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Great Loop Stats

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  Great Loop Stats Google Earth Great Loop Route     It was the trip of a lifetime. We planned it for over 15 years and the hardest part really was just leaving the dock. Carving out this much time was certainly a challenge, but we are glad we did it. We are certainly better off for it. We grew as a couple and sharpened our navigation and problem solving skills. We met folks from all over the country, some of which will be lifelong friends. We were helped by total strangers both out of kindness and generosity and because they thought what we were doing was interesting.    The Troll     We forecasted weather and made decisions on our gut feelings and our growing experience as seaman. We traveled through new waters virtually everyday and saw things that mostly only the folks that lived there ever see. We learned how to make split decisions and pivot to plan B when we needed to and how to not make any decisions at all.    River Rats in Petoskey, MI     Now that we are home and adjusting t
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The Crossing

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  TRAVEL DAY 155 - Alligator Pt. to Steinhatchee November 29, 2023 8.87 Hours/ 69.7 Miles     This is it, one of the big moments on the trip and one that takes some planning and thought. The weather looked like it would cooperate for our 9 hour trip across the Gulf of Mexico and closer to home. We woke with a wind out of the east as predicted, so far so good. I felt certain that the first couple hours of crossing would be a little rough but not intolerable, and an east wind meant that the waves would be on our nose, the most comfortable scenario.   Alligator Pt. sunrise to start our crossing     As we turned into the Gulf we indeed have an east wind and a waves. As we proceeded and cleared Alligator Point the waves and wind increased. Still not too bad so we proceeded on. Then it got worse, then it got bad. What we were experiencing was not even close to what was predicted. All the sources got it wrong and we did too.   A little "Sporty" Better Together     Most everything th
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The Panhandle of Florida

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  TRAVEL DAY 149 - Orange Beach to Big Sabine, FL November 24, 2023 4.42 Hours/ 35.2 Miles     A cold day after Thanksgiving but clear as a bell and very little breeze. We rolled up the power cord & started the engine. The captain in the next slip helped us with our lines, and with a thick Alabama accent said "Y'all have a good trip."     Pensacola Beach     Today would be the last day with our longtime traveling companions Runaway. Pau Hana would be making a push to get to Carrabelle and an acceptable weather window to cross the Gulf to Crystal River by next weekend.     Passing a tow     By 10 am we were officially in Florida and the Dolphins came to greet us. To us, there is nothing like the Gulf Coast and today was an exceptional cruising day. We thought we were done with tows but up ahead at Dolphin Pass was a tug pushing 2 barges of fuel. I hailed him on channel 13 and got the directive to pass on the 2 as soon as he cleared the corner, and we did,   A Dolphin E
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Mobile Bay & Alabama Gulf Coast

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  TRAVEL DAY 146 - Dog River to Fairhope November 19, 2023 1.74 Hours/ 11.9 Miles     Today starts a new segment of the trip. Our plan is to cross Mobile Bay to Fairhope, Alabama to transit to the east side of the bay before heading south to the coast. Originally we had planned 2 days in Fairhope but this trip is now again weather dependent. Monday afternoon & Tuesday are forecast to be very windy and we do not want to be on open water during that time.    Dog River Sunrise     We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise over the bay and prepared for an 8:30 am departure. The fuel gauge showed low but my calculations indicated we had 30 gallons, more than enough to move the 12 or so miles to Fairhope and where the fuel was significantly cheaper than Grand Mariner.    A calm Mobile Bay     Today was a great day to cross Mobile Bay. It was chilly but calm and little waves. We made the short run across and into the harbor at Fairhope. We waited in the basin for an open spot on the fuel d
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