Fun Achieved

Sunday was a true day of rest. Mary did do some linen laundry but for the most part we read and watched golf on TV. It was quiet after our family left.

Monday we awoke knowing this was the last leg of our journey-to St. Michael's Marina. Our docking space was going to be a tricky spot to get out of so with thought, Joe decided to back out a bit and turn the boat around. With ease we left  for the fueling dock, pumped out and headed out into the Chesapeake Bay.

The day was hot and hazy. We were lucky again, as we have been with the Loop, that the Bay was calm as can be. The Cove Point Lighthouse was a nice site on our Port. Both of us were just commenting on the fact that we had not seen many crab pots when bang, there they were. We even got to see floats that we had never seen. Finally, for the first time in our  Loop history, the terrain ahead was familiar. We remembered the harbor and the marina only on this trip, we were not afraid of where to go nor what to do. We have come so far!

We are waiting on the dock to get a pump out at Spring Cove Marina, prior to leaving. In our opinion, this was one of the best marinas on the Loop.

We have enjoyed viewing the many lighthouses on the Loop and learning a bit of history about them. This is the Cove Point Lighthouse. It is thirty-six feet tall and is the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.

When Mary saw this in the water, she didn't know what it was, but Joe did. It is the Cove Point Liquid Natural Gas Terminal. It exports and stores liquified natural gas. By 2022, the facility had safely loaded 300 commercial vessels reaching 28 countries.

Take a look at these crab pot floats. They are much easier to see as a boater. 

This was a new sight for us. It looks very much like a 'No Wake" warning buoy but these warned of underwater cables or oyster beds.

As we pulled into the St. Michael's Marina, Mary's eyes welled up with tears. She was on the bow of the boat though, ready to throw lines and had to get it together. Then, she saw her daughter Sara, and two grandchildren there on the dock ringing a cowbell.  "Welcome home!", they chanted. Mary got her wits about her and Joe docked the boat with ease. He didn't notice the welcoming committee until the boat was in the slip. Captains need full concentration. We were both very surprised that Sara had just decided to take the ride only that morning join us "crossing our wake." Wake is the wave a boat generates as it moves through the water. In Looper parlance, "crossing your wake" means you have crossed the wake that you created when you started your adventure.

The welcoming committee! We popped a bottle of Champaign and then walked into town for shopping and ice cream. Joe stayed on the boat for a nap!

We did it!

We were happy that Sara was there to catch the changing of the Burgee. We are officially Gold Loopers.

St Michaels Marina flies Union Jack Flags as well as the Flag of the USA. Their are two reasons. The first is due to the battle of St. Michaels in 1812. Admiral George Cochran from Britain moved up the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812 seeking to do damage. The town of St. Michael's, with its shipyards, were an inviting target. The clever townspeople here hung lanterns in the trees beyond the town so that the British gunners overshot the town. It is known as the" town that fooled the British." The second reason is the partnership and loyalty of the British to the United States during the Iraq conflict.

It was fitting that we had docktails with Looper friends  that evening to celebrate. Afterward, we walked to AVA's, for some great pizza and celebratory toast.

Answered Questions

What did we enjoy the most on the Loop? The people we met of course. They made the trip the wonderful adventure it became.

Where was our favorite stop(s)? Mary loved the Lake District in Canada, Charlevoix, Michigan, riding through Chicago and Hilton Head. Joe loved riding through Chicago, Hilton Head, Sackets Harbor, Tobermory, Canada and the Hudson River.

What was the most frightening moment? We did not like approaching NYC. The waves were the largest we encountered. But you always learn and we secured the galley and salon with care after that adventure.

What did you find the hardest to do?

Mary: Definitely handling the lines in the locks and lassoing pilings at docks that are not floating.

Joe: Docking with strong currents and keeping an eye out for crab pots.

What are you looking forward to on land? We can't wait to sleep in our own bed, have a car for transportation, not have to watch the weather constantly,  use our own laundry room, have an oven and be able to cook what we want anytime,  not have to bend into all sorts of positions to get things in and out of their storing places and being able to flush the toilet each and every time (boaters will get this!)

