June 11th, 12th Days 331 & 332

June 11th
Nice to wake up and know there was no planning left to do.
We did surprise John and Cindy yesterday as they pulled into the steak bake it was great to see them.
Today Dylan, Shelly and Abby came down to the bake. We had a great day. Dylan and I came in 2nd in the
horseshoe tournament and Abby got a big fish trophy at the fishing derby. Shelly and Abby went home after dinner and Dylan stayed with us for the ride home.

June 12th
Go up and had a great breakfast. After breakfast everyone got their boats ready for the trip back to their marinas. Dylan Lin and I shoved off at 10:30am heading to our home port. Every mile we went got us closer to home. It was a nice sight as we pulled into the port of Albany. Things really made us feel we were close to home as we entered the Federal Lock in Troy. As we approached our last bridge there stood our daughter and granddaughter, also on the bridge taking pictures were our friends John and Don. One last lock and we could see our marina. There were good friends and family waiting on the dock for as Lin and I were on the bow with Dylan at the helm as we crossed our wake we raised our Gold Looper flag.
This adventure took us 6,018miles thru 17 state two Canadian provinces, thru 155 locks in 332 days.
Along the way we met some great new friends and saw some nice places. We had good days and a few bad ones but overall we are glad we did it.
For those who followed us we are glad you came along and hope you enjoyed our travels as much as we did. For now we are in our home port at Lock One Marina and will miss traveling and doing our blog.

Thanks for following along with us, hope you enjoyed the ride.

Lin & Rich Gold Loopers
Lock One Marina
Waterford New York

June 8th, 9th and 10th Days Days 328, 329 & 330

June 8th
As we pulled into RCYC yesterday afternoon our good friends Marty and Joan were there to catch our lines. It was great to see old(not age wise) friends waiting for us. After a great reunion and getting Goofin Off settled into a familiar dock we headed to JOKER for cocktails and catching up time. Joan and Marty made us a great welcome home dinner of chicken and ribs topped with friendship. It was surely a great day as we traveled familiar waters and were greeted by great friends.
June 9th
It was nice to wake up at a marina we have spent much time at over our boating career knowing planning travel plans and courses have come to an end. We are about 30 miles from our home port at Lock One Marina and the completion of our Great Loop adventure. We have mixed feelings about this adventure coming to an end. We are looking forward to seeing family and old friends but will miss the new friends we have met and the wondering where we will be next and how the weather will treat us. We talked with Shelly and plans were made to surprise our Grandchildren Dylan and Abby. Shelly took Dylan out of school early and told the kids she had to drop off a lock pass with Marty so we could get thru the locks next week.
As she drove down the marina road Lin & I made the turn toward the car. Well Dylan had the door open and was halfway out the door before Shelly could stop the car. He grabbed his sister at his mothers request and shot over to greet us, it was GREAT seeing all of them. We had a great visit even thru the thunder and lightening storm. We had lunch and they took off in between storms. Dylan was ready to stay to make sure we kept our heading at North. They are coming back on Saturday for the steak bake and Dylan will stay over night and ride with us for the completion of our loop.
June 10th
Today other boaters will start pulling in for the weekend steak bake. We have meet many friends here over the years and it will be good to see them again. Big part of the day will be when John and Cindy, good friends of ours arrive from our marina. We hope to surprise them as they pull in and we take their lines. Weather does not look the greatest for the weekend but will be special to us no matter the weather as we get time with family and friends.

Lin & Rich
Ravena-Coeymans Yacht Club
Coeymans, New York

June 5th, 6th, 7th Day 325, 326, 327

June 5th

Up early a little windy but decided to move on. Got Jim & Sharon out to the fuel dock as it was Sunday and all the fishing boats were trying to fuel. The fuel dock could not fit us both on so he fueled first. After he was done we moved over to the dock, as we were fueling a Coast Guard came in front of us for fuel. Would you believe this for the first time we over filled and some diesel got into the water lucky for us the current sent it away from the Coast Guard . We left the marina and headed across the harbor to NYC. The traffic was busy being a weekend. It was nice seeing the NYC skyline from our boat. The Statue of Liberty was something to cherish, she looks so much different from the water. Going thru NYC was rough as the ferries and taxis flew by. Out of the harbor we headed to Croton-on-the-Hudson. It was really nice to see green mountains again as all we had seen in the last few weeks were flat beaches. We pulled into Haverstraw Bay and the Half Moon Marina. There were three loopers there the first night, Jolly Tolly whom we met in Cape May and Atlantic City. Today's run was 65.7 miles for a total trip mileage of 5,893.

June 6th
Lin did laundry and I gave Goofin Off a well needed bath. Now that we will not get as salty it was a good feeling to see her clean and salt free. There are now 6 looper boats in the marina and we have a scheduled Docktail party for 5pm. We all had a good time and discussed where everyone was headed tomorrow. A few were staying another day, one was staying for two weeks so they could head home for a visit, two were going to Catskill creek and Lin and I were heading to Kingston. We are getting closer and closer to completing the loop, some happiness some sad.

June 7th
All loopers who were leaving today were ready to go at 8am. One was going to Newburgh, two were going to Catskill and Lin and I were headed to Kingston. What a beautiful day to travel the sun was out and the scenery was great, good to be back in the home state. There was a lot of debris in the river from all the bad weather upstate New York has had. We passed West Point Military Academy which was nice, being a Navy man I have to say not as nice as Annapolis Naval Academy and you can't even stop and visit it Army was always a little cautious and soft. (that is coming from a Navy Vet) The campus is really nice and from the water you can see why it was picked to defend the river. It is the oldest military base in the US of A. Go Army but Navy will beat you at football. We pulled into Kingston around 3pm. Tomorrow we will travel to Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club for their weekend steak bake which we have been going to since we owned a boat.
We have good friends there who got us spots till the bake and are even making us dinner tomorrow, we will be happy to see them. Our daughter Michelle is going to bring our grand children down on Saturday as a surprise to them. She told them she was taking them to NYC to see us. Our Grandson Dylan will stay the weekend with us and ride home with us as we complete our loop on Sunday afternoon.

Lin & Rich
Kingston Municipal Marina
Kingston New York

June 4th Day 324

Got up at 5:30 and helped Midnight Sun get underway. Called Jim on Sharon B to tell him we were getting ready to get underway. We said our good byes to Herk and Millie as they helped us off at 6:30am. Out on the North Atlantic which was really calm we headed to Sandy Hook.the ride was uneventful as there was nothing to see except water and a sandy beach. We did have to dodge a lot of hopeful fishermen hoping to catch dinner on their day off from work. As we entered our last few miles of the day we could see The Empire State Building in the distance. We were about 7 miles behind people we met in Cape May and who were also in Atlantic City with us when they call the Coast Guard to say they were taking on water and the pumps could not keep up with it. The Coast Guard sent out a boat  and we called them to offer assistance if needed. The Coast Guard got there with pumps and the followed them into a marina to get repaired when they found out where the water was coming from. After 92.3 miles and about 11 hours we reached the Atlantic Highlands Marina. While waiting to take on fuel a small fishing boat with two guys on it headed right toward our starboard. With my soft voice I yelled HEY WE ARE HERE he came with in less than a foot from driving his anchor into our side. Lin ran to the side to stop him have no idea what he was doing. No one could figure out how he did not see us, all the boats on the mooring ball could not figure how he could not see us. After that little thrill we decided to get in our slip and fuel in the morning. The trip today put our total mileage at 5,826. If the weather is good tomorrow we will move past the New York harbor on into the Hudson River. Gave the boat a wash down today to get the salt off. With a 6' tide and fixed docks this is not the greatest docks.

Lin & Rich
Atlantic Highlands Marina
Sandy Hook, New Jersey

June 1st, 2nd & 3rd Days 321, 322 & 323

June 1st
Did some boat stuff and laundry, walked to town with Jim & Sharon. There are some real old houses which have been kept up very nice. There is a shopping area similar to the one in Burlington Vermont. Went down to the beach where there were a few people on the beach. We did a take out at a seafood restaurant with Jim, Sharon, Herk and Millie who are headed home to Rhode Island. WE had take outs and ate on our boat.
Plans were made for travel if the weather is good.

June 2nd.
Up and ready to get underway Jim and Herk have to fuel before we leave, opens at 7am.
Herk could not get his port engine started. I went to give him a hand first thing I asked was is the transmission in neutral? We checked batteries and switches a few times I asked about being in neutral.
To make a long story short he was not in neutral, problem solved. In the mean time Jim could not get his port engine started. The engine was flooded and it finally started. Two boats returned after heading out as the Atlantic was not nice. So maybe the engine problems were a good thing as we would have been out in bad seas. Lin and I organized a docktail party and everyone decided to get some fish at the local fish market and we would bar-b-que out. We used some charcoal and wood in the cooking pit. We ended up with 14 people for docktails and dinner. It was a lot of fun

June 3rd
Up and checking out the weather, looks pretty good. Decided to move out into the Atlantic to see how it is. Left at 7:30 after Herk and Jim got fuel. Once out of the harbor we had rollers from 2 to 4 feet. We were taking them on the port bow so the ride was not too bad. We ran about 4 miles off the coast and had our sights on Atlantic City. Originally we were going to run 70 miles but with the seas we decided on Atlantic City. We arrived here around 1: 30 after 44.5 miles bringing our total mileage to 5,736. Hung out around the boat and did some charting for the next few days. Had everyone over for cocktails then had dinner and we took a walk up to the Casino. The money that goes over the tables is hard to believe. Half of the games we could not figure how to play. We will leave here tomorrow and go as far as the weather and time permits.

