adventure – The Voyages of Nine Lives

April 17th to May 2nd, 2025: Jacksonville to Hilton Head

Our first full day in Jacksonville was enjoyable. Dick set off early to collect the rental car, while I made apple cake in anticipation of visitors. Fellow gold Loopers Debbie and Steve dropped by to visit Nine Lives and share the apple cake.

Later in the morning the local harbor host came over to see if there was anything we needed. I chatted with him, but Dick was tied up with the lighting project and didn’t realize we had a visitor. I finished and published the next installment of the blog while Dick replaced the fluorescent light fixture in his bathroom. This was another electrical project that required 3 hands and a certain amount of adult language to complete. The bathroom is now exceptionally well lit!

Our dinner in the evening was at a French bistro, Restaurant Orsay. It was an enormous place, and at first it looked as though we would be seated in a very crowded, noisy place with tiny tables and uncomfortable looking chairs. However, our hostess led us through a rather dark concrete tunnel-like corridor (where the heck are we going!) past the kitchen, and out into a pleasant, spacious, and quiet area. We were also delighted to be seated at one of the larger tables.

The meal was mostly very good. I started with a smoked trout dip, served with interesting cornmeal biscuits. Dick ordered escargots, that came in puff pastry with a lovely mushroom sauce. I tried lobster pot pie for my main dish. The lobster was absolutely delicious, perfectly cooked, not tough as it can be sometimes, in a delicate sauce. The dish fell short because of roasted vegetables that were well overcooked. It may be an easy option, but it really is time to get rid of the fashion for roasting vegetables! Too often it is an excuse for using up produce that is past its prime, although that was not the case on this occasion, they were just burnt. The biscuit that served as the “pie” was a tasty traditional southern style biscuit, but the flavour was too intense, and it overcame the delicate lobster and sauce. I ignored the biscuit and enjoyed the dish with French bread instead.

There were several favourite offerings for Dick to choose from, but he decided on cassoulet, which he enjoyed.

The restaurant has a dedicated pastry chef on staff, and it showed. So often a meal is let down by mass-produced or frozen desserts. Here, one could choose a small version of several of the dessert offerings, so we decided to share 3. Dick’s favourite was a beautiful fruit tart, while I loved the raspberry mousse. We both liked the éclair, unusually presented with key lime filling and glaze instead of chocolate. It was a wonderful finish to an excellent evening.

Friday was a busy and interesting day. Dick set off for groceries in the morning. Shortly after noon we drove to Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary. Their mission is to rescue large cats that have been seized by law enforcement or are made homeless by zoos or private collections closing down. They have expanded to include other animals, and now have 2 bears and some coatimundi.

We enjoyed the visit, even though, as expected, most of the cats were sleeping as they do through most of the day. It is possible to attend the night-time feeding, so we may consider a future visit for that. These animals have spent their lives in captivity, some of them in terrible conditions, so they are used to being in enclosures. There is plenty of stimulation, including giant plastic balls, that given their scratched condition, are popular for playtime! The owner and volunteers get around in golf carts, and we were amused to see that if a golf cart stopped near an enclosure, the fast asleep kitty would immediately get up and come over to the fence, in anticipation of a little snack.

Even when the animals are elderly or infirm, they are looked after and provided with special ramps in their enclosures to allow them to enjoy a peaceful old age.

Elderly and infirm animals are well looked after and allowed to live out their years in comfort

In the evening, we went to La Cena Ristorante, a well-regarded Italian eatery. It was an odd experience. Reservations are only taken by phone, and the owner stresses the first of many rules, no young children, and no strong personal scents. A sign also repeats these requirements at the door. The whole first page of the menu sets out more rules in great detail. The rules are basically a push-back on the increasingly common practice of diners sharing just one appetizer and entrée. You can share an appetizer, but if you share an entrée, the upcharge will be the same as if 2 entrees are ordered. The same if you order a second appetizer instead of an entrée, you will be charged an entrée price. The whole meal must be ordered all at the same time. We fully understand why a restaurant may wish to make these policies, but we did notice that on a Friday evening, the venue was less than half full.

The meal was delicious, and we followed the proper Italian custom of a second, small pasta course between the appetizer and the entrée. A salad was included, as was the most delicious bread. As we arrived early for our reservation, the whole restaurant smelled heavenly. The bread is baked inhouse. In response to our compliments, a whole loaf was given to us to take home, just as we were wondering whether we dared ask if we could order a loaf to go

Saturday turned out to be a quiet day. After Dick completed the grocery shopping at a supermarket he had forgotten to visit the day before, I walked the docks in the marina and issued some invitations for docktails the next day. After that, it was very hot and humid, so we decided we would not do the afternoon outing we had planned. Either the heat or something I ate disagreed with me, so we also cancelled our dinner reservation for the evening. Dick’s wallet was happy for the reprieve, but we were both sorry to miss the venue – a steakhouse in a historic former bank building in downtown Jacksonville.

On Sunday we went for a short drive through some very attractive neighbourhoods near downtown. The housing is all different styles and sizes, at a guess, most date from between the wars. We also drove across the bridge over the Ortega River and through another attractive suburb. Here, the houses on the shoreline are much larger, many of them with imposing gates, while the homes further inland are smaller as the cross-streets get farther from the waterfront.

Late afternoon, we hosted docktails. There were just 5 of us, as we were competing with a marina pot-luck gathering. George joined us, he is a solo Looper from Texas. We enjoyed meeting him and sharing stories. It was great to spend time again with Sandy and Frank, and afterwards we went for pizza together. Their boat has just sold, and they are moving to a larger one with plans to go through the Panama Canal and up the West Coast. It is good news that higher-priced boats are still selling, gives us hope that Nine Lives will soon find a buyer.

Leaving the marina the next morning, we had to wait a few minutes for the railway bridge downtown. Then, as we passed the highway bridge, a gentleman in a waterfront high-rise took pictures and posted them on Nebo, wishing us safe travels.

East of downtown, the Saint Johns River is an industrial port. We met a huge vehicle carrier making its way upstream. Further downriver was an even bigger one, maneuvering into dock with no less than 3 port police boats hovering to direct other boat traffic if needed. Our timing was good, and their docking was completed before we got there.

The next excitement was two Coast Guard boats practising something, tearing back and forth, apparently chasing each other. The one doing most of the chasing had a gun in the bow. I decided that it would be prudent to take my pictures from inside the cockpit, rather than going out on deck as I usually do.

Coast Guard boats practising in Jacksonville Port

We are certainly back in the “Low Country”, with a lot of shallows and the channel meandering back and forth. We have to pay close attention to both charts. We passed the railway bridge, and the very narrow channel to one of the marinas on Amelia Island. In 2017, we tried multiple times to get into that channel with zero success. Although dredged, it was V-shape rather than U-shape, and Nine Lives with her two well-spaced hulls simply did not fit. It was our first really tough setback on our maiden voyage to bring Nine Lives round to Hilton Head. We had to continue on, into the inlet, and up the St Mary’s River with a small craft warning and very difficult dockage at the end. We shuddered as we passed that channel, which looks no better today than it did in January 2017!

We docked without incident in downtown Fernandina Beach, one of our favourite towns. As we enjoyed our early evening cocktail, we noticed a young woman with a skateboard. The docks here are only secured at night, and as we have seen in other places, it is a common thing for people to walk around and look at the boats. This young lady had the kind of skateboard with a large ball or wheel in the middle. Research suggests that they are highly controversial and quite dangerous. She was clearly wobbly, still learning how to use the board, and we wondered whether she and her skateboard were about to enjoy an unplanned swim. Sadly, it was a lot more serious. She hit the cover that goes across the dock (ironically, it’s there so people don’t trip on boat power cords and hoses), and she came off at speed onto the concrete dock. A nearby boater with medical training helped and medics were called. It was a reminder that NO wheeled vehicles of any kind should be ridden on docks.

A barge moves a dredge in Fernandina Beach. We called this the wedding cake barge!

We enjoyed a lovely walk around the town the next day. We bought some nice things, paused for a refreshing beverage at the famous (or infamous) Palace Saloon, and then we ate lunch in the form of some excellent ice cream. After that, a nap was required.

Fernandina Beach downtown from the marina

In the evening, we walked down a road with beautiful old homes to David’s, a restaurant we had visited a few years ago. It was a day early, but a lovely birthday dinner for me. There was even a candle on the dessert! We returned to a pretty sunset and enjoyed a postprandial glass of whiskey in the cockpit.

Bailey House, Fernandina Beach. Note the carousel horses on the porch.

Dick’s surf and turf was filet steak and a lobster tail

My surf and turf was filet steak and lobster risotto

A birthday candle on the dessert at David’s Restaurant

We left very late (after 11am) the next morning, because we only had a little over an hour to travel to St Marys. Even then, when we arrived our slip was occupied. They untied quickly and our docking was accomplished without drama. After we had time to settle in, the dockhand took us on a golf cart tour of the town. It was an interesting, and very opinionated tour!

In the 1700’s the Acadian diaspora took place in 3 waves, beginning in 1755. The British had been ceded what are today the Maritime provinces in Canada and some parts of Maine as part of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Over the next years, some of the French residents at the time, the Acadians, participated in French military operations against the British. By 1755, if the Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance, they were removed. Initially, they were sent to the 13 colonies, and the more troublesome the individuals, the farther south they were sent. 500 were sent to South Carolina, and 300 were sent to Georgia. Families were split up. Keep in mind that these would have been large, farming families, with grown sons and daughters. In some cases, women were sent to one place, fathers to another, and the children to a third destination. Some of the women are buried in the St Marys cemetery. What I found amazing when I researched the story was how determined the Acadians were. Many of them simply returned to their homes in Acadia, and were deported again. The second wave were sent to Britain and France, and even then, they took ship and tried to return. Many were shipwrecked or died from other causes. Ultimately, although none were sent to Louisiana by the British, it became a destination for the displaced Acadians, and they made their way there from the various places they had been sent. They became the Cajun people, and contributed to the rich heritage of Louisiana.

The land for laying out the town was purchased in 1787, and the City of St Marys was incorporated in 1802. It was the County Seat, twice, finally losing that status in 1923.

St Marys is the jumping-off point for visits to Cumberland Island. I have stayed in the very characterful Riverside Hotel twice. It was both eccentric and comfortable, and I am sure the dust on the stairs dated back to the 19th century! According to our guide, much of the commercial property in the town has been bought up by a billionaire. Most of the restaurants and shops are owned by him, although some are leased back to the previous owners. He built a huge marina (still partly under construction) to accommodate his 100-foot yacht. The docks appear to be fully functional, but there is no marina business there and no docked boats. We stayed at a small marina at the other side of town.

The town has always been quirky, and in the 8 or so years since I have been there, I saw definite improvements. We are told there is a huge housing tract of over 3000 homes about to be built nearby, but at the moment, there are no jobs or local industry. 20% of the current residents are below the poverty line. The nearby Kings Bay Submarine Base apparently does not provide much employment for outsiders, even though there are over 9000 people working there.

Orange Hall, a historic home in St Marys

We ate on board, then participated in a Loopers’ Zoom docktails session. We chose the “Misadventures on the Loop” section, and were able to regale the participants with several of our mis-judgements and “I told you so” stories. It was fun hearing other scary tales, although I suspect the lady who is just a few days into her Loop came away considerably more worried than amused.

We enjoyed a pleasant day in St Marys. The farm to market shop was a bit of a hike, so Dick took his exercise and came back with some interesting goodies. He also visited the small submarine museum. In the afternoon, we explored the shops. What looked like two similar home goods stores turned out to be something like an antique mall, but with lots of crafts and bric-a-brac as well.

We continued on to Locals Dockside, a waterfront seafood restaurant. We had a good meal with great service, perfectly cooked shrimp and fish, and piping hot fries. The side salads were very fresh and extremely generous in size.

Grilled seafood and vegetables at Locals Dockside

After the sun was low enough on the horizon to not be shining in our eyes, we sat in the cockpit for an evening whiskey. The Thermocell gadget was required, there were far too many no-see-ums! It did work well, so we will certainly be buying refills and using it on our balcony in Hilton Head.

In the morning, the bugs were impossible, so I had to give up my usual peaceful coffee hour in the cockpit. We wanted an early start anyway. The previous day, another large (Looper) boat had arrived and docked behind us, so getting out of the marina was going to be tricky, and best done at slack tide. For our landlubbers, that is the time when the tide changes, so the currents are at their least strength. We had about 10 feet in front of us for Dick to maneuver away from our berth. Good help from the dockmaster and his helper was needed to keep the stern and the dinghy from running into the dock, but it all went very well and we looked like pros!

We listened to the Coast Guard calling boats near the Amelia Island Inlet. There was a nuclear submarine about to enter the channel and make its way to Kings Bay Submarine Base. Several small boats were not paying attention and required multiple calls. When it became clear that the sub might be catching us up as we made our way past Cumberland Island, Dick speeded up so we didn’t have to heave to and wait, or possibly be asked to turn around.

Kings Bay Submarine Base is the largest construction project ever undertaken by the United States Navy. It was started in 1980, took 9 years to complete at a cost of $1.5 billion, and employs over 9000 people. As we passed, a gunboat eased out and hovered with its bow (and gun) pointing at us. Just making sure we were proceeding on our way and not getting any closer to the base. I did NOT step out on deck to take pictures!

As we arrived in St Andrew Sound we had wind opposing tide, giving us a roll on the bow. Dick cooperatively sped up for me. It didn’t really help with the motion, but it meant that it was only a few minutes before it was time to make the turn up the sound and the waves were off the stern. St Andrew Sound is one of several ugly inlets in this part of Georgia. It is wide and shallow, and shoaling means that you have to zigzag across rather than taking a direct route.

The channel that passes Jekyll Island is notoriously skinny, and we went through it at low tide. This may have been a misjudgement! After passing the marina and the public dock, both with extremely shallow water, even bare mud, on the land side, we came into a particularly shoaled section of the channel. Suddenly, Nine Lives was going uphill! We were in the mud. We were only slightly to the west of Bob’s Tracks, but for a few minutes it seemed as though we might run fully aground. We gently pushed through the mud, and eventually it got slightly easier and we were back in the channel.

Shallow water in Jekyll Creek. The inside of the dock is mud with just a few inches of water!

Bob’s Tracks is an app you can download to your charts. It is crowd-sourced, created by a number of boaters who travel back and forth along the ICW each year, and record their exact tracks. These are then combined to produce a single best recommended routing. Much of the time, the tracks are pretty much where the regular magenta line is, but it is in areas of continuous shoaling that it comes into its own. When we last passed through this area, there was no such app to help us. What’s more, we didn’t even have the contour features that are now part of Navionics on the chartplotter, nor did we have Aquamaps on our second, iPad-based charts. It has taken us a bit of adjustment to work out how I can best convey where we need to be for Dick at the helm. Bob’s Tracks are on my iPad, not the chartplotter that Dick has in front of him.

Later, Dick read the Waterway Guide advice for the Jekyll Island Creek. It says, “Do not go through Jekyll Creek at anything less than half tide rising.” We did it at dead-low tide, which was also a foot lower than normal because of spring tides! Might possibly have been a good idea to read that section before we arrived, rather than afterwards.

After that excitement, the rest of the journey to Brunswick went well and we docked without incident shortly after 1pm. Our friend Bob arrived to welcome us, just as we were adjusting the lines, so we roped him into helping (pun intended)! Later, we carried the makings of cheese and charcuterie across to their boat, because Asea is recovering from a mishap that resulted in a broken leg. It was great to spend time with them again. We always laugh a lot when we are together!

The next morning, Dick visited the farmers’ market, and then explored the town. The no-see-ums were impossible, so I stayed below and did some work on the blog and photoshop. This is not a good time of year to be living “outdoors” in the Low Country. When we are at home in Hilton Head in late spring, we stay inside.

Brunswick is a city with a somewhat checkered history. It was very prosperous in the mid to late 1800’s. During the mid-20th century some of the beautiful old buildings that remained from earlier, more prosperous times, were allowed to become derelict and were pulled down and replaced with mid-century modern establishments. The 14 fine leafy garden squares had nobody to save them, and roads were built through the middle of some of the ones that remained. Only 2 of the squares today retain their original size and shape.

One of the remaining squares in Brunswick

During WWII the Liberty Ships were built in Brunswick. There were steel hulled ships, 447 feet long, weighing 3500 tons. They served as cargo vessels and troop carriers. 99 were built for the U.S. Merchant Marines with the shipyard producing about 4 per month. In 1944, the Navy asked for 6 ships to be built, and the shipyard managed to build 7 of the vital ships in a single month.

Both Virginia and Georgia claim to have developed Brunswick Stew. It is traditionally a tomato-based stew with beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit. Today it is usually made with chicken. Georgia’s claim includes the original stew pot! One story says that the stew was invented by a group of hunters. One man was left to look after the camp and make dinner. He was lazy, and simply threw all the ingredients into one pot. When the hunters returned, cold, and tired, a delicious stew was ready for them.

Today, Brunswick is a major seaport, one of two in Georgia, and its economy is mainly based on tourism and logistics. In the afternoon we walked into town to have a look around. There are a surprising number of restaurants, and it seems to be something of an antiques destination. Karen drove over from St Simons and joined us with Asea and Bob for dinner at Reid’s Apothecary. It was a great evening with good food and congenial company.

America Liberty, a 100-passenger cruise ship, was docked downtown. We saw her again later, passing us on the ICW when we were docked in Isle of Hope. As we approached the Highway 17 bridge, we could see the casino boat. Also, there were 3 car carriers docked in the South Brunswick River. It’s a busy port.

A barge collecting debris including derelict boats

Highway 17 bridge. We have see this from I-95, many times!

It was a long day, initially boring, but with areas of extreme shoaling where we had to pay close attention to the hazard warnings on the charts and follow Bob’s Tracks meticulously. In the charmingly named Old Teakettle Creek, we passed some markers that were high and dry with the spring low tide.

Markers high and dry on the ICW north of Brunswick

As we turned into Sapelo Sound, we could see whitecaps, so Dick decided to run fast until we were back into South Newport River. It was like stepping through a door – one minute it was very calm and very hot, and then we were in strong winds and cloudy skies to make me shiver. It even rained a little. Not enough, we decided, to need the windows rolling down. In hindsight, we should have rolled them down and swapped out the screen doors! As we entered St Catherine’s Sound, the waves got higher, and soon we were plunging up and down, and spray was coming over the bow like a giant green wave. Salt water came right over the cockpit and washed over me and everything on the starboard side of Nine Lives. Naturally, Dick was completely dry. As the huge waves crashed over the bow, Nine Lives slammed down into the troughs. Dick had already speeded up, and it helped somewhat, until it didn’t, and he had to slow down to keep control. Some waves threw us sideways. Fortunately, that part of the trip, although scary, nasty and wet, was short, and even as we made the turn into the Medway River, the waves were never quite broadside. As we made our way up the river, the waters gradually calmed, and we heaved a sigh of relief. This was probably our worst experience with waves, surpassing even our awful memories of the Neuse River from 2017. Our no-go criteria is 2-foot waves and 15 mph winds. This was 4-to-5-foot waves, and 20 to25 mph winds.

The excitement was not over. We were nearing the part of the river where we were to turn off, cruising in the centre of the channel as is prudent, with both charts showing 27 feet of depth. I looked over at the depth sounder, and said to Dick, “That’s odd.” That is one of the worst things you want to hear on a boat. The depth sounder was showing just 6 feet under us. Suddenly, we came to a juddering halt. Aground. Dick was right on it, and immediately put the engines into neutral. We were lucky, the high winds, and waves coming from behind, lifted us and we floated free. We can only conclude that the shoal marked on the charts has encroached far into the channel since the last time the Army Corps of Engineers passed this way.

After that, we were happy to have an easy docking with good help and the wind blowing us onto, rather than off, the dock. Once we were in, we could see the mess our adventure had made. Fortunately, we have good discipline and keep the cupboards latched, so nothing had fallen out inside the boat. The salt water that drenched the starboard side of Nine Lives came through the screens, which were quite dirty after weeks of travel. All of that dirt, plus the salt, was deposited on the windowsills, cushions, and even onto the back door, right up to the ceiling!

Salt water through the screens made everything filthy!

We ate at the rustic Sunbury Crab Company. We had been there once before (by car), so we knew that the food would be good. Great service, and a very chatty owner, made for a pleasant evening.

Commercial boats docked at Sunbury Crab Company

Queso and chicken wings at Sunbury Crab Company

There were heavy thunderstorms during the night, so everything was soaked in the morning. The side of the boat that faced the dock was coated with an amazing variety of insects. We debated whether the forecasted rain and wind was such that we should stay put for another day, but the next day was going to be even worse, albeit sunny. The no-see-ums buzzed around us as we untied and got underway. We timed our departure so that it would be slack tide when we got to St Catherine’s Sound. The plan worked, and the waves were not as bad as the previous afternoon. The period was also shorter, that is, the waves were closer together, so Nine Lives was not riding up and slamming down as she had the day before.

The next challenge was Ossabaw Sound, which is in two parts, joined by a channel called Hell Gate (really, even on the charts!) This is extremely narrow and shallow, and subject to wind tides. That means that a sustained wind can actually blow the water out of the channel. Fortunately, the wind was in the “right” direction, and we were still only a little after high tide, so the passage, much dreaded by Loopers, was uneventful. Once through Ossabaw Sound, the rest of the journey was pleasant and smooth, just the way we like it! We arrived at Isle of Hope Marina, our last stop on our Loop voyages, by 1pm.

There are incredible numbers and variety of bugs in this part of the world. Not only no-see-ums, which are as tiny and sneaky as the name implies, but also the large greenflies that give a very painful bite. Annoying, but fortunately not biting, are strange long-legged spider-like things, and of all the unexpected pests to find on a boat, grasshoppers!

The heat and the bugs kept us inside for most of the day on Isle of Hope, but we ventured out in the marina courtesy car to stock up on beer and to have a late lunch. The Driftaway Café has earned TripAdvisor’s highest accolades, and the food was certainly very good. The venue was decorated throughout by sea creatures painted on the walls and ceilings, and quirky tchotchkes. There were plants everywhere, and the decks and garden were lined with an amazing number of small pots with colourful flowers. Cleo, the customer support feline was dozing on one of the outside tables, waiting with the menu to greet the next diners.

Driftaway Cafe Customer Support Feline, Isle of Hope

The bugs were awful in the evening and first thing in the morning. We headed out at 9am for the final leg of our 8-year voyage.

We passed Thunderbolt Marina. Nine Lives will come here for new bottom paint and when a new buyer asks for a survey.

Crossing the busy ship channel of the Savannah River and going through the shallow Fields Cut were uneventful. We followed a gorgeous 100-ft yacht. Her name was the engaging, and slightly disrespectful Waddle We Do. As we came into Calibogue Sound we were surprised to see not one, but two cruise ships anchored off Harbour Town. One of them was American Liberty, who we first saw in Brunswick and again when she passed Isle of Hope. The other was American Eagle. Both are 100-passenger coastal cruising ships.

American Liberty anchored off Harbour Town, Hilton Head

We have never seen a Coast Guard boat towing an ATON before!

We arrived at the lock at Wexford, where we departed from in April 2018. Somehow the channel leading to the lock seemed narrower! Once in the lock, with only inches to spare on each side, Nine Lives looked huge! We were soon tied up on the guest dock, and had time to relax and watch the construction. Wexford is building a new, much larger harbour building and is also doing a major renovation to the clubhouse.

Nine Lives has returned to Wexford for a final visit

Later, I was able to join my bridge friends, even filled in for a hand, before the traditional wine and gossip afterwards. We spent a quiet evening (blessedly with many fewer no-see-ums) and woke to a pretty sunrise over the golf course.

Sunrise over the golf course and the harbour in Wexford

For the eagle-eyed, and mathematically inclined readers, you might notice a slight disconnect between some of our stated statistics. We collected Nine Lives in January of 2017, in St Petersburg. So we technically finished the Great Loop, and earned the gold burgee, this February when we passed under the bridge in Tampa Bay.