How many miles did you travel? We traveled 5,050 nautical miles which converts to 5,811 statute miles.

How many engine hours did you travel? We traveled about 700 hours.

What was the longest day you traveled in hours? We traveled from Bashi Creek Overflow, an anchorage, to Three Rivers, another anchorage, which took 10 1/2 hours. These are located in Alabama. On that day we traveled 74 nautical miles.

What was your shortest trip in hours? Our shortest trip was from St. Michaels MD to Kent Narrows, MD (Safe Harbor Narrows Point)-our first day- which took 1 hour. 

What was the most Northern, Western, Southern and Eastern part of your trip?

For us, the Northern Channel in Canada was the most northern part of the trip. The most western was in Illinois on the Illinois River near the I-72 bridge. Our most southern part of the trip was Marathon Key, Florida and the most eastern was the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May, NJ.

How many days were you actually on the water? We were on the water for just over a year-376 days.

How many days did you travel? We were on the water 120 days, about a third of the year and average for a Looper.

How many friends did you make on the Loop? We collected cards from 110 boats, but also met boaters that were not part of the Loop and did not carry cards. Let's just say hundreds.

Would you go again? Yes, both of us would do this again as we would know more. It is not in our plans though.

Would you take anything that you did not on this trip? No one suggested we take the following, which we purchased on the move:

Wet vac: We needed one for cleaning the mud and muck out of sea strainers.

Mops: We added two different mops needed to wipe down the plastic glass at the helm when it had condensation.

Fenders: We began with four fenders but you really need 8 for a boat our size. You need to protect your boat in locks where you will be tightly tied up or even rafted to other boats.

Spliter: We need 50 amps of power docked but some marinas and docking stations only have 30 amps. A splitter allows you to get power in those situations, but you have to choose what is important to you to receive power.

What did you take that you didn't need?

We used everything we brought with the exception of pot protectors in the kitchen. Usually the ones you purchase that are stackable already have them. We also had some medications on board that we took and didn't use but we would take them again, just to be safe.

Where was your favorite Ice cream and Butter Tarts? We loved the ice cream in Pickton, Canada the best, though this is not a usual stop on the Loop. Butter Tarts were best in Orillia.

Did you ever get injured? Except for our original bad scratches, we were lucky and got through with nothing serious. We have meet Loopers with broken limbs, concussions, falls overboard, bike accidents, broken ribs, and the like.

Did you gain 100 pounds and are you alcoholics? No and no.

How many people viewed the Funintened Blog? We have had over 4,500 Funintended blog viewings and posted 54 blogs.

Did the bag you got at Liberty Landing in NYC become your favorite? Definitely. Mary loved that bag. It was blue and white stripped, had a zipper and was the perfect size to carry while shopping.

How much does doing the Loop cost?  It depends on the cost of fuel, how many marinas you stay at, do you eat out a lot, do you drink a lot, cost of your boat repairs, how many times you need prop attention and mechanics, etc. When they say BOAT stands for "Bring Out Another Thousand," they are short changing it. 

What are your plans now that the Loop is completed? We are going to take the next twelve months to decide what to do. We still have 4 crates of furniture from the sale of our home in Rockville to deal with. We haven't really lived in our home in Delaware for long, so we will do that now. We plan to golf, boat, knock off some bucket list items and enjoy each other, our friends and life for as long as we can.

We were part of the Fleet of 2022. The shirt on the left has the shirt from 2017 with all boats participating listed. The shirt on the right has our class with boat names, the most in the history of the AGLCA. We think many boaters may have delayed due to Covid and therefore began in 2022. Here is an interesting fact: More people climb Mount Everest in a year than complete the Great Loop in a year. About 125 boats completed the Loop last year, which is about 250 people.  690 individuals reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2022. We will be in the statistics for 2023. 

Personal Thoughts:

Mary:

I must admit, I did not want to take this trip at all. I knew that I did not have the full knowledge to take off.  It was scary, like jumping into French or Spanish  in school at the highest level and not knowing the language. I did not have the language, skills, nor desire to do this. I only agreed because Joe wanted to take the trip.