Lin & Rich
Farley's Marina
Atlantic City, New Jersey

May 31st Day 320

We waited till 9:30 to get underway so we could catch a good ride on the tide. High tide was 11am so for the first hour we fought the tide at 1200 rpm's we were doing 7.2 mph later at the same rpm's we were doing 11.8mph. The ride was uneventful as we were in the Delaware Bay with nothing to see. The bay was calm and besides dodging a few crab pots a little boring. It was a 61 mile trip from the C & D to Cape May. The last hour of our 7 hour day was a little choppy as we bucked the incoming tide dropped back to 8mph.
The Cape May Canal was windy which cooled us off after a 90 degree day. The current was out going so at times we slowed to 6.5 mph at the 1200rpm's. We are now in our 17th and last state on this adventure. Next state our home state of New York. We reached Utsch's Marina around 4:30, nice place with friendly staff . It is $2.00 a foot with everything included. We will stay tomorrow as the weather does not look to good. Jim & Sharon from Lock 1 Marina are here with their new boat which we got a tour of. Real nice boat. We had cocktails and snacks on their boat then came back to the boat to call it a day.

Lin & Rich
Utsch's Marina
Schellenger's Landing
Cape May, New Jersey

May 30th Day 319

A beautiful morning and we were underway at 6:45. Our destination for today is the Delaware City Marina on the East side of the C & D Canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware Bay. Being
Memorial Day and the temp in the 90's the waterways were loaded with boats. On a day like this there is no such thing as a slow pass. The water was the calmest we have seen it on the bay until the big fast boats flew by, must have passed so close in such a big bay to see where this slow moving boat was from. I am sure it was not to see this slow boat bob back and forth. Some passed so close we did not have time or room to turn into the waves. There was a lot of debris in the water even some big pieces of wood, great day we did not hit anything. We reached the C & D Canal around noon. The canal is wide and deep from bank to bank. We did not see any barge traffic while on the canal. Once we left the canal and headed North against the tide we lost 2MPH, tide and current are big on the Delaware River and Bay. We pulled into Delaware City Marina after 71.4 miles at 2:45 and are now in our 16th state. We have one more state to go thru till we are in our home state of New York. We are holding out this morning 31st for slack and ebb tide before heading South to cape May. High tide is at 11:08am but it is a 58 mile run to Cape May so probably 6 to 7 hours. We will probably get the underway fever and get underway 9:30 or 10 and fight the tide for awhile.

Lin & Rich
Delaware City Marina
Delaware City, Delaware

May 28th & 29th Days 317 & 318

May 28th
Got up had a great family breakfast with two of our grandchildren ,wishing the other two were here.
Headed out to the Baltimore civil war museum which was free and nice. Headed to the aquarium which was really nice and had a lot to see. We spent over a half day there and put a lot of miles on the flip flops. We hit a few shops on the way back to the boat. We made dinner on the boat hung out and had a great visit. It was in the 90's today which kinda zapped a lot of energy out of us old people but not the young boys. We were settled in long before they got tired, one nice thing about being grandparents. A great day with family, which makes us glad' after our year long trip away from the ones we miss the most, that we our close to our home port. We will miss the adventure of every day, not sure what is coming next but will be nice to be in our home port for the summer.
May 29th
Great night. This morning up by the office we saw a snake which could have been either a water moccasin or copper head. Everyone was taking pictures, had the snake made the slightest movement everyone would have scattered. We walked back up to the mall looked around and bought nothing as usual. Back at the boat we packed our daughter and her family up and watched them leave and head back to their Pennsylvania home. Cody has an 8pm baseball game and Dominic had to go to work at 4pm. Lin and I caught up on laundry and got the boat ready to get underway early tomorrow. We were glad when they called and said they were home safe. Always nice to know your children are home and safe. Tomorrow we hope to leave early and make Delaware City about 70 miles closer to our home port.

Lin & Rich
Inner Harbor East Marina
Baltimore, Maryland

May 26th & 27th Days 315 & 316

May 26th
Up early and Lin did a load of laundry and I just hung out and watched her work. This morning as we sat on the back deck having coffee we looked out our back window and there was Seamoore and Dream Catcher entering the harbor. They took a dockage at the Inner Harbor Marina around the harbor from us. We headed out to Fells Point which is the old shipping part of Baltimore. The streets were the old cobble stone  and some of buildings had the old names painted on them. As we were walking around the area here comes a tour trolley and there is Carlton & Becky looking out the window. We got thier attention as they went by. After Fells Point we walked up into Little Italy which was mostly houses and a lot of resturaunts. We went back to the boat for lunch and a little rest put alot of miles on the old feet in the morning. We walked over towards the Inner Harbor Marina to catch up with Seamoore and Dream Catcher. We ran into Carlton on the harbor walkway and headed to thier boat for cocktail hour. When Brenda and Jim came back from the aquarium they joined us for cocktails. We decided to eat at the Rusty Scubber at the marina. After dinner Lin & I said our good byes again and took the curtusey van back to our marina. This might be the last time we see these friends as they are making waves and heading to Canada with the hopes of being there in early June.
May 27th
Again we did laundry and got the boat ready for our daughter Tracey and her famiy's visit for the weekend.
We put the bikes up in the fly bridge and got the front berth ready for company. They arrived at the marina around 4pm and it was great to see them. We got the truck unpacked and the boat loaded with thier gear. We visited for awhile then walked up to town to show them around. The boys had ice cream as it was very hot. It started to get dark on our walk back to the boat and as we went down the dock it started to rain. Just got on the boat as it really started to thunder and rain. We made up some pizzas for dinner and then settled in for the night.

Lin & Rich
Inner Harbor East Marina
Baltimore Maryland

May 23rd, 24th & 25th Days 312, 313, & 314

May 23rd,
Hung out in Annapolis one more day, weather was not bad and we went to the mall and got the boat ready to get underway tomorrow. Our friends Carlton & Becky on Seamore and Jim & Brenda on Dream Catcher arrived in Annapolis today. We took the water taxi over and met them at a local watering hole. It was great to see them again. We hit a couple pubs then stopped for dinner. It was GREAT to see them again.
May 24th
Beautiful day as we headed out a 8am with our bow pointed North toward Baltimore. Once out of the harbor the wind picked up from the South which gave us a rocky ride for awhile. As we headed farther North the wind and waves let up. Nice ride only lasted a short time before it started to rain, down came the windows and we had a blurred view of the waterway. Lucky for us it was only 32.1 miles run to Baltimore.
Heading into the harbor we had a freighter call us to tell us he wanted to pass us on our starboard side, he went by us and then we had to wait for him as he took a harbor pilot onboard. The Baltimore harbor is nice and we took a dock at Inner Harbor East Marina. The monthly rate was cheaper for us as we are staying till at least Monday. With the monthly rate we can stay here till June 15th if need be. We walked over in town and checked out a few places.
May 25th
Up and at um Lin did laundry, cleaned the inside and heads and I washed the boat, really needed it. We moved the boat in the slip so our stern is at the dock. We bowed in yesterday due to high winds and a small dock area. After all our work was done we showered and headed a FEW miles to the Industrial Museum on the other side of the bay. It was a very interesting museum of all the industry of Baltimore. It was nice to see how many things started out here in Baltimore. I also learned that Bendix the brake company I worked for also made radios for cars and planes. It was a long walk back so we decided to stop at Dick's Last Resort for a refreshing beverage. Tonight we might walk down to Fell's Point. Tomorrow Seamore and Dream Catcher who are anchored out tonight will be in port. We will get together with them probably for the last time. They are staying one night then heading to the C & D Canal then head to Cape May. We are staying here till Monday or Tuesday. They are making tracks for Canada and  we may not catch up with them again.

Lin & Rich
Inner Harbor East Marina
Baltimore, Maryland

May 21st & 22nd Days 310 & 311

May 21st
Up and at them we left the marina at 7am with our bow pointed towards Annapolis Maryland. The bay was rough and the wind was out of the North so we had a not so bad of a ride as we took the waves head on.
After dodging grab pot markers we now had to maneuver around fishing vessels dragging fishing line behind them. Not much to see as you traveling the Bay. We did see some big freighters on our way.  As we entered the harbor there were eight freighters anchored waiting to get loaded in Baltimore some 26 miles to the North.
We got settled in the marina and Jim & Sharon from our home marina stopped for a visit. They purchased a boat down this way and were here loading things on for the trip home.

May 22nd
Used the courtesy car and went into town for some oil, medicine, and groceries. Back at the marina we called the water taxi for a ride over to the city dock in Annapolis. We got there at 12:30 and headed directly to the Academy. What a great place with beautiful grounds. There are two museums there which are very nice and informative. This week is Commission week(graduation) The grounds were full of midshipmen and their families. The Chapel on campus is something to not miss if you get down this way. We roamed the campus and buildings until after 5pm. Walked around the town and had dinner at Chick & Ruth's a well known eatery in the area. At 7pm we caught the water taxi back to the Marina. It was a great day and we are looking forward to tomorrow. We were going to leave Tuesday but may stay till Wednesday to see the Blue Angles practice on Tuesday afternoon. I have seen them before and Lin is not sure if she has. It was years ago when I saw them. Decisions decisions after here we are headed to Baltimore.