AGLCA awards the BaccaLOOPerate degree when we complete the Great Loop

In 2017, we spent a few weeks bringing Nine Lives to Hilton Head, where she was based in Wexford, behind our house, until April of 2018. During the summer of 2017, we went on a 3000-mile shake-down cruise (yes, 3000 miles, only Dick would call that a shake-down cruise). We went north, following the traditional route of the Great Loop, as far as Oswego on Lake Ontario and then returned. We had a decent boating resume before we bought Nine Lives, but we had never owned a large boat, and much of our most relevant experience was on sailboats and narrowboats. We did not know what we did not know! So we sailed off into the wild blue yonder, ever so slightly unprepared, but full of confidence. There were adventures and misadventures, and it was on this cruise that Tucker-cat decided that he is NOT a boat-cat, and prefers to remain on dry land. The following year, having added Nine Lives to the annual AGLCA fleet t-shirt, we set off on the first of our 7-year segments of the Great Loop.

Nine Lives leaving Wexford in April, 2017

To resume this year’s story, the next morning, Dick rode his bike to our friend’s house to retrieve his car, which he then parked at Palmetto Bay Marina. I spent the morning cleaning, including polishing the outside railings and cleaning the cockpit of accumulated salt grime. This was the day of our big party to celebrate Nine Lives and the completion of our epic journey. Perhaps it should be referred to as a pawty? Or, given that Nine Lives is a cat, we could talk about the purrrty.

Then there was nothing to do for a few hours, since the party was to be catered! In due course, a huge table arrived and was set on the dock. There was a certain amount of concern because there was a gusty wind blowing. We decided that drinks would be on the dock, and food on the boat. Five enormous trays of an amazing variety of hors d’oevres arrived next. Sausage rolls, quiche, cheese and charcuterie, shrimp, tiny flatbread slices, and a whole tray of beautiful macarons and fruit were spread out in the cockpit and downstairs in the salon.

We can certainly say that the party was a success. 37 people managed to fit themselves onto Nine Lives, spreading out between the cockpit, the salon, the foredeck, and even on the back platform. The food was excellent, and our serving helper kept the wine and beer flowing. Most of the guests had not been on Nine Lives before, so it gave them a chance to see what our floating home looks like.

Guests and food for the Nine Lives Pawty

In the morning, we took Nine Lives around the whole of Wexford Harbour for a last look at the lovely homes and gardens, and then out through the lock and the very short trip down Broad Creek to Palmetto Bay Marina. Nine Lives will stay there until she finds a new owner to take her on new adventures.

A Green Heron welcomed Nine Lives to Palmetto Bay Marina

As the helpful dockmaster assisted with our arrival and tying up, he commented, on seeing the gold burgee, that we were finishing the Great Loop, and he made the assumption that we had taken the usual one year and travelled the traditional 6,000 miles. We explained that in fact it had been 8 years and 20,000 miles, and his exclamation was “Did you get lost?” So yes, we got lost by seeing all but one of the Great Lakes, by going up the Mississippi, by venturing up the Ohio, the Monongahela, and the Cumberland Rivers, and this winter by following the Gulf Coast all the way around the Florida Keys. And let’s not forget, we also went through Lake Champlain and the Chambly Canal, followed by the Rideau. We visited places that most Loopers don’t see, including Lake Huron and Detroit, Cleveland, Sault Ste Marie, Minneapolis St Paul, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and Nashville. And all the wonderful small towns in between.

This is the close of the Nine Lives Voyages story. We anticipate that soon Nine Lives will sail off into the sunset with new crew, who are sure to love her as much as we do. There will be new adventures, and perhaps she will revisit many of the places that she has been with us. Thank you to all of you who have been with us on this journey. I am continually surprised and so grateful to hear that people are reading this story.

Our friends Sherry and Shel gave us this lovely plaque to celebrate our Great Loop

We are going to do other things, travel more and farther, visit friends far and wide, play some golf, and take some time to enjoy all that Hilton Head has to offer. One of the party guests left us some advice, that is entirely apropos:

Advice from a Sea Turtle

Swim with the current

Be a good navigator

Stay calm under pressure

Be well travelled

Think long term

Age gracefully

Spend time at the beach!

April 2nd to 16th, 2025: Stuart to Jacksonville

We made an early start to catch an opening of the railway bridge. There is a handy app that supposedly lets you know exactly when the trains are expected. We had a bit of a wait. The passage was made a lot more exciting by a problem with the road bridge, which had only one span working. There was room for Nine Lives, but it was disturbing to see the lowered span so close as I stood on the foredeck! As soon as we were through, the railway bridge closed again, so it would seem that there were more trains than expected.

A narrow space to squeeze through in Stuart

We arrived in Fort Pierce shortly after noon. It was a windy day with whitecaps, but the waves were coming from behind us, which Nine Lives handles beautifully. In spite of a strong current and winds, the docking went well with a good dockhand and plenty of cleats on the dock.

Ft Pierce Marina. Notice the racing trimaran!

We walked to one of the on-site restaurants, the highest rated eatery within walking distance. There was live music. The musician seemed to be pretty talented, but the sound system was so muddy that all of it was noise. We were surprised to find that the whole restaurant is a glorified tiki hut, so no inside seating per se. If you like warm wine and dirty glasses, cold fries and barely warm entrees, this is your place! To be fair, the food was quite tasty, and Dick was delighted to be given a bill that was under $100 for a change. The waiter replaced the cold fries immediately, and he brought a glass full of ice for the wine without being asked. We expected similar experiences at the next few stops, so planned to eat on board more than usual. As I added ice to my wine, not my usual practice for various reasons, I thought about the long history of watering wine. The Greeks and Romans certainly watered their wine, which they drank at any time of the day, because water alone was generally unsafe to drink. Watering your wine was seen as a civilized and sophisticated practice. Drinking wine neat, was barbaric. Not sure whether those folks added ice to their wine as well as the water!

Beef stew and grilled shrimp at Cobbs Landing, delicious, but served barely warm.

Salted caramel cheesecake at Cobbs Landing

Although there are Loopers in most of the marinas we have stopped at, we are somewhat behind the main Looper pack. Anyone planning to attend the Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk is already on their way north. Boaters who went to the Bahamas had mostly returned, but those who were still there were going to have to stay put, with high winds and ugly seas expected for the following week at least. We are also among the flight of Snowbirds, the folks who spend winters in Florida and summers in northern climes. There are several species within the family. Mid-westerners head to Arizona and Nevada. Easterners like Florida. There is a sub-species who are boaters, and travel up and down “The Ditch”, that is, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, in spring and fall. We are seeing many of them in boats of all sizes, as we journey north. What does surprise me is the number of boaters heading south, including quite a few gold Loopers.

Another Endeavourcat. This one is heading north!

We spent a quiet day. I made bran muffins while Dick fixed one of the window screens. It was damaged on our shakedown cruise in 2017. One of those “should that be there?” “It will be fine.” moments, and then it wasn’t. Dick had the bright idea of replacing the broken screen, which was in my bathroom, with one from the unused third bedroom. This was a smack upside the head moment – why didn’t we think of this 8 years ago? Dick has been able to source several screen replacements from some obsolete stock, so the broken one will be fixed before Nine Lives goes to her new owner.

Project 2 was to see what is wrong with the horn. It was sounding increasingly anemic, deteriorated to a feeble squawk, and then failed entirely. Dick took the horn off the cockpit roof and cleaned away rust. He even checked the fuse, all with no effect. We still comply with regulations because we also have a canned air horn on board, plus the intermittent fog horn that is also required is broadcast through the loudhailer rather than the horn. Next plan was to take apart the whole assembly to see if the problem can be fixed. This is actually one of Dick’s favourite things. His first foray into the how things work aspect of engineering was when he was 5 years old. He took apart his father’s alarm clock. Unfortunately, he did not put it back together, so the cows were late milking the next morning. We enjoyed a quiet evening on board with pasta and sausage for dinner.

Ft Pierce has a Farmer’s Market just outside the marina gates every Saturday. Dick set off early to check out the offerings. After wandering for ages around a large area with crafts, he was about to leave when he discovered another section that was all food. He returned from the outing with baked goods, including some excellent croissants. He also failed to resist a beautiful steak from a farmer who produces his meat from start to finish. The croissants made a great beginning to the day before we headed for our next stop at Melbourne.

A pair of ospreys tend their chicks on a nest built on an ATON.

We passed a sailboat under sail, heading north on the ICW. It looked like a liveaboard. I have never seen Spanish moss hanging from the stays on a boat that was not derelict!

We passed this sailboat, it had Spanish moss dangling from the spreaders.

As we approached Melbourne, we could see dinghy races. It was certainly a test of sailing skills. Some of the boats were one person with a single sail, others were two-man with a main sail and a jib. When they came to the part of the race where the wind was suitable, the two-man boats unfurled their spinnakers. Did they move!! With the winds gusting to 25mph, a number of the little boats went over. Most of them managed to right themselves, another test of sailing skills. There were plenty of motorboats with instructors on board to keep an eye out and help anyone who was in trouble.

Dinghy racing, Melbourne. Two boats have tipped over but the instructors will help if needed.

When I see dinghy races, I have fond memories of the dinghy sailboat that we had at our cottage on a lake when I was growing up. My dad bought a Mirror Dinghy, a small sailboat named after the Daily Mirror (a British newspaper) as a boat that anyone could afford. They could be ordered as a kit and built at home, but I seem to recall that Dad bought ours second hand. It had a single mast and red sails. For the sailors among us, the early Mirror Dinghies were a very simple design with a daggerboard instead of a centreboard, and a Gunter rig with a gaff that doubled the height of the mast. All the spars could easily be stored in the boat for transport, and it was also simple to row as well as paddle. We sailed our dinghy all over the lake, and we certainly learned how to right her when she went over as we sailed too close to the wind!

Coming into the marina in Melbourne was a test of our skills. The waves were broadside, with the current trying to push us out of the channel. The depth below us was a little as 2 feet, probably the shallowest we have seen. Our t-head was slightly shorter than Nine Lives, and had only 2 cleats. Fortunately, although it was a fixed dock, there was just 4 inches of tide, so we were able to close-tie and we thought we could manage without a bow line. The dockhand was a willing helper, but as often happens, he could not understand why he needed to cleat us as tight as possible, so a bit of extra maneuvering was needed. Once tied and settled, we both had concerns, so Dick got out the long boat hook and succeeded in getting a bow line around the somewhat distant post. It is a long line, but it was barely long enough to cleat the end!

A long reach to get a bow line around the post.

Later, an 85-foot Fleming arrived in the harbour, at the same time as one of the sailing dinghies came in with their spinnaker still flying. The Fleming, with a much deeper draft than us, was certainly churning up lots of mud from the bottom.

An 85-foot Fleming is passed by a dinghy with the spinnaker flying in the narrow channel.

In the evening, we walked to the nearby Chart House. This is part of the Landry’s chain of restaurants and entertainment complexes. It is prom season, and among the diners there were several couples dressed to the nines and wearing corsages. For a change, most of the people in the restaurant had made an effort and dressed up. We enjoyed our dinner, beginning with very attractive and creative starters. Dick had a beet salad, and mine was shrimp, mango, and avocado. Dick’s seabass on lobster risotto was delicious, as was my shrimp and lobster carbonara. The meal was sadly let down by the dessert, the restaurant’s specialty chocolate lava cake, served hot with ice cream. It should have been good, but the lava cake sat around and was no longer hot (in fact it arrived with a distinct list to port). The other dessert specialty was a drink that was prepared individually at the table. The four people at the table across from us all ordered it. Each drink took a full 5 minutes to prepare, thus taking our waitress out of service for over 20 minutes. I am sure our dessert was not the only casualty. There are better ways to do a tableside dish (or drink, as in this case).

Chart House shrimp, mango, and avocado salad

Shortly after 11pm we were able to see a rocket take off from Cape Canaveral, about 20 miles north of us. It was very interesting to see the fiery cylinder cross the sky until separation, when the fire winked out and the payload continued into orbit with a smaller engine. We had hoped that there would be a launch when we were in Cape Canaveral, but unfortunately the next one was scheduled for our day of departure.

We enjoyed our day in Melbourne. It is a lively boating community, with the yacht club running dinghy sailing lessons on weekend mornings, as well as races on weekends. There is also a rowing club based in the harbour. It was again a very windy day, with sustained winds of 20mph by the afternoon. Given that the winds are generally calmer first thing, I suggested that we make a point of leaving by 8am the next day.

Dinghy sailing lessons in Melbourne harbour

In the afternoon we took a walk around the area. Dick also explored the downtown. He said there were mostly bars and restaurants, few shops. There are interesting murals around the town, including one that is creatively painted on the pillars underneath the highway bridge.

An interesting mural under the highway bridge in Melbourne

Dinner on board was our favourite shrimp sandwiches. It can be difficult (and potentially disastrous) to try to improve on perfection, but having found an interesting recipe, I decided to risk it. The new recipe included bacon and sliced tomatoes, and the mixture was mayo-based with Old Bay seasoning and dill (which I substituted for basil. Cook gets to decide if there is an ingredient they don’t care for). The sandwiches were outstanding, and in future it will be difficult to decide which recipe to prepare.

We had few minutes of concern first thing in the morning, about 30 minutes before our planned departure. Dick received an email to say that our reservation for that night was cancelled, as there was a boat with engine trouble, unable to leave the slip that was booked for us. Fortunately, even at that early hour, Dick was able to immediately confirm a slip at the marina that is literally next door to the one we had planned to stop at.

We were away by 8:05, just 5 minutes later than planned. A dolphin followed us out of the harbour.

Port Canaveral is at the end of a long, narrow barge channel. Just before the port is a lock, so Dick and I had to review our locking procedures! Lines and fenders ready, life jackets and headsets donned, and we were ready. This one is quite different from most locks. Instead of walls, it has aluminum beams with a black coating and small cleats on the top of the beams. The lock fills and drains by opening the door. You have to take care that the fenders don’t get caught between the beams. We managed it without incident, accompanied by a dolphin.

Safely through the lock, and under a bridge, we arrived at our marina. We went first to the fuel dock to get a pump out. It is located next to dockage for commercial fishing boats (shrimpers). I was amused to see that St Peter was docked next to Forgiven. Our slip was one half of a t-head, but we had good help and managed it without difficulty, in spite of high winds.

St Peter is docked next to Forgiven in Port Canaveral

It was a very entertaining afternoon. I watched Disney’s Wish cruise ship prepare and leave the dock, the 4th cruise ship to head out that day. There was a large sailing cat that made 4 tries to dock before giving up and stopping at the fuel dock overnight. Then another sailing cat arrived to dock in the slip behind us. No less than 5 people came out on the dock to help, and the dockmaster tried to coach him in. It is admittedly a tight fit, and there was a strong wind, but we have never seen anyone make 4 attempts and do everything wrong every time. Eventually the dockmaster jumped aboard and managed to get it in, but even he made several mistakes and eventually the boat was just manhandled into place by the crowd of helpers. I have always thought that sailors have superior boating skills. How any sailor can fail to understand how the wind is going to affect the boat is mysterious.

The Disney cruise ship is taller than the 5-storey parking garage

We didn’t see the rocket from the other night return, but we watched the Space X barge being towed out of the harbour to get into position to retrieve the rocket from the upcoming scheduled launch.

We had a very pleasant day in Port Canaveral. It was rainy in the morning, but cleared up and stayed cool and dry. The local Harbor Host dropped by and we had a most enjoyable chat, sharing stories of our exploits on the Illinois River, getting beaten up on the Neuse River and other adventures at various points on the Loop.

We had planned to eat on board, but the menu at Fishlips was intriguing, so we decided on a mid-afternoon foray to try it out. Essentially casual, Southern cooking, the food was delicious. Slightly odd presentation, as everything was served in a large bamboo basket. I had thought about salted caramel cheesecake but there was no room by the time we had each had an appetizer and a main course. On the way back we stopped at a seafood market and bought a couple of pounds of fresh local shrimp. It is always a good sign when the shrimp boats are docked right outside the market.

The marina fence is decorated with found objects. We spied a gold looper burgee, still attached to its flagpole!

We made an early start in the morning, with an ugly forecast for wind and waves for our passage to New Smyrna Beach. Two dolphins accompanied us through the lock this time. Once out of the east-west Barge Canal and back on the ICW, we kicked it up and ran fast, both to shorten the duration of the trip and smooth the passage. We passed gold Looper Inshallah, who we met at docktails in Canada in 2019! Going under the NASA Skyway Bridge was interesting. There was a workboat taking up half of the available space, and they did not answer the radio, so we had to just assume they would not move, and we could go through.

Another look at the Canaveral Barge Canal lock, taken inside the lock!

We met a group of kayakers in the Barge Canal

NASA Skyway Bridge under repair. Not much room to pass the work barge.

It was a very rough day with high winds (20mph) creating a lot of chop in the wide-open areas we travelled for most of the day. The wind had shifted and was on the bow, but Nine Lives handled it very well, both at 17 knots and when we had to slow to trawler speed or less. About half of the unfortunately named Mosquito Lagoon was minimum wake, but we managed the journey in 5.5 hours because we were able to run fast for part of the way. The worst was docking. Our slip was in an awkward spot, and initially, Dick expected it to be farther into the harbour. At the last minute I saw the slip number, and he turned, but the wind was pushing us right off the dock and there was no way to catch a cleat. We circled around, and I took the helm for the next attempt, with zero success. Third time lucky. Two men came down the dock to help, and once I had thrown a line to them, they were able to pull us in and get us tied up. Final arrangements (spring lines, stern line across) took a little longer than usual, but eventually we were settled.

A pelican watching the harbour at New Smyrna Beach

Pelicans and Egrets nesting in the harbour at New Smyrna Beach

We walked into town and poked around the interesting little shops. A wonderful large wooden bowl set with polished stones caught Dick’s eye, but just as well, the $1500 price tag was off-putting and we did not buy it! In another shop, we were intrigued by the colourful ladies’ tops in the window. Better luck there, I tried a knee-length floaty kimono top that reminds me very much of Mackenzie Childs designs. Dick likes the garment, but I am pretty sure that buying a matching teakettle would be pushing it!

Antique store with a pretty garden in New Smyrna Beach

The pizza destination was a sad disappointment. Touted as “the best pizza I have ever tasted”, by a fellow Looper, our only thought is that the person needs to get out more. We started with Mike’s Forbidden Breadsticks, which sounded intriguing, but they turned out to be simply a sheet pan pizza sliced and served with two dipping sauces. We each ordered a large pizza, as we like to take at least half of it home. They were also sheet pan style instead of round, and had the unusual feature that the fresh tomato on mine, and the so-called fresh mozzarella (it was just ordinary block mozzarella) on Dick’s, were uncooked and plunked on the top after the pizza was baked. No question, the pizzas were okay, but certainly not as good as those I make at home. For reasons that escape us, they had only 10” boxes, and their bags would fit only one box. We ended up using the bags from our other purchases, or Dick would have had to carry a teetering stack of boxes home. We enjoyed visiting the town, but see no need to return for the pizza! In fact, the pizzas reheated well and tasted better than they had in the restaurant.

It was a short trip to Daytona Beach, so we could have a leisurely start. The marina is huge. The dockmaster gets around with a dinghy. Once you call on the radio and get a slip assignment, if you need help with docking, the dockmaster will motor over and help. We docked without help, and later, during a break in arriving traffic, the dockmaster stopped off with a package with marina and town information and security cards. Although the marina is huge, for a change the docks are well-marked. When you book, they send a welcome email with a printable marina map with all the slip numbers clearly shown. There are well-spaced bathhouses with good facilities. The dockmaster even offered restaurant suggestions, including a warning to avoid the one that is on-site! We had already seen appalling reviews for that one, and he also confirmed that the place we had chosen is excellent.

Dick cooked on board that evening, the last of the frozen burgers with some delicious trumpet mushrooms. He also added some bacon slices and very nice sliced tomatoes.

Saturday was designated cleaning day for Nine Lives. After vacuuming, Dick decided that it was a good day to change the oil and filters (of far more interest than cleaning). It wasn’t really time, the next one should have been just as we arrived back in Hilton Head. Dick thought it would be perfect timing, but our broker advised against that. Apparently, if you change the oil just before a survey, it can be taken as a sign that there is something to hide, so doing the job a few weeks early is a better plan. I took care of the rest of the cleaning and washing bed linens and towels while Dick was occupied with the engines.

As I watched the boats arriving and the dockmaster buzzing about, a 95-foot San Lorenzo yacht arrived. This is not everyman’s boat brand. For example, the first yacht for sale on their website comes in at $73 million. We think that the 95-footer might be for sale, as her name has been removed from the transom. The captain referred to “the event” during the docking process. The next day I watched preparations that took the entire day. They included changing the colour of the outdoor pavilion roof and covering up the restaurant sign. As we walked to dinner in the evening, we could see banners with the Ferrari logo, in orange that matched the pavilion roof covering. One wonders why Daytona Beach would be selected for such a high-end sales event, but we suppose the racetrack has something to do with it. We did not receive an invitation, but never mind, our next vehicle will not be Italian, and we are not in the market for a superyacht either.

Interesting architecture in downtown Daytona Beach

Dinner was an interesting experience. The Italian fine dining restaurant is located in the historic home of President Warren G Harding. Aptly named “The Cellar”, the lower level of the restaurant is wonderfully characterful, with a tin ceiling, interesting stained glass “windows” and wine racks and boxes scattered everywhere. The evening did not get off to a good start. The front door is guarded by a well-dressed gentleman whose sole purpose appears to be keeping away any riff raff who have failed to make a reservation. After we were seated by the guard dog, our waiter introduced himself. Water was brought, specials recited, and he then disappeared. After a wait that was too long, he finally returned to take our order for drinks (a half bottle of Prosecco). When he also tried to take a food order at the same time, Dick told him quite clearly that “we never give a food order until we have our first drinks”. After that, the service improved.

There were wine glasses already on the table. The waiter brought the Prosecco, and started to open it, and Dick asked where the glasses were. The waiter told us that the large red wine glasses on the table would be fine. Dick’s comment that we have never been served Prosecco in such a glass sent the waiter over to the bar to enquire, and he came back to say that “She said that those glasses would be fine.” I told him that we said they were NOT fine. Off he trotted and returned with flutes. After that, the meal was excellent, perfectly paced, and very enjoyable. One could order half portions of the pasta dishes, including the risotto, which was perfect for me. Dick was very pleased to see rabbit on the menu, which he loves and is rarely offered. My comments about “poor, poor Bunny” were ignored, as was my remark that it is nearly Easter too! The waiter heard me say that and was highly amused. The older woman (the owner, we presume) dressed all in black, who stopped at each table to welcome the diners and ask if they were enjoying the food, did not bother with us. Clearly, we offended her when we insisted on different glasses for our bubbly.

The Cellar prosciutto with melon and pear

The Cellar shrimp and crab salads on avocado

A lovely old house, now a B&B in Daytona Beach

There was an art fair in Daytona Beach. The fair closed before dark, but one piece of “art” was left on display.

We made a slightly early start in order to get a pump out on exit. It was a long, but interesting day. Many nice-looking houses, interspersed with parks and natural areas. We were part of a parade of boats, both power and sail, all heading north at different speeds. Lots of polite requests on the radio to pass. Of course, all those good boating manners count for little when small craft go screaming by at speed.

The river, and the ICW channel in the river, meandered back and forth like a drunken sailor. It was necessary to pay lots of attention to the charts and also the position of the channel markers, especially the floating ones. One positive aspect of following other boats is that you can watch where they go in the tricky, shallow areas. If they come to an abrupt halt, you know there must be unexpected shoaling!

Our arrival at the municipal marina in St Augustine was uneventful. We had been told that the “Blessing of the Fleet” was scheduled until 3pm, and that no arrivals would be processed until after the ceremony was finished. We planned to get there at 3:30. The harbour is notorious for tricky currents, and the wind had come up, but Dick brought Nine Lives in, stern to, with complete aplomb! This despite two wave runners that were illegally parked at the dock and were somewhat in the way. Later, I saw the dockhand attach a ticket to them, and so had the amusement of watching the “What the heck?” moment when the owners returned to their craft. I was pleased to see that they did take the tickets down the dock and paid the fines.