The first six months were rough. In the beginning, when I heard a boat  motor turn over, I got a knot in my stomach thinking "Here we go again. Can't we just stay docked!" Presently,  I don't think twice about what I will find at a marina, lock, or when anchoring. I have it down and when I come to a situation I haven't met before, I know I will figure it out with Joe.

We have met such great people. Boaters are the "salt of the earth" for a reason. It is "all for one and one for all" out here. If you need help, all you have to do is ask.  No one feels "better than thou" and whether the boat is your home, a temporary purchase for the Loop or a new beginning, we are all on the same playing field.

I am reluctant to get the "yoke of life" back on-the traffic, appointments, commitments, house problems, personality clashes, 2 1/2 hour rides each way twice a week to see my Mom, babysitting, holiday decorating and gift buying, cellphone messages, email,  lunch dates, etc. You know the drill. We have not had that on the Loop and though things got tough at times, Joe and I knew where we were going and planned accordingly. Life has no map.

Joe and I have grown closer than ever, not that we weren't, and this trip has been like a honeymoon where you get to know each other really well all over again.  As we traveled the miles, I was able to finally shed my career and get back to being me. I met new friends for life and learned to appreciate my old friends. I read a lot of really great books and got to sink my teeth into their words-relishing the author's intent.

I am the one who would go again in a heart beat. This time, I know what I'm doing, can see places that we weren't able to get to and meet the people we just met once again only in their home ports.  I will miss many of them. It was fun, so much fun. I look forward to more fun times on the boat.

Joe:

There were three objectives I had: to be mentally challenged, to have physical activity, and a sense of adventure.

We both learned so much, so quickly that the first objective was more than met.  Considering we didn't know a floating dock from a fixed dock or anything about the mechanical systems on the boat, we had to learn quickly and, for the most part, we did.  There's still an awful lot we don't know, but I think we can now consider ourselves boaters.  I'll admit, I still feel undeserving when called "captain."

We were physically tested in ways different from our normal activities.  Our balance has improved, we used different muscles and we probably walked more than when we were landlubbers.  However, we ate really well, had trouble keeping the liquor supplies up to snuff, and got pretty lazy when in port. Overall, I'd say the physical objective was meh.

It has been an adventure.  We never felt in physical harm and neither of us got injured, but we saw much of this country's geography from a different viewpoint than an interstate highway.  Traveling through Canada and meeting so many Canadians reminded me of how similar people are.  Canada was beautiful, but so were the rivers through the western US part of the journey.  We met folks from all over this country as well, avoiding talk about politics and religion.

Although it wasn't one of my objectives, Mary is right that the trip has brought the two of us closer together.  I learned to trust her judgement more and question her less.  She has become a reliable first mate, and a compasionate Admiral.

All that Mary has to say is "let's go again" and I'm all in.

Final Thoughts

Our adventure was fantastic but it was not unusual. Loopers know they are either watching or hearing about a "show" (mishap or adventure) or they are the "show." There are other Loopers who never boated and purchased a boat to do the Loop. There are couples who never knew one another and decided to Loop together. There are marriages on the Loop, engagements on the Loop, divorces as a result of the Loop, solo Loopers, sick Loopers, young Loopers, older Loopers... the Loop is life itself. Do not be afraid to try something new.  Conquer your fears. You can do anything if you want to do it. The important thing is to have fun, intentional fun.

We want to thank those of you who have taken this trip with us by reading our blog. We hope you enjoyed it and that, perhaps, it has inspired you to take on something new. 

May the intentional fun continue in all of our lives.

This is Funintended signing off. 

Epilogue

Our first official day off of the loop was extremely windy with occasional rain. But then came Wednesday and weather took its worst turn yet. As we have learned, lines stretch when wet and retying the boat became an unwanted chore throughout the day.  We kept moving fenders to try and not slam into the dock and pilings. The dreaded sound "boom" alerted us to the fact that we had to hustle and tighten lines once more. In the meantime, we were getting soaked and kept changing clothing after each trip-despite wearing rain gear.  Additonally, the water line  at the marina stopped providing water to the boat-allowing just a trickle to get through. We reported the fact to the marina and were happy to hear them say it was their problem and they were working on it. We didn't want to  have to replace a water pump on board.  Luckily it was fixed quickly and the issue was a water pipe that had broken at one of the marina restaurants.