Lin & Rich
Annapolis Landing Marina
Annapolis, Maryland  

May 20th Day 309

Today was an in port day and not even due to the weather. We took our bikes over to the museum today and what a nice place. We got there around noon and did not leave till after 4pm. It was very interesting and had things from the history of the Chesapeake boat building days to the fossils found in the Calvert Cliffs. They had the original light house from Drum Point which is one of the few surviving screwpile lights left on the bay. It was a neat light house with room for the keepers family to live with him. There was a lady who was born in the light house while her grandfather was the keeper and her parents lived there while they built their house. When she passed away in her 80's she left $45,000 to help keep the light house for tourist to visit. It was real interesting with two floors for living and then stairs to the actual light. From the top we could see our boat across the river. Bikes are put back in their travel bags and we are ready to head to Annapolis in the morning. It is about a 46 mile run and the weather looks pretty good for the trip.

Lin & Rich
Calvert Marina
Solomns Island, Maryland

May 19th Day 308

We were up early and ready to put some water and miles under our keel after a 4 day stay in Crisfield Maryland. We were underway before 7am on what seemed to be a nice day. Once the sun broke thru the clouds we knew we were in for a nice day. As we cleared the harbor we were glad to see a calm Tangier Sound. The crab pot buoys were easy to see on the calm water. We worked our way thru the islands and out of the Tangier Sound and out into the Chesapeake Bay on a sunny CALM water day. What a great feeling it was to have a calm ride after the three days we got tossed around getting to Crisfield. Once out in the bay we set our course North West to the Solomon Islands. The trip was 46.3 miles and took us 5hours 10 minutes till were were secure at the dock. On the way across the bay we entered the Naval Bombing area and saw the target ship anchored off our starboard side in the distance, Hope if they shoot they are good shots. Thoughts went back to the time we went by Marine base as they did live fire and we heard the lone fisherman call the coast guard to report shells hitting near his boat which was in restricted waters. All the boats said to stay clear of the targets, monitor the radio, and stay alert, we were alert. There is a Naval air station at the mouth of the Patuxent River which we passed. We did see the jets flying overhead doing air to ground maneuvers. Once in the marina we put the bikes together for the 3 mile ride around the end of the Back River to the small town. There was a few shops and a West Marine. When in town we could look across the river and see our boat only 100 of yards away as we thought about the 3 mile ride back on highway sidewalks and back roads. Once back it was cocktail hour and dinner prep. Our next stop is Annapolis which wants $3.00 for reservation or $2.00 on a first come basis. We will be heading there on a Saturday which may be crowded as it is supposed to be a nice weekend, decisions decisions.

Lin & Rich
Calvert Marina
Back River, Solomons, Maryland

May 18th Day 307

Another bad day we were ready to leave this morning for the Solomons when the sky let loose.
The winds were downs to 10 to 15 but we decided not to venture out due to the many crab pods out there and the visibility to see the pods. We are still ahead of schedule so another safe day here is better than going in the COLD water to unwind a crab line. We also found out that stay two days and the 3rd day all you pay for is electric, so for us it was a $10.00 stay. Later this afternoon the weather cleared so tomorrow looks like a better day to travel. Winds are suppose to be only 5knots which will be nice. The sky are clear, forecast good and will will put some water under the keel unless we get snow.

Lin & Rich
Somers Cove Marina
Crisfield, Maryland

May 17th Day 306

Another day in Crisfield. We had thunder storms late last night and early this morning. The wind was 10 to 20 with gusts to 35 so we decided to stay till the weather lets up. We could make it across but did not want to put up with the rough ride. Last night the owner of Linton's a seafood crab shack came and picked us up for dinner. You ordered your food then went out onto a covered deck and when the food was ready they brought it out. There were picnic tables covered with brown paper and the people with hard shell crabs put them on the table and pounded them with a hammer. Lin got a big piece of flounder and I got a dozen oysters and a soft crab sandwich both dinners were great. After we decided not to move today we talked to the office to see if there was shopping near by as we had been in all of the towns 4 stores. There was a mall and we called the cab company to see what the ride would be to our surprise it was $50.00 round trip and they would wait if you did not take long. We said we wanted to look around and the reply was it would be another $50.00 to come back. When we told the marina about the price and asked if there was a car rental around one women who works in the office offered us her car. We jumped at the offer and told her we would be back by 4pm. It was a nice 45 minute ride thru the country to the mall. It was nice to get out of the wind and do some store looking. We are cooking dinner on the boat and hoping tomorrow's weather will be more forgiving so we can cross the bay. Our trip to the Solomons will be 50 miles in a North West direction with the winds out of the South.

Lin & Rich
Somers Cove Marina
Crisfield, Maryland

May 16th Day Day 305

We hung out here in Crisfield because bad weather was predicted WRONG it was a beautiful day and we would have had a great crossing day. We guess Mother Nature did not want us to ride the Bay on a nice day and knowing we planned on not leaving she calmed down the weather. Well we made plans to cross to the Solomons tomorrow and we just looked at underground weather and tomorrow is 90% chance of thunderstorms and winds 10 to 15 knots. We told Calvert Marina in the Solomons we may not make it there tomorrow maybe Mother Nature will change in the morning. We saw everything there is to see here in Crisfield the Crab Capital of the World. We could not find a place to buy hard or soft shell crabs they all moved out of town. Everything is shipped out. We are having a restaurant pick us up at 5:30 to go to dinner where they do have crab plus flounder for Linda. It was so nice today I washed the boat and Lin did laundry and cleaned the inside. If we stay here due to weather tomorrow we will have to figure out something to do, maybe count the sea gulls that fly by. Guess we could always play cards or read ,ran out of movies to watch and we can't pick up TV. It looks like weather will be bad till the end of the week but we will manage and survive.

Lin & Rich
Somers Cove Marina
Crisfield, Maryland

May 14th & 15th Days 303 & 304

May 14th
We decided to stay at Onancock one more day and see the other half of town we did not see yesterday.
We went to the shops we missed yesterday and saw the rest of the town. We had a real nice breakfast / lunch at a small local cafe. Guess we are ahead of the summer tourist crowd. Marinas are sure empty and the towns are also short of people. We got some rain last night and a little today but no big weather yet.

May 15th
We decided to leave Onancock this morning and head 27.6 miles North to a small town called Crisfield. At 11:30 we crossed into our 15th state Maryland. We have spent three days on the water in the Chesapeake and none have been very delightful. Again today we were tossed around and in between tossing we had to dodge crab pots real fun. We arrived at Somers Cove Marina at 12:15 it is a 500+ marina with less than 100 boats in it. We took on fuel at $3.79 plus 6% state tax. We walked up into town and there are some stores but most were closed on Sunday. Wow we will have something to do tomorrow. We are doing spaghetti and sausage for dinner, maybe tomorrow we will go to dinner and I will try some crab since this is supposed to be the crab capital of the world. The weather is supposed to get better by weeks end but we hope it does sooner so we can see if the bay calms down.

Lin & Rich
Somers Cove Marina
Crisfield, Maryland

May 12th & 13th Days 301 & 302

May 12th
Went into town to the grocery store, West Marine, and the liquor store. This town got hit by a tornado when they came thru a week or so ago. No one got hurt but you could see where it came through. There was a Baptist Church in town that the tornado went thru the middle of it. The front and back walls where still standing and the middle of the church was gone. We did some looking and planning and decided to head across the bay to a town called Onancock it is up the creek about 4 miles. The weather is supposed to be bad for a few days so we came here as it offers more to do and better protection.
May 13th
We were up and away from the dock at 7:30 am. The trip over was a little rough as the wind and tide were hitting us on the starboard beam with some good rollers. We were glad the trip was only 34.5 miles which only took us 4 hours with the last 45 minutes in protected calm waters. The 4 mile trip up the winding creek with shallow water on both sides of the channel ended at the city dock with the dock master waiting for us. No radio just knew we were coming and watched for us. Docks are nothing special but seem ok. We walked up in town which had some real nice houses and a few shops. We only looked in half the shops so we would have something to do tomorrow. There is a bakery in town which everyone says it is a must stop. They bake early and when everything is sold they close The tide has been high here and the water is in the parking lot and at the top of the dock. There are polls here so the boat won't go over the dock. I will check the lines again before we call it a night. The parking lot next to the restaurant filled with water I would have loved to see the people try to get to the cars after dinner. Not sure how long we will be here guess it depends on Mother Nature.