The marina is large, and has two large mooring fields on each side of the Bridge of Lions as well. There is an extensive, free, dinghy dock, alternatively, boats on mooring balls can call for a shuttle pickup. The dockmaster was brusque but very efficient. Interestingly, he will not reveal your slip assignment until after you confirm that you have lines and fenders ready and on the correct side per his instructions. Given how many boaters we have seen fiddling with tangled lines and putting out fenders as they arrive at the dock, this seems to be a very sensible policy.

Our dinner was at a local winery, about a mile walk. We left early, but stopped for a long chat with the folks on a large sailing cat down the dock, so a leisurely stroll was no longer on the cards. The meal was very good, and we were surprised at how few diners there were in the highly rated restaurant.

We have been looking forward to our return to St Augustine ever since we were here with Nine Lives on her maiden voyage in January of 2017. Our visit lived up to our expectations! We took the hop-on-hop-off Old Town Trolley around its full circuit on the first morning. The commentary was excellent. St Augustine downtown is a wonderful mix of very old houses and larger buildings. Some date from the early 1700’s. Modern hotels incorporate older buildings or are designed in a complementary style.

The lions guarding the Lion Bridge in St Augustine

A former hotel, then the city hall, and now a museum

The fort was built by the Spanish in 1672. It has never fallen in battle. It is a masonry, star shaped fort, built of coquina, a material that is carved from the sea floor and then dried to become an extremely hard type of building material. The star shape was designed to be resistant to cannon fire, and the rising ground and dry moat ensured that attacking soldiers had to cross a killing field to get to the walls. The story goes that when the fort was under attack, after the day’s bombardment was concluded, soldiers would descend to the moat and collect the cannon balls, which were then loaded into the defender’s cannons and fired back at the enemy.

Attacking soldiers had to come up this rising ground before the moat when attacking the fort

The fort was well defended from the inlet as well as the land

Cannon used to defend Castillo de San Marcos

Years before the fort was built, the Spanish king discovered that the French had built Fort Caroline on land belonging to Spain near present day Jacksonville. Adding insult to injury, the colonists were Huguenots, Protestants, instead of Catholic. In 1565, Jan Ribault sailed from France with 600 soldiers to resupply Fort Caroline. General Pedro Menéndez de Aviles was charged by Philip II of Spain with capturing Fort Caroline and removing the French. In September of 1565, the Spanish came ashore and named a new settlement St Augustine. St Augustine claims to be the oldest city in North America, although Fernandina Beach disputes this and makes a similar claim.

The French sailed south to attack the settlement, but were blown off course by a hurricane and shipwrecked south of present-day Daytona Beach. Meanwhile, the Spanish sailed north and found no soldiers in Fort Caroline, so it was easily captured. Some of the remaining men escaped and were able to return to France, and the women and children were spared and sent to Havana. The shipwrecked French soldiers were trying to return north to Fort Caroline, but were blocked by an inlet. Menéndez discovered that they were stranded there and marched with 70 soldiers to intercept them. The French surrendered, and most of them were killed and thrown into the bay. Only the few Catholics and an artisan needed at St Augustine were spared. Later, another group of the shipwrecked French arrived at the inlet, surrendered, and most were killed. Since then, the inlet and its associated bay, formerly called The Bay of the Dancing Dolphins, has been called Matanzas, which means Slaughters, in Spanish. Ick.

Another fascinating story was about the Solla-Carcaba Cigar factory. Research confirms that the factory produced up to 5 million cigars per year during its heyday. I always enjoy the anecdotes told by city tour guides. This one said that one million cigars per year were hand-rolled in this factory, exclusively by women. No men were hired for this tedious but exacting job, because women have smaller hands and roll the cigars more tightly. However, the factory did employ men. They were tasked with keeping the women from getting bored. They sang, danced, and read from current novels and newspapers. Certainly a unique way to keep your workers happy!

After the trolley tour, we walked around the shops and galleries. In one, we found work by Harlan, the artist who created the print that we bought for Nine Lives’ salon before we even owned her. The gallery where we made that purchase is still there in Ft Lauderdale and still carries his work, but it was interesting to find another venue in St Augustine. In another gallery, we found that the artist who created our salon lamp is still showing his glass works, along with work from all three of his sons and one grandson. What a talented family!

After hours of sightseeing and shopping, we felt both hungry and weary, so we stopped for a long break at a wine and charcuterie garden. The venue was lovely, with beautifully tended plantings and charming furniture in leafy shade. Our cheese and charcuterie platter was the best we have had since Saugatuck in 2021 (excepting of course the spread we put out for docktails on Nine Lives). After the wonderful feast, a nap was required, so we staggered back to the boat and enjoyed some quiet time until it was time to head out again for dinner.

Cheese and charcuterie at Casa de Vino 57

Our reservation for dinner was at a small restaurant called Collage. The chef presents food from a variety of international cuisines. After our late lunch, I decided that two starters made more sense, so I began with delicious grilled beef tenderloin on pieces of toast. Instead of an entrée, I enjoyed a spicy dish of shrimp in a tomato-based broth. Dick’s starter was a creative concoction of large scallops wrapped in prosciutto and served on a cauliflower puree. His main course was veal scallopine with mashed potatoes, an interesting sauce, and two grilled shrimp. A very civilized palate cleanser of sorbet was served between courses. We shared an excellent raspberry cheesecake to complete the meal.

Scallops wrapped in prosciutto at Collage

Our second day in St Augustine was quieter. I worked on the blog while Dick went to the Post Office. Each time the oil is changed, samples are sent away for analysis. This looks for things like fuel, seawater, antifreeze, and wear metals. Different wear metals will show where to start looking for a problem. For example, if there is evidence of water and copper, it is likely that you have a tube leak in one of the heat exchangers on the engine. The important thing is not so much the absolute numbers as the trend, you are looking for things changing. Dick has always had this analysis done after every oil change. After dropping the packages off at the Post Office, and scouting the best walking route to the restaurant, Dick did some sightseeing. He retraced some of the routes covered by the trolley tour and took lots of pictures. After he returned, it was my turn to head out and explore a few galleries and shops that we had missed earlier. I also picked up the interesting gourmet treats in the foodie shop that I had made note of the day before.

Dinner was at a very authentic French restaurant in another lovely old house. We had an excellent meal, accompanied by a bottle of our favourite Pouilly Fumé.

We made an early start the next morning, as it would be a fairly long journey to Jacksonville. This is our last side trip, and the last time in unfamiliar waters.

A last look at Castillo de San Marcos as we leave St Augustine

On a bend in the river, part of a parade of 6 boats, we came up on a group of men with hoverboards. They were not very good, kept falling in, and were right in the channel, all but impossible to see once they fell off. I went out and shouted to one of them that we can’t see them and they should stay out of the channel. His response was “okay okay”, and immediately one of his buddies went straight across our wake, whoopin’ and hollerin’, and fell off, again in the middle of the channel. So dangerous.

We are back in the Low Country! A line of sailboats heading north.

As we passed under a bridge near Jacksonville, we saw power line pylons with Great Blue Herons nesting. I have never seen them in such high up and exposed nests.

After an interesting trip up the ICW and then west on the Saint Johns River, we passed through Jacksonville, first the port, and then through the downtown area. The Ortega River bridge opened immediately for us, and we were tied up in our slip at Port 32 Marina by 2:45, somewhat earlier than we had expected.

We were surprised to see what looks just like an English manor house, complete with formal garden, on the outskirts of Jacksonville.

We will stay in Jacksonville for a few days, and then return to the ICW and head north. We expect to arrive in Hilton Head on the 30th. We will return to Wexford Harbour for a couple of days, to truly complete the circle where we left from in 2018.

March 19th to April 1st, 2025: Florida Keys to Stuart

Our first full day in Stock Island was busy with laundry, getting the blog out, and as usual, Dick did some exploration. He returned from his walk with a box of huge croissants – American size, but authentic, from a bakery run by a French expat. Dick also scouted the route to the pizza restaurant we planned to walk to for dinner.

It was finally cooler and less humid (although that did not last long), but still more than I would have preferred to walk just over a mile in the sun. Stock Island is the industrial centre for Key West, with a large military presence. The housing is functional and uninteresting, and the rest is mostly industrial parks.

A Navy jet flies over the marina on Stock Island

The restaurant was very busy. We started with very nice breaded and fried mozzarella pieces with marinara sauce. Dick’s pizza was excellent, very hot and clearly just out of the oven. Mine had been sitting for a while and it was just warm. I expected that it would be tasty when reheated (sadly, it wasn’t). T-shirts worn by most of the staff proclaimed “Legalize Marinara”. Amusing, but misread by more than one person reviewing the restaurant. At the bar the next day, the T-shirts read, “Write drunk, edit sober”, a quote attributed to Hemingway, but in fact he never said that, quite the opposite.

The walk back to the marina was more pleasant after sunset, and we paused to watch a pickup game of soccer. The players were all very serious and competitive, but there were no angry words or behaviour, and no need for a referee, everyone was there to have fun.

Once at the marina, we paused to admire an unusual powercat, a Maine Cat. As we were pointing out the interesting features, the owners arrived and we had a lovely chat. They have only had it for 3 months and are still doing a lot of needed repairs and upgrades. Only about 8 of these were ever made.

Boat chores the next day, finishing the laundry for me, and Dick replaced the latch on the back door. He did a “temporary” repair a few years ago, replacing the spring. It was obviously a good job, because it lasted for years. The spring was still good, but the rest of the latch had simply worn out. The other project was replacing one of the small fans that are used to keep air circulating inside when AC is not needed. These fail regularly, so we keep replacements. They are a pain to install, requiring a certain amount of colourful language and at least 3 hands before the job is completed.

In the afternoon, we went over to the hotel bar, looking forward to the live music and a light supper. The music was truly awful. The woman took songs from our era, and mashed the melody and timing until they were completely unrecognizable unless you knew the words. Every song sounded exactly the same. It was so awful that we changed our plan and went to the restaurant inside the hotel. Different menu, but the food was fine.

A cocktail to expunge the memory of the awful music on Stock Island

We were signed up for AGLCA “Virtual Docktails” at 7pm. Dick joined the chat about catamarans, while I participated in the “Ladies on the Loop” group. It was a mixed group of future Loopers, a few in progress, and only two of us completed. I was very pleased that several of the ladies commented on our podcast on Segment Looping, saying how much they enjoyed it and how useful it was.

The next “outside” voyage was to Marathon. We ran fast, 15 knots, again, so it took just over 3 hours, but it was quite unpleasant. The swells were on the starboard quarter, and we had the rolling corkscrew effect, even though we were running fast.

On arrival at the marina, we went first to the fuel dock for a pump out and some diesel. Not the worst dockhand ever, but for sure in the top 5 (or would that be the bottom 5?) Dick was filling with fuel, so he was busy and the dockhand did the pump out. He seemed to think it was a big deal and implied that there should be an extra tip. He wouldn’t take the cloth Dick used to prevent diesel spill, instead he sent me around to the hazmat bin at the back of the building. His advice on the length of the finger pier at our slip was incorrect, so we backed in and tying up was a challenge, with no help and the cleats in the wrong places. About an hour after we were finally set, Dick got a phone call from the marina to ask when we expected to arrive!

Dick went to the airport to collect the rental car. On his return, his comment was, “What a crap place!” After a drive the next day to explore the area and about 20 miles south, I had to agree. We finished the excursion with a stop at West Marine for another cabin fan, and Publix for a few groceries.

On our arrival back at the boat, we had a near tragedy. As Dick was handing me the groceries from the cart, the cardboard handle on the box of beer broke, and the whole carton went splash! into the water. Dick quickly jumped aboard and grabbed the boathook, then (prudently) handed me his phone before stepping down to the bottom of the swim platform. Disaster was averted as the boathook brought the carton near enough to get hold of. Plus, Dick did not, on this occasion, take an unplanned swim. The whole episode was watched with great interest by the elderly couple on the sailing cat next to us. In fact, the lady reached for and was ready with their boathook just as Dick completed the retrieval. I was not sure whether she was expecting to use her boathook to rescue the beer, or Dick.

Marathon appears to be a mixture of apparently nice hotel complexes, government offices, medical facilities, cheap eateries, and industrial units. None are vacant or broken down, but the whole impression is one of ugly practicality with no thought to civic pride or beautification. Only the government and hospital buildings have any lawns or plantings apart from the hotel complexes. Boaters rush through Florida’s Panhandle and west coast with its charming towns and stunning beaches in order to get here and spend two months in a marina at double the dockage fees. Go figure.

Dinner was at one of the highly rated local restaurants. The starters were interesting and very tasty, if far too large for one person. I have noticed lately that the price of appetizers is increasing to the point that it is pushing the entrees. Probably because so many people share these days, and complain if the portion is not big enough for 2 or even 4 people. I found the main course disappointing, although Dick’s duck was very good. Mine was very much “home cooking” with mashed potatoes and gravy. If I wanted home cooking, we would have it at home. For a change, bread service and a side salad were included in the meals.

Escargot and portabella mushrooms at Barracuda Grill

Dick enjoyed the duck at Barracuda Grill

We did the “Keys” thing the next day, and just relaxed on the boat. In the evening, we headed over to the Hilton resort for dinner. The décor was, quite frankly, weird. The gardens had huge bright blue balls as pots for palms and large shrubs. The small, battery-operated table lights fall into the category of “what were they thinking?”. The food, while better than the previous evening, had some odd ingredients and combinations, as if the chef was trying too hard to be avant garde. Given the clientele eating at the other tables, mostly vacationing families, it was all very strange.

Table lights, best described as “unfortunate”

Faro Blanco Marina. The pelican does not care about the No Fishing sign!

In the morning, I noticed a rather oddly dressed young man on the sailing cat next to us. He had not been there when the boat arrived. He was wearing a Robin Hood hat, complete with feather. Shortly, he reappeared with another man and the captain of the boat. Apparently, one of the jib sails was stuck and could not unfurl. The young Robin Hood climbed up to the top of the mast, and was able to fix a shackle that had become twisted. He did not remove his hat. He did the whole operation with great confidence, but the impression was rather spoiled when I heard him ask his colleague to take a picture of him at the top of the mast so he could show it to his Mum.

We went for a Sunday drive, north this time. Miles and miles of nothing much except bridges linking keys that progressed to the 1960’s and stopped. Eventually, we got as far as Islamorada, a slightly more salubrious island, but still very much a land that time forgot. We had lunch at the highly rated and long-established Green Turtle Inn. It was very busy, and the food was pretty good. The bartender, a middle-aged lady, was dressed in a black t-shirt. When she came around the bar, we could see that the rest of her ensemble was a brilliant blue net ballerina’s tutu, and light blue knee socks.

There were four Looper boats on the other dock that night, for a total of at least 6 in the marina, but no attempt was made to get together for docktails. In fact, while we have received notice of several MTOA (Marina Trawler Owners Association) gatherings arranged in the last few weeks in Marathon, there has been nothing from Loopers, in spite of large numbers in town. Just another example of how different things are since we began in 2017.

As we sat enjoying the sunset, we chatted with our slip neighbours, 3 friends on a break on a sailing cat, from Pensacola. Later, the couple who owned the beautiful 75-foot Fleming that had arrived late in the marina, came by and we chatted. They had just joined AGLCA and are planning to do the Loop (in a smaller boat) in 3 years when their children finish high school. They are interested in power cats, so we enjoyed showing them Nine Lives and exchanging boating stories. I can’t imagine that downsizing from a 75-foot yacht to a 44-foot catamaran is going to work for them, so I hope they find another option.

After a quiet day we joined Beth and Calvin and another Looper couple at the onsite restaurant for dinner.

We planned an early start, but it was nearly 8:30 before we were underway. As we sorted out power cords, water hose, boarding ladder, and lines, we were eaten alive by no-see-ums. One more reason never to return to the Keys! In fact, that fairly brief experience has convinced both of us that we will forego the delights of the planned St Johns River side trip. Although it is reportedly a wildlife paradise, even its most ardent fans warn that the mosquitoes and no-see-ums are terrible. Thermocell and insect repellants can only do so much, and neither of us are willing to put up with small biting insects at the best of times.

We ran fast part of the way to Key Largo, then normal speed for the last hour. We were at the fuel dock by 12:30, unfortunately, just missing the dockhand who had left for lunch. We sat watching the boats coming and going from the fish market. The channel leading to the marina and the fish market is both narrow and winding, and most boats make a securite call before entering the channel, as there is not enough room for larger boats to pass each other. It is also quite shallow, although Nine Lives had no problem. When we finally got to our slip, we were greeted by a manatee! They really do look like a clay sculpture that is just being started. We knew they like fresh water, so Dick got his water bottle and poured. It seemed to be appreciated!

The narrow, and shallow, channel into the marina at Key Largo

A drink of water for our manatee visitor

We were next to a houseboat liveaboard. They had at least 4 cats, each of whom felt it necessary to sit in a window and pretend not to look at us. We spent a quiet evening with Dick’s great burgers for dinner.

One of the cats in the houseboat on the next slip, pretending not to watch us

We made an early start the next morning for a fairly long step to Fort Lauderdale. We began fast, getting to the Miami Ship Channel before noon. The weather was forecasted to kick up considerably in the afternoon, and, to be honest, travelling “outside” is very boring. The only interest is watching for crab pots and adjusting for wakes as fast cruisers go by. The forecast was correct, and we could hear a small craft warning broadcast by the Coast Guard.

Miami was fascinating, and since it was not a weekend, there were very few yahoo boaters about. We only needed 1 bridge opening, and were lucky to get there just in time, as it opens on a half hourly schedule. The rest of the bridges were high enough for Nine Lives to pass through the centre, although Dick had to lower the antennas for one of them. We enjoyed overhearing a highly amusing dispute between a bridge tender and a powercat. The lady wanted an opening, and the bridge tender said she was low enough to go through without an opening. There is a posted $1000. fine for demanding an opening if you have not lowered antennas. The discussion became heated, with the lady demanding “Just open the bridge!” and the attendant responding “We will see”. Eventually, the bridge opened for a sailboat. You can be sure that the other bridge tenders will have heard the discussion, noted the name of the boat, and will delay them as long as possible for every opening!

We passed the beautiful sailing cruise ship Sea Cloud Spirit. She will make her last cruise this year before having a refit to become a charter yacht.

One of the bridges with the sign promising a $1000 fine for asking for an unnecessary opening.

We arrived at the marina associated with the Hilton at Port Everglades by mid-afternoon. By this time, it had become clear that Dick’s hope to tie up for 2 nights on the Riverwalk downtown was not going to work out, so he increased our stay at the Hilton from 1 to 3 nights.

Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades is a cruise ship terminal with nearly 4 million cruise ship passengers travelling through per year. The city of Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America”, with 165 miles of inland waterways across the city. It also considers itself the yachting capital of the world, with over 50,000 registered yachts and 100 marinas. My thought is that if the many yachts of all sizes that are registered elsewhere (Caymans, Bermuda, Panama, etc) were included, the numbers would be a lot higher.

In the 1830’s there was a settlement of just 70 people, living along the New River. An attack on one of the farms by a band of Seminoles resulted in all the farmers fleeing as far south as Key West, and the settlement was abandoned. The area was essentially unpopulated until the 1890’s. Completion of the Florida East Coast Railroad was a significant improvement, and the city began to be developed. It was incorporated in 1911. I am continually reminded of just how young this country really is, compared to Europe and Asia. Our house in Yorkshire was built in the early 1800’s, years before much of this country was settled by the white man.

We walked to a nearby waterfront eatery, Boatyard Restaurant. It was a huge venue, and noisy as so many Florida eateries seem to be. Once again, we were seated beside a table with a loudmouth. The food was good, and by the end of the meal we had heard all about the salesman’s exceptional security software, although I gather it still has a number of bugs that need to be worked out but they are releasing it anyway.

Surf and turf, parmesan fries, and paella at Boatyard Restaurant

Key lime baked Alaska at Boatyard Restaurant

The weather continued to be unseasonably hot and humid.

Our favourite boat tracking app stopped working, for us and most other Loopers, following an update. In typical tech-guy fashion, users were blamed for the problems they were having. Instructions were given (and followed) with no resolution for 2 days. Eventually the tech department admitted there was a problem and released another update.

We spent an interesting and enjoyable afternoon in Fort Lauderdale. There is a hop-on-hop-off water taxi that takes you all over the city, and conveniently stops right outside the Hilton. We started with the stop at the Las Olas shopping area and Riverwalk. It was fun to look around the various art galleries, including the one where we bought our beautiful metal print that hangs in the salon on Nine Lives. We also found some lovely and unusual salad servers made from shells and horn. I’m going to have to start serving salads again!

A vending machine dispensing champagne instead of soft drinks in a Las Olas coffee shop

Next, we took the free, tiny water taxi that goes further up the river. It was interesting to see that there were a number of vacant spaces where we could presumably have tied up. However, since there is a reservation system (the one we could not access), there would be no way of knowing whether you would get kicked out of the space at some point. Also, the dockage is on the far side of the river, so not particularly convenient for the shops and restaurants. I would have had major concerns about security, although Dick would not have worried. He never does.

We arrived very early for our dinner at an Italian restaurant. The food was excellent. It was interesting that after so many packed restaurants, this one was nearly empty, even at 6pm. It was a nice change to be able to converse without shouting, although the selection of background music (I can only describe it as make-out music) was so intrusive that Dick asked if it could be turned down.

Branzino and lobster ravioli at It! Restaurant

We had a window table that offered great people watching. The number of women walking their designer dogs by carrying them was fascinating. Clearly, the concept of “exercise” is understood, but not for the dogs. The next day we watched a man walking a much larger dog, some sort of doodle, by holding the leash up so that only the dog’s back legs were actually on the ground. Of course, everyone has earbuds and is listening to music or talking on their phones.

After dinner, we got back onto the water taxi and took it all the way to the farthest stop and back. Looking at the multi-million-dollar houses was interesting. It would seem that $35 million will get you a nice waterfront property. There are some really beautiful older mansions from the early 20th century, but a surprising number are bought purely for the lot, and are pulled down and a modern glass and concrete structure is put up. One of these apparently cost $35 million to build, and then the owners parked their $35 million yacht in front, completely obscuring their view of the water.

A beautiful classic home in Fort Lauderdale

From left to right, an older single storey home, a modern mansion, and a now vacant lot about to begin construction, a common sight on the Fort Lauderdale waterways.

There are so many of these 100-foot plus yachts in the city. I wonder how many of them even go out, or are they all dock queens? Apparently, you can charter one, with crew and staff, for $345,000 per week. One also wonders how many of these actually get chartered.

Coral Ridge Yacht Club, only owners with yachts over 60 feet in length need apply for membership.

As the sun set, we could see how many of the waterfront properties were occupied. Fewer than half, although we thought that a higher percentage of the smaller homes that are a little farther out had lights on inside.

After a quiet day (Dick rode his bike to Fresh Market), we set off at 5:30 to have dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant. First, we stopped at an International Wine and Food market that I had found on google. We expected that they might have maybe 1 aisle of imported canned goods, and we hoped to find the tiny pickled sweet peppers that make a great addition to any cheese and charcuterie board. What a treasure trove there was! They had our pepper drops, but also an amazing variety of fascinating goods. We have limited storage on the boat, but we still find space for a variety of interesting and unusual items. I have never seen so many choices of pastry cups, as well as chocolate dessert cups in so many sizes. They had balsamic pearls, which are a lovely addition to a composed salad, and also pearls of other flavours, including simple olive oil, garlic oil, and truffle oil. There was even raspberry, and we failed to resist buying that one as well as the balsamic. There were also fridges and freezers full of unusual foods, but we had to limit ourselves to a couple of packages of charcuterie meats.