Due to the weather, we didn't leave St. Michael's until Saturday, though Friday was our target date. That morning, our son and son-in law, who had not had a ride on Funintended, came to ride with us from St. Michael's to our home port.  The leg to home port was a great ride though and we had a blast as we never had company doing a leg of the journey. 

James and Joey on the boat!

While Joey took the helm, James perched on the bow, pointing out crab pots.

Finally we saw the Bay Bridge.  We haven't traveled under it yet though, but we were home.

After we docked, we had lunch with the family and they helped load our cars for the trip home. As a surprise, a large poster of the Loop with pinpoints of our stops plus a boat picture and itinerary is in the works. What a wonderful way to remember America's Great Loop!

The trip ended as it started, quickly, with issues (weather in this case) and seeing family. As an aside,  we have both been reading  The Wager by David Grann, which is a tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder.  Did we say "shipwreck, mutiny and murder?"

You can't make this sh** up!

 Getting To Know the Chesapeake Bay

Another Sunday and we were ready to roll. The toll of boating a seventh day in a row was finally hitting us and we were becoming physically exhausted.  At 5:00am, we both woke up prior to our 7:00am alarm, did Wordle, read the Post and were ready to leave at 8:30am.

Goodbye to Bluewater Marina. 

Today, we were headed to Deltaville, VA and the Chesapeake Bay. We couldn't believe it. We were almost home. We passed Fort Monroe on the way out of the channel and into the bay. Large ships were still traversing into Norfolk, but soon sailing vessels were the order of the day. 

Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the USA. Built in early 1600's-with the stone sections completed in 1834, it became known as a symbolic site of early freedom for former slaves during the Civil War.  It was not until President Barak Obama, that  portions of the fort were declared a National Monument.

We no sooner turned onto the bay, when we heard a "pon pon" distress call on the radio.  The coastguard continued to reach out with this call on our whole day's journey but to no avail. We don't know what this was about but heard a woman call "pon-pon" two or three times. You are really supposed to say "Pon-pon, Pon-pon,  Pon-pon this is vessel ______________ at location_____________". so were are not surprised. Joe was at the helm and spotted a large ship entering the harbor. We knew we wanted to once again high tail it out of here for two reasons, the heavy boating traffic and a call for a small craft warning beginning later in the day.

We were happy to get out of dodge!

We began to see a plethora of sailing vessels once we hit the bay. Looking like home!

On our left, we saw the beautiful coastline of Virginia, passing Poquoson and Yorktown.  Mary finally took the helm and decided to widen her look at  Navionics. She was shocked to see all of these vessels just waiting in the bay. Scary to see but understandable as these were Cargo Ships waiting to get into Baltimore Harbor.

Take a look at those green vessels. Mary was in a panic thinking they were underway, but they were just anchored and waiting to move under the Chesapeake Bridge toward Baltimore. We are the white boat. Now, we know it looks like we are off the line but we were avoiding a designated fishing area.

Look through the mist and you can see five of the cargo vessels as we passed. We were not getting close to this pack!

We finally got to see the Wolf Trap Lighthouse, a sign that we had about 16 miles to go. It sits south of where the Rappahonnock River enters the Chesapeake Bay. It is on a spot that has held many lights but this one was built in 1893-94. It was painted red in about 1930 to protect it from freezing and thawing. It was automated in 1971 and then eventually sold to non-profits. In 2017, the Coast Guide declared it unsafe for personnel to access and maintain the light. It is now on the Doomsday List.

We finally reached our destination of Deltaville, VA. We would be here for two nights! Hooray!!! But first docking and pumping out.

Regatta Point Marina is billed as a resort. 

The view from our stern is the Marina Office where several members were gathered for drinks on the deck. I guess not only Loopers drink docktails.