Lin & Rich
Onancock Warf
Onancock, Virginia

May 9th, 10th, & 11th Days 298, 299 & 300

May 9th
Just a little more info on Mother's Day. Hooters, which we look at out the back of our boat, was giving 10 free wings to all Mothers so he guys figured we would treat the women of our lives to dinner at Hooters.
Food was great.
The 9th we hung out ,did some bike riding, got a new phone which I think is worse than the first one. Took Becky's tire to a bike shop to get fixed. Cleaned boats, went to the grocery store, the marina hires a taxi to take you there so all the guys went while the women did their thing. Boats for the rendezvous are starting to fill the marina and Lin and I are preparing to leave soon. At cocktail hour we decided to go to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. We had some many o'rdevours at cocktail hour no one was really hungry so most of us got soup and a salad. Another great day with great friends.
May 10th
Washed the boat and did all my engine checks for departure tomorrow morning. It will be a tough day for us. We tried, all of us to get a pumpout but after many tries we gave up as the pump was not working. We should be able to make the next marina before we REALLY need a pumpout. We hope they get it fixed before all the loopers get there for the rendezvous. Again the guys mounted the trustee bikes and headed out 2 miles to the store for the first mates and needed supplies. This will be our last night with the looper train friends "until we meet again" (sounds like Roy Rogers). Cocktails were great and our friend Becky with chef Linda(Jerimiah) prepared us a get out of here dinner only kidding. They fixed a great linguine and clam sauce and linguine and broccoli for Lin ,dinner for us. Everything was just perfect. We all finally went back to our boats at 10pm.
Great day Great friends.
May 11th
We were up and ready to get underway problem was we were not ready to leave our friends. They had other ideas, they were there to cut our lines and send us on our way. For us it was a real tough time as we pulled away from the dock leaving behind true friends which brought back memories of leaving our home port last July as friends were there to bid us good bye. Nice part is we will see all of them again, new as they pass thru Waterford either headed to the Erie or Champlain Canal and old as we complete the loop at our home port at Lock One Marina.  After a hard departure we headed out the Elizabeth River for the Chesapeake Bay. As we passed the Naval yard we got a glimpse of the new HW Bush aircraft carrier which is supposed to set to sea today. At first the bay was rough and rolled us a little but not as bad as the Sound or Lake Michigan. We set our course and headed to Deltaville and after 59.6 miles and 7 hours we were tied to the dock at Doziers's Regatta Point Yachting Center. Great marina with nice staff. The town is 3 miles long and we got to use the marina's Buick(boat) station wagon to tour the town. Tomorrow will be to plan where we head for the rest of the Chesapeake day.

Lin & Rich
Missing friends
Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center
Deltaville, Virgina

May 7th & 8th Days 296 & 297

May 7th
We had a peaceful night at the Coinjock Marina. They had a great restaurant where we had lunch yesterday. We were up at 6am to get ready to be underway by 7am. We had another open water crossing but it was calm and more protected but out of the Virgina cut the water was shallow. At 9:13am we crossed out of North Carolina into Virginia our 14th state. We saw eagles, and  osprey all nesting. We also came to one area that had a lot of turtles sunning on logs. We had to wait for 5 bridge openings and we went thru one lock which raised us a big 12" wow. We arrived at Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk at 3pm. Real nice marina with a great dock crew. Dream Catcher stopped at the free town wall just past the Great Steel Bridge. We got things organized on the boats had cocktail hour and went out to a great dinner. Traveling thru the harbor at Norfolk we saw many Navy ships being repaired. There were several APL's in the harbor which brought back memories of when I was on the Swift Boats in Vietnam. We lived on an APL when we were in port at DaNang. We plan on staying here a few days to rest up and enjoy the city.

May 8th
Happy Mothers to all you mothers.
We will relax today and do the tourist and dinner thing. It is lite rain this morning but gives me time to make
Linda some bacon and Pancakes for breakfast.

Lin & Rich
Waterside Marina
Norfolk, Virginia

May 5th, 6th Days 294, 295

May 5th
Today we traveled from Belhaven to Alligator River Marina. We left at 7am to do our 54.6 mile run.
It was pretty uneventful and a little boring ride. We did see a lot of birds and trees. The alligator marina was nice and there was about 10 looper boats there all headed to Norfolk. We had a cocktail party (looper party) at the club house . Then the 5 looper train boats went back to Jerimiah for tacos and margaritas for Cingo de mayo (sp) not sure if anyone had any idea what was going on after all that. But it was aGREAT TIME had by all attendees.

May 6th
We are trying to decide between Dismal Swamp and Virgina Cut. Lin & I were leaning towards Virgina Cut due to our gut feeling. Got up this morning and Charlton could hardy move due to a pulled back from yesterday. Group decision get to Norfolk as soon as possible, Coinjock was our decision and the Virgina Cut. We headed out at 7am and when we got out in the Albemarle Sound. Ole Mother Nature was just reminding us she was still out there. It was about a 25 mile crossing and we had 2 to 4 foot rollers which we had to take on the beam. We got tossed around pretty good and things got moved around. Not only battling the waves we had to miss all the crab pots, it is soft shell crab season. We were never so glad to reach a narrow cut. We are at Coinjock Marina on the North River. Hopefully the wind and weather will be better tomorrow for a 50 mile run to Norfolk which includes 15 mile of open water before the next cut. We also have 5 bridges which we need opened and one lock.Once in Norfolk we will then explore the Chesapeake.

Lin & Rich
Coinjock Marina
Coinjock NC

May 2nd, 3rd & 4th Days 291, 292, & 293

May 2nd
We left Beaufort and set our sights on Oriental North Carolina.We left at 8:15 as we only had 24.4 miles to travel. Ride was nice and we reached Oriental Marina around noon. Nice marina but not much of a town. We biked (men) to a West Marine while the girls did the shop thing. Seamoore had some leaky Taylor fenders so we checked to make sure they had the fenders and the return policy was still in effect. They did have the fenders so we biked back to the marina tied the fenders to the bikes and headed to get new ones. Must have raised some eyes as we peddled up the highway with the fenders tied on. Everything worked out fine and we made it back with the new fenders.

May 3rd
We left Oriental at 7am as we had a 48.6 mile run with 20 miles of  open water on the Pamlico Sound. The sound was pretty calm but it was nice to tuck back into the ICW cut and get to see something besides open water. We are at the Belhaven Waterway Marina. As we entered the harbor and marina the wind picked up to add a little excitement to a long day. The were some touchy moments as we all docked but all turned out well. We are now traveling with 5 boats one is a PDQ which goes fast and is in before the rest of us are even close to port. All 10 of us went to a small restaurant here which had a child's menu(guppy) and a senior menu(old sharks). We all ordered off the old timers menu and were very pleased with the selections and size.
They have a nice gazebo here where we had our cocktails and planning session before dinner.

May 4th
We are laid up here today due to a weather front in the area. Real choppy and bouncy in the marina so it makes for a rough night and day. The wind and waves come right down the shoot. I will probably change all my fuel filters today just because I have the time. Would rather change them before I have no choice or they clog while underway. The marina said they would run us to the grocery and liquor store if we needed to go.
We are not sure if we will do the Dismal Swamp route or the Virgina Cut route to Norfolk. Decisions for another docktail party.

Lin & Rich
Belhaven Waterway Marina
Belhaven, North Carolina

April 29th, 30th, & May 1st Days 288, 289, & 290

April 29th
We left Carolina State Park at 7am on our trek to Casper Marina in Swansboro. It was a long day so Dream Catcher started the trek and we took over after 17miles. We had lowered Jeremiah's mast so he could get under the 20' bridges without waiting for the openings on the hour. Things were going great until we came to a swing bridge and a working tug was headed our way. The bridge swung for him so I waited till he cleared the bridge for us to move on. Well the tug was forcing us into shallow water I radioed him to inform him we were in shallow water to no avail. He did not answer and by the time he passed Seamoore was aground. Jeremiah threw him a line and worked him off the grounding. Luckily most of the bottom is soft. Seems to be no damage done. We proceeded on and when we got to Camp LeJeune they were doing live fire and we had to wait an hour to pass by. We were not discouraged as these young Marines are training to defend us and the entire USA. While we were waiting we heard a fishing boat on the Atlantic in a restricted area call the Coast Guard to report there were shells landing near him. Navy and Coast Guard response get out of the area. We all wondered how he would get the stains out of his boat seats. After 10 hours and 67.9 miles we reached Casper Marina. During this leg of our adventure we went over the 5,000 mile mark.

April 30th
The end of another month which makes us out 9 1/2 months. We left Casper with Beaufort North Carolina in our sights. We were underway at 8am and on the way back to the intercoastal Dream Catcher cut a little short and went soft aground. When he told the looper train he was aground tow boat was on the airways say he would be there in minutes. Well he was and off they came. Dream Catcher ran her up a few times and feels there was no damage. When we reached Beaufort we went up the Taylor Creek past the marina to fuel up. The fuel was $3.26 per gallon including tax. I only could take 75 gallons, we were hoping we could take more at the price. The marina is nice and we decided to stay two days. Had a great burger last night and as usual I ate more than I should have. Will have to go on a big diet when I get back.

May 1st
Went to a Church service on the banks of the Creek this morning it was really nice. After Church we went to breakfast and I had the buffet. Again I ate too much but it was sure good. We went to the Maritime Museum this afternoon and the men went to the grocery store to get food for a group cook out tonight.
Plans our we will head to Oriental tomorrow a 24 mile run. We have some big sounds to cross soon so we are starting to play the weather again. Carrot Island across from us has wild horses on it and we have seen them often. Lin and I will sure miss the friends on the looper train when we part in Norfolk but will be looking for them when they reach Waterford. Well I better get this out as cocktail hour is only 10 minutes away.

