February 2021 – Well, the boat is still in Fort Myers, but we have joined our friends in the Bahamas, initially at Hope Town, in the Abacos. (2/11 – )
January 2021 – Pretty much stayed at the dock this month, except for one short run up the river and back one afternoon.
December 2020 – Wrap-up for the year
We started the year in the Keys, traveled 1407 miles north along the East Coast to complete our Loop in Norfolk, VA, and then explored 914 miles around the Chesapeake over the summer, before coming 1394 miles back down to Florida for the winter season. We traveled a total of 3715 miles, nearly all of it under COVID-19 restrictions; these were most acute in April and May, when we mostly anchored out, but we never faced any extreme issues with fuel, water, pump-out or dockage. But with a couple notable exceptions, there were very few events, attractions, or highlights that would typically fill a cruising year. But we, and our families, all made it through the year in good health, so that is certainly something in the ‘positive’ column.
November 2020 – With the threat of gale force winds, we ducked into a marina just short of Charleston (11/1-2). Then a beautiful day down to Beaufort, SC to take a mooring (11/3). Up early the next morning, and a long day, to anchor in Wahoo River (11/4). Then on down through the rest of Georgia to reach Florida, anchoring in Fernandina Beach (11/5). With storms and high winds forecast, we headed 25 miles up the St Johns River to dock in Ortega (11/6-10). With Eta forecast to head north, we moved down to St Augustine (11/11-12), but then it turned again and headed right for us. With the storm past, we moved on to Daytona (1/13), and then to anchor at Melbourne (11/14). We stopped in Vero Beach to visit friends (11/15), before turning off the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at Port St Lucie and heading up the St Lucie Canal to Indiantown Marina (11/16) to stage for crossing Lake Okeechobee. We crossed the lake the following day, and tied up at the Moorehaven city dock for the night (11/17). On a blustery day we transited the remaining locks on the Caloosahatchee part of the Okeechobee Waterway, and arrived at our long term stop for the rest of the year, Legacy Harbour Marina, in Fort Myers (11/18).
October 2020 – Finishing up a few more boat projects, checking in on friends in the area before we load up for our southward migration. We left Castle Harbor and moved the boat to Herrington Harbour North for some necessary service work before heading on South. (10/11-17). We started our journey south with another stop in Solomons (10/18). Then a long jump down the Bay to Hampton,VA (10/19). Out of the Bay and entered the AICW, stopping first at Coinjock, NC (10/20). Then a long jump across the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico River, to anchor in Snode Creek (10/21). We then pushed on, to return to Mile Hammock Bay, at Camp Lejeune (10/22), where we had stopped on the way North. On Friday, we made Carolina Beach, and took a mooring ball in the municipal mooring field for short break (10/23-24). Then down to Holden Beach where we were hauled for bottom paint (10/25-30). Back underway on Saturday, past Myrtle Beach, SC to anchor in a remote creek near an abandoned canal development (10/31).
September 2020 – The boat stayed still at Castle Harbor Marina the whole month, getting some projects and engine service done. We hit the road and visited family and friends back in New York. Colder temps start to remind us that it’s time to think of heading South.
August 2020 – After 10 days sitting still, we are off to DC; we left mid-morning on the 11th, stopping first at Solomons, anchoring in Mill Creek in front of our friends’ house. Then on down to the Potomac River, for the long haul up to DC; we anchored at Port Tobacco River on 8/12, and then all the way up for two nights in DC at the new Wharf Marina (8/13-14). Turning south again, we stopped at the Wicomico River (8/15), and then up the Saint Mary’s River (8/16), before returning to the Chesapeake Bay, to anchor in Mill Creek again (8/17), and back to Castle Harbor Marina on 8/18.