The evening continued to go well as we arrived at the Indian restaurant. We don’t normally order starters in this type of restaurant, but we tried some crisp battered and fried prawns, and some spicy fried cauliflower, both of which were delicious. Our main course dishes (lamb chops masala and shrimp rogan josh) were also excellent. Only the dal (lentil stew) was a mistake. It was tasty, but far too liquid for our preference. After an amazing feast we waddled back to the boat and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Dal, lamb chops, and prawns with naan bread and steamed rice at Indian Harbor Restaurant

The next day we were only going a couple of miles, so we planned a late start for 11am. As we were getting ready, 2 Sea Tow boats arrived to remove the sailboat in the slip beside us. It would have been interesting to watch, but our departure certainly made everything easier for them. Apparently, the sailboat was supposed to have left a week earlier (and presumably the owner had stopped paying for the slip). It is interesting how quickly a marina is permitted to have a boat towed away, compared to how long it takes for a derelict boat at anchor to be allowed to be removed.

Our arrival at Bahia Mar Marina was not our best docking effort. We were assigned a slip beside another boat, and between a strong wind (small craft warning for the area), and a tidal current, plus backing in, it was a bit of a shambles. It was made a lot worse by a dockhand who was worse than clueless. As they often do, he refused to cleat the midships line tight, so we drifted into the boat beside us. Fortunately, the owners were not on board to notice when we nudged them, and no harm was done.

In the afternoon, a plane went past with a banner, XIARA. WILL YOU MARRY ME? (not sure why someone thought a period was required after the name). Another plane advertised a place with a “full liquor bar” Saturdays and Sundays. Interesting juxtaposition. Next, we saw a panel truck with full LED screens on all sides advertising a nightlife establishment. It was followed a few minutes later by another truck advertising medical screening. The third one offered fruit juice, and the fourth suggested you try a local strip joint.

I noticed on the plan that our next stop was only one night, and with plans to eat on board. When asked why, Dick answered that he just wants to get out of this “stupid rich” area. Given what we have seen on the water and walking around, the adjective fits, however you interpret it.

We planned a mid-afternoon meal at Coconuts, a Fort Lauderdale institution, according to our water taxi guide the previous day. Unfortunately, the time that the heavy rain and thunderstorms were supposed to stop kept moving later and later. Eventually, we would have been fighting the crowds and standing in line, and with no certainty that we would not get wet on the walk back, so we gave up on the idea and stayed on board.

Loopers who had been in two previous marinas at the same time, but we had not met them, arrived in the middle of the heaviest storms. They had planned to take a mooring ball, but all the floats on the pennants were missing. They were able to get a slip in the marina. Later, they dropped by for a chat and to hear about Hilton Head Island. We hope to coincide with them again as we head north.

We managed a fairly early start and enjoyed a delightful day travelling up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). We loved looking at all the interesting houses. We had to ask for openings for 6 of the bridges, but the timing worked very well, and we were never held up for more than a few minutes.

A bridge opens for us in Fort Lauderdale

Remember When, an Endeavour Skylounge in Boynton Beach. We met them in 2017 on the Alligator River in North Carolina, and again at the marina in Stock Island.

At Palm Beach, we passed a certain well-known mansion and exclusive golf club. Fortunately, the owner was not in residence, as when he is, one of the bridges across the ICW has limited or no openings, so that “visiting dignitaries” are not impeded as they access Palm Beach.

We arrived at Palm Harbor Marina and had a somewhat tricky docking, due to maximum tidal current and a windy day. Two dockhands showed up to help, but it was a bit chaotic.

Shortly after our arrival, a 62-foot Princess yacht arrived and backed into the slip beside us. As he was arriving, an army of cleaners (four) came bustling down the dock with an amazing assortment of cleaning equipment. Two hours later, they gathered up their paraphernalia and headed off, leaving a show-ready boat behind.

Dick had decided at the last minute that we would have dinner out after all. There is a well-known Italian restaurant next to the marina (although the sheer size of the marina meant a ¼ mile walk!) It was a great evening. We loved the retro style of the huge venue, and, for a change, even though the place was full and with a line of hopeful diners waiting to be seated, it was not so noisy that you had to shout, you could actually have a normal conversation with your dinner companion. I started with a delicious skewer of grilled shrimp, and Dick’s grilled calamari was also excellent. The mushroom and pepperoni pizza I ordered was one of the 5 best I have ever eaten. I usually eat half and take home half, but it was so amazing that only one slice remained for taking away. Dick had a most interesting pasta dish with a ragu sauce, meatballs, and an surprising variety of different shapes of short pasta, all in the same dish. Dessert was out of the question for me, but I enjoyed a chocolate laced cappuccino, while Dick rounded out his meal with a scoop of excellent gelato.

Pizza and pasta at Elizabetta’s Ristorante

We were lucky to fit the excursion in between thunderstorms. The rain began again just minutes after our return. On a hot and humid evening, the last thing you want to do is wear waterproof jackets! Dick has just seen a news item that temperatures in Florida are approaching record highs in advance of a cold front expected next week. Bring on the cold I say!

One would think that a marina designed for 60-foot yachts up to mega-yachts would be easy for a little (!!) 44-footer to get into and out of. Not so. Basically, the cleats are all in the wrong places, making it all but impossible to close-tie for the initial arrival and for departure.

I noticed that this marina has far more security than we have ever seen before. There is a guard at the parking lot gate. There are the expected key card gates for each dock, but also 24-hour roving security guards. As we arrived, I could see a police boat patrolling up and down the area. Clearly, the rich are different. The slips in the marina are smallest at the north end, and each dock has larger slips as you move south. The most distant yachts in the picture will be the largest. I looked it up, and the suggestion is that a superyacht is over 100 feet in length, and a mega-yacht will exceed 200 feet. We have seen a great many superyachts in the last couple of weeks, and quite a few mega-yachts. They are often flying a foreign flag and show a hailing port of Georgetown (Cayman Islands) or elsewhere. There will need to be special permits, and probably they will have to leave the USA after a certain amount of time, and can then return, but when you are wealthy enough to own and crew a mega-yacht, you can easily send it to another destination, without having to go yourself, as it will have full-time crew.

Palm Harbor Marina in West Palm Beach. The yacht beside Nine Lives in the second row is 62 feet long. Superyachts and mega-yachts in the back rows.

In the morning, the bridge opened for one of the biggest sailing cats I have ever seen. She had a pilot boat in front, with a red flashing light, much as a wide load has an escort on the highway.

We congratulated ourselves on getting an early start, but then we had to hold up and wait while a cargo ship arrived from the Lake Worth Inlet. It was fascinating to watch. He turned completely around in the channel and backed into the wharf. Nearby is a beautiful old property that Florida Power and Light has turned into a manatee eco-discovery centre. A great use of a lovely building that, being next to a gas-fired power plant, would otherwise be uninhabitable.

A freighter turned fully around to back into the slip (left side of the image) in the ICW channel at Lake Worth Inlet.

We enjoyed passing Jupiter Island, with its large lots, and beautifully landscaped and secluded houses. Interesting, while many of the houses are large, they do not seem to be the sprawling mansions that we saw further south. This is probably an area that we would like to live in (except for having to live in Florida). There is also the minor detail that some of the wealthiest individuals in the United States make Jupiter Island their home, so it is unlikely we could come close to affording it! Tiger Woods’ estate is there, but not visible from the ICW. Other notable residents include several other well-known golfers, Serena Williams, Celene Dion, Alan Jackson, and various members of the Bush family. On second thought, while we love the look of the properties, we would most certainly not fit in with that community! North of Jupiter, the properties are more modest, with fewer large yachts, although there is evidence that even there, smaller homes have been torn down to make room for big mansions.

This is not the first time we have noticed that the boat is as big as the house. No view from the expensive waterfront property.

Osprey on the nest in the St Lucie River. Note that the speed limit in the narrow, shallow, channel is 25 mph. There are many shoals, and a big wake could easily knock you out of the channel.

Travelling up the wide and very shallow St Lucie River was interesting, can’t imagine what it would be like on a weekend as fast boats go whipping by at speed. The voyage finished with an exciting set of bridges. Heading west, you first pass under the highway bridge, with a fairly narrow space between the pylons. Then there is a relatively small basin, that was already full of smaller boats and one sportfish, waiting for the railway bridge to go up. This track used to serve only freight, and the bridge was up most of the time. With the introduction of the Brightline, an east coast Florida passenger service, with about 18 trains per day, this bridge is now down more often than not. Behind the rail bridge is a road bridge, with a bridge tender, that has to be raised for all but the smallest boats. Fortunately, the bridge tender was very clued in, and the passage through the two bridges was smooth for us. Behind us was a huge 80-foot power cat, and the bridge tender did a great job, holding up the oncoming boat traffic to give him room to get through the narrow openings.

Looking back at the 3 bridges at Stuart. Note how little space there is for the big cat to get through the highway bridge pylons, even less at the railway bridge!

We are again with the big boys in a huge marina, but not quite as enormous as our slip neighbours of the previous few stops. We chatted briefly with the owner of a big Hatteras, after I noticed that he was flying a burgee that depicted a lighthouse that looks remarkably like the one in Harbour Town, Hilton Head. He confirmed that it is, and told us that the boat is generally in Shelter Cove most summers. We agreed how much we like Hilton Head, particularly the miles of safe bike paths!

Dinner was a mixed bag. We started with the best spinach, crab, and artichoke dip we have ever tasted. I wanted to order some to take away and keep in the freezer, but Dick vetoed the idea. The main courses were disappointing, basically, they lacked flavour and particularly salt. We realized too late that we should have taken our slip neighbour’s advice and ordered sushi.

After dinner we strolled around the charming town. There are lots of little boutiques and restaurants. However, most of the boutiques are beachwear type ladies’ shops, and the couple of art galleries were just not interesting enough to walk over there in the heat and humidity when they would be open. Instead, we will stick with Plan A, and Dick will ride his bike for groceries and other errands while I do a minimal laundry and finish this issue of Nine Lives Voyages. The weather is going to continue to be unseasonably hot and humid, getting warmer over the next week. The humidity is at 90%.

Stuart calls itself the Sailfish Capital of the World

Nine Lives Voyages during the month of March

February 18th to March 5th, 2025: St Petersburg to Sanibel

Our trip across Tampa Bay to St Petersburg was uneventful and far more pleasant that the previous crossing. We encountered a huge tow that took up the entire shipping channel, but there was plenty of water depth in the Bay, so we simply moved out of the way (the law of gross tonnage trumps all questions of right of way!) As we neared St Petersburg, we saw several groups of dinghy sailboats, some racing, some obviously practicing their turns, but they were well off the channel.

The marina is in the centre of downtown St Petersburg, a huge facility that occupies 3 large basins. High rises line the waterfront, and there is a great choice of restaurants of all styles and price points within easy walking distance.

The marina is very well run. The dockmaster called in the morning to confirm our arrival time, our slip assignment, and to make sure we had all the information we needed. This is very unusual, Dick normally has to phone to confirm and ask the pertinent questions. When we arrived at the pump out dock, they were ready to help tie up, and while we pumped out, the dockmaster went to our slip across the basin so he was waiting to catch our lines.

The facility is still recovering from the hurricanes, and their main building was destroyed, but they have adapted well and the dockmaster had all the paperwork and key cards ready to hand us, rather than making Dick walk the ¾ mile each way to the temporary office. The docks are wide, sturdy concrete with good pilings, but as they are fixed rather than floating, it is necessary to take the tide into account when tying up. The dockmaster warned us that there “is a pretty good tide here”, telling us that the change is about 2 feet. We chuckled and told him that we deal with 9-foot tides in our home waters. In fact, we always tie up with spring lines and lines across that can account for change in water levels, even on rivers. Many Loopers whose boating experience does not include tidal waters have to learn some new skills and procedures when they arrive in the Gulf.

Our friend Kim was unable to meet us for dinner as planned, so we cancelled our reservation at a rather trendy eatery at the end of the pier, and opted for Doc Ford’s. The story of the restaurant is interesting. It is owned by the writer of a popular series of books that feature the character Marion “Doc” Ford, a marine biologist and environmental consultant. Dick always enjoys calamari, and my Tomlinson’s Taquitos were a delicious concoction of spicy shredded chicken in corn tortillas. One was plenty, so the second made a great lunch for Dick, the leftover king. For main courses, Dick’s paella was very good, and I loved my wrap with spicy grilled shrimp accompanied by some of the best fries we have eaten. Even though the restaurant was incredibly crowded and so noisy you had to shout to be heard, all the food was piping hot and timely, and the waiter made a point of not neglecting his smaller tables while looking after the very large groups in his area. We would certainly return.

Beside the restaurant is an interesting sculpture to commemorate the world’s first commercial airline flight in 1914 on a Benoist Airboat. The stainless steel sculpture is a full scale replica of the airboat. St Petersburg considers itself the birthplace of commercial aviation, and the sculpture is on the site of the hangar used for the airline. That first flight was to Tampa, taken by the then mayor of St Petersburg, at a cost of $400, equal to about $12,624 today.

Benoist Airboat, sculpture to commemorate the first commercial airline flight

St Petersburg Municipal Marina and Skyline

The next day Dick shopped for party food and ingredients, and also some disposable champagne flutes. I did part of the preparation, including making up a delicious dip, appropriately called “boat dip”.

In the evening, we donned our bright yellow, waterproof jackets and got ready to walk over to a very nice Italian restaurant to meet Kim. Dick paused to make repairs when we discovered that one of the lines to the fender board had snapped, so I was first at the restaurant. Shortly after I was seated, Dick arrived, and just said to the hostess, “I’m the other canary”. She knew immediately who he was with! Kim arrived after finding scarce parking, and we had a great evening catching up on each other’s news.

The next day I continued with party preparation, while Dick took the dinghy across to the fuel dock to fill the tank. The plan was to anchor one night, and then we would be 4 nights on a mooring ball in Sarasota, so the dinghy was about to play an important role. The battery was flat, but Dick has a charger on board, so that problem was soon solved.

Kim arrived mid-afternoon, and helped me set out the special nibbles on various platters. The boat dip was spooned into tortilla scoops. This was a new recipe, and is definitely a keeper. Sour cream, a can of chopped tomatoes with peppers and onion (Rotel), an envelope each of ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning, and a bag of shredded cheddar jack cheese combine to make a spicy and very moreish dip. I also mixed smoked salmon with onion chive cream cheese to fill tiny pastry cups. We had brought frozen bite sized quiches and raspberry brie parcels, and I had made spiced palmiers. Dick bought cooked shrimp, that were served in a large bowl with cocktail sauce for dipping. I scattered Marconi almonds and tiny pepper drops around the platters, plus some chopped snacking buffalo sausage. Having prepared and set out enough food to feed the entire marina, I was happy that the guests munched and enjoyed the food, along with beer, wine, fizzy drinks, and of course the champagne for toasting Nine Lives and our shiny new gold burgee.

Party food for the wake crossing celebration

The guests were some of our oldest friends. Three were at our renaming party in 2017 when we began the Loop. The group included some of Dick’s former colleagues from Toronto and Calgary, a friend he played ice hockey with, and a slightly more recent colleague from the times after the joint venture. Julian helped us out in a big way by receiving a bunch of Amazon orders, as well as the critically important gold burgee, and bringing it all to us for the party. Marina offices will receive mail and parcels, but it can be somewhat hit and miss, so we were so glad to have a friend to accept important deliveries.

After a quiet day, (Dick rode his bike to Fresh Market to pick up a few groceries), we walked over to Cassis for a very nice dinner. The only downside was that they were having their outside doors repainted, so the large double entrance doors needed to stay open. It was quite chilly outside, so there was a tremendous cold draft that took all the heat off the food very quickly.

Anhinga drying his wings on a dock in the marina

A boater heading out to go fishing. Note that he has two avian passengers!

We left St Petersburg at 11am. It was lumpy again in Tampa Bay, but once we passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge it smoothed out. From there until we anchored, we only had to deal with wakes from weekend pleasure boats. The anchorage Dick had chosen had poor and out of date reviews. I looked at every possibility south of that one, and we chose Whale Kay, off Longboat Key and across from Sarasota. We crept into the anchorage very slowly, seeing less than 5 feet under the keel before it got a little deeper (8 feet) in the middle of the bay. It felt as though we were out in the middle of Sarasota Bay, but in fact it was a very protected area. Just one derelict boat, clearly dragged onto a sand bar from the hurricanes, and a few crab pots were present in the wide anchorage. There was a glorious sunset to begin a very peaceful night.

We passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 2017 on our first voyage. It was too lumpy to take the picture from the deck this time.

We were only 5 miles north of Sarasota, our next stop, so there was time for Dick’s signature full English breakfast. On arrival at Sarasota, we were reminded of the reason why it is best to stay put on weekends, as a guy in a large cruiser whipped past us very close and at high speed to beat us to the fuel dock, his wake throwing us from side to side. After a long wait it was our turn on the dock, so we topped up with fresh water, then collected our key to the restroom and security gates, and our mooring ball assignment. We were delighted to learn that we were number 1 (not that we ever doubted). This meant that we were the closest ball to the marina, with the smallest wakes and an easy distance to watch the comings and goings of the busy harbour.

Damage to the marina in Sarasota. The only transient space until it is repaired is on mooring balls.

Although it is some years since we have used a mooring ball (not since our sailing days with my parents), we were very pleased to accomplish the maneuver without drama. Dick caught the pendant with the boathook on the first pass, and he was ready with two lines to pull through the eye and back to Nine Lives. Another day I watched people on a sailing cat fail to catch the pendant, requiring a big reposition and two tries to catch it. One generally expects greater expertise from sailors. Of course, stuff happens, and until we are done with mooring balls, I should touch wood and stop gloating!

Sarasota, the mooring ball, our gold burgee, and the waterfront

We had an early dinner reservation at a restaurant called Rosemary and Thyme. It was a mile walk on a hot afternoon, but it was definitely worth it. The restaurant is in a beautiful, sympathetically renovated old building, with a huge outdoor patio area. By 5pm it was nearly full, testament to the excellent food and impeccable service. I was charmed by the mismatched old china they use instead of new and matching (or, horrors, slates and bits of wood as were trendy a year or so ago). Dick started with a fish chowder, and I enjoyed a delicious shrimp tostada. Dick chose the halibut special for main course, while I opted for a second starter, sliced beef filet, breaded and fried, served with pico de gallo on a crisp tortilla. Desserts were also excellent, and a reasonable individual portion-size for a change. The walk back to the marina was interesting, taking a different route through downtown. I was surprised at the numbers of people in the many restaurants, on a Sunday night, almost every table in their outdoor areas was full.

We spent the next, rainy, day on board. I baked a batch of bran muffins, and Dick worked on reservations for the next couple of weeks for marinas and restaurants. We also prepared responses to questions for a podcast on segment looping for AGLCA. In the evening, as we sipped our pre-dinner cocktail, we found we were surrounded by pelicans fishing by diving. It is amazing to watch. They soar over the water, about 30 feet up, and suddenly, they dive straight down into the water, 80% of the time coming up with a fish. They pause with their bill in the water. I am guessing this is to orient the captured prey in the right direction, and then they lift their heads up and swallow the fish whole. We watched this behaviour for the first time more than 20 years ago on a sailing trip in a remote bay in the Caribbean, but we have not seen it since. After less than an hour, the fishing session was over, and the pelicans disappeared at dusk.

Splash! The pelican dives for his dinner.

As the evening progressed, the rain became heavier. Later, the wind came up, and Nine Lives transformed into a flamenco dancer, sliding back and forth through 180 degrees, and bouncing on the pendant of the mooring ball with loud noises, accompanied by rhythmic slapping of the waves and rocking from side to side. Soon, the rotating became so fast that it was making me dizzy, so I retired early to bed and spent the night listening as the storm came up and retreated several times. The rain was biblical, and with the strong wind, water leaked through some of the tiny gaps in the cockpit enclosure and there were small puddles here and there in the morning. We were very glad we were on a secure mooring ball instead of at anchor. Even our trusty Rocna might have had difficulty holding as the wind blew us back and forth.

The next day was quieter and mostly sunny, but still a bit rough, making it exciting for getting into and out of the dinghy. We met Betty and Cathie for lunch at the marina restaurant. It was great to see them and be able to wish Betty a Happy Birthday in person, just a few days early. After dropping me back on Nine Lives, Dick walked to Whole Foods with his Burleigh cart, so he could stock up on heavy items like sparkling water and potatoes.

The next morning, we launched the dinghy again and toured around the mooring field and the marina. Some boats have clearly been there for some months, even since the hurricane, given the amount of marine growth on the hulls and the torn sails. There are one or two boats stranded on the shore, but no wrecks in the harbour, so either they have been lifted, or none sank. Dick walked to Publix while I watched the boat traffic. I was fascinated by a couple who anchored beside us and then proceeded to race all around the harbour on e-foils. These are like a small surfboard, with a long keel with wings at the bottom and a motor. One stands on the board and the motor pushes the board (fast). The board lifts right out of the water like a hydrofoil, using the wings on the bottom. The rider holds a remote that controls the motor beneath. When the pair returned to their boat after more than an hour of whizzing about, I was surprised at how large and obviously heavy these things are. Clearly a lot of skill and good balance are required.

Around 4pm we launched the dinghy and headed out to dinner. I will be quite happy if we don’t need to do this again on the voyage. It is hard enough balancing in calm waters, but with the dinghy dancing around it is a recipe for an unplanned swim. The first time we did this from the mooring ball, Dick stood in the dinghy to help me get in. A wave lifted it, and he adjusted his balance suddenly, nearly throwing me overboard! After that, the procedure was for him to sit down, and I kept one hand on a fixed part of Nine Lives until I was safely in the dinghy. (for those of you that wonder, we do both wear life jackets when using the dinghy)

Dinner was incredible, unquestionably our best meal so far. Antoines is a tiny French restaurant located in an unprepossessing strip mall, owned by a Belgian gentleman (a real character, with a Hercule Poirot mustache!) and his chef wife. The food is amazing. Before our appetizers arrived, we were brought tiny amuse bouche bowls of delicious pureed vegetable soup. These were accompanied by fresh rolls and butter that was carved into an exquisite flower shape. My garlic mushrooms were perfect, as were Dick’s authentically garlicky escargot. I ordered the evening special lobster ravioli in lobster sauce, and Dick chose a delicious black grouper. Desserts lived up to the rest of the meal, my chocolate mousse was excellent, as was Dick’s favourite profiteroles. We accompanied the meal with a very good bottle of Sancerre.

Bread, and an exquisite butter sculpture at Antoines

Our return to Nine Lives by dinghy was accomplished at dusk without incident, in spite of all that wine and good food!

Sarasota’s John Ringling Causeway at sunset

Crowsnest Restaurant in Venice operates a marina. Only a few slips have been repaired from hurricane damage so far, and it is quite tricky to get in because the slips sit perpendicular to the strong current from the outlet to the Gulf. Two dockhands help with tying up, in fact they came on board and handled the lines for us. I was a bit insulted at first, thinking they were assuming that I was incapable, but as we watched other boats arrive it was clear that they do this for everyone. In fact, getting into a slip is so tricky that one boat made several approaches and ultimately chose to tie up on the fuel dock overnight instead, in spite of the requirement that they would have to leave before 7:30am.

Soon after we arrived and were set, our friends from Pittsburgh and the Monongahela River arrived for docktails. Valerie and Chip are staying in a condo nearby for the winter. Valerie brought several interesting cheeses, a dip, and some strawberries, plus some flowers, so it was a reversal of our usual roles as hosts! Nine Lives loved the flowers, artfully displayed in a special flat vase that expands when water is poured in, and fitting perfectly in one of the cockpit cup holders. It was great to catch up with our friends, and dinner at the restaurant was most enjoyable.

Dinner with Valerie and Chip at Crowsnest in Venice

Mangroves provide storm protection. How many homes that were destroyed by flooding would have been saved if the mangroves had been left along the shorelines? Our observation as we travelled south was that there were a lot more repairs required on the Gulf side of the GICW, but most of the mangroves are present on the land side, and there appears to be less hurricane damage. Some wrecked docks and boat lifts, but the houses, even the single-story bungalows, look okay.

Mangroves help protect from storm surge along the shore.

