to where you are. You have brought more than you will ever know into the lives of so many people and I’m sure your own. Your boys are getting a wealth of every facet of life. I love them like they are my relatives. Remember how much joy you bring to others by sharing your experiences with us. God Bless you all.

– Emily Acton