July 2020 – After a month at York River Yacht Haven, it felt great to be underway again. We crossed the Bay to Cape Charles, VA, on the Eastern Shore (7/7). From there, we went north, and anchored at Onancock. (7/8) Then back across the Bay for a delightful stay at a friend’s dock at Solomons. (7/9-7/18) We then continued northward to return to our long-time home marina, Herrington Harbour North. (7/18-7/20) Back across the Bay for a night on the hook (7/20), and then to Kent Island to meet up with friends at Piney Narrows Yacht Haven (7/21). Heading north and up the Chester River, we anchored overnight at Conquest Beach (7/22), for the day at Chestertown, and then 2 overnights at Corsica River (7/23-24). We took a mooring ball at Rock Hall (7/25), and then went up the Sassafras River to Georgetown, MD, where we stayed two nights at the Sailing Associates Marina (7/26-27). Heading up to the top of the Chesapeake, and partway into the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, we stopped at the free city dock in Chesapeake City to meet up with Ben’s brother Will (7/28-29). Then back down to Rock Hall, (7/30-31), and finally settling in to Castle Harbor Marina as our August haven. (8/1-….)
June 2020: We left New Bern on June 2, stopping that night at the RE Mayo Seafood dock, a commercial fishing outfit that rents out space on their rough waterfront dock. Then a long day to an anchorage at the top of Alligator River (6/3). (Saw no alligators) On to Coinjock, and their famous prime rib (6/4). Then on Friday, June 5th, up to Norfolk to ‘cross our wake’, after 402 days and 6200 miles. After a few days there, we moved up to York River Yacht Haven, for a month-long rest stop (6/7).
May 2020: Our first stop after St Augustine, moving northward, was at a free municipal dock on the outskirts of Jacksonville (4/2). From there, an easy run to anchor near Fernandina, where we went ashore on Amelia Island to walk the town (4/3). After making our way across St Andrews Sound (much less drama than expected), we docked at Jekyll Island for 2 nights (5/4&5). Then onward to anchor in the Georgia salt marshes at Crescent River (5/6). The next day, a long one, took us to a remote anchorage in the New River, in South Carolina (5/7). We took a mooring ball at Beaufort, SC, and explored the town (5/8). Then to Charleston to the swanky Carolina Yacht Club for 2 nights (5/9&10). Two more nights at anchor, Awendaw Creek (5/11), and Butler Island (5/12). We then spent several nights in marinas, at Wacca Wache Marina near Murrells Inlet, (5/13), Barefoot Marina near Myrtle Beach (5/14), Southport, NC (5/15), and Wilmington, NC (5/16). On 5/17, we made a long jump down from Wilmington and over to a protected anchorage near Camp Lejeune, to hunker down for Tropical Storm Arthur. Turns out that it went by with a whimper, so we followed it up the coast on a day with mixed clouds and sunshine (but brisk north winds), bypassing Morehead City / Beaufort and anchoring just short of the Neuse River, in popular Cedar Creek anchorage (5/18). The inclement weather forecasted the next day meant that we traveled up the Neuse River to New Bern in the rain, docking for a several week stay at the New Bern Grand Marina. (5/19) One year to the day after leaving Herrington Harbour North northward on our Great Loop journey.
April 2020: Began the month still at Skipjack Marina. Departed on the 21st to begin our trek up the East Coast. Anchored at Rodriguez Key, then on to Miami (4/22), where we joined about four dozen other boats anchored in view of the Miami skyline. Then into the ICW to anchor at Fort Lauderdale (4/23), and then West Palm Beach(4/24). Then a marina stop at Fort Pierce (4/25). After waiting out thunderstorms, up to Melbourne, at anchor again (4/26). Monday (4/27) was a bright, breezy and cool ride up to anchor at Titusville, in view of the Cape Canaveral complex. Then onward to anchor again at Daytona Beach (4/28). On Wednesday (4/29) we took a ball at the municipal mooring field in St Augustine for three nights.
March 2020: Finally, underway again! (For a day…) Along the lower Keys to the Boca Chica Marina at the Key West Naval Air Station. (3/1) Stayed for three weeks, and under pressure from rapidly developing coronavirus measures both on and off base, moved back up to Marathon (3/22) , this time to Skipjack Marina.