We quickly ate lunch and then collapsed on board. Mary was under the impression there would be a restaurant here but learned it would be a 40 minute hike to get there. Another example of marina advertising. Not funny. 

That night we had drinks on board and ate left overs for dinner. Tomorrow, we hope to explore the area and provision. We'll drink to that.

Goodnight, Deltaville.

Monday, Monday and rain approaching. We are so happy to be not traveling. After a pancake breakfast, we borrowed the car, you have it for an hour, and drove to their nearest grocery store.-IGA. We just had bread, some fruit and a few other items to pick up. There is not much here. The nearest restaurant is a 40 min. walk on country roads so we decided to stay in. Besides, it rained. We were happy we got out early. 

When we picked up the car, we had to walk behind the marina. There, we saw this blue water fountain and later found out it is a landmark.

Tomorrow we head toward Solomons Island. Both of us have been on the island numerous times in person so this will be a new one. Arriving by boat, no car, and family on the way to visit.  But first, we have to navigate the Chesapeake Bay.

It's night time and we set out alarm for 7:00am. We had to get fuel before leaving. The fuel dock is separate from this area of the marina. Though we tried to take care of this when we arrived, a speed boat raced us to the dock and left no room. Mariners must learn patience. Not Mary's greatest asset.

Wouldn't you know it but the same thing happened Tuesday morning. We got to the dock and a fishing boat beat us to it. He had two tanks and was on empty because we waited for him for a half an hour. Finally, we left at 9:45am.  Oh, we might add that, yes the fuel dock can hold more than one boat but a huge yacht had been parked there since we came in the first time. The reason-they put gas rather than diesel in the tank and had to get it all out. Luckily, it was only a gallon and a half.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny with a bit of wind and the Chesapeake Bay, which has a reputation of getting really rough, was like glass. The first thing we saw was a lighted buoy, which helps guide the way-especially when lighthouses are no longer functioning.  Joe was at the helm and we thought we saw a very large ship in the distance coming toward us. Sure enough, another cargo ship only this time it was leaving Baltimore.

Lighted Buoy

Two identical fishing vessels were the next on the horizon and we passed each other port side with ease.  About an hour in, we passed the Smith Point Lighthouse. Finally we reached the Virginia/Maryland line. No welcome signs out at sea but we took note of each coast on the horizon to the port and starboard. Mary's eyes welled up a bit but she kept things under control as we still had half of the journey for today to cruise. 

This fishing vessel was built in 1979!

Smith Point Lighthouse is a caisson lighthouse in the Virginia Portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The first light at this point was built in 1802 but this one was constructed in 1896-about the fourth try. In the early 1970's, an underwater power cable was run to enable the light to be automated. That cable was replaced in 1988. In 1991, the Coast Guard performed a major overhaul-inside and out. Looks like a paint job is in order once again.

No Welcome to Virginia nor Maryland sign. Just beautiful sea, sky and an occasional boat.

Say, what's that boat? Why it's Peg and Jerry. Sometimes you Loop Frog on the water! We first met in Sackets Harbor, NY when we crossed Lake Ontario.

Eventually, we began to hear the sound of fighter jets in the sky. They were going so fast that getting a photo was tough. Finally, we saw PAX River Naval Air Station, the Calvert Cliffs and finally Solomons Island. Could it be that we are one stop from crossing our wake and two stops from our home port?  Unbelievable. 

Behind us was another ship doing 16 mph. 

Here comes the tow boat. Sure enough the barge came to a halt and received assistance into the channel to Baltimore.

Another fighter jet!

It was high noon and the sun was directly above us. We thank God that we have had great weather on the Great Loop journey.

Pax River Naval Air Station and the Calvert Cliffs gave us physical proof that we were near home.

The Thomas Johnson Bridge can be very intimidating for those with a fear of heights.

We finally arrived at Spring Cove Marina and Joe had to do a 180 degree turn to fit us into our bulkhead slip. Thank goodness we are at the end of the journey. Dubious we could have handled this with ease last year.