Lin & Rich
Beaufort Docks
Beaufort, North Carolina

April 27th & 28th Days 286 & 287

April 27th
We all took the bikes and went to the drug store and Grocery store. We decided to stay here till Friday due to storms in the area for tomorrow. We went to lunch out and decided to Bar-B-Q some tuna on the grill.
It was a relaxing day with everyone getting caught up on laundry and boat work. We cooked the tuna on Seamoore's jenair and all ate on our own boats.

April 28th
Everyone prepared for the bad weather. We are on a tornado watch and there are warnings all around us. The winds have picked up but according to the radar the bad storm may have went north of us. We lowered Jerimiah's mast so he can get under the two 20' bridges tomorrow. One opens on the hour and the other on the half hour. We are just hanging out and waiting for the storm. We went over the charts and will do a 67 mile run to Casper's Marina at 230mm on the ICW. We plan on being underway by 7am but things could change over cocktails as we now only have to wait for one bridge to open. It is time to move on as there is not much to do or see here but the price is right at $30.00 with electricity a night. We are 297 miles from Norfolk, where Lin and I will leave the lopper train and head out on our own to the Chesapeake Bay.
We will miss the company of the looper train and our new friends. We will see them again when they reach Waterford on their way to Canada.

Lin & Rich
Carolina State Park
Wilmington, North Carolina

April 26th Day 285

We decided last night at docktails to stay here today to visit and get some work done. Carlton, Jeff and I rode to the local hardware store for needed things and then to the grocery store for supplies. We helped Carlton with his forward air conditioner and between us and the factory rep found out it had a bad circuit board. Luckily the local supply company had the board and the owner brought it over to Carlton. We reconnected the new board and fan and the air seems to be working fine. We decided at another meeting to stay here one more night and see what the weather has in store for us. Looks like we may get bad weather Thursday so decision was do day by day. Lin and I are now starting to plan our schedule so we can see what we want and still be back in our home port by mid to late June. As I write this it is starting to rain.
Looks like from now on it will be day by day planning. We enjoy traveling with Seamoore, Dream Catcher and Jeremiah and will really miss their company when we will depart, but we hope our  friendship will last for a long time. 

Lin & Rich
Carolina Beach State Park
Wilmington North Carolina 

April 24th & 25th Days 283 & 284

April 24th
Spent the day at Barefoot Landing looking at more shops with the same stuff but just a different name on the t-shirts. Heather,Carlton and Becky's daughter took the women to the outlets in her car. We also decided to cook Easter dinner on the boats. Linda(from the Jeremiah boat) said she could make a fish dish, The other women made something to add to the feast. On the way back from shopping they stopped at a few grocery stores to pick up the needed supplies. All said and done the meal turned out great. At cocktails and dinner we made plans for tomorrows travel day. Another great day on our great adventure.

April 25th

We were up and off the dock at 7:30. The weather was great for traveling. We crossed the boarder into our 13th state North Carolina slowly making our way North and to our home port at Lock One Marina, Waterford New York. We  saw many new houses along the way and a few small towns. We came across two guys on stand up surf boards heading to Maine. They left Key West in March and are padeling their way to Maine via the ICW and Atlantic when it was calm. They are doing it to raise money for Wounded Warriors. We traveled thru Cape Fear sound and up the Cape Fear river. We are in Carolina Beach State Park Marina in Wilmington. It is run by North Carolina and was just rebuilt after being closed for 2 years. The docks are all new and only accept 40' boats or so the ad says. The main problem was the width of the slips 15' and we are 14'9". As we entered the small opening the wind picked up and Seamoore in the lead encountered shallow water. We were third and Jeremiah was behind us with Dream Catcher second. We and Jeremiah pulled back as Dream Catcher felt their way in and found deep water. While we waited Jeremiah got blown onto a sand bar which he was able to get off. All things said and done we all made it into our slips with out further problems. Once tied and secure the wind stopped, just Mother Nature reminding us who is in charge. We all took the bikes out and headed to dinner a mile away which was more like two miles. Dinner was great and we headed home in the Dark with Jim in the front and Brenda at the back, both had front and rear lights. The rest of us had flash lights in hand. The great thing about this park is the price $30.00 with electric and there are only two other boats here.

Lin & Rich
Carolina Beach State Park
Wilmington, South Carolina

April 22nd & 23rd Days 281 & 282

HAPPY EASTER to all.
April 22nd we spent a rainy day in Georgetown did not stop raining till late afternoon.
We did laundry and the normal engine room maintenance. Dream Catcher pulled into the marina in the late afternoon they spent an extra day in Charleston. It was good to have everyone in the Looper train back together. Carleton and Becky's daughter Heather came to ride with them to Myrtle Beach.We had a great dinner at Big Tuna a real quaint place. It was a relaxing wet day.

April 23rd
We all left, except Dream Catcher, left at 7:30 for a 55 mile trip to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach. We stopped at Osprey Marina on the ICW to refuel price was good at $3.649. We took 188 gallons and our all topped off for a few more miles. There was a place in Beaufort that had fuel on the 22nd for $3.15 but we were already a day past it. During our trip to Myrtle Jeremiah had a leak in one of the engines water pump that feeds the heat exchanger. We were about 5 miles out of our fuel stop when he noticed the leak. Jeff had a spare pump so he decided to try to make the fuel stop before replacing it. Engine stayed cool and the bilge pump kept up with the leak. We let him fuel first then they put him in a slip to replace the pump Seamoore and we refueled while Jeff replaced the pump. It took us 2 hours to refuel all three boats which gave Jeff plenty of time for repairs after he refueled. All fueled and repaired the Looper train headed back out. While fueling Dream Catcher went by us on the way to Myrtle, they left 3 hours after we did but travel faster than us. We arrived at Barefoot Landing 5:30 8 hours of travel and 2 hours of fueling and repair. We will do the shop thing today and head North in the morning not sure where but will leave that decision for cocktail hour today.

Lin & Rich
Barefoot Landing Marina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

April 21st Day 280

The days and miles are flying by. This morning we decided to hit the waterway again and head to Georgetown SC. The trip took us thru a lot of desolate area with only a few houses along the way. It was nice to see some docks and houses every once in awhile. Today we did see some bald eagles and our first alligator. It was about 6 to 7 feet and was just swimming along the river bank. Got some pictures but not real good ones. Later we did see the head of another gator. So Bob and Ann we did finally get to see our gator. We were about five minutes out of the marina when a huge storm cell came on Seamoore's phone radar/ We decided to hang in the channel till the storm passed the docks. It got dark, with lightening, rain and hail the size of dimes. It passed over in about 15 minutes and when it broke we headed in. All three of us Dream Catcher decided to spend more time in Charleston, got in without incident. The storm did delay cocktail hour by an hour but we made up for it. We traveled for 10 hours today and logged another 70 miles to bring our total to 4,888. We will probably spend the Easter weekend in Myrtle Beach.

Lin & Rich
Harborwalk Marina
Georgetown, South Carolina

April 20th Day 279

We planned on traveling the 70 miles to Charleston so we were all up and ready to get underway at 7am. Problem Dream Catcher could not get her starboard engine running. We all gave our opinons and ideas but none seemed to work. Jim and Brenda decided we should move on without them and they would get a mechanic in to look things over. We all decided there was not much we could do except give them morale support. At 8am the Looper Train got underway with mixed feelings about leaving Dream Catcher behind. There was not much to see on this leg of the trip which made the day very long. About mid morning we heard from Dream Catcher and they were fixed and underway.It turned out the stud in the starter had been replaced and was loose. We would have never found that but the mechanic started there and found it right away.He told them hey I am chargring for an hour have anything you want so Jim had him check a few things out. We traveled 69miles in 10.5 hours and arrived at Charleston City Marina. Dream Catcher pulled in about 30 minutes after we got there they can travel faster than we trawlers can. We did cocktails, bar-b-qued on Seamoore and then ate on our boat. We were all pretty well beat after the long day. Not sure what tomorrow will bring us on our adventure.

Lin & Rich
Charleston City Marina
Charleston, South Carolina 

April 19th Day 278

With all the excitement of yesterday I forgot to mention we passed into our 12th state, South Carolina. This morning at 8am a diver came over to check out the props on Dream Catcher, good news there was still crab trap rope wrapped around the prop and shaft. This is what was causing the vibration, there was no other damage. At 9am the Looper train of 4 boats was underway headed to Beaufort, SC. It was a tough day of travel all 19 miles. We pulled into the Downtown Marina at 11:30, checked in and headed out for lunch. The marina and near by park are really nice. The tide here looks about 10 to 11 feet it is great to have floating docks. Lin & I walked in the historic district and viewed the old houses. Just by chance we came across a chocolate factory, could not pass it up with out getting some chocolate. We may stay one more day before heading the 70 miles to Charleston. May find an anchorage in between but not sure will probably be a cocktail decision.