January & February 2020: The boat stayed at Sombrero Marina, in Marathon, FL, for two months, and we mostly stayed aboard, except for a couple small field trips.
2019 Recap: Seven months after we pulled out of our home slip at Herrington Harbour North on 1 May, we end the year having covered 4965 miles. We traveled on just over half (125) the days during that time, averaging just under 40 miles on each day we traveled.
Including our trip south to the AGLCA Rendezvous in Norfolk, we traveled 1059 miles up the east coast and across New York State to the 1000 Islands. Our Canadian leg was 680 miles, from Kingston, ON, to Detour Village, Michigan. After traveling 489 miles down Lake Michigan to Chicago, we then traversed the inland rivers down to Mobile, AL – a total of 1826 miles, including a 500-mile sidetrip up the Tennessee River to Chattanooga.
We crossed ‘lower Alabama’ and the Florida panhandle (270 miles), before jumping off from Carabelle across the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs, a 178-mile overnight crossing.
We then slowly meandered our way 460 miles down the Florida gulf coast to Marathon in the lower Keys, where we plan to stay for two months R&R.
Life is good.
December 2019: We began the month at Regatta Point Marina, in Palmetto, FL (12/1-2). A nice short day to the Sarasota mooring field (12/3), and then on to a unique anchorage in Cape Haze – Pelican Bay – surrounded by million dollar homes (12/4). Then on to the real Pelican Bay, off the Cayo Costa state park; that’s more like it! (12/5-6) Then down to Sanibel, and anchored near St James City (12/7). On 12/8, we docked at a marina again, at the Ft Myers Yacht Basin. After a few nights downtown, we moved the boat up the Caloosahatchee River for some service at Owl Creek Boatyard. (12/10) Meanwhile, we made a quick-turn trip to Maryland to retrieve our car, and drove it back to Florida, where we are staying with friends for a few days in Cape Coral. When the boat work was finished, we brought the boat up a series of neighborhood canals to dock right at our friends’ house. (12/18-24). We wound up staying through Christmas Day, and then backtracked a bit to anchor again at St James City (12/25). Then we went a short ways to dock at the Pink Shell Resort on Ft Myers Beach (12/26), before heading down to anchor at Marco Island to stage for heading for the Keys (12/27-28). We jumped out early the next day, and stopped over at Little Shark River, on the edge of the Everglades (12/29), before cruising down to our winter layover spot in Marathon (12/30). (338 miles, on 12 days underway)
November 2019: Beginning our trip down the Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom) Waterway. First stop was an anchorage near Fulton, MS (11/1), then on to Columbus Marina (11/2). The next morning we headed out to the lock only to find FOG waiting for us at the bottom – the first hour and half we ran staring into the white stuff, and sounding the horn every two minutes – it eventually burned off and we made it to anchor in Lower Cooks Bend oxbow (11/3). Hard push to Demopolis (11/4); no fog (!) the next morning – 95 miles to Bobby’s Fish Camp (11/5). The next morning (11/6)- no fog again – hard push with flood-water current – 106 miles to anchor in Big Bayou Canot, 17 miles short of Mobile Bay. The next morning (11/7) we are up at sunrise again, and make a short day of getting down through busy Mobile harbor to Dog River Marina. After two nights (11/7-8), we crossed Mobile Bay and entered the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, stopping at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, AL for two nights (11/9-10). Then on to the marina at Pensacola Naval Air Station for three nights – rainstorm, gale, frost. (11/11-13) Another cold, grey, and wet day traveling to Destin. (11/14) Cold and windy to Panama City. (11/15) On a (finally) sunny, but blustery day, we run all the way to Carabelle (11/16). The next day, we make our overnight crossing of the Gulf, to Tarpon Springs, where we stay for 2 nights (11/17-18-19). On 11/20, we continue on to Clearwater Beach, with plans to stay for a week. Ahhh, that was nice! The day before Thanksgiving (11/27) we moved down to a very busy anchorage near Gulfport for an overnight, and then up to dock at the Tampa Convention Center for a couple nights (11/28-29). We travel on the last day of the month down to Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto. (11/30) (1041 miles; 18 days underway, 12 days stationary)