We were happy to see the sign for our marina. For some odd reason, the closer we get to home port the more the exhaustion of the trip is setting in.

Tucked into our bulkhead slip.

This picnic and grill area was right up the steps for us to enjoy.

Goodnight to Solomons from the stern of our boat. 

Wednesday was a day to catch up. Joe worked on the outside of the boat and Mary worked on the inside, including defrosting the refrigerator. Yes, that has been a task every two months. Thanks to a hint from a Looper friend, she uses a hair dryer-not recommended by the manufacturers- but if done correctly, the task can take only 15 minutes.  Some Loopers do theirs more often. Yuck.

We watched a few movies, listened to music, made dinner and watched a ball game on the phone as Mason was playing again. We enjoyed the day with just the two of us on the boat, making things ship shape and sharing memories. 

The sun set with our hearts and thoughts of the countdown to home port.  Dishes done, we settled down to an evening on the boat and it felt just right. Later that night we joined Loopers that were docked near us for docktails. So much fun!!

We will miss docktails. Another great time, this time on a fellow Looper's boat. 

As the sun set, so did our thoughts of how great the Loop adventure has been.

We jumped out of bed. It's Thursday and Mary's day to clean the inside of the boat from top to bottom while Joe continues the outside. There is always something to do to keep things ship shape. It's like a tiny house and we have found the neater you keep things, the better it is to manage. It was also laundry day so Mary headed out to the laundry and captain's lounge. Another impressive setup and clean as a whistle!

We headed over to a fellow Looper's boat for docktails and then walked to CD Cafe, one of the premier restaurants on Solomon's Island.  Great food, company and fun. By the time we walked back home, we were ready to relax prior to bed time.

CD Cafe is quite tiny. Though they don't take reservations, you can be put on a list that gives you priority for a table, which we did. It turned out to be a good thing as they were crowded and we had to wait about 15 min. for a table to become available!

It's Friday and our daughter Sara and family arrived here around noon! They came to spend the night and then we are headed for a crab feast tomorrow.  James, Sara's husband, did not get to come to Hilton Head so this will be special. Unfortunately, it is not a great day to take out the boat, so he will have to wait for a ride. Instead, we are planning to visit the town.

We headed to the Calvert Maritime Museum. It is a great museum, one of the best we have been in on the Loop. Emily and Riley got to search for sharks teeth in the sand from Calvert Cliffs. We also saw sea otters in addition to fish and other historical exhibits. Drum Point Light house was right there and we got to see inside and climb to the top via a spiral staircase. What is really nice is that volunteers are there to explain exhibits and answer questions.

Here we are  with Emily and Riley at the entrance to the museum.

It is always more fun to visit a museum with children.

Drum Point Lighthouse was so much fun to climb in and see how lighthouse keepers and their families lived. This lighthouse opened in 1883-well after it was first requested due to land disputes. It was originally located off of Drum Point at the mouth of the Patuxent River and is one of four surviving Chesapeake Bay screw-pile lighthouses. It was moved to this location in 1975.

After our visit, we headed back to the boat to get ready for docktails. James' family arrived just prior to a rain storm. We crowded inside and everyone stayed until 9:30pm, eating hors-d'oeuvres, drinking, talking and having fun.  Afterward,  we played cards and just hung out. Bedtime was close to midnight!

Fun intended!

Saturday we awoke to sunny skies-maybe because we all slept in. It was late before we all got ready to leave the boat. We headed out to pick up the crabs and shrimp and headed to James' sister's home. Their whole family was there and we had a great time picking Maryland crabs and feasting on hamburgers, hotdogs, assorted snacks, side dishes and dessert. What fun to be back in Maryland.

Grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and Maryland crabs!

When we finally arrived back on board, we were pretty tired from all of the fun of the day. Joe watched golf and Mary settled down to read. Tomorrow we will relax one more day before heading to St. Michaels to cross our wake.  Next week will be our last blog as the trip will be over and we will arrive at our home port. Questions will be answered and statistics shared along with insights about the trip. 

Family weekend fun on the boat. Nothing better than that!

One more stop and our burgee will change to gold.  Unbelievable!