Lin & Rich
Downtown Marina of Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina

April 16th, 17th, 18th Days 275, 276, & 277

16th  Lin did some laundry and I did boat maintenance. We walked the village and saw some real nice old houses. We used the cutesy car and went to Sams, CVS and of course to the hardware store. At cocktail hour we had cocktails on SEAMOORE with the crew plus Heather, Carlton and Becky's daughter who came for the weekend. It was a day of relaxation after our busy day in Savannah.
17th We headed out to the local Methodist church for the Palm Sunday service. It was a small church and to our surprise had a wonderful musical service with a great choir and small orchestra. It was great and the people were very friendly and we enjoyed it very much. We used the car again and got groceries for the next few days. We had cocktail hour on our boat and have now increased our boat train to 5 boats, Goofin Off, Seamoore, Dream Catcher, Jeremiah, and Crawdad. We made our plans for the next few days great decisions are made during this serious time. Another great day
18th Up and out of the marina with our 5 boat loop train. Real nice morning but a little cool first thing. We were headed to Skull Creek Marina about 30 miles to the North. About 5 miles from Skull Creek Dream Catcher radioed he hit some thing I was following him so we went into neutral and drifted over the area. It read 40' depth. Dream Catcher had a vibration so he went into reverse and up came parts of a crab trap float. Each time he went into reverse more parts came up. He ran up speed but still had a vibration. We reached the marina and called a diver to check the props and see what was causing the problem. Diver can not come till the morning. We are all hoping it is just line around the prop but time will tell The main reason Lin & I  decided to stop at Skull Creek was that Bob & Ann Chetwynd now live here I worked with Bob & Ann at thr Research Foundation at SUNY for ten years. I had not seen Bob in 5 years and had to travel 4,700 miles to see him as he never ventures North to often. They came over to the boat then we went to their house for cocktails. To top it off Bigs their son and his family wife Christine,son Cam and daughter Cat were there.
It was great seeing them all. Bob and Ann took us all out to dinner which was just great, we talked of old times and what the future would bring. It was great seeing them after such a long time. It is always nice to see good friends when you are far from home.
  
Lin & Rich
Skull Creek Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

April 15th Day 274

Today was a nice day warm with a nice breeze. My sister Lynda and her husband Roger with their friends Nancy and Don came over to pick us up about 9am. We showed the boat to Nancy and Don and then headed out to see Savannah. We took the 90 minute tour of the city which was really nice. There were many movies shot in this area one was Forrest Gump. They showed us where the bench was that he sat on to tell the story. We went from there around the corner and the bus stopped and Forrest got on. They have this guy who looked like and acted like Forrest. Had the cloths and the suit case. Really did look like Tom Hanks. He had the Forrest act down and even ran like he did when the little show was over, it was real nice. The town was nice and we did the tourist thing. We had a nice lunch and on the way back to the boat stopped at a rib place for dinner. Great day was had by all. Tomorrow might be stormy. We will probably leave here Monday and cross into South Carolina our 12th state. Lin & Rich Isle of Hope Marina Isle of Hope, Georgia

April 13th & 14th Days 272 & 273

We were up early to leave during high tide. Tom & Elizabeth stayed with us last night and left this morning. We were underway by 7:15 under tired eyes. Last night I could not get the depth finder to work or it seemed not to work. Tom & I worked on it till midnight. I worked on it longer and got up at 4am to try again. I checked everything but it would just blink the depth. With the problem we decided to follow the other three boats and the would keep us in deep water. Once we started the engines the finder started to work. Not sure what was wrong but we were sure glad it was working. We traveled 67.8 miles in 10 hours a very long day after not much sleep the night before. We traveled thru a lot of shallow water which kept the heart beating. We anchored in a creek behind Walburg Island. It was a great anchorage but the no seeums were there by the thousands. They are so small they go right thru the screens and give one heck of a bite. They come out in the morning and evening. Great sleeping night. April 14th Day 273 Up with the anchor at 8am and underway. The tides in this area are 8 to 9 feet, got to make sure when you find a spot to anchor there will be enough water under you in low tide. Today was a short day only 31.7 miles to bring our total to 4,696 miles. Again today we went thru a lot of shallow water but we all made it with out any problems. We draft more that the other three boats so usually Carlton leads the way and keeps us all in deep water. We are in the Isle of Hope Marina outside of Savannah. Once hooked up Lin cleaned inside and I gave Goofin Off a good wash down. We used the courtesy car and went for supplies and then we all went to dinner. Tomorrow my sister and brother-in-law are coming by and we are going visit Savannah. Lin & Rich Isle of Hope Marina Savannah, Georgia

April 12th Day 271

We have left Florida after four months and have entered our 11th state Georgia. We left Palm Cove Marina at 6:30 for a long day and headed to Jekyll Island. The morning was great with a warm breeze and the sun off our starboard beam. We went thru a lot of open swamp areas and a few small villages. We cut across two inlets to the Atlantic. The one at the St Johns river had a strong current with the tide going out and we dropped from 10 mph to 6.5 mph crossing the inlet. We went by the Navy's submarine facility, Kings Bay Naval Station. We passed Cumberland Island with the wild ponies and did not see any. As we passed a small Island just before St Andrews Sound we did see two ponies on the beach also ran into hundreds of jelly fish. St Andrews Sound is big and can be rough we lucked out and only had small waves. Out of the sound we headed to Jekyll Island. We are docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina right off the ICW. Tom and Elizabeth, freinds from back home and our marina along with their friends Bob & Lyn came over to visit and we all went out to dinner. It was great seeing them and will visit with them today. Our plans are to head out towards Savannah tomorrow with a stop in Kilkenny which is about 70 miles from here. Then we will head to the Isle of Hope south of Savannah. We picked up fuel at Palm Cove at a cost of $3.94 per gallon. Glad we our on the downside of the adventure with the fuel prices rising so quickly. Lin & Rich Jekyll Harbor Marina Jekyll Island, Georgia

April 10 Day 270

Up and out of Rivers Edge at 9am with the sun shining and in the 70's. We traveled 35.3 mile thru some beautiful waterways with great houses from small to HUGE. The weather was great and the bright sun was on our starboard side as we headed North. Heading North the sun never gets really in your eyes which is great. We rolled into the Palm Cove Marina around 1:30 and had to fuel. We picked up another Looper on the way so we had 4 boats to fuel one at a time. Took us about 2 hours to get us all fueled and docked. Air conditioner on and getting cooled down. The fuel was $3.93 per gallon and the dockage was $1.55. We went to publix to pick up a few things then we all went to a nice Mexican Restaurant for dinner, it was very good. We talked with our friends Tom and Elizabeth and plan on hooking up with them tomorrow. Looks like Lin and I will travel 60 miles to Brunswick Georgia tomorrow to meet with them. Carlton, Becky, Jim and Brenda will stop at Cumberland Island to see the wild horses. Hopefully we will meet up with them again around Savannah or some where along the way home. We will miss their company but we must push toward the cold North and hope it is warm when we get there. Lin & Rich Palm Cove Marina Jacksonville, Florida

April 9th Day 269

We headed over to town early this morning to make the 10 am tour of Flagler college. The college is an old hotel which was built by Henry Flagler for the rich people from the North to come. It was only open January thru March and you had to pay in advance for the three months weather you stayed 1 or 12o days. It was built in the late 1800. The place is beautiful and hard to describe in a blog. The tour was great and well worth the price of $5.00. The Tiffany glass in the dinning area was just beautiful. Tuition for a year is $21,000 which includes everything except books. The dinning hall was not like most college dinning halls it was more like a fancy hotel dinning area. Today it was in the 90's and it now feels good to be sitting on the boat with the air conditioning on. We will leave here in the morning and head to the Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville. Lin & Rich Rivers Edge Marina St. Augustine, Florida

April 7th & 8th Days 267 & 268

April 7th Thursday We went into town and took the trolley tour. There are 23 stops on the tour which the driver told you about. Our first stop at 10am was San Sabastian Winery. Took a short tour of the place which had a movie and then saw some wine barrels and vats. The best part was the wine tasting. They told how to look, smell, and taste wine. We tried about 8 different types, the problem I could see was we used the same wine glass without rinsing it. We wobbled out of the winery and rode the trolley to decided what we wanted to see. We walked down St. George Street which was shops and Restaurants. At 5pm Jim and Brenda arrived at the marina and are docked in front of us. Carlton rented a car to drive to Alabama tomorrow to get his drivers license. The car was a small SUV so we all piled in and headed out to dinner at Barnacle Bill's Beach Side. Lin & I had salmon which was great. April 8th Friday Carlton and Becky headed out to Alabama early this morning. Lin did a load of laundry while I did engine checks and washed the dockside side of the boat. We headed to town around 11am and went to the Fountain of Youth. We drank the water and to our surprise we did not change or feel any younger as of yet. Maybe it takes awhile to work. We went to an old time drug store and toured some old homes. This is the oldest town in the USA. It is really nice and old. Tomorrow we will tour the Flagler college and take in some more sights. We will have a nice dinner at the bar & grill at the marina. We plan on leaving on Sunday and head to Jacksonville. Lin & Rich Rivers Edge Marina St Augustine Florida

April 6th Day 266

The days are ticking down to fast. We left Daytona at 8:30 after the sun warmed up the 50 degree weather. Maybe we are heading North a little to soon, but the Grand kids wait for our arrival and we wait to see them again. We traveled 53.7 miles today to bring our total trip mileage to 4,498. We are in St. Augustine in a nice marina off the inter coastal called Rivers Edge Marina which was previously called Oyster Creek. Last night they had a cookout where the marina provided the meat(chicken) and boaters bring sides. It was pretty good with about 16 people there. The marina also has a deal with the bar on the property to give boat owners a drink deal. After dinner we stopped for a drink, 2 beers and 2 shots total $7.89 could be habit forming. Today we are going to take the trolley tour of the area three days to ride the tour for $20.00 each. We also got a good deal at the marina being loopers you pay for two days and get one free, Carlton talked the guy into giving us a fourth day for half price. Carlton and Becky are heading to Alabama tomorrow to get new drivers licenses. As I write this the sun is coming up over the bow and looks like it is going to be a nice day in the 80's. Lin & Rich Rivers Edge Marina St Augustine, Florida