October 2019: OK, it’s really freaking hot; we bail out on staying at our next anchorage and head to Paris Landing Marina a day early instead. A couple nights there, and then 31 miles down to Pebble Isle Marina. A couple more nights plugged in there, then down the river to anchor behind Beech Creek Island. Stayed 2 nights, due to thunderstorms, then we moved to Diamond Island anchorage. The next day we locked up into Pickwick Lake, to stay at Aqua Yacht Harbor for three nights. Then, on up the Tennessee River, to Joe Wheeler State Park Marina, site of the AGLCA Rendezvous, for a week. After leaving the Rendezvous, we head for Chattanooga, stopping at Ditto Landing in Huntsville, Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, and at Little Cedar Mountain anchorage, before arriving at the Chattanooga waterfront. After 3 nights in Chattanooga, we returned to Goose Pond Marina in a long 87 mile day. Then, in the rain, we went back to Ditto Landing in Huntsville again, this time for several nights due to high winds, and to do a couple land excursions. Then to an anchorage near Decatur, and finally a long leg through two locks back to Aqua Yacht for a few days to end the month. (669 miles; 14 days underway, 17 days stationary)
September 2019: Making the most of Labor Day weekend, we made good time down the river, anchoring first at Henry, IL, and then Havana, IL. Then into Heritage Harbor marina, and onward to tie up at a couple old barges at Logston Tug Service. Followed the next night by some old metal docks out in front of Mel’s Riverside Restaurant. From there, into the Mississippi and a stop at the very nice Alton Marina. After taking advantage of a dockage special for a 6 day stop, we covered most of our Mississippi River leg in two long stretches, first to tie up at the Kaskaskia Lock, and then anchored just short of Cairo, IL. On Friday the 13th, we headed down the last 8 miles of the Mississippi, and turned upstream on the Ohio River, transiting the new Olmsted Lock, and continuing up to Paducah, KY. We pushed on the next day to Green Turtle Bay marina, for a two-week stay. When we finally started moving again, we took some short hops down the Kentucky Lake side of the ‘Land Between the Lakes’, anchoring in Pisgah Bay, Vickers Bay, and ending the month at Clay Bar. (597 miles; 12 days underway, 18 days stationary)
August 2019: We start the month at the farthest north point in our loop, anchored in a beautiful little anchorage on Long Point. Stayed two nights, then on to Meldrum Bay, for our last night in Canada. August 4th, we are back in the USA, at De Tour Village, Michigan. Then, we scored a slip at Mackinac Island! We kept St Ignace reservations just in case, but we were lucky to get a ‘first-available’ slip at the hard-to-get-into Mackinac Island State Harbor, for two nights. Then, up early and under the Mackinac Bridge on our way down the Michigan shoreline to Petoskey. We wound up staying there three nights, due to high winds, then we headed south to an anchorage on South Manitou Island. Really pretty, and the beginning of sand dune country. The next morning, off to Frankfort, where we anchored right off the town marina for a couple nights, then onward to Ludington for another marina stay, at the municipal marina. We next went on to Pentwater, with a couple other boats – they stayed in the marina, and we anchored out. With high winds in the forecast for the weekend, the only reservations we could get was in Whitehall, a real small-town stop, where we holed up through a couple bad storms for three nights. Then on to Grand Haven where we wound up meeting up with 9 other Looper boats also staying in town, at a couple different marinas. From there, down to Saugatuck to anchor for a couple nights – reservations were very hard to get. A short run to South Haven, where we stayed two nights in the Municipal Marina with an armada of cigarette boats. Then up at first light for a longer run down to Michigan City, Indiana, for one night. The next morning, up early and off to Hammond for fuel, and maybe an overnight. Nope, conditions were good to turn west, and continue on to Chicago. Nice mooring, right within view of the city skyline. We stayed three nights, and picked the best weather day to head on down into the river system. Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we traveled through downtown Chicago (wow) and made it to the free town wall in Joliet. Then, we transited three more locks to end the month at Heritage Harbor marina in Ottowa, IL. (651 miles; 17 days underway, 14 days stationary)
