There are many mature folk in the world who spend their lives wishing they had done this or that, dreaming of what they might do "some day", or simply thinking "if only ...." , but Gillian Outerbridge isn't one of them.

Having spent two summers successfully mastering the challenges of cruising the rivers, waterways and canals of the northeastern US and southeastern Canada in her 20-foot sailboat, Dart, with her faithful terrier Tucker as crew, she has now written a book of her adventures which she hopes will inspire others, and women in particular, to get out and fulfill their dreams before it's too late.

For the 60-year-old divorced mother of three, grandmother and successful business woman, the wake-up call came during a terrifying experience in her home, during which she was held at knifepoint by an intruder, and felt she was about to die.

"I thought, 'My life is nearly over and I haven't done what I came to Bermuda to do'," she says. "I think in life people, and perhaps women especially, get these wake-up calls and think, 'Hang on a minute. What else is there in life that I nearly didn't do?'

"Aferwards, I thought, 'What is important?' So the first thing I did was sit down and write letters to my children and my mother telling them how much I cared for them. I told my mother what a wonderful mother she was and how much she meant to me. I talked about her qualities, and I thought, 'I nearly didn't have a chance to tell her, or my children. I would have just gone' ."

Mrs. Outerbridge also took stock of her life, and remembered that the reason she came to Bermuda 40 years ago was to save enough money to buy a boat and sail to Greece. Instead, she met and married her (now-ex) husband George, raised three children, ran a business, and bought a house.

Then she was on her own and growing older, with her interest in waterways undiminished, and Greece still an unfulfilled dream. She had her sailboat, sowhat was holding her back?

"I had a very successful business and colleagues from whom I couldn't just walk away, as well as a home, family and friends," Mrs. Outerbridge says.

In fact, it took five years for her to gradually pull away from her Bermuda ties and ship Dart to New York on the Oleander; and a further three weeks toclear US Customs, and have the little vessel delivered to a marina on the Hudson river, from whence she and her beloved 'Tucker' would set forth on their odyssey.

Instead of the European waterways, however, the carefully planned itinerary would pass through the inland waterways, lakes and open waters of the northeastern US and southeastern Canada. Greece would be foregone — or would it?

"One night I dreamt I could go to Greece on the American waterways, and when I woke up in the morning and got out a US atlas and looked up 'Greece', there it was: right on the Erie Canal!" Mrs. Outerbridge says. "I thought that was a sign, and that made me finalise my plans. I was going to Greece, New York, and from then on everything just fell into place."

Her chosen route was up the Hudson River, left into the Erie Canal, across Lake Ontario, through the Rideau waterway to Ottawa and Montreal, south down Lake Champlain and the Champlain River, and back down the Hudson river. The journey would be tackled in two phases, with a winter break in between.

An experienced boater who first took to the water as a child, Mrs. Outerbridge had armed herself with all the necesary charts, guide books, internet, and cruising associations and clubs information — but with no experience of launching herself into the unknown. By her own admission she was "very, very nervous" about that until Bjorn, a sailing buddy from Norway, called out of the blue and offered to sail the first leg with her.

"In all, four different guys joined me at various stages of the trip and I jokingly say they were all a pain in the butt," Mrs. Outerbridge says. "My ex-husband George came with me for the crossing of Lake Ontario, which is very treacherous, and that was very good of him. Tim, a friend from England who lives in New Jersey, spent time with me, and Barry, whom I had known for years, came from England and did part of the Canadian waterway with me — but I think I was happiest with Tucker."

With no deadlines to meet, the gutsy grandmother's liberating journey of self-discovery and adventure began in May 2002 and ended confident in the knowledge that she could do anything she set her mind to.

Of course, there were challenges to meet and hurdles to overcome, the most daunting of which, perhaps, was learning to get her little sailboat successfully in and out of the many locks along the way — a tricky process never before undertaken, which involved positioning, grabbing cables, tieing up and holding the boat steady as it rose, in some cases 30 feet. Sometimes Mrs. Outerbridge was the only boat in the lock, which meant that there was no-one to share the experience with, but the lock keepers were a friendly lot who kept in touch with each other and the boats they were expecting, so it was not uncommon for someone to say, "Oh, you must be the lady from Bermuda, and this must be Tucker."

Indeed, not only did she and Tucker make friends with the lock keepers but also many others along the way. Very often the cute little dog was the catalyst as it explored new territory ashore.

The duo's days began with a morning walk which included visits to such places as the grocery store, wine shop, bakery and library, but the evening walk belonged to Tucker.

"I'd tell her, 'OK, I'll follow you', and quite often she would take me straight to the ice cream parlour. She loves ice cream, and could smell it a long way off," Mrs. Outerbridge says.

Generally on a lead, the Jack Russell terrier would sometimes be freed to run in a park, which worked well until she spied a squirrel, in which case distance and disobedience did not lend enchantment to her 'mum'.

Having bought a brand new engine before the journey began, Mrs. Outerbridge says it behaved "perfectly" throughout, as did Dart, a Flicka sailboat, itself.

Apparently, there are over 400 Flickas around the world, and they do ocean crossings all the time, so the single-handed sailor knew she had a good boat, albeit no luxury vessel. There was no enclosure, so when it was cold or wet she had to dress accordingly, and it had no toilet. There was an ice box, and she cooked on a two-burner gas stove. However, such was the camaraderie among waterway boaters that evening meals were generally spent in the company of new-found friends, sometimes in a restaurant, and sometimes enjoying an impromptu pot-luck.

Swimming off the back of the boat was something else the skipper and her mate also enjoyed, with the little dog scampering back up the ladder like a pro. Tucker also loved watching men fish off a dock with hand lines, and if asleep below deck when Dart's engine kicked in, she never failed to respond enthusiastically, equating the sound ause to a new shoreside adventure.

Whether Mrs. Outerbridge's days were leisurely or busy, the former journalist, who is also artist and keen photographer, faithfully kept a daily journal, which ultimately became the genesis of her debut book, 'Going About!' which is now in local stores just in time for Christmas. A charming read from start to finish, it is both an inspiration and proof that it is never too late to fulfill one's dreams. Indeed, in it the author admits that she has emerged from her adventure a stronger, braver and more nautically proficient person.

"I didn't think I could write a book, but one day I just sat down and said, 'I willwrite a few articles'. Before I knew it I had written 33 chapters, so I had a book." Happenstance led to the Nautical Publishing Company contacting her, and the rest is history.

Naturally, at the end of a five-month, two-part odyssey covering many miles, Mrs. Outerbridge returned home with countless memories to savour. Asked to list the most outstanding, she says: "The magical times."

"The Mohawk river is one of my favourites. I was steaming through one of the most historically significant parts of America, with beautiful homes, fortifications and museums. It was fascinating. Because I was only travelling at 5 mph, I saw everything — birds, farms, rushes, beautiful estates and there was no traffic and no noise."

Setting foot in Greece, New York was another special highlight.

Recently, Mrs. Outerbridge was made an Honorary Commodore by the board of directors of the Seven Seas Cruising Association for her "substantial contributions to the organisation and its ideals", following 25 years as the Bermuda cruising station port representative until she decided to do some cruising of her own.

As for the future, 'retirement' is not in the Outerbridge lexicon. Instead, she has purchased a small Maple Bay 27, named it Patience, and along with Tucker, plans to continue voyaging as funds permit.

* 'Going About' is available at the Book Cellar in St. George's, the Bermuda Bookstore and on amazon.com It retails for $22.95. Mrs. Outerbridge also gives illustrated talks on her adventure. For further information e-mail flickabda[AT]yahoo.com