April 4th & 5th Days 265 & 266

Yesterday I did the oil and filter change and should be close to getting home on this change. I will pick up another set of filters just to be prepared if the hours call for a change. Lin got caught up on laundry and boat cleaning. It was a productive day for us. We took a walk uptown and it is hard to believe all the places closed and buildings for sale. Maybe over at Dayton Beach things are different. We did stop at a chocolate factory for some great chocolate. We had a great bar-b-que rib dinner last night to finish off the day. April 5th Severe thunderstorm warnings were in affect this morning so we decided to hang here one more day. We made it thru the storm in good shape and it was not as bad as predicted, but it sure cooled things down it is noon and only 64 degrees. Carlton had to pull the pump out of his washer/dryer and hopes to get a new pump delivered today. I will help him get the washer/dryer back in its place once the pump is in. We will probably head out tomorrow if all goes well with the weather and washer. Might do the 50 miles to St Augustine or anchor in between, time will tell. Our friends Tom & Elizabeth are headed our way looking for a boat and some warm weather. It will be great to see them, they are the friends who found us in Mackinaw City on their way out to Oregon. We hope all is well with those who are following us. It is hard to believe our adventure is coming close to an end. Lin & Rich Halifax Harbor Marina Dayton, Florida

April 3rd Day 264

It was an easy run today only 15.3 miles from New Smyria to Daytona. We are in the Halifax Harbor Marina great place and a HUGE marina. I gave Goofin Off a great wash down to get rid of the Florida salt. You can really feel the salt after a long few days. Am working on a way to figure out a way to sell it as sea salt. Had a relaxing day and we went up to town and had a nice dinner. Tomorrow I will do an oil/filter change and should be good for another 200 hours. Will have to start to look for another set of Cat filters. This marina has a place to get rid of the oil and filters. Tomorrow we(Carlton,Beck) and us will cook up some ribs. They have a Mainship with a Gen-air bar-b-que(electric) on the back deck. The farther North we get the COOOOler it gets. We better slow down and wait for warmer weather. Lin & Rich Halifax Marina Daytona Florida

April 2nd Day 263

Got up early and had our rental car back at the Cape Canaveral Hertz rental car at 7:00 am Needless to say no drivers to take us back to the boat. Well finally a ride back and we were ready to get underway at 8:30. It was a long day for us as we traveled 52 miles to The Fishing Store marina at New Smyrna Beach. It is right on the inter coastal waterway. It was a 52 mile trip today with about 8 miles of no wake zones. We also had a few boaters who did not know what a slow pass was really some boaters should be required to take classes. If I see them and I know who they are (boat names) I will have Goofin Off give them a ride of their lives. We will have an easy ride tomorrow only 20 miles to Daytona. Today we got to see our first sea ray which crossed our bow. We also saw a couple of manatees during our travels today. This marina is small but real nice and the people are great. They have a deer mount on the wall one which made NY State records it was taken around Syracuse in 2000 and I remember it from the Conservationist magazine. It is an 18 pointer really nice. We went out and had a great dinner. We are looking forward to a short day tomorrow. Lin & Rich Fish Store Marina New Smyrna Beach Florida

April 1st Day 262

WE ARE SINKING HELP April fools Today is a great day We went to the Kennedy Space Center What a great day we saw the second to last shuttle on the launch pad # 39 WHAT A SIGHT The whole center and tour was GREAT We spent close to 8 hours there and there was not any time spent that we regretted Tonight the 6 of us went to a local raw bar and had a great dinner. Jim & Brenda are leaving at day break for Daytona Carlton and I will take the rental car back and then we will leave the marina for somewhere Tomorrow we will return the car then be ready to get underway Who knows what is going to happen SO ENJOY THE DAY Lin & Rich Cococa Villiafe bmariba

Maqrch 30th & 31st Days 260 & 261

We left Jones Fruit Dock at 8am it was overcast with the threat of sever weather. We motored around 8mph down the Indian River until the radar and weather channel raised the storm possibilites. With that threat we raised the speed to 10mph to get in before the weather hit. It was a 48.8 mile trip today which we did with Carlton & Becky aboard Seamoore whom we met in Marathon and then again in Lake Park. Their freinds Jim & Brenda aboard Dream Catcher also traveled with us. We arrived at Cocoa Village Marina around 2pm ahead of the storm but not by much. The storm blew in with strong winds and rain but we all survived. This marina is really nice with very friendly people and a nice club house & lounge. After the storm we walked to Travis Hardware which has 7 buildings and everything from tooth picks to $1,200.00 wrenches. They did not have a Obsorber which I was looking for. After we went to Ryan's Pizza a must stop on the Loop. March 31st Last night around 1am another storm blew in it woke Lin up but I slept thru it. Today we have been under tornado warnings and heavy thunder storm warnings, but they have missed them so far. Tomorrow we plan to rent a car and go to Kennedy Space Center. If the rain lets up we will head to a Raw Bar for dinner. Lin found a place and got her hair cut in between the rains and then came back and cut my hair. Will be up and ready to be picked up to get the car at 7:30. Stll raining but I believe the warnings are off or we hope. Lin & Rich Cocoa Village Marina Cocoa, Florida

March 28th & 29th Days 258 & 259

The 28th was a rain day with some heavy winds. We did some laundry and boat work to get ready for our next move. It rained pretty good and long and we were glad as Florida really needs some rain. They have had some brush fires here which have done some house damage, it is really dry here. Did a lot of relaxing today after three days of visiting with my sister and brother-in-law. March 29th decided to head North with Becky and Carlton to try and beat our next storm. We headed to Jones Fruit Dock a well know old time stop for loopers. Richard Jones is in his 90's and love to have boaters on his 135' dock to listen to and tell stories. When we pulled in we found out that he had just passed away on Saturday. We were really looking forward to meeting him as we had heard about him and this dock for a long time. We are really sad we did not meet him so we could add him to our memory bank of people you have to meet. We came in with three boats and many locals came down to see the boats and tell us about Richard Jones and his history. Tomorrow we plan on making Cococa beach some 50 miles from here. Lin & Rich Jones Fruit Dock (he will be missed) Mile 945 on the ICW

March 26th & 27th Days 256 & 257

Lin & Roger came over yesterday at 8am to go to the farmers market outside the marina. Their friends Bill & Cindy from Glens Falls who winter here also met us there. They had a ton of food for breakfast and lunch. We ate, bought some fruit then headed to the flea market area to look at all the stuff. Lin bought herself a nice sea grass hat to keep this sun off her face and head. It was a great farmers market one of the biggest ones we have seen so far. Later we went to Bill and Cindy's condo in Vero Beach which was right on the Atlantic Beach. We also went up the road to a park where there had to be 10 big manatees. We went over to my sister's new camper and had lunch and checked out the new rig. Did some more sight seeing then headed to the boat for cocktails. We took Lynda & Roger out to dinner for their 50th anniversary as we missed the party. There was a great restaurant near the marina. March 27th Lyn & Rog picked us up for Church this morning then took us to the store. Lin & I decided to stay an extra day as we are suppose to get some bad weather tomorrow, but who can believe a weather man. This will give Lin a chance to get a hair cut, do some laundry and both of us time to do our boat work. With the way the weather is up North we don't want to get there too soon. When we leave here it is only a 20 mile run to our next stop at Jone's Fruit Market. Lin & Rog are picking us up this afternoon to head to their place for dinner. Lin & Rich Fort Pierce City Marina Fort Pierce, Florida

March 25th Day 256

We were up and ready to get underway by 8am Carlton and Becky people we met in Marathon and then again here at Lake Park decided to head to Fort Pierce also. Off we both went under a beautiful morning sky. The trip was long covering 51.3 miles. We traveled at about 8 MPH but ran into a lot of Manatee zones where you have to go to idle speed. Seems like all us outsiders obey that rule while the locals don't see the signs. The 51 mile trip took us 8 long hours. Thru some of the areas the houses and scenery were just great while toward the end on Indian river there was not much to see. We both got in and tied up without a problem. We got a hold of my sister and brother-in-law and they came over to the boat. Uptown about two blocks was a car show with some great old classic cars. My favorite was a 65 Mustang convertible the same model car I bought when I returned from Viet Nam. Today there is a huge farmers market just out side the Marina. Supposed to be the biggest and best. Down the road there is an antique car show and all is free. Seems like there is something going on everywhere. Not sure how long we will stay here, looks like storms all next week. They really need the rain so we won't complain but if we do get weather held up this looks like the place to be.

Lin & Rich
Fort Pierce City Marina
Fort Pierce, Florida

March 24th Day 255

Hate saying it but another great day in the sunny South. Susan stopped over yesterday afternoon and we had a great visit. It was great to see her and learn what was happening back home. Her new to her car is really sharp. Susan took us out to dinner and we got to ride in her car with the top down and wind blowing thru our hair. It was a very unique restaurant and we had another great visit while we waited for our table. My sister Lynda called and her and Roger were headed to Florida from Myrtle Beach. We plan on hooking up tomorrow in Fort Pierce. They are on their Spring Camping trip and came South to enjoy the great weather and leave the cold and snow in Lake George where they live.