For reasons that make sense to somebody, the posted no-wake zones are outside the fairly narrow dredged Intracoastal channel, meaning that all the shallow draft center consoles can wake us all the time.

Busy day on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

Dolphins followed us a for a couple of miles, switching from one side of Nine Lives to the other. We also heard them clicking and whistling, first time ever. Dolphins are quite fast, they can travel at 18mph. We were going at our usual cruising speed of 8mph, but apparently they like to ride in the slipstream of boats. The reasons for this behaviour could include ease of travel, playfulness, or something else, nobody knows. Dolphins use echolocation to orient themselves and to determine the size of objects they encounter. I was surprised that they chose to dive beneath the boat as they moved from side to side, clearly, they were not concerned about being caught by our propellers.

Our next destination was Boca Grande, on Gasparilla Island. The area was originally inhabited by the Calusa people, arriving about 800 or 900 BC. They predated the Seminoles, and had died out by the 18th century due to European diseases, slavery, and warfare. Spanish and Cuban fishermen settled in the 19th century, operating fish ranches, catching mullet and other fish for salting and shipment to Havana and other markets. Although the commercial fishery is gone, some of the current full-time inhabitants are descendants of these early settlers. In the 20th century, phosphate mining turned the south end of the island into a major deep-water port. Phosphate was brought south from the mines near Punta Gorda by rail and was loaded onto schooners at the port and shipped worldwide. In 1969, Port Boca Grande ranked as the 4th largest port in Florida. By the 1970’s the phosphate industry started using alternative routes for shipping, and the railway and port were largely abandoned. During this period, the island was discovered by wealthy American and British sportsmen, for hunting, and fishing, particularly tarpon. The Gasparilla Inn opened in 1911, serving the wealthy elite from Tampa, Fort Myers, and New England.

Check-in time at Boca Grande Marina is 2pm, we arrived a little early. We were asked to stand off in protected deeper water in the harbour while the dockmaster wrangled boats. Several had docked for lunch at the onsite restaurant, and 2 larger yachts were also expected. It was organized chaos as the dockmaster and his two dockhands directed, tied, and untied boats in a well-practiced dance. Normally, I would not choose to be on the fuel dock, but in this case, the location gave us a prime view of the golf course across the channel as well as the wildlife on the spit of land that protects the harbour.

Boca Grande harbour entrance and golf course

There were a couple of very large yachts berthed in the marina. One (120 feet) had its own center console tender tied up like a baby elephant beside its mother. The one next to it, in a private slip, is Hilarium, a stunning blue-hulled yacht with classic lines, built in the Netherlands in 1986. It is 134 feet long, and accommodates 8 crew and up to 10 guests.

Golf carts are available for rent, so we collected one and headed out for a brief reconnoiter around the town. There are just 1001 full-time residents, with a median age of 68.7, but of course, the population is swelled by huge numbers of visitors. The town prides itself on its old-fashioned, laid-back lifestyle, with no traffic lights, fast food outlets, or nightlife to be found apart from church functions (seriously). That said, my impression is that it is a lot like Marie Antoinette playing shepherdess, given that a building lot in the area is priced at $2.5 million.

We had dinner at the onsite restaurant. It was a mixed bag. My truffle parmesan shoestring fries were so good that Dick suspended his objection to fried food and helped me eat them. His oysters Rockefeller were not very good at all. I ordered shrimp and grits, that came with just 4, tasty, but slightly overcooked shrimp and a few small chunks of andouille sausage on a mass of red peppers and grits. On the other hand, Dick’s seafood medley was excellent, as was the chocolate mousse cake that we shared for dessert.

The golf course looks stunning, but the only way for non-members to play is to stay at the Gasparilla Inn. Dick proposes a birthday weekend there for me so that he can play the course…hmmmm…

We enjoyed an interesting day exploring Boca Grande. We went to the Strawberry Festival, but it was quite disappointing, essentially a church social that took up part of the town. There were offerings on silent auction, some used toys and children’s clothes, a tent selling brats in buns, strawberries and strawberry shortcake, and a quite respectable garage band made up of locals of retirement age. There was apparently more to see inside the church, but we didn’t bother. In every shop in town, the ladies asked excitedly, “Did you get your strawberry shortcake?” So, a big deal in the town, but of little interest for us as visitors. We looked around most of the shops, but didn’t buy until we found one with interesting specialty foods, homewares, and upscale takeaway. Dick decided that we would have a large container of lobster salad for our supper the next day. He choked when the bill was rung up. Let’s just say that we could eat lunch out with wine for the same money (including ordering lobster rolls). That said, the salad was delicious served on French bread with crisp butter lettuce.

The lobster salad (we ate it the next day)

After dropping our purchases off at the boat, we took the golf cart to the southern end of the island. Like highway 98 on the Panhandle, it is miles and miles of new-build housing. It does seem to be built to “hurricane proof” standards, that is, constructed of concrete and elevated so that a storm surge can flow through below. It was possible to climb the lighthouse, but Dick decided this time that it would be very hard on the knees coming down, so he passed on the opportunity.

A shiny red TR6. Dick has always wanted one of these.

In the early evening, we dressed up and went over to the Gasparilla Inn, a wonderful old Florida hotel, for drinks in their bar. This was touted as a see-and-be-seen opportunity to hobnob with the great and the good of the town. It was a lovely lounge with superb snacks and perfectly prepared Manhattans, but there was nobody hobnobbing at that time, just a fierce game of backgammon going on, played between some guests. We enjoyed the experience anyway.

They make excellent Manhattans at Gasparilla Inn

After our drinks, we went to dinner at Scarpa’s Coastal, a blend of modern Italian and local cuisine. It was a good meal, but the food was not as hot as it should have been.

Stuffed mushroom and burrata salad at Scarpa’s Coastal

Rack of lamb and grilled shrimp at Scarpa’s Coastal

We made a leisurely start with an easy passage to Sanibel Island. Here we finally left the route we travelled in 2017 when we collected Nine Lives, and everything is new again. The marina at Sanibel is unusual in that it is not on the bay, instead, a narrow channel gives access to the marina as well as a network of canals with homes. There was some damage from the hurricane, but it is mostly repaired, and we are on a newer, floating dock. There is a restaurant on site that we will try later in the week.

We ate on board the first evening. Next morning, Dick arranged to rent a golf cart for a few days. He decided to upgrade to a Moke. It is sort of what one might expect the offspring of a golf cart and a jeep to be like. Ours is bright red, easier for cars to see us on the roads. Mokes are electric, so quieter than a gas driven golf cart, and fully fitted for roads, with seatbelts, lights, proper signals, speedometer, etc. The seats are also a lot more comfortable than a golf cart would have been. You can even snap on a canvas cover if it rains or for sun protection.

We went for a drive around the island. We were able to find the old, converted motel that we stayed at on a timeshare exchange more than 25 years ago. It is undergoing major renovation, but it is not being torn down. We also visited a couple of interesting galleries, finding a nice piece of art pottery to take home as a reminder of our visit.

Sanibel has clearly had a large influx of new residents since our last visit. There are a great many condos, and a few areas with some very large houses, but mostly it seems to be more down to earth than Boca Grande, with real people instead of the very wealthy playing at being ordinary. We also noticed that while there is almost no evidence remaining of the hurricane on Boca Grande (we could see a lot of obviously new landscaping there) here on Sanibel there is still a lot of dead vegetation and trees, and many homes are still waiting for repair. Less money to effect repairs, and probably further down the priorities list for government help, not to mention further down the priorities list for contractors doing the work.

Our dinner was at Bleu Rendezvous, a very authentic French bistro. It was so authentic that our table for 2 was exactly 2 feet by 2 feet. Very typical in Paris, not usual (or comfortable!) here in America. The din was incredible, everyone had to shout to be heard. Excellent food, with the exception of the crepe I ordered for dessert. Hard to say whether we would return. The restaurant is very popular, there were a large number of people sitting waiting outside for their tables to be free when we left.

Bleu Rendezvous mushrooms. Note how close together and small the tables are, look at the upper left corner of the picture!

Bleu Rendezvous veal marengo and trout almondine

We are certainly here in the high season. Not only are restaurants full, even on Monday or Tuesday evenings, Dick is finding it quite difficult to get dockage as we move south. We are behind the Looper pack, so are not having to compete with them, but there are few or no slips available for us. We had hoped to stop in Naples for a few days, and then Marco Island, but we can only book one night in Naples, and we are going to have to move from place to place, and anchor part of the time, for the week we plan to be on Marco Island. Plans are also weather dependent, as we have to travel outside in the Gulf between the next two stops, and then a crossing (daylight, but expected to take 10 hours unless we go fast for part of it) to Key West.

A piece of advice for everyone who is charmed by the youthful excitement of a Moke. If you are female, don’t wear a dress or a skirt! Leaving aside the large amount of leg that goes on show as you climb over the sill to get into or out of the vehicle, once you are on the road, it is exceedingly cold and drafty! Trying to hold onto a hat and keep your skirt from blowing up and revealing the lace on your undies, is a feat requiring at least 3 arms. It is a lot of fun to try the Moke out, but there is no temptation to regress to carefree youth and put one into our garage.

Louise getting into Moke. I thought the front of the vehicle looked like a happy smile, but now I think it is more like a smirk as we fold ourselves up getting in and out.

I have been looking forward to visiting the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Years ago, we rode bicycles through the refuge, and my memory is of an amazing place, teeming with wildlife. Well, history did not repeat, and I am sorry to say that this visit was a great disappointment. Whether it was the time of day, or residual effects from the hurricanes, there were few birds and certainly no alligators to be seen. A couple of iguanas zipped into the brush as we passed. Resting in the shallows we saw pelicans, both brown and white, gulls, and a cormorant, all of which we have seen many times in other locations. Further along we did see a Reddish Egret displaying their typical fishing dance. They jump around, scratching in the sand to stir up the fish, and occasionally spreading their wings, creating a shadow on the water that lets them see the fish below. A godwit stood nearby, perhaps waiting for leftovers.

J.N. Darling was a pioneer of conservation in the United States. His editorial cartoons drew attention to the plight of wildlife, and helped to educate the public that natural resources are not unlimited, and that unhindered use of these resources is not a God-given right. He was the founder of the National Wildlife Federation, and the chief of the U.S. Biological Survey, now called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He helped conceive the Federal Duck Stamp Program, drawing the first stamp, and since 1934, hunters have been required to purchase a Federal Duck Stamp in order to be allowed to hunt waterfowl. These purchases have supported the acquisition of millions of acres of wetlands for feeding, breeding, and migration of waterfowl.

There was an interesting plaque about the salt marsh mosquito. When the natural flow of water is impeded, the mangroves die, and mosquitoes breed in the still water. Ding Darling brings in engineers to dig culverts to restore the flow of water and reduce the need for pesticides. While mosquitoes have an ecological niche, being incidental pollinators, and also providing food for numerous predators, the sign also mentioned that too many mosquitoes can be a major stressor to both humans and wildlife, through biting and the spread of disease. This is not news to me… small biting insects are my least favourite aspect of any warm climate!

White Pelicans. They are migratory, so we saw them on the Tennessee River, and now here they are enjoying the winter sun in Florida, just like Loopers!

Reddish Egret performing his fishing dance

After our visit to the Wildlife Refuge, we stopped at one of the small shopping malls and looked at a few shops before joining the incredible queues on the main road to return to the marina. We think traffic is bad in Hilton Head! The tailbacks on any of the main roads that lead to the causeway on Sanibel are unbelievable. Traffic wardens are in place all day, and it really doesn’t seem to matter whether it is morning or evening. I looked up data for vehicles crossing the causeway. The latest I could find was November of 2021, when 3.2 million vehicles crossed during that single month. The current traffic issues will continue until 2027, as the causeway is repaired after being damaged in the hurricanes. Eventually we were able to turn off and go around the other side of the island to avoid the queues.

Dinner was at the number 2 rated restaurant on the island. The food was not particularly good, the service slapdash, and overall the restaurant has little to recommend it. We would not return.

We are looking forward to continuing our exploration of Florida’s Gulf Coast, followed by a visit to Key West and Marathon before eventually heading north on the Intracoastal Waterway up the east coast of Florida.

February 3rd to 17th, 2025: Port St Joe to Tampa

We rented an unexpectedly large Penske truck to bring our stuff and the bikes back to Port St Joe. It was an uneventful drive, although somewhat longer than anticipated. We arrived and turned on the fridges and freezers and put away the perishables. Checked into the hotel and then went to Joe Mamas for outstanding pizzas. The hotel is brand new and was very nice for a quick overnight stay.

Everything that we carried home in our own vehicle plus the bikes fitted into a very small part of the large truck

After a MacDonald’s breakfast, we started the unpacking, but Dick spent the day working on the bathroom plumbing problem. He had ordered various parts (these are obsolete, so hard to source), from an RV supplier, but some did not arrive, or were substituted. Multiple trips by bike to the local plumbing supply house, and all-day efforts ended with a leak problem that was much worse than before, so the whole bathroom; sink, toilet, shower, and laundry, were unusable, and a bucket was required to catch the drips. I got on the phone and began phoning plumbers. The one that Dick had consulted in January was unavailable for 2 weeks despite assurances at that time that he could fix it in a day. It took several conversations before I struck lucky and had a highly recommended (by other plumbers) very helpful gentleman committed to come out the next day.

Before the repair. The grey fittings are obsolete and were leaking (hence the bowl to catch the drips).

Dick works on the plumbing. He spent at least two full days, possibly three, trying to fix it. And that does not include all the time he spent earlier, before we left the boat in December!

This is why we have a “plan”, not a schedule. We made the decision to wait and leave for Apalachicola on Thursday, thus allowing plenty of time for the plumber. Dinner that evening was at Keepers Bistro, probably best to just draw a line under that one. The food was acceptable, but too many substitutions and not enough staff suggest that they may not last too long as a business.

Dick left at 8am the next day to return the truck to Panama City, and was back by 10, much better timing than originally expected, because he was able to get an Uber right away. The plumber was somewhat later than planned due to heavy fog, but he did a great job. He completely replaced the faulty manifold with current standard fittings, and everything now works perfectly and no leaks! He also fixed the wobbly kitchen tap. That was an easy fix, but it required a special tool that Dick (surprisingly) does not have in his arsenal.

The extra night in Port St Joe meant that we could have dinner at the White Marlin. This was an outstanding meal, one of the best this voyage. The lobster tacos were fantastic. More of a crepe than a taco, with delicious lobster claw meat and a maque choux accompaniment. Dick enjoyed a perfectly prepared steak, and I had sliced beef filet on fettucine noodles with cognac sauce. Desserts were a perfect finish to a wonderful meal.

White Marlin sliced filet with pasta and cognac sauce

We made a very late start on Thursday, as it was a short trip, and we allowed time for the morning fog to lift. On arrival in Apalachicola, there were a few moments of confusion, when one of the charts put our intended dock at a narrow part of the channel and nowhere near the area Dick was expecting. All became clear when I found a new, post-hurricane, marker on the chart in exactly the right place and with good reviews attached. The consensus was that the location is unequaled, but that $2 per foot is outrageous for dockage with no water or power. It was also a tricky dock with large pilings and a very big gap to jump across to get off the boat. No problem for Dick, but I was not happy. As the dock is in a waterfront park, we had something of an audience for the docking maneuver, and I imagine some of the onlookers were amused at me trying to reach around the hefty piling to get the line around and back to the boat. Eventually I had to sort of toss it and hope it actually went around far enough that I could grab it.

The location really was fantastic, right in the middle of the charming town. We walked all around in a couple of hours, popping into interesting little galleries. Dinner was at a restaurant just a block from the boat. After the previous evening’s exceptional meal, this rather suffered in comparison, but Dick enjoyed his alligator bites to start. He offered some to me to try, “tastes just like chicken”, but my position is that I don’t eat reptiles (or apex predators for that matter). The restaurant was in a lovely old building, with original ceilings, brickwork, and floors. Apparently, this building had been many things during its time, including a house of ill repute.

Today, a small, sleepy, tourist town, there was a time when Apalachicola was a thriving business centre. In 1860, the town sent a memorial to Congress, advising that they had in that year done $14,000,000 worth of business, more than all other areas of the state put together. An extravagant claim indeed! In the early years of the town, it was a centre for receiving and shipping cotton. The cotton came down the rivers from inland farms by steamboat, and was then weighed and compressed into shipping bales. After enough was stockpiled in warehouses, it was sold and shipped overseas. By 1836, Apalachicola was the third largest cotton port on the Gulf of Mexico. In time, as happened elsewhere, the challenges of river shipping meant that the cotton business was taken over by the railroads, and the cotton era ended for the town. Lumber came next, but it took a few years, and then the sponge industry became important. By 1879, there were 16 small schooners in the sponge fleet. The schooners went out for a month at a time. Each one carried a few small dinghies, that were worked by two men, who used sponge glasses to view the sea floor. These were wooden boxes, often worn around the neck, with a glass bottom, that when put on the surface of the water, allowed a view of the sea bottom. The sponges were then brought up with a long handled, three-pronged iron hook, and taken on board the schooner to be sold later on the wharf to a sponge dealer from New York. In 1900 there was a worldwide demand for Florida sponges, but within 3 years, the market had collapsed. Today, the industry has started again, and is being operated in various ports on the Gulf, including Tarpon Springs.

We waited until after 11am for the morning fog to lift, and even then it closed in again as soon as we got into the bay and radar was required to see other boats and a dredge. The late start allowed time to prepare the chicken for the slow cooker for dinner. We saw more dolphins in the calm bay than we have seen for years. Some of them seem to enjoy swimming alongside the boat for a spell.

After passing Upper North, another Looper who Dick had chatted with on the dock before leaving, we arrived in Carrabelle. Their fuel price was the lowest we have seen this boating season, so we decided to top up the tanks. Upper North arrived, and we invited them to join us later for docktails. We enjoyed the evening very much, and hope to meet again along the route.

After a quiet night, I took my coffee up to my usual spot in the cockpit, and began to catch up with news and emails. I felt a small nip on my ankle, followed by itching. Soon after, another, and I became aware of a small insect flying around. Noseeums had arrived! Time to get out the Thermacell gadget that we had bought on recommendation of several Loopers at the Rendezvous. It took a bit of figuring out (starting with how the heck are you supposed to get into the box?) but eventually I got it started and within the promised 15 minutes there were tiny carcasses all over the once clean cockpit. Definitely a great product to deal with small biting insects.

Our subscribed personal forecast for the Gulf crossing arrived, and everything was go for our 4pm planned start. Fog was expected at various times during the 20+ hour crossing, but winds and waves were predicted to be the best we could ever hope for. I took the precaution of emailing 3 friends to ask them to set the Coast Guard in motion if we failed to appear in Tarpon Springs on time. “You have my full attention” said one, “We’ve got you covered” said the second, and the third downloaded the NEBO app and worked out how to see our position.

Dick researched how to set the horn for the periodic blasts required for boating in fog. While he figured it out, he asked me to step out and go to the bow of Nine Lives to listen. On the step outside the door, I found a generous pile of scat and a couple of incriminating footprints. Research showed that we had been visited by a raccoon! Since the masked bandits have history of getting into Looping boats while the occupants are sleeping, we were very glad that possible rain in the forecast had ensured that we had closed all of the hatches overnight. The marina owner confirmed my raccoon identification and also mentioned that they routinely see bears swimming up and down the river. While I would love to see a bear, a close, personal visit on our swim step would not be welcome.

Dick’s next research project was how to set the autopilot for a direct line to our destination. We do not normally use the autopilot with what are called waypoints, instead we use it to steer and we follow the route we want on the chartplotter. Using autopilot on open water ensures that you stay on the correct heading, regardless of wind or waves pushing the boat off course. With no channel markers or land masses for reference, this is a required feature for our crossing. Armchair sailors may scoff, and point out that Christopher Columbus did not use autopilot (or even a chartplotter) but I will remind them that he was looking for a passage to India, with a distinct lack of success. We will take advantage of any and all technological advancements available to us.

The voyage started out somewhat less salubrious than I had been led to expect. Waves were on the starboard quarter, so not on the beam, but not on the bow either. This meant we had an unpleasant corkscrew roll for about the first quarter of the trip. Finally, it smoothed out. The nearly full moon was very bright. When it set, it became very large at the horizon and turned the colour of a new penny. Once it set, we truly understood the expression “darkest before the dawn”. Sunrise brought the fog. Dick set the horn sounding every 2 minutes, and we could only see a very short distance in front of the boat. Although we did not have a “buddy boat” to talk to, it was comforting to hear the Coastguard broadcasts on the radio, albeit completely static and unintelligible until we were about 30 minutes from shore. I went below and slept for an hour, but Dick mostly stayed awake, allowing himself to doze off briefly, a couple of times while we were both on watch.

Last sight of land as we head out across the Gulf

We saw our first crab pot float at about 8 miles out. Fortunately, the fog lifted enough that we could see and maneuver around them. It was important to pay attention and avoid them, but it was not nearly as difficult as we had been led to believe. We wonder whether those Loopers who have trouble are the same ones who use autopilot with waypoints and so are not steering with the same attention. Dick had set the destination, and that gave us a line to steer to, but we retained full control of the steering during the entire crossing. We enjoyed seeing pods of dolphins, and there were also large areas where big fish were roiling the waters. They were never close enough to identify, but research suggests that they were probably mullet.

Eventually we reached the cut into Saint Joseph Sound, and made our way through the very narrow channels to Anclote River and Tarpon Springs. It was interesting to have to reverse in and tie up “Med style” in the marina, because the finger pier was so short that we could not use the ladder to get off the boat. The floating docks were in a good position to use the swim steps. It was also a challenge to get a line around a tall piling near the bow, but I managed the first one, and later Dick used the boat hook and I tossed a bow line to get a second line around the piling.

Nap time. We had a much-needed four-hour sleep, and after showers we were awake enough to enjoy the evening at a local Greek restaurant with Julian and Candace. We hadn’t seen Julian since 2018, so it was a wonderful reunion and chance to catch up.

Dick ordered grilled octopus at Hellas Restaurant in Tarpon Springs

Late afternoon Monday we hosted docktails with our slip neighbours. Two couples from Looper boats plus one from a sailboat gathered for cheese, sausage, and conversation. Our sailing neighbour brought over some of his home-made mead to try. It was quite amazing, not sweet, very clear and delicious. Joseph told us all about how he makes it, a very precise and time consuming process. Altogether, it was a delightful couple of hours with a very interesting and diverse group of people.

We walked to Tarpon Springs second “downtown” area for dinner. The food was good, some dishes quite unusual, including the fried burrata in a tomato sauce. Dick enjoyed his red snapper, and I had an interesting pasta dish.

The next morning, Dick checked the weather as usual, and realized that to avoid some strong winds and heavy seas we should leave Tarpon Springs a day earlier than planned.

We took an hour to walk along the main street and check out a few spice and food shops. As you walk, touts push brochures for local restaurants at you and offer dolphin watching boat trips and excursions to the beaches for shelling. It reminded me very much of some of the Greek and Turkish towns we visited when we went sailing with Mum and Dad. Tarpon Springs is a working fishing port. At a seafood shop on the commercial docks, we bought some frozen local shrimp and some interesting smoked cheese.

Everything you could possibly need to cook seafood

Tarpon Springs was settled by farmers and fishermen around 1876. In the 1880’s the area was developed as a resort for wealthy northerners to spend the winters. The town also became a centre for the sponge business. In the 1890’s, Greek immigrants began to arrive to work in sponge operations, and by the early 1900’s the industry became one of the most important maritime businesses in Florida, generating millions of dollars a year. In 1947, the sponge fields were wiped out by a red tide, and the fishermen turned to shrimping for their livelihood. The sponges recovered, and in the 1980’s, a disease killed Mediterranean sponges, and the local industry experienced a revival. The Greek heritage of the town is celebrated, and over 10% of the town’s residents are of Greek ancestry.