July 2019: We began the month celebrating Canada Day (July 1) in Campbellford, Ontario. On Tuesday, we pressed on toward Peterborough, stopping in a snug anchorage just off Rice Lake. We stayed two nights in Peterborough, before heading through the famous Peterborough Lift Lock and making our way to Lock 26 at Lakefield, where we spent the night. We then made a short 10 mile hop and found a great anchorage in a protected bay between some islands at the north end of Clear Lake, to wait out the weekend. Then to Bobcaygeon, where we gave up on getting a spot on the canal wall, but wound up getting a cheap marina spot (with power) instead. The next day we were again just one boat too late to get a spot on the wall at Fenelon Falls, one of the main tourist sites in the region, so we pressed on to get a nice secluded spot at the Kirkfield Lift Lock. Then to Orillia, for a bit of a stand-down break. We departed with a group of four other boats, to push for the Big Chute, but we pulled over instead in the “Lost Channel” – how could we not? Then, on through the last two locks to the Georgian Bay, where we first went to Midland, for final provisioning, fueling, and readiness. Then on into the area of the Georgian Bay called the 30,000 Islands; first overnight at Indian Harbor. Then we went and rafted with Justified in Echo Bay, with a number of other boats. From there to a very popular anchorage in Kilcoursie Bay, part of the Killbear Provincial Park, and then on to Hopewell Bay, that we had almost all to ourselves on a windy afternoon. Then we made a longer run, almost 40 miles, mostly out in open water, up to the Bustard Islands, part of the French River Provincial Park. Neat anchorage – saw a bear swim across the channel. Then up the Bad River to anchor near Devils Door rapids. Great day of dinghy exploring, and running the rapids. Then another trek out in the bay to jump to Killarney for dinghy gas, and a bit farther for one more night out, in Covered Portage anchorage, before back to a night at Sportsman’s Inn Marina, in Killarney. Then to Baie Fine, where we anchored in The Pool for two nights. Sunday (28th) we headed through Little Current all the way to the Benjamins, a group of islands, to anchor in a protected harbor for stormy weather that was inbound. The next morning we moved down to Gore Bay Marina for two nights, where we were happy to be tied up during a strong squall on Monday, and high winds on Tuesday. Wednesday we moved back north, to a Hotham Island anchorage to end the month. (486 miles; 21 days underway, 10 days stationary)
June 2019: We began the month with a four-day stop at Norrie Point State Park Marina, then an anchorage enroute to the Erie Canal. A stop at a small marina after a long first day of lockages, then a stay in Schenectady’s Mohawk Harbor. A nice visit from Ben’s parents, and then onward to Amsterdam, Canajoharie, and Little Falls. On the leg to Sylvan Beach, at the head of Oneida Lake, the locks started to go down rather than up. We crossed Oneida Lake on a nice quiet day, stopping once enroute to Oswego, before transiting one last lock to head out into Lake Ontario. We crossed to the northern end of the lake on a quiet, mostly sunny, day to anchor out before going on to Clayton for the weekend. From Clayton, we crossed over into Canada at Kingston, Ontario where we stayed for two days before moving on to Trenton. We entered the Trent-Severn Waterway with a long day up the canal to Campbellford, where we stayed to wait out the holiday weekend. (495 miles; 16 days underway, 14 days stationary)
May 2019: On May 1st, we left our home marina, Herrington Harbour North, bound for Norfolk, VA and the AGLCA Rendezvous. Starting on May 10th, we began making forward progress on our Loop, making a final stopover at HHN to finalize a few last details. We were then onward, out of the Chesapeake Bay, down the Delaware Bay in time for Memorial Day Weekend. We did a 100 mile leg in the Atlantic Ocean, and after a few more stops, passed the Statue of Liberty and headed up the Hudson River to Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton on Hudson. (687 miles; 15 days underway, 16 days stationary)