Lin & Rich
Lake Park Marina
Palm Beach, Florida

March 23rd Day 254

Today the 23rd we left Cooley's on the New River in Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 and set our bow for Palm Beach. The trip was 52 miles which took us 8 hours. We had to have 9 bridges opened so we could pass under them. Some opened on the hour and half hour others opened at quarter of and quarter after the hour and some were on request. The houses(mansions) along the ICW were way too much and most had a yacht at the dock. We would see one for sale and next to it they would be building a new one. Money does not seem to be a problem along this area of the ICW. When we got to Palm Beach Harbor it was full of mega yachts, found out it is the weekend for the Palm Beach Boat Show one of the biggest around. We are just a little north of the harbor at Lake Park Marina, which has floating concrete docks. As we pulled in Carlton from SEAMOORE was there to catch our lines. We met him and his wife Becky at Marathon. They started the Great Loop from Alabama and spent a month and a half in Marathon. We had cocktails together and got caught up on what they were up to. We called Susan who owns the marina we are in up North and we will get together with her tomorrow to catch up on news.

Lin & Rich
Lake Park Marina
Palm Beach, Florida

March 22nd Day 253

Another relaxing day in the sunny South. Did all the engine checks to get ready to get underway tomorrow morning. We defrosted the fridge's freezer and are hoping it will be the last time before we get back up North. Tomorrow we will head to Lake Park and see Susan who runs our Marina up North. It is about a 50 mile run and we have to have 9 bridges opened so we can pass under them. Not sure how many no wake zones there are but we are hoping we can get there by cocktail hour. On the New River where we are now there are all kinds of no wake signs but no one pays attention to them except us on the way in. Now we understand why the yacht behind us almost ran us over and was a little annoyed at us for going so slow. Tomorrow we will know better and make the trip out to the ICW a little shorter.

Lin & Rich
Cooley's Marina
New River, Fort Lauderdale

March 21st Days 252

The first full day of Spring was a great day for us. Yesterday we had a great visit with my cousin and his wife. Had lunch and then went over to their place for a nice visit. Ken took us down to the beach where the bars and beach was packed with Spring breakers. Today the weather was pleasant and we got Goofin Off ready to get underway. We plan on leaving here on Wednesday and heading to Park Lake near Fort Worth. Susan who owns the marina we are from is in that area and we will hook up with her there. We still are amazed with the size of the yachts that are in this area. Have been checking fuel prices and are they up there. Cheapest fuel so far is $3.91 plus tax. Not much else to say about today except Life is Great.



Lin & Rich
Enjoying Fort Lauderdale

March 19th & 20th Days 250 & 251

Happy 1st day of Spring, we are sure all 0f you people up North are glad to see it get here.
From what we hear you have had a few nice days so far. We are at Cooley's Marina on the New River in Fort Lauderdale. We are near a lift bridge which must go up and down hundreds of times a day letting these yachts pass thru. Some are just hard to imagine that someone can afford such a vessel. Some of these boats need to be towed thru the river(insurance) and some need escort boats as the river has some hairpin turns. Makes Goofin Off seem small, but we love her and the great ride she has given us so far on our adventure. We have seen yachts where the side opens and out comes a speed boat up to 30' , besides the ding 0n deck. There are no wake signs all over the place but no one reads them, but it is not bad and we are on a great dock. Today my cousin Ken is coming over for a visit and we will do lunch. Yesterday Lin & I did the walk around and saw some shops we could not afford. You certainly would not go hungry here as the is a restaurant every few feet.They have a trolley here and for $2.00 you can ride it all day. We will probably try that tomorrow and hopefully will be able to find our way back to the boat. Yesterday I gave Goofin Off a a great wash down which she needed to desalt her and Lin cleaned the inside. Tomorrow morning I will be polish the stainless before we set out for the day. The days are just not long enough for what we want to get done. There looks like there is something going on in the park near us so sometime today we will check that out.

Lin & Rich
Cooley's Marina
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

March 18th Day 249

Got up early this morning to get the boat ready to get underway to Fort Lauderdale.
We left the dock at Boca Chita federal park at 7:30. The sun was up but the wind was strong.
We headed across the Florida Bay with Miami at the bow. As we approached Miami we saw what was left of the houses built on sticks, once they fell down they were not allowed to rebuild them. Going thru Miami was something else tall buildings and a lot of boat traffic. We had to have two bridges opened to pass thru. As we passed thru Port Everglades there we many many cruise ships and mega yachts. One yacht had a helicopter on the fantail, a chase boat on one side deck and a sail boat on the other side deck, life must be tough for some people. There were more big yachts than we could count and one had to be better than the other. After 46 miles we found the New River and headed up to Cooley's Marina run by the city. They first put us on a dock downtown but was not sure for how long, so we decided to move to Cooley's which ended up to be nicer. The laundry is right at the end of our dock and we are bowed in so we can watch all the yachts go by. We walked the Riverwalk and found a great Irish Pub and had cold beer and sandwiches. We will probably stay 3 or 4 days but who knows. Our compass is now pointed North so we are on the way up the East coast. Today we did 46 miles in 7 hours of winding and windy waterways.

Lin & Rich
Cooley Marina
New River
City of Fort Lauderdale

March 17th Day 248

Happy Saint Patty's day to you all
Today we just hung out here at Boca Chita and enjoyed another beautiful day
Roy and Ellen on Our Turn headed out this morning at 9am on their way home here in Florida
We just hung out walked around the island and at times got attacked by Mosquitoes and they were hungry. There are boats in and out of here all day long there is a nice beach on the Atlantic side. We are going to try and grow a coconut tree going to try and take some of this South home to the cold North. We are going to leave here tomorrow at 7:30 with with Larry and Marge aboard Wanderin' L & M a beautiful 55' Hampton. We have had a great time here but it is time to move to Fort Lauderdale.

Lin & Rich
Boca Chita National Park

march 16th Day 247

We left Gilberts at 9:30 and set a course for Boca Chita state park and dock. The water was crystal clear and we had perfect weather' Most of the day was in 8 to 10 feet of water which made us feel good as we looked at the clear bottom. We caught up with two boats which left Marathon the same day we did but they ran the Atlantic instead for the Bay. Since they had been to Boca Chita we asked if we could follow them in. It was shallow but pretty well marked thru the shallow waters. Once they were inside the small basin and anchored they said they had a spot for us. Slowly we crept in only to have a boat(local) pass us and take the spot. Luckily there was another tighter spot that they directed us to and helped us in. What a beautiful spot one side of the island is Florida Bay and a short walk(can see it) is the Atlantic. Lin and I walked the nature trail around the island which was nice except for the mosquitoes which were real hungry. We had cocktails with Larry and Marge on Wandering L & M and Roy and Ellen on Our Turn. Lin and I went up in the light house and got a great look at the Miami Skyline. Saw a beautiful sunset across the bay. It is $20.00 a night no power or water but what a great place. It is Spring break down at the local schools so the place is packed and we were lucky to get here early for a spot. We may stay one more day or we may head to Fort Lauderdale another tough decision has to be made. Today we traveled 28.9 miles a lot less than our 70 mile trip yesterday. To date we have covered 4,159 miles of our adventure.

Lin & Rich
Boca Chita State Park, Florida Bay
Miami in the sunset

March 14th & 15th Days 245 & 246

On the 14th we got Goofing Off ready to get underway we did the resupply of groceries.
Did all the engine checks, filled the water tank and folded up the bikes for the trip.
We sat in on another chart and travel course just to be sure of our travels.
It was a relaxing day and got time to say good bye to the friends we met during our two week stay. Neither one of us got much sleep , must be the getting underway jitters after our two week enjoyable stay.
March 15th we slept in after a sleepless night and were awaken from an email this morning
from our daughter, lucky for us. Up and got things ready to go we said some final good byes and were underway at 8am. We decided to go back our thru the 7mile opening instead of Knights Channel. Once out in the Florida bay we set our course East thru shallow water. We still can't get used to traveling thru 5' of water when we draft 4.6'. The water in the Bay is clear and you can see the bottom which makes it even shallower. We went thru a real narrow and shallow spot and here was a sail boat aground. Called on the radio and asked if he was ok and needed help. He replied he was aground and waiting for high tide. He drafted 4'11" we draft 4'6" he said there was room to get around him. We could see the sand he kicked up trying to get out but took him for his word and went close astern of him. We made it around and left a nice trail of sand. Lin & I used to river cruising or Lake Champlain where you never see bottom were on the edge of our chairs all day. It was a great day weather wise but the shallow water took most of the fun and pleasure out of the ride. We were going to anchor at Tarpon Basin but by the time we got there it had a lot of boats anchored and ever time we tried to leave the channel to anchor it got shallow and put our nerve's at the edge. Captain to First Mate decision go 5 more miles bite the bullet and pay for dockage. We are at Gilberts marina on Jewfish Creek. Live music right outside our boat. It was a long and tiring day, but we are safe at a dock, having a refreshing beverage and listening to live music. Doesn't get better than this after a stressful day.

Lin & Rich
Gilberts Marina
Jewfish Creek, Florida