Tarpon Springs is a working fishing port

A charming group of sculptures occupies the centre of the traffic circle

The marina manager was kind enough not to charge us for the night we were not staying, and Clearwater confirmed availability for the extra night. We were out by 11:30, with a relatively short passage to Clearwater, made much slower by no-wake zones and narrow, winding channels. We surely know that we are now in Florida, the land of exceptionally rude boaters. Both pleasure boaters and commercial tour boats threw huge wakes as they crisscrossed the channel, so we rocked and rolled our way out to Saint Joseph Sound.

We arrived at Clearwater and were tied up by 2:30. I have never seen as much bird life in a downtown marina. Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, pelicans, grackles, and even a blackbird perched and sang on our railing.

The marina is right downtown, with a large park and an outdoor music venue on the waterfront. We would just miss a concert by Willie Nelson. Coachman Park is huge, and it is clear that much effort has been spent on recovery from the hurricanes. It is popular for walking and cycling, and there is a splash park and playground that makes one wish they were a child again!

There was a large catamaran docked next to us. In the afternoon a group of people boarded and they went out for a short cruise. I noted that the captain had trouble getting off the dock, coming far too close to Nine Lives and having to back up and start over to avoid running into us. When he returned, we both went out onto the dock to help catch lines, as courteous boaters do. The owner had tremendous difficulty getting close enough for his passengers to throw lines. Eventually some marina workers arrived and managed to coach him in. Dick continued to help with tying up. There was no acknowledgement at the time, but a couple of days later the owner was back, and he introduced himself and thanked Dick for his help. He told us that this is the first big boat he has owned, so it is taking some time to get used to handling it, especially in the admittedly tricky swirling water under the bridge where he is docked. He is sporting a Looper burgee, and told me that he would be heading out on Monday on the Great Loop. He has been delayed in his plans because their house was trashed in the hurricane, as were so many in this area.

In the evening, we took an Uber across the causeway and had dinner at SeaGuini. We were fascinated by the beautiful menus, that featured a modern acrylic semi-abstract fish on the front. The style, colours, and texture were reminiscent of some of my Mum’s acrylic ink paintings. We shared a cheese and charcuterie board, that looked attractive, but had some issues. Mainly, it was the crackers, just 4 very hard flatbreads and some breadsticks, an entirely inadequate quantity, and unsuitable for the cheese and meat. What they thought we should do with large piles of whole grain mustard and fig jam with so few crackers I do not know. We ordered some focaccia, which was delicious but was surprisingly expensive. The rest of the meal was very good. Dick’s choice was pasta Bolognese and I had penne alla vodka with shrimp. Dessert was a tiny individual cheesecake, rather small for a sharing dish!

SeaGuini penne alla vodka with grilled shrimp

The next morning, as I sat with my coffee, I heard the sound of thrusters, and saw that the large motor yacht that had docked on the other side of the marina, under the bridge, was coming across to dock behind us. Dick got out onto the dock to catch the lines. It was very difficult, with both wind and current causing problems in controlling the boat. Eventually, the captain pointed straight at the dock, and his crew tossed a line to Dick, which he quickly cleated tight. That allowed the captain to use it as a spring to turn the boat alongside. It was a tricky maneuver and well executed. The guy thanked Dick for his help, then, and again the next day.

Dick helps with a tricky docking maneuver

Apparently, Tom Cruise lives in the apartment block that we could see from our dock. He is very involved with the Church of Scientology, which has a large, multi-building campus right there. We were surprised to learn from Zillow that a condo in the building, of similar size to ours in Hilton Head, sells for quite a bit less than ours. Perhaps having a big movie star as a neighbour is not particularly desirable, or possibly the large Church presence in the area is off-putting.

Downtown Clearwater. Tom Cruise lives in the penthouse of the shorter condo block in the centre of the picture.

Two days were spent cleaning and “decluttering” Nine Lives for the photography for her listing. Although we intend to continue the voyage until we return to Hilton Head Island in April/May, it may be that someone will want to make an offer subject to a survey in May. Decluttering is an awful word. It implies both untidiness (which we are not) and having a lot of unnecessary possessions. Nine Lives is kept tidy, but anyone who has spent more than a few days in a small space like a boat, knows that not everything can be put away out of sight. Anyway, this exercise meant taking 2 carts full of our things off the boat, plus the bikes, and hiding them around the corner of the dock so they didn’t show up in the video. I polished surfaces that I had never seen before (quite a few useful books and other items were left on board for us by agreement with the seller). Nine Lives sparkled after our cleaning efforts at the Rendezvous in the fall, but today she is positively blinding!

Michael, our broker, seemed pleased, and we are now sporting For Sale signs when the marinas we stop at allow them to be displayed. After all the work, we were happy for a night spent on board with leftovers for supper.

Our trip to Tampa started out fine, passing interesting houses of all sizes and styles.

Once we got out into Tampa Bay, it got lumpy. I had planned to take a picture of the marker as we crossed our wake, but there was far too much motion to step outside the cockpit. It was quite a momentous few minutes anyway. Crossing your wake means returning to the place where you started the Great Loop. For us, this was just past the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses Tampa Bay. Here is the notice of our wake crossing:

Nine Lives Has Crossed Her Wake

Dick and Louise crossed their wake on their Endeavour TrawlerCat 44 Nine Lives in Tampa Bay on February 15th, just over 8 years after heading out from St Petersburg in January 2017.

In that time, we travelled 17,168 statute miles, bought 9,397 gallons of fuel, transited 423 locks, and were underway for 2,183 hours, averaging 4 months of cruising per year. We made lots of side trips and followed several alternatives to the conventional Loop route.

We saw all of the Erie Canal, Lake Champlain, the Thousand Islands, the Rideau Canal and the Trent Severn (twice). We spent time on each of the Great Lakes except Superior, enjoying both sides of Lake Michigan and Green Bay, the Canadian side of Lake Huron, Lake St Clair, and the US side of Lake Erie. Nine Lives travelled north on the Mississippi to Minneapolis and then back to Pickwick Lake one summer, followed the next summer by a trip up the Ohio to Pittsburgh and beyond to Morgantown. The Cumberland River to Nashville and beyond was one of many highlights that year, as was the Tennessee River to Knoxville this past autumn.

On the journey we met many charming Harbor Hosts, and enjoyed docktails with Loopers from every fleet from 2017 through 2025. We are looking forward to a few more months on Nine Lives, heading south to the Keys and then north to finish our voyages at our home port of Hilton Head Island.

Continuing across Tampa Bay, we could see several sailing races in the distance. As we got into the middle of the Bay, we found ourselves caught in the middle of one of the races. Sailing vessels have the right of way unless they are using their engines, plus we would never want to interfere with a race, so Dick made a couple of turns to get out of the way. It turned out that we were right at the buoy where they were making their turn. We realized that they were now heading directly towards us, and were putting up spinnakers (making them a lot faster), so Dick sensibly decided to put the throttles down and “get out of Dodge”!

They made their turns and were heading quickly towards us!

Harbour Island as we approach downtown Tampa

By the middle of the Bay, the waves were nearly broadside, so we speeded up again. This always smooths out the ride, so we ran fast until we were well within the channel leading to downtown Tampa. The marina at the Convention Center is relatively small, and has no services apart from electricity and water, but the floating docks are sturdy with adequate cleats. A kind young man interrupted his lunch to catch our lines as we came in. I was particularly grateful, because the docks are very low to the waterline, and I would have found it tricky to catch a cleat. Being in front of the Convention Center, right on the Riverwalk, means great people watching and lots of choices of restaurants close by.

Seddon Channel and Harbour Island. Note the cruise ship heading into Tampa Bay in the distance.

Dinner at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House was about as expected. Dick enjoyed conch fritters, and helped me finish a very nice spinach and artichoke dip. I chose fried shrimp for a main course, and Dick had an excellent seafood risotto. The venue was incredibly noisy, and the waitress was very busy. The hard wooden benches in the booth we sat in were so high that my feet did not touch the floor, so it was very uncomfortable, although something of a change from all the times that the seats are low and the tables high!

Harpoon Harry’s spinach and artichoke dip

Nine Lives is sitting on a dock with 4 large motor yachts. There is no security (a sign slung across the gangway that says Private is hardly a deterrent), but the area is well lit, and I console myself that anyone with theft on their minds would target the larger, and clearly unoccupied, yachts first.

Our first full day was occupied with laundry, and cooking an interesting version of shepherd’s pie in the slow cooker. Dick took a walk and explored the local area.

The next day we discovered too late that there are golf cart tours of the old town, so we contented ourselves with a walk along the waterfront and later a bike ride for Dick. There is a girl’s volleyball tournament in the Convention Center, and when we stopped in, it smelled strongly of sweaty teenagers!

The bird life is again interesting. Soon, I will get out the big camera and take some proper pictures, but for now the phone works. Each morning at sunrise the empty dock beside us is completely full of seagulls. Through the day it is mostly gulls, with a few cormorants standing sentinel. Early evening is the time for herons and egrets. Little Blue Herons and Tricolor Herons are joined by Snowy Egrets. I have never seen so many members of the same heron species so close together except in a rookery.

Herons and Egrets on the dock in the evening

In the evening, we walked along the Riverwalk to Malio’s, a steak house. There was some confusion as to where we would get off the Riverwalk, resulting in adding about a quarter of a mile to our walk. At first, we were shown to a table at the top of the stairs, that would have had us in the path of every guest and all the wait staff. We asked for a different table. Throughout the evening, we noticed that several other guests also refused that table. Dinner was very good, with excellent wines. I started with something called Lobster Escargot, essentially pieces of lobster tail in a garlicky butter, served with toast. Dick enjoyed the best carpaccio he has ever been served. The prime rib (for Dick) was perfect, and I enjoyed my petit filet. As with most high-end steak houses these days, all the accompaniments were an extra charge, and offered in sharing portions. We opted for asparagus and mushrooms, and since we could not agree on a starch, we contented ourselves with the delicious bread that was complimentary for a change. Desserts were just right, berries with ice cream for Dick, and salted caramel gelato for me.

Malio’s, steak for me, and prime rib for Dick

By the next morning, all but one of the other boats had left our section of the marina, so it was a good time to leave. For some reason, the other part of the marina has a security gate, but the town has not bothered to replace the one that should be at the section we were in. Add to this, no showers, and a considerable walk to rest rooms, and the review will not be overly enthusiastic. Location is fantastic however, so we would probably return.

Our voyage this segment, note the lovely straight line across the Gulf!

September 20th to October 2nd, 2024 Pickwick Lake to Chattanooga

Nine Lives and her crew are cruising again! From September until March, we will be visiting Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and eventually Georgia and return to South Carolina. During this final portion of the Great Loop, we will “cross our wake”, that is, cross over our original starting point in St Petersburg, Florida, and in spring we will finish in our home of Hilton Head. We hope you enjoy the recounting of our voyages.

The first challenge, as always, is to get the crew back to Nine Lives. From Hilton Head it is about 9.5 hours’ drive to Aqua Yacht on Pickwick Lake. Unfortunately, the air conditioning on Dick’s vehicle broke down just a few days before our departure, and there was not enough time to get the replacement compressor shipped and installed before we left. It was hot! The maximum temperatures were 97F near Birmingham, AL, but it was not below 90F for most of the trip. We arrived at 4:30pm local time. We took the bikes and the new salon cushions to the boat, and set things up to shock the fresh water tanks so they could sit overnight with the bleach solution. We also turned on the fridge and the freezers, so they would be ready for the next day.

Once again, we stayed in a cabin at Pickwick State Park for a couple of nights while we got the boat ready. The cabins have a full-size fridge and freezer for all our food. In spite of the long, hot journey, all the frozen food was still fully frozen. We checked in and immediately had dinner at the lodge restaurant before going to the cabin. We were so tired and hot that we knew we would not want to go out again once we got into the cabin!

The food was much better than Dick’s memory. He was able to ask for his favorite catfish to be grilled, a great improvement over the usual deep fry. I had fried shrimp, which were superb. We shared cheese curds to start. There won’t be many opportunities for that delectable treat after the next few weeks. We have never seen them offered in Hilton Head or in UK.

The next morning at breakfast, while I waited for the pancakes I had ordered, I idly looked at the ingredients list on the packet of syrup in the basket on the table. One of the first ingredients was ethylene glycol. If you never knew, or had forgotten, that’s anti-freeze. A cruise around our friend google suggests that we never, ever want to ingest this stuff. Not even on pancakes.

After breakfast we were at the boat by 8:30, and began the process of trekking all the stuff 1/3 mile along the dock to the boat. Well, Dick did the trekking, I sorted and put away as it arrived on board. Division of labour…

Dick finished the water process, changed the drinking water filter, put the chlorine tabs into the AC system, and stowed spare parts, and 2 dozen bottles of wine and other drinks. He also put up the burgees on the bow.

Changing the drinking water filter requires some contortions

The boat was supposed to have been cleaned for our arrival, inside and out. It is always a bad sign when cleaning equipment has been left on the dock, in this case a bucket of soapy water and a long-handled brush. While the hull was sparkling, the deck had minimal attention, and the cockpit had not been touched since we left. The smears from Dick’s enthusiastic destruction of marauding bugs last fall were still on the windshield. Inside was better (a different cleaner), but not as immaculate as the lady who did the job last year.

I prepared the clove bags that keep insects out of the galley drawers and cupboards, while Dick stowed 4 dozen beers and the fizzy water.

The big shopping excursion to the supermarket in Corinth took longer than Dick had expected, making us late for our much anticipated favourite restaurant, Vicari’s. Dinner was every bit as good as always, a nice change. So many of our favourite restaurants over the years seem to lose their mojo and the food ends up being pedestrian and bland.

We checked out of the cabin after breakfast, then Dick had to schlep all the food up the path to the vehicle, and then of course the whole lot had to be dragged to the boat, along with all the food and dry goods from the grocery shop.

One thing about having done this for so many years, we know where everything goes! Mostly.

I sorted out the groceries, including chopping celery and bagging it into portions for the freezer. I also recharged the “dry tops” from the storage jars in the microwave. These are a Chinese product that was only available briefly, but they work fantastically well at keeping things like pasta, biscuits, nuts, and even brown sugar in perfect condition.

These are the tops of the plastic canisters. They are dehydrated in the microwave and are amazingly effective at keeping contents fresh.

After a brief rest and recovery from all the to-ing and fro-ing with stuff, Dick started on his chores. He changed the fuel filters from the main engines and the generator. Vacuumed the cockpit and laid down the carpet. Put the new registration sticker on the dinghy. Installed the sunscreens on the windows. Checked the hydraulic steering reservoir for fluid level. Prepare to launch the dinghy to check that everything was working correctly… and came to a grinding halt.

Launch the dinghy to make sure all is well.

The service department had put the dinghy up very high on the davits after they did the 50 hour service on the engine, and one of the two motors would not work to lower, only to raise that end of the dinghy. After battling spider webs (my spray the day before had barely discouraged them), Dick had to get out the broom and have a really good sweep before even starting to try to diagnose the problem. Naturally, more sophisticated troubleshooting was attempted before the simpler solution of wiggling the contacts for the plug. Dinghy was duly launched (with the suitable precaution of keeping the rear hanger attached. Dick evicted a staggering number and variety of 8-legged squatters, along with their webs, then followed the proper startup procedures, turned the key, and nothing happened. The battery was absolutely flat. The service men had not bothered to remove the drain plug when they returned the dinghy to the supports, and since there is an automatic bilge pump, every time it rained, the battery was drained a little more. Dick set off to find a hardware store that would be open on Sunday and have a battery charger for sale. He had to go all the way to Iuka, but he found one!

Battery set to charge, we walked out to the onsite restaurant for dinner. Dick had checked that they were open on Sunday. Sadly, not this Sunday. A notice on the door said that they were closed indefinitely due to “unresolved plumbing issues”. So we continued our Sunday stroll back to Nine Lives, and dug out the makings of sandwiches for dinner.

Next morning we were up early, and after taking time for coffee, Dick was pleased to find that the battery had charged and he could make sure the dinghy motor started and ran without issue.

We were finally away from our slip before 10am. We had an uneventful day of cruising; a civilized 5.5 hours dock to dock.

The marina at Florence AL is supposedly open 7 days, but no radio response, and no phone was answered. To be fair, Dick discovered later than he had the wrong number for the phone, so it was not surprising it wasn’t answered! The 2 boats already in had spread themselves along the dock with gaps too small for us to easily fit into. We docked at the back, but pulled up enough to leave room for the 50-footer that we knew was coming in behind us. We spoke to them over the radio and were there to help with their lines.

They were a very nice couple, fellow Loopers, and we ended up going to dinner with them and then having drinks on Nine Lives after.

There was a hurricane brewing in the Gulf. The forecasts were uncertain of its path, and there was a lot of concern for us and fellow boaters as to how much it might affect our plans. We decided to look again in the morning and make some decisions.

Tuesday was a day that exemplifies the need not to have specific plans when boating. We had volunteered, and our offer was accepted, to fill in for a veteran Looper for a presentation on locking at the upcoming Rendezvous of Loopers. The various deadlines for submitting outline, bio, and introduction were already past, but we spent the morning starting work on the project. We also untied and moved over to the fuel dock for fuel and a pump out. Fortunately, one boat had left earlier, or getting back into our spot would have been quite tricky.

While Dick prepared bullet points for the presentation, I went through 7 years of photos to find those that are of locks and locking. At this point, we discovered that our reliable workhorse, ten-year-old printer on board, while still operational, no longer speaks to our laptops, and could not be upgraded.

We kept a lookout for the marina courtesy car, and just managed to be first when it was returned. Office Depot had a printer that would fit into the 12” space in the cupboard, and we also made a run to the supermarket for a few things that were missed earlier. The rest of the afternoon was spent setting up the new printer.

We both felt that getting dressed up, then arranging for the courtesy car or uber to get to our planned restaurant, was just too much trouble, so we cancelled our reservation and walked along the dock to the onsite restaurant. Basket food, but tasty.

My choice was the shrimp prepared 3 ways

Later, Dick chatted on the phone with the lockmaster at Wilson lock, 5 miles up the river, and arranged to call again at 5:15am to find out the status of the lock. It is always better to speak to the person who is starting his 12-hour shift, rather than the one who is finishing, who may be wet as well as tired!

There was a split tow in progress in the morning, so we had time for showers and breakfast before our expected 7:30 departure.

So early, you say? This particular lock had an approach wall collapse into the river a couple of years ago. This means that the tows have to wait their turn from a long way up or down river, thus slowing down all operations. Pleasure craft will be locked through only early in the morning, midday, or late, plus or minus, depending on existing tow traffic. Not wishing to take a chance on the midday slot, we hoped for the early transit. We were through Wilson lock at a very reasonable 9am. Considering that this is the lock with issues, and a reputation for multi-hour holdups, we did well. What was unexpected was the experience at the next lock.

A line goes around the bollard in the lock wall and is held, then the bollard floats up (or down) as the lock fills or empties. Being held secure means we won’t be thrown around by turbulent water.

The tow ahead of us (the same one that was going through Wilson at 5am), refused to allow the pleasure boats to go through ahead of him (there were two of us), even though he would, in fact, have lost no time by letting us through, as he had more than an hour required to approach the lock from where he was waiting. So our two boats waited a full 8 hours instead of 4 (there was a downbound split tow that had to come through first). Our fellow Looper boat anchored, but we held back with a combination of floating with the engine off and occasionally repositioning. I did the early prep for our planned dinner on board later.

Our fellow Loopers on this part of the journey turned out to be a Dutch fellow, who emigrated to Canada in the 1990’s. We will look forward to meeting again and spending some time in person!

We were in Joe Wheeler State Park by 5:15pm. There were still concerns about the developing hurricane, although it was expected to be purely a rain event, with no significant wind at this location. Some “conversation” between Nine Live’s two captains resulted in a compromise that would have us stop just 3 more nights before Chattanooga, but all in marinas rather than at anchorages or free town walls. No locks the next day. Even though there had been only two that day, a break was needed!

The first proper meal to be cooked onboard was a definite success. The new recipe for scalloped potatoes complemented the pork and mushroom fricassee.

Our first dinner on board this cruising season

Thursday the 26th was the day for the hurricane (Helene) to make landfall, so we would know a lot more that evening, and even more the next day, as it was a fast-moving storm. We planned to stay two nights at Ditto Landing to wait out the worst of the expected rain. As I write this from my notes a week later, I know just how huge and devastating this storm was. It was one of the largest ever to hit the United States, and loss of life and devastation to property extended from Florida to Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Our home in Hilton Head was fine, but our friends just a few miles away in Bluffton had trees down on their property and power outages. Friends in Florida fared worse, and are still evaluating the damage, as are friends in Asheville, in the mountains of North Carolina. We were lucky, more about our experiences later.

We left at 8:45 with an ETA of 3:30. I spent an hour prepping a beef and mushroom stew for the slow cooker. We passed TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. This is the 3rd most powerful nuclear power plant in the USA. It produces about 20% of TVA’s entire generating capacity. There was no steam visible, so Dick wondered whether it is currently operating, although I can find no suggestion that it has been shut down. The stack is 660 feet high. We were amazed at the number of additional low cooling towers on the site. We delayed about ½ hour waiting for the Decatur Drawbridge, a railway bridge that is too low for Nine Lives to pass under. The bridge tender was very pleasant, and kept us informed of the train movements.

Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

Some of the many cooling towers of TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

Pelicans and cormorants on a sand bar at Decatur

Decatur Drawbridge after opening for us.

It was a pretty boring stretch of river after Decatur. We are too far from the banks to see any birds. We passed Redstone Arsenal, a very interesting site, but the interesting bits are completely screened by trees.

We arrived at the marina, but our assigned slip proved difficult to get into with a slight breeze, and at only 20 feet wide there would not have been room for a fender between Nine Lives and the black rubber on the dock. We were able to tie up next to our originally assigned slip below a launch ramp, which the dockmaster blocked off so trailers could not use it while we were there. There were two more launch ramps available for day boaters to use.

Dinner was ready in the multi-cooker, and only the rice and vegetables needed to be prepared before we could sit down to enjoy our beef stew.

Preparing the side dishes for the beef stew

We were west and south of Hurricane Helene as it roared through Florida and Georgia and into Tennessee. We didn’t even find out until later that it also had devastating effects in the Carolinas. In northern Alabama we had heavy rains all night, but in fact, the noise of the fish eating the algae off the hull was louder than the rain. It is an extraordinarily loud sound, as if someone is tapping hard on the hull! Dick could not believe it was fish, and got up in the middle of the night just to check all around the boat.

The next day was quiet, as southern USA started cleanup and assessment of the damage. Sadly, Tennessee and the Carolinas were just at the beginning of their problems, as water poured through areas that never expect hurricane impacts. Our own plans would have ongoing impacts that only reveal themselves a few days at a time.

September 28th, we were out by 8:30am. It was dull and cool in the aftermath of Helene, and the lines were soaking wet, but at least it wasn’t raining.

Nine Lives is happier now that she is flying 2 burgees again. It was not appropriate to fly the Wexford green after we moved away, so last year we always felt a bit lopsided! We now have an Endeavour burgee for the second flagpole.

It was a very long and boring day, and the weather was too dull to appreciate the emerging fall colours. We passed Guntersville and through Guntersville Lake, seeing many large and expensive homes along the shoreline and up in the hills. I cannot find any information as to why this area appears to be so much more prosperous than the rest of the Tennessee Valley.

Developing fall colours north of Guntersville

Painted Bluff is a famous landmark overlooking the river. It features over 130 prehistoric Native American pictographs and petroglyphs. The striations in the rock are certainly beautiful, especially with the developing autumn colours, but we were mystified that unsightly power lines were permitted to cross right over one of America’s beauty spots.

The Bellefonte Nuclear Plant began construction in 1975. In the next 40 years over 4 billion was spent, and yet so far the plant is not operational and may never be. It stopped construction in 1988, and moveable parts were sold off, then the site was auctioned in 2016. Regulatory permissions were not obtained, by the new owners, and the whole thing is now tied up in the courts with lots of finger-pointing and accusations of malfeasance, including bribery and corruption.

A glimpse of the cooling towers of Bellefonte Nuclear Plant

We had planned to tie up for the night on an old, decommissioned lock wall. After a very long day of cruising, we arrived at 6pm to find that it was just not suitable for Nine Lives. The distance between bollards along the flat part of the wall was too great to tie up, and the two places we could have reached had metal protrusions and a cut out section of the wall. We had to back out and carry on to an anchorage further up the river. The location is in a wide chute behind an island. We could see a Yamaha Plant on the shore, and it has what appeared to be a very respectable marina, complete with lit power pedestals, and not a single boat. If the anchor had not set, we would have gone with the principle of “easier to ask forgiveness than permission” and availed ourselves of the facility. In fact, I can’t even imagine how one would ask for permission! We were anchored by 6:45, a very long day, finishing just as it was getting dark. Most days are good on a boat. This was not one of them. Dick’s steak dinner prepared on the grill was a welcome treat after a hard day.

A well-earned steak dinner prepared on the grill

After a very peaceful night with just a few feet of movement from where I set the anchor alarms, we were ready to pull the anchor and get back onto the river for another long day. I woke up very early (5am), because my phone was absolutely convinced that Bridgeport AL was in Tennessee and thus in the Eastern Time Zone. We decided to head out early.

As the procedure began for pulling the anchor, Dick discovered that the bridle lines had caught an incredible amount of floating weed. It was the highly invasive hydrilla, that infests waterways from Florida to California after escaping from aquariums in Florida in 1950’s and 60’s. It costs millions every year to try to control it. Dick had to shake it off with a boathook, then lift the lines a little bit and shake off the next clump. The picture shows only one of the smallest clumps, there was enough of the stuff for several bales! There was more weed on the anchor chain itself, but once that was cleared, the anchor came up smoothly and clean and we were away by 7:30am.

We passed the somewhat unprepossessing structure that is the historic Hales Bar hydroelectric plant. Construction of the dam began in 1904, and took 8 years to build, with many accidents and several deaths. On completion in 1913, it was the world’s second largest hydroelectric plant. Only Niagara was larger. The book tells me that there was a huge celebration, with bands playing, dances, banquets, speeches and fireworks. From the beginning the dam leaked. The area was cursed by a Cherokee warrior in 1775, and it has apparently been unlucky ever since. The dam is considered to be one of the most haunted in the USA. The dam was half a mile across and 60 feet high, and contained what was at the time the highest single lock lift in the world. TVA acquired the dam in 1939, and continued the ongoing efforts to seal the leaks, but they were in vain. By 1960, the dam was leaking at a rate of 2000 feet per second, and it became clear that the leaks were joining together inside the dam, with an increasing risk of complete (and sudden) failure. A new dam and lock was build down the river, and as soon as the Nickajack Lock and Dam opened in 1967, the Hales Bar Dam was decommissioned. Today the historic building is used as a private event space, and is also the home of Dam Whisky and Moonshine Distillery. Although we plan to stop at the marina there on our return down the river, the distillery is only open on weekends, so we may not be able to tour and partake.

The outflow for the Raccoon Mountain pumped storage facility can be seen from the river. During times of low power demand, water is pumped from the river to a reservoir on the top of the mountain. When demand is high, the water is released through a tunnel and drives generators in the underground power plant. It takes 28 hours to fill the reservoir.

Williams Island is passed just a few miles before Chattanooga. In 1862, James J. Andrews, a Union spy, led 21 men through Confederate lines and managed to steal a railroad engine in Marietta, Georgia. They headed north to Chattanooga, destroying telegraph communications as they went. A Confederate force in another engine followed them, and caught up with them and imprisoned the spy in Chattanooga. Andrews managed to escape, and got as far as Williams Island before he was caught. This time he was taken to Atlanta and hanged.

Misty weather obscures most of the views in the Gorge

We arrived in Chattanooga by 4:30, and had help from a neighbour on the dock, who had stayed for 10 days waiting out the hurricane and the high water.

We had dinner at one of the top steakhouses in Chattanooga. We walked up many steps to get to the depot for the free downtown electric bus service. It is very popular with the homeless. The restaurant is in a gorgeous historic hotel. The service was excellent, and the food was tasty, but unevenly heated. Parts of the meal were piping hot, other parts (especially the potatoes) were barely warm. After dinner we walked back to the boat because the bus does not run after 8pm on Sundays. We were glad that it had stopped raining.

A beautiful building facade with lighting that changes colour. The building is a multi-storey car park!

In the morning, Dick went for a long walk to explore the downtown. Unfortunately, while there are many interesting restaurants and the beautiful old buildings are being renovated to provide downtown living and shopping, it is still very much a work in progress. In the afternoon, we enjoyed our first docktails on Nine Lives this season with Maggie and Bruce, the local Harbor Hosts.

Waterfront park on the north side of the river

We took the bus again to our dinner destination. Alleia was an excellent choice for an Italian meal. We shared a cheese and charcuterie platter. Dick had the halibut, which was delicious with an excellent pomodoro sauce. He was less enthused about the accompanying vegetables: summer squash, zucchini, and okra! Dick loves most other vegetables, so this was quite a miss from his point of view. I chose a mushroom and preserved truffle pizza, one of the best I have had in a long time. Nothing on the dessert menu caught my eye, but Dick enjoyed his favourite panna cotta. We returned by bus, as it runs late on weekdays. Unfortunately, the usual ramp to the dock was under 5 feet of water, so we had to come down the steps at the other end. They are in an unlit area much favoured by the large homeless population of this city, so not a comfortable way to have to go back and forth to the dock.

The effects of Helene are still manifesting, and we were advised by the Knoxville Harbor Host not to venture that far up the river. Apparently, TVA regulates the water being released by the dams on the system to limit flooding in Chattanooga, which explains why the walkway is periodically under water but the town is not flooded. We extended our stay by 6 more days, and will reassess next weekend. We hope to be able to travel up the river, but we will not go as far as Knoxville. As I write this, 4 of the locks on the Tennessee River are closed because of the very high volume of water flowing over the dams.

There is also great concern over the status of Wilson Lock, which the majority of Loopers must pass through to get to the site of the Rendezvous. This gathering has been fully booked for months. Since our passage, the main chamber of the lock has had to be closed for several months for repairs. The auxiliary chamber is in fact 2 smaller steps, requiring a tow to lock through just one barge at a time. With a typical tow on this river being made up of 15 barges, the transit takes 15 to 24 hours per tow. Pleasure boats are not a priority, but it is hoped that it will be possible to arrange flotillas to fit between the commercial requirements.

We had concerns about the effectiveness of the pump out we had at Florence Marina. The rather feeble pump had not seemed to have done the job properly, and a quiet afternoon seemed like a good time to untie and head over to the fuel dock. Both the fuel pumps and the pump out machine are self-service, so there are no helpful dockhands to assist with operations or tying up. In spite of the fierce current, Dick maneuvered Nine Lives into the quiet water in front of the dock, and I was justly proud of my skillful capture and double wrapping of the midships line around the dock cleat. The pump out took just a few minutes with the robust pump, and we were back retying on our dock in less than half an hour.

As we walked to the bus station we looked down at the waterfront. You can see in the picture that the fixed docks are completely submerged. Those light lines in the lower right are the handrails along the walkways, more than 5 feet under water. At the base of the concrete lights in the top left are small white boxes. These are the power outlets for the dock. Theoretically the power has been cut off, but I did see the lights on the other night! The dock we are on is floating, so at least it moves up and down as the water rises and recedes.

The waterfront at Chattanooga is under more than 5 feet of water.

Chattanooga’s history began in 1815, when Cherokee descendant Chief John Ross established a ferry service across the river. He also built a boat landing and a warehouse, and began trading with the local Cherokee Indians. The settlement grew, and was incorporated in 1839. It was in a strategic location, and metal industries ensured its continued growth. It was fought over during the Civil War, and is still today an important manufacturing, wholesale, and retail centre. It is also a popular tourist destination. Ross’s Landing was located where the steps at the end of our dock are, our only access to the town when the ramp at the other end is flooded.

In 1854, the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company built a blast furnace on a site overlooking Ross’s Landing. A few years later the blast furnace was converted from charcoal to use coke, and was the first in the South to use coke in the primary reduction of iron ore. Just a few years later, in 1863, Federal troops occupying Chattanooga demolished all the buildings, leaving only the stack, which was used as a lime kiln.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo building (yes, it’s a real place), was a Beaux Arts Classicism building built by the Southern Railway and completed in 1909. It had the largest brick arch in the world. An 85-foot freestanding dome spanned the waiting room. The last train arrived in 1970, and the beautiful building was boarded up and threatened with demolition. It was rescued and refurbished and is now a hotel and restaurant complex.

The song, yes, the song. If it isn’t running around your head yet I am surprised. See if I can remind you of this particular earworm! The song tells the story of train journey from New York to Chattanooga, where the singer’s sweetheart will be waiting for him, and he will settle down and never leave. The passenger asks a shoeshine boy, “Pardon me, boy, Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Yes, yes, Track 29. Boy, you can give me a shine.” The song was written in 1941, and first performed as a big band/swing number by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. It was a huge hit in a time of war, speaking to soldiers who wanted to look forward to the day that they could go home and be met by loved ones and parties. It also referenced the heart of America, and the prosperity and industry that depended on the railways.

We went to dinner at Elsie’s Daughter, a somewhat unusual restaurant that is part of Hotel Chalet, that in turn is part of the Choo Choo complex. The hotel features modern “chalets”, but the alternative, if you are willing to pay an additional $100 per night, are beautifully converted passenger cars, formerly part of the rolling stock of Southern Railway.

Converted railway cars of the Chalet Hotel

Dinner started well. There is a very limited menu, and all plates are meant to be shared. We began with a tomato and cucumber salad in a delicious dressing, and a plate of smoked trout spread accompanied by crisp pieces of toast. Dick chose the crispy half chicken, which was also delicious. I know this because my mushroom tartine was so tasteless that I gave up on it after a few bites (copious additions of salt and pepper did not help), and instead had some of the chicken. The service that had been so bright and solicitous fell apart in the middle of the meal, as the single waitress tried to cope with a full restaurant. We decided that the only dessert choice on offer was not of interest, so we paid and left. We would consider returning, but not after 6pm.

Sharing plates at Elsie’s Daughter Restaurant

Earlier in the day, Dick had carried his bicycle up multiple flights of steps to go grocery shopping, because the walkway at the other end of the dock was under 5 feet of water. He didn’t want to have to repeat that effort, so on his return, he locked the bike to the railings at the top of the steps. As we passed the bike, I commented that I thought there was about a 50% chance that it would be there when we returned from dinner. The bike was there. We passed a fellow standing on the pathway, with a suspiciously familiar water bottle at his feet. I pointed it out to Dick, and he asked the guy, “did you take that water bottle from my bike over there?” To my vast surprise, the guy laughed, apologized, and handed it back! One hopes the bike will continue to be safe, but from now on the water bottle returns to the boat after each excursion.

Nine Lives 2018 Spring Voyage: Hilton Head to Norfolk

April 11 to May 4

Before I begin telling you about our spring voyage, I should start with a brief summary of the winter projects.

Dick was quite busy on Nine Lives this winter, working through a list of general maintenance and specific issues. Initially this involved various electrical systems. Hurricane Irma last fall fried the power cords and affected some of the systems, so a boat electrical specialist was called in and worked with Dick to sort out the issues. While working on that, they discovered that the solar panels were not charging the batteries, because the connections had been damaged by a lightning strike way back before we collected the boat in St Petersburg! The panel connections were repaired, the stereo was replaced, and a few other issues were also resolved. We had some concerns over one of the fridges not keeping cold enough for safe storage of food. Dick realized that the enclosure is too tight to allow proper air circulation, so he installed two small computer fans at the back. Those, together with a small battery operated fan inside the fridge, seem to help.

Some of the other projects included installing a CO2 detector and a battery monitor, changing the oil in both engines and the generator, changing zincs and filters, purchasing new dock lines and all sorts of esoteric boating tools, replacing the grill with a new infrared grill, and removing the diving compressor from the front storage locker, thus freeing up lots of space. Oh yes, replacing the “joker” valves on both toilets, an unpleasant job that Dick said was not quite as awful as expected.

There was a snowstorm in January, a new experience for Nine Lives!

This was a project for me, new cat-themed shower curtains from the many pictures I have taken over the years. Of course, Tucker is prominently featured.

Fresh water tank newly sanitized and filled, and a final thorough cleaning of the interior by our ever helpful Kathy, together with cleaning and waxing the exterior by a local specialist and bottom cleaning by the diver, we were ready to embark!

We left just after 10am on April 11th, and headed to one of our favourite anchorages at Tom Point Creek, north of Beaufort SC for the first night. Upon arrival we celebrated the start of the 2018 voyaging with a special bottle of Moet champagne that is intended to be served over ice, perfect for boating! We chased the spring north, and the different greens and almost autumnal colours of the new leaves on the trees were very pretty. Some nights were quite chilly, but for the most part the weather was perfect and there were few insects about.

A special bottle of champagne with cheese and crackers to celebrate the real beginning of our Great Loop voyage

Our first bit of excitement occurred just as we were approaching Charleston. The area is busy and quite complicated to travel through, with close attention needed to both the charts and the numbers and shapes of the markers. Shortly before we arrived in the harbor, the chart plotter (the electronic version of the charts that we see on the screen in front of the helm, and that we use to see where we are and where we need to go) suddenly switched from the correct detailed chart to something like a broad diagram, completely unusable. The usual measures such as turning off and on had no effect, so Dick had to quickly switch to using the tiny chart he had downloaded on his iPhone. Fortunately I also had a book of paper charts to follow along, so we were not entirely travelling by the seat of our pants! It was somewhat disturbing though, to watch Dick, the driver, who is far sighted, at exactly the moment when the most attention needed to be paid to the waters ahead, suddenly whip off his sunglasses and peer down at the tiny screen on his phone! Fortunately we managed, and continued to manage for the 3 days it took to resolve the issue!

We did not repeat last year’s two hour detour up the wrong channel in Charleston’s vast and complex harbor, and arrived without incident at our second night’s anchorage in Graham Creek, south of McClellanville SC. We have stopped there twice before, but this time was considerably less enjoyable due to continuous and dramatic swinging from side to side as the wind and the tide worked in conflicting directions. I enjoyed watching oystercatchers on a temporarily uncovered shoal.

Day 3 took us to Bucksport on the Waccamaw River, one of the prettiest sections of the South Carolina ICW. It is something of a red-neck destination, with bikers, a large RV camp and the docks, and a bar that can get very lively on the weekends. We stayed there two nights, to avoid thunderstorms and high winds in the weather forecast. We were not the only boats taking precautions, as we saw few northbound travelers the second day, and very few of the smaller pleasure boats that are usually out and about on a Sunday afternoon.

Monday morning we headed towards Myrtle Beach, arriving early afternoon at the marina at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, which is confusingly located in Little River, well north of the city it is named for! There we met and chatted with our first Loopers of the trip. To remind you, “Loopers” are boaters who are either in progress or have completed America’s Great Loop, the 6,000+ mile navigation of the east coast, the great lakes, the central rivers, and Florida that is our 5-year planned voyage. These Loopers we met are rather special, in that they have come all the way from Adelaide Australia to make this voyage. They bought a boat in Florida and began the trip this spring. They plan to complete the loop in about 1 year, a not uncommon practice, and then sell the boat at the end of their journey. We enjoyed meeting them again at the Rendezvous in Norfolk, after leapfrogging their boat “Someday” several times on the voyage north.

From Little River to Southport, and then on to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, we enjoyed an uneventful voyage. For a change, this part of the Intracoastal Waterway has been recently dredged, so we mostly had at least 12 feet of water under the boat and few nerve racking moments when the water shoals unexpectedly. Last year we touched bottom several times in this stretch.

Wrightsville Beach looks very pretty from the water, and is quite a lively stop for boaters, but there is very little there apart from the marinas. I enjoyed watching several floating condos (large, 70 ft+ cruising yachts) dock on the other side of the river while trying to avoid being run into by yahoos in speedboats and the occasional kayaker. It is one of the challenges of being on the water. Kayaks and paddleboards think they have the right of way over motor driven boats, as do boats under sail, but the jokingly called “law of gross tonnage” means that the bigger the motor vessel, the longer the stopping distance and the less maneuverable it is. Unfortunately kayakers and paddleboarders often fail to comprehend this simple fact of physics, and one has to keep a sharp eye out and be ready when they suddenly decide to cross directly in front of your boat! Speedboats are a different challenge. They seldom have a radio on board, so you cannot contact them (not that any transmission would actually change their behavior), and they think that because they get a great thrill out of bouncing over a big wake, so will you. So the sensible rule of “one hand for the boat at all times” needs to be followed when these idiots I mean fellow boaters are out and about.

A shrimp trawler prepares to pass the open Wrightsville Beach Bridge

Leaving Wrightsville Beach we were stopped for a couple of hours by the closure of the Surf City Swing Bridge, which only opens once an hour, and does not open at all when the winds gust to more than 30 knots. Our destination that night was the anchorage in Mile Hammock Bay, which is located in the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune. The protected anchorage can get quite interesting. For some hours after we anchored a large military helicopter crossed back and forth just north of our location, and the next morning we could see a lot of trucks and men in uniform on the shore. A number of them embarked on dinghies and set off south, followed closely by a Coast Guard RIB. We could hear over the radio that both the Surf City Bridge, and the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge were closed due to high winds, so we were lucky to have passed through Surf City during one of their few openings earlier. Fortunately the winds subsided enough that we were able to pass Onslow Beach Bridge the next morning. It is possible that we could have slipped under those bridges at absolute low tide, but I was glad we didn’t have to try!

Entrance to Mile Hammock Bay, Camp LeJeune, North Carolina Getty 882471154

Onward, continuing north to our next multi-day stop at the very pretty and boater friendly Beaufort, North Carolina. Just south of Morehead City we passed through a shallow area, and suddenly the water was literally boiling with triangular fins of hundreds of manta rays. I can’t find anything on google to explain the behavior, other than the statement that they occasionally breach like whales for unknown reasons. They eat zooplankton, so they were not feeding on a school of fish. We could hear them thumping and bumping on the hulls. The thrashing lasted for about 20 yards, and then all was calm again.

At Beaufort we enjoyed a great meal in a restaurant we went to last summer, and met quite a few Loopers docked in the marina. The City Docks are perfectly positioned to enjoy the waterfront restaurants and shops, with the added bonus of tokens for free beer at one of the establishments. On Saturday we walked over to the local farmer’s market. As often happens these days, there are few stalls selling actual produce, and more selling crafts, but we enjoyed it anyway. I found a great hand woven basket set on a lazy susan. It is perfect for holding all the various bottles such as olive oil, vinegars, sauces, vanilla, etc etc, that must be secured even inside a cupboard so that they don’t fall over and leak when the speedboaters I was telling you about get too close and create wakes big enough to knock over anything unsecured. I also found a very cute stuffed toy lion made of alpaca wool, to add to the collection on the bed, much to Dick’s disgust.

When you stay at the marina in Beaufort, they give you a token for a free beer!

North of Beaufort begins the first of the sections of the trip that I worry about, being very unhappy when the waters get “lumpy”. As a former sailor you would think I would be used to big waves, but I never did and am unlikely to ever enjoy such conditions. The first challenge was the Neuse River. Last year, due to a lack of experience and understanding of wind and wave forecasts, plus a mistake on the part of the helmsman in following the chartplotter, we were really beaten up on this very wide and shallow river that empties into Pamlico Sound. This year we were well prepared, had followed the forecasts, and knew exactly where we needed to go. We have also learned that when crossing “big” water, Nine Lives rides a lot smoother if we go on wide open throttle (pretty much as fast as the engines will take us at about 18 knots) than if we go at our usual 7 knots trawler speed. Of course this uses a lot more fuel, but the comfort and the ability to skip across potentially rough water is priceless. So we skimmed across most of the Neuse, and ducked into the very protected harbor at River Dunes, a boaters resort and housing estate north of Oriental, NC. In addition to the sheltered harbor, the resort offers a nice lounge and restaurant to boaters, plus a small general store and the loan of a courtesy car if you need to pick up groceries.

Lobster roll at the restaurant at River Dunes

At River Dunes we found 7 other Looper boats, with another arriving the next morning, so there was much enjoyment of docktails and convivial meals in the restaurant. A difficult decision was made (on our part) to wait out a predicted storm for 3 nights at River Dunes, instead of trying to make it further north to Belhaven the next morning. As I said to Dick, “Eight other Loopers are unlikely to be wrong!” We had a great time, especially the second night which happened to be my birthday. We invited all the Loopers to join us on board Nine Lives for Prosecco and nibbles. The weather being somewhat rainy and cold, everyone was inside, either in the salon or the cockpit, and we discovered that 16 on board is friendly but quite doable! All gathered during a break in the rain for a picture on the dock. I thought it was one of the best birthdays, and certainly the biggest party I have had since I was a teenager!

Loopers gathered for docktails on my birthday at River Dunes

Tucker spent the time staying at his other home with Shel and Sherry. They are delighted to have him for much of this year, and he is delighted not to have to join us on the hated boat. However, perhaps he missed us a little, Sherry sent a picture of him trying out boxes to see if he could mail himself to join us…

During the downtime at River Dunes Dick took the opportunity to launch the dinghy and start the outboard motor. Unfortunately, after much coaxing, all that was achieved was a vague Eh Eh ah ah, followed by nothing, so rather than completely drain the battery, Dick gave up and added that to the ever-growing list of things to sort out at the boatyard this month.

From River Dunes we chose to run as fast as possible and make a 90 mile trip up the rest of the Neuse River, the Pungo River, and the Alligator River to the marina at the mouth of Albemarle Sound. This allowed us to catch up some of the time we had lost, and by giving Elizabeth City a miss the next day we were back on schedule.

Seafood and Marine supply stop in Hobucken

We set off across the Albemarle Sound (the second of the potentially very wind tossed big bodies of water) early in the morning at absolute mirror flat calm. By the time we had crossed the sound, the wind and waves were already coming up, and I was very glad we had decided to start early and run fast. We took an alternate route north this year, opting to go through the Great Dismal Swamp (yes, it really is called that), a large protected wetland south of Norfolk, Virginia. The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest continually operating canal in the United States, opening in 1805, and never closed until 2016, when Hurricane Matthew did so much damage that the canal was impassable for a year. The original canal was dug completely by hand. George Washington was one of the early investors in the Canal Company, and helped to manage some of the building of the canal before he became disillusioned with the project and sold his shares.

North of Elizabeth City we joined the Pasquotank River, a beautiful waterway between treed banks with occasional well kept homes and cottages. At one point Dick’s attention was caught by a stick floating on the water that seemed to move oddly. Rushing to the door we could see that it was in fact a large water snake swimming across the river. Gradually the river narrowed until we reached the South Mills lock. It was fortunate there was no southbound traffic coming out of the lock, because there was no room for another boat to pass us! This lock is the first that many Loopers encounter, and the lockkeeper takes great care to ensure that everyone is properly secured and fully understands the operation of the lock before he begins the 8 foot lift. Instead of 8 feet, this should definitely be referred to as 96 inches, it took 45 minutes to pass through this lock and the immediately following swing bridge!

Partway through the Dismal Swamp Canal is a stopping point with a 150 ft dock, a visitor centre, and a picnic area and rest rooms. On our arrival we could see that the dock was already full, with 2 sailboats and a large trawler, but fortunately it is common practice to “raft up” when the dock is filled. This meant we tied up our boat to the already docked boat “Exhale” a beautiful new North Pacific Trawler, and met the very nice Loopers who own it. Rick and Mary made us welcome and invited us for drinks aboard their boat. Trying hard not to be too envious of their large salon with two extremely comfortable recliner chairs, we enjoyed a convivial evening! The next morning we all set off in convoy through the rest of the canal towards our destination of Norfolk Virginia and the Looper’s Rendezvous. As the boats waited for the lock at the top of the canal and exited into the Deep River, we took pictures of each other and exchanged them by text messages. What a difference mobile phones make to all our lives!

Initially we found the much touted Great Dismal Swamp, well, dismal. For much of its length there is only a narrow strip of trees between the canal and a busy four lane highway. On the other side, again screened by a narrow line of trees, are farms and large fields, so I was doubtful (correctly) that we would see any sort of wildlife. As the clouds cleared the next morning and the sun came out the scenery also improved, the four lane highway gave way to a bike path, and the absolutely still water created gorgeous mirror image reflections of the vegetation on the banks.

Nine Lives approaches the bridge in the Great Dismal Swamp canal

A short trip up the Elizabeth River and we were at last in Norfolk. Apparently, the Blue Angels flew overhead to celebrate our arrival at Waterside, although I was busy helping with the docking and did not see them.

Nine Lives docked at Waterside in Norfolk

Not long after we docked our attention was drawn to a visitor on the finger pier right beside our slip. An otter came out onto the pier and proceeded to roll and wriggle on its back to dry its fur. Wonderful to watch, I have never seen an otter “in the wild” this close. I did not dare take time to drag out my big camera, so only phone pictures are available. After all the wriggling and rubbing, the otter went over and rearranged our neatly coiled dock line. “Awww,” I thought, “he is going to go to sleep on it!” Wrong. After disarranging it to his satisfaction, the little blighter first thoroughly peed on the line and then shat on it! Dick was, to put it mildly, not best pleased. After cleaning it off later, we discovered the next day that the otter had returned and decorated the line again. At that point we changed the lines and secured them back to the boat. Apparently we were not the only boat in the harbor that was so blessed.

A cute, but ultimately unwelcome visitor

The next day Nine Lives was welcomed to Norfolk by a wonderful parade with representatives and floats from almost all the NATO countries plus marching bands from high schools and colleges around the country. I am certain our arrival was the reason for the celebration, surely it could not have just been the annual NATO Day Parade?

While we cleaned and polished the boat and prepared for the Rendezvous we were joined for dinner by friends Marilynn and Winkie. This was their second visit to Nine Lives, as we entertained them last year when we were at Hampton Yacht Club. It is always a great pleasure to meet and spend time with friends from the past. Marilynn and I worked at Brookhaven National Lab together many years ago.

We returned from the parade to discover that the otter had been back and had decorated our lines. Dick was not pleased.

The Rendezvous is a gathering of current, future, and past Loopers and sponsors, that takes place twice a year. There were 300 attendees, and 50 boats filled the Waterside Marina for the conference. Each day there were seminars on topics of interest, including slide show presentations on the route ahead, tips and tricks for choosing and buying the right boat, insuring it, maintenance, and even clearing US and Canadian customs. For 3 of the afternoons there is a “Boat Crawl”. Anyone who wishes to participate will open their boat for conference attendees to come aboard, see how we live on board, and ask questions. This is particularly valuable for people who are planning to do the Loop, but have not yet chosen their boat. Because we are somewhat unique, not many catamarans on the Loop, and we were the only Endeavour catamaran in the marina, we opened all three of the days. This meant that we didn’t get a chance to see the other boats, but we certainly enjoyed meeting all the people who came aboard. The conference finished with a Pub Crawl through four different nearby pubs. It was a very interesting and rewarding experience, and as we make our way around the Great Loop we will certainly attend future events.

On our last day we backtracked a little to Great Bridge, where Nine Lives is resting at Atlantic Yacht Basin. She will get a haul out and refurbishment of bottom paint, plus the list of projects that Dick either didn’t get to or could not reasonably do himself. Dick expects the work to be mostly complete by about the 24th of May, so he will return and stay onboard for a week or so then. He will re-provision, and also visit some of the Norfolk attractions we didn’t have time for. I am looking forward to a week on my own here in Hilton Head. Some time around June 1st, weather permitting, we will return to the boat and begin our summer voyage up the Chesapeake and onward to the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Montreal, the Rideau and Trent Severn Canals, and then we will leave the Looper pack and head south to Lake Erie and the western end of the Erie Canal. Around September 1^st we are booked at a marina in Brewerton, NY, for heated indoor storage for Nine Lives while we return home for the winter.

Preparation and the 2017 Maiden Voyage: St Petersburg to Hilton Head Island

This is the first chapter of our eight-year odyssey. At that time, I did not write a blog, so I am now (in 2025) reconstructing our experiences of that maiden voyage. Of course, I also have the perspective of our many years of practice, accompanied by memories that are certainly incomplete after all this time!

We spent the time between our purchase of Nine Lives in December, and the maiden voyage in January, gathering together everything we thought we might need, at least for that first three weeks.

Dick bought a bicycle that was designed for beaches and salt air. It has a rubber belt instead of the usual metal chain, and everything is supposedly salt tolerant. Unfortunately, many of the screws and a few of the parts turned out to be just normal metal, and they did rust over the years. Replacements and repairs were relatively simple to find, and 8 years later that bike is still in service.

I had zero interest in a single speed, non-electric bicycle, so we found a relatively small, folding, electric bike that was also rated for marine use. It held up much better, although we generally kept it covered.

My bike is also marine rated, but it is smaller and electric.

I found a wonderful website by a lady who lived on sailboats for many years. Carolyn Shearlock’s website is incredibly useful for boaters who are new to living aboard. She also has an excellent cookbook. I spent hours pouring over her various lists, and gave our Amazon account a real workout. If I am expecting to cook on board, I would like to have the same quality knives, good pots and pans, and nice plates, glassware, and cutlery. We had saved a set of Corelle that had belonged to my mother, and the smallish square plates fit perfectly in the galley cupboards. The stainless-steel cutlery that had been our first purchase many years ago after we were married, was available to take on board. We found some very good stacking pots and pans that were non-stick and also induction ready. I bought small appliances including a hand mixer, a hand blender and food chopper, and a multipot that we liked so much we bought another for our home kitchen. Glassware was a challenge. We prefer to limit the amount of glass on a boat, given the increased risk of dropping things, plus the certainty that we would not be wearing shoes (usually barefoot) on board. I found a source for polycarbonate glassware, so we ordered a full set of old fashioned, tall drink, and wine glasses with Nine Lives engraved on each. For mugs, I ordered some with photographs of cats that I had taken over the years. To complete the “cat theme” I also ordered matching covers for the throw pillows.

At one of the boat shows we attended, we found some absolutely gorgeous Italian custom-made bedding. As soon as we were able to measure the beds, we ordered a full set (with duplicates for laundry) of dark red and cream bedding for Nine Lives. Although Nine Lives came fully equipped, as is normal when a boat is sold, almost all of the linens were stained and unusable, and we prefer to use duvets instead of blankets, so the total bill for bedding ended up being somewhat eye-watering!

The insurance company accepted our boating resumes, but required that we hire a licenced captain for the first week of cruising. This actually fit well with our own preference, never having owned or operated such a large boat, and being entirely unfamiliar with the various controls, engines and systems, and how to use the chartplotter. We did make an error in judgement in this case, choosing to hire the son of the boat builder, rather than an instructor who is well known in AGLCA circles. We thought that the builder’s son would know more about Nine Lives than any other captain. A few days before we were ready to set off, we were advised that the son was not going to be available and instead they had arranged for the Endeavour delivery captain to travel with us for that initial week.

Captain Woody turned out to be a friendly fellow, who appeared to have a lady friend in every port. He spent almost all of the time on his phone. He knew how to operate Nine Lives, but he knew nothing specific about any of her engines or systems, so Dick had to learn all of that on his own. To this day, there are still things about the boat that we don’t know. Woody was not a particularly good instructor, seeing his job as a delivery captain rather than a teacher. For the most part, we had to learn everything on our own, although at least we had the comfort of having a “professional” close by if we got into trouble.

The helm with the chartplotter, various gauges, and two radios to learn about.

In the salon is an instrument panel with more things we needed to know.

In mid-January, we loaded up the vehicle with everything we had been accumulating over the past month and a half, and set off for St Pete Beach. Our good friends, Kim and Stuart, owned a home there, and kindly let us stay while we prepared Nine Lives for her maiden voyage. In addition to finding places for everything, there were new fenders to blow up, our first experience with pumping out the black water tank, filling the fresh water tanks, and a multitude of other jobs, small and large. We also filled up with fuel for the first time. It is one thing to know intellectually how much the tank holds, and how much per gallon diesel costs, and quite another to see the numbers tick up on the fuel pump! We looked around, and decided that the best place to hang the bright new AGLCA members’ burgee was one of the antennas. After a couple of days, we moved aboard, and began to acclimate and set our routines for living on Nine Lives.

On January 17^th, 6 friends joined us on board for the critically important renaming ceremony. It is considered to be very bad luck to change the name of a boat. We did not wish to tempt fate (and besides, who doesn’t want an excuse to have a party?) Captain Woody drove us out to a convenient bay near the marina, and we performed the ceremony. Dick read some of it, and we asked our friends to assist with the rest of the readings. We called upon the gods of wind and waves to forget the previous name, and then we introduced Nine Lives and asked the gods to bless her voyages with light winds and calm seas. Each part of the ceremony required a certain amount of champagne to be tossed overboard to propitiate the gods, and we also drank toasts. There was no champagne left at the conclusion of the event.

Dick’s sister and her friend were able to join us for the renaming ceremony

Early the next morning we departed for Sarasota. Tampa Bay was in a kind mood, with no chop to disturb us, and we passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and turned into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Our destination that first night was Marina Jack in Sarasota.

The next night was our first experience of anchoring on Nine Lives. Dick and I had anchored many times when we were sailing with Mum and Dad, and of course, anchoring was part of our ASA sailing courses. Fortunately, on this and all but one subsequent occasion, we had a nice electric windlass to help with dropping and raising the anchor. (our ASA course required each of us to raise and lower the anchor manually, easy enough for Dick, not quite such a simple endeavour for me!) Our anchorage was in Pelican Bay, off Cayo Costa, then and still today a favourite spot for Loopers. The next morning, Woody introduced us to his favourite breakfast spot, Cabbage Key Inn. I see from the Captain’s log that day the statement “dinghy won’t get out of forward gear”. I am sure there is a story to go with that, but I have no recollection of the incident. I do know that we must have dropped the dinghy into the water for the first time, and motored around the waters of the bay, perhaps stopping to chat with any Loopers anchored there. This was the first of many incidents and frustrations with that particular motor, and we were delighted to replace it a few years later, along with a new dinghy.

Dick climbed the water tower at Cabbage Key Inn

From Pelican Bay, after we stopped for breakfast, and Dick climbed the water tower, we headed to Legacy Harbour in Fort Meyers. I remember that this was the day that Woody handed the controls over to me at the helm and said, go ahead and dock her. He then disappeared below to make one of his endless phone calls to his lady friends. There was a pretty strong wind in the marina, and this was my first time manoeuvring Nine Lives in tight quarters. I remember feeling seriously panicky, and Dick was out on deck, so there was nobody to take over. Docking was successful however, with no bumps or scrapes.

At some point we noticed that our shiny new AGLCA burgee was missing. The unfortunate conclusion was that clips on the antenna are simply not enough to hold a flag in any wind. We ordered a new burgee, and sourced proper flag poles for the bow rails.

From Fort Meyers we headed inland on the Caloosahatchee River and Canal to Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston, on the shore of Lake Okeechobee. Slightly disturbing instructions for the somewhat rustic marina include the suggestion that you do not let your pets go anywhere near the water, as it is well populated with alligators. As I recall, this was also one of the occasions that I enjoyed getting used to the galley and we ate on board. Captain Woody consulted his various weather apps, and advised us to get a very early start the next morning, in order to stay ahead of a forecast major windstorm. Lake Okeechobee is notoriously shallow, and being a fairly large body of water, when the wind blows it tends to pile the water up at one end and reduce the already shallow passage to a serious risk of running aground.

The Caloosahatchee River was wonderful for wildlife spotting. A white ibis in flight.

A rookery with herons, egrets, and anhinga

We left at 7:15 am, and had an uneventful crossing. It seemed misty, but in fact we were experiencing smoke from acres of sugar cane being burned in advance of spring planting. The smoke made everything filthy, including the ceiling of the cockpit, and every part of the boat and the cockpit needed major cleaning at our next stop. Our first lock experience on Nine Lives was uneventful. All those years of locking manually on the English canals stood us in good stead. We were tied up in Loggerhead Marina in Stuart by 2:30pm.

The next morning, disaster struck! The Cuisinart coffee maker that we had purchased for Nine Lives failed! This could have resulted in a very cranky crew, but fortunately the previous owner had left a French press on board, and it saved our morning. After that experience, no matter how much I might have wanted to make more space in the galley, I refused to dispose of the French press.

We also said goodbye to Captain Woody at Stuart, and from then on, we were on our own. Our first solo port of call was Sebastian River Marina, which is north of Vero Beach. There was a slight weather delay the next morning, due to mist, but we were still underway by 9am. Eventually, our normal leaving time would be 9am, but on this first voyage we were in what we refer to as “delivery mode”. In other words, we were moving as quickly as possible to get to our final destination, with only occasional time allowed for sightseeing, and no plans for fine dining experiences.

In Titusville, I was highly amused by our reception at the marina. I was at the helm, but Dick had made all the arrangements and the initial radio contact with the marina before handing over to me while he went forward to deal with the lines and fenders. Two dockhands waited for us on the docks. There was a visible reaction when they saw who was driving. You could see the wheels turning as they looked at each other and without saying anything, they clearly thought “Oh (expletive deleted), it’s a woman driving!” They briskly moved into position to try to fend off what they expected would be an inevitable crash into the dock and the pilings. I did not oblige, and the docking was just as smooth as anyone could wish. It was just slightly irritating to hear the well-meant but seriously insulting congratulations on doing a great job of bringing such a big boat into the admittedly narrow slip.

A tight fit for Nine Lives at the marina in Titusville

We had time to visit the local supermarket in Titusville. This was certainly not our favourite stop on the Great Loop. The area did not feel unsafe, but it was clearly a very deprived part of town. The supermarket was aimed at those on a very low budget. It was awful to see what is offered to people who struggle with their food budget. Everything was of the poorest possible quality, and yet the prices were not really any lower than any other supermarket. We bought the minimum that we could (and had to throw out the coffee a few days later, it was so awful). When we arrived at the checkout, they were unable to take a credit card, and had trouble figuring out how to accept cash, as they normally are paid with food stamps.

From Titusville, our next stop was Halifax Harbour Marina in Daytona, and from there we went to St Augustine, where we gave ourselves a well-deserved day of rest and time to explore what was to become one of our favourite cities. We loved the boutiques and galleries. In one of them we admired a beautiful lamp. After looking around the gallery, I was waiting in the entrance for Dick, when I realized that he had returned to that lamp. Then followed a fair amount of discussion, including a conversation with the artist, so that Dick could determine how the lamp was put together. The plan was to extend the rod that holds the parts of the lamp together up the middle, and drill a hole in the chart table, so that the lamp could be securely fixed to the chart table in the salon. Eventually, we left the shop with our prize, and it has provided a beautiful focal point in the salon for all these years. Ultimately, it will be brought home, and we will be keeping it as a permanent reminder of Nine Lives.

We left St Augustine on the 29^th. That day was our first worrying experience. We had planned to stop at Amelia Island and stay in the marina at Fernandina Beach. At that time, we were still calling on the same day to marinas to make arrangements (we learned later to make reservations well ahead). Dick was told that not only was the marina closed, but they strongly advised against anchoring in the bay, or taking a mooring ball. Hurricane Matthew had been through in the previous autumn, and Florida (and Georgia) were still recovering. Docks had been trashed, and boats had sunk at anchor and not been retrieved. Amelia Island does have another marina, and they said they had space for us. Dick consulted them on the narrow channel leading off the ICW, and was assured that we would have no problem.

The channel is a sharp turn to starboard, immediately past a railway bridge. The pilings of the bridge create strong currents through that area, and it is also tidal. I was at the helm, and made three attempts to turn into the channel, running into the (fortunately mud) bank each time. I backed off and handed over to Dick, who had no better success. The problem was, Nine Lives, being a catamaran, has two hulls, widely spaced, whereas a monohull is V-shaped below. There was plenty of room in the narrow channel for a monohull, but not enough for our two hulls. We had to make a quick decision on an alternate destination, and chose St Marys, just a short run to the north and east.

The weather was blowing up as we came through St Marys Sound, and it was a somewhat lumpy ride. Behind us was a small sailboat. He did his best to keep in our wake and make his passage smoother, but he was plunging up and down and I was seriously worried about him until we eventually arrived in the calmer waters around the St Marys. The town docks were under water, so we could not tie up there as planned. There was a space available at the fishing docks, on the outside, between a large pleasure cruise boat and a sailboat. Once again, I made two attempts to bring Nine Lives into the small space, but with the wind blowing us around and concerns about hitting either the dock or one of the boats, I decided that Dick was going to have to do the honours.

I went out onto the deck, and had the line ready to throw over the cleat. The man from the sailboat came out onto the dock and held out his arms for me to throw him the line. As Dick brought Nine Lives in, we hit the dock, hard. I threw the line, and the man dropped his arms and stepped back away from the coil! As I quickly recoiled it, a fellow from a boat across the dock came out, and he was able to catch the second throw and secure us. That was the last time I willingly attempted to dock Nine Lives. Although I did have to take the helm for docking on a few subsequent occasions, it was my firm decision that if anyone was going to hit the dock it was going to be Captain Dick, and Captain Louise would wrangle lines and fenders.

The next stop was St Simons Island. I had hoped to anchor off Cumberland Island, but we were very much in delivery mode and there was no time. As we passed the Kings Bay Submarine Base, we were hailed by the Coast Guard. They asked us if we could go any faster than our current speed of about 7 knots. They advised us that if we could get out of the area within the next 20 minutes we could go ahead, otherwise we would have to heave to and wait for the submarine that was coming through. We pushed the throttles down and enjoyed a quick trip through the bay to get out of the way. We were joined for dinner at the marina in St Simons by our friend Karen. The marina had a great many interesting extras, including a courtesy car (that we did not use), excellent showers, and a morning paper and muffins delivered to the boat. We did not know about the muffins, but the gulls did, and they enjoyed the feast.

Our next night was a planned anchorage in Walburg Creek. I thought it was a rather open area, and I was very unhappy with the choice, especially after I read a warning that shrimp boats come through there during the night. I was unaware that it was not the shrimp fishing season, so I did not need to worry. We use our anchor light of course, and all commercial traffic is supposed to use radar and should see us anyway, but this was our first night alone at anchor, and I was nervous. In fact, I am nearly always a bit concerned the first time we anchor somewhere. I worry (unnecessarily, Dick says) about the anchor dragging, and whether other boats will be paying attention and see us. This was also the first night that we ran the generator overnight, as it was quite chilly and we needed the heating on. Dick found the generator noisy.

Gulls follow Nine Lives across one of the sounds in Georgia

Our last night of the maiden voyage was at Thunderbolt, which is on the outskirts of Savannah. Here we filled up with diesel again, and I see from the Captain’s log that Dick made a calculation and determined that we averaged 2.373 mpg on that journey.

On February 2nd, we brought Nine Lives home to Hilton Head and our dock in Wexford. The waters around Daufuskie Island are quite shallow, and Dick noted that he needed to keep the speed up somewhat faster than preferred, to handle the wind and currents. We just fit into Wexford lock, with inches to spare on each side. Fortunately, there are rubber bumpers along the sides of the lock, so we had no scrapes, just the first of many black marks along the hull. Docking at our own dock behind our house was simple compared to some of our experiences on that trip, and we secured Nine Lives and breathed a sigh of relief that we had successfully brought her home.

Over the next few months, we made several short trips in local waters. We dealt with an infestation of termites (!) that Nine Lives had picked up when she was docked at the Endeavour boatyard. In addition to building Trawlercats, they also specialized in repair and maintenance of large wooden boats, and it is certain that the termites came from a “pirate ship” that was in for repair. Bob Vincent told us that the other TC44 that we had looked at also picked up some of the small and very unwelcome passengers. Nine Lives was covered all over and to the waterline with an huge green tarp, to the dismay of our good friend who lives across the canal. She thought we were having a very ugly custom cover made. All food, including cans, had to be removed, and the interior was thoroughly sprayed and then left for a few days. We saw no more evidence of termites after the procedure was complete (and our friend was very glad to see the green tarp disappear).

We participated in the new boat welcome to Wexford Harbour, and Nine Lives had her bow christened with bubbly. We were glad to entertain our friends on board during the party.

Ready to welcome guests in Wexford Harbour

We had other travel planned for 2017, but in the meantime, Dick put together the plans for what he considered our “shakedown cruise” in the summer. Only Dick would consider 3000 miles a shakedown cruise!

Nine Lives and America’s Great Loop

This is the story of one couple’s voyaging on the waters of eastern North America. Frequent travellers from the first years of their marriage, they embarked on an eight-year boating adventure, and enjoyed the many places they saw and the people they met.

Nine Lives and her Crew

Dick was born in Canada, first-born of Dutch parents. His family were farmers, and from his early teens they owned and operated a dairy farm in Southern Ontario. Dick attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, graduating in 1976 with a degree in Engineering. He went to work for a supplier to the oil and gas industry, and stayed with them for his entire career, although there were several iterations and changes of location over the 40 years. He met Louise (that’s me) at Queen’s and we were married in 1977. Dick’s career took him around the world, and included expat assignments in England, Czech Republic, Malaysia, France, and Brazil, as well as several assignments in Calgary, Canada, Upstate New York, and Houston, Texas. He retired in 2016. Being a Mechanical Engineer with a keen interest in how things work was an excellent qualification for owning and living on a boat.

I (Louise) was born in England, but was transported to Canada with my parents at the age of 3 as they went in search of a better life with more opportunities. After growing up in suburban Toronto, I attended Queen’s University, where I met Dick, and graduated with a degree in Arts. My early career was spent in various accounting clerical jobs, and a brief stint selling real estate, before I discovered my true calling and started work in scientific research libraries. Eventually I earned the qualification (Masters degree) to go with the experience. I worked for research companies that included Xerox, an oil and gas joint venture, and a National Laboratory in Long Island. Ultimately, Dick’s various overseas assignments stopped my career progression as I dutifully followed him around the world. In later years, I reinvented myself as a photographer, specializing in landscapes and wildlife, and I continue to sell my images to books, magazines, newspapers, and various internet buyers.

We both had quite a lot of boating experience before retirement. When I was a teenager, there was a family cottage with canoes, speedboats, a runabout, and a small sailboat. Dick’s experience began with the speedboats at our cottage. We will gloss over his earliest involvement with the canoe. We also enjoyed a number of one- and two-week rentals of narrowboats on the English canals. In later years, we joined my parents on several sailing vacations in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, learning the ropes as it were, under the tutelage of my keen sailor father. These experiences instilled the same love of boating in Dick that I had already found when, at the age of 5, I set off on a solo adventure in a small rowboat. Eventually, we took the ASA sailing courses and tried a sailing vacation on our own; our first and last. Let’s just say that we do not get on well on a sailboat (too many captains).

Some time around 2012, having been repatriated to USA and living in Houston, we began to think seriously about our retirement plans. We knew that boating was going to be part of them. We also knew where we were going to live, having bought a home in Hilton Head Island some years earlier. The only problem was, Dick really wanted a sailboat, and I, knowing my husband quite well after many years, wanted no part of sailing with “Captain Bligh”. After many years of drooling over sailboats at marinas wherever we travelled, Dick announced that we would never own a sailboat in these (Hilton Head) waters, because it takes such a long time to motor out of the Sound and into open water for sailing. Suddenly, we were on the same boating page for the first time in 20 years!

I was looking at a map of USA one wet afternoon in Houston, and I thought to myself that it might be possible to take a boat all the way up the east coast, through the Great Lakes, and down the Mississippi. There was just the minor detail of how do you get from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi? More detailed maps suggested that there was probably a route from Chicago. We were already thinking about the boat we hoped to buy for retirement travels, and Dick began looking at Yacht World and other boat selling sites. Here he noticed boats that were advertised as being “Loop ready” or “Loop veterans”. Further investigation led him to America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association and the realization that circumnavigation of eastern North America is in fact, a Thing!

We spend the next few years visiting boat shows and watching Yacht World. Dick had ideas of what would be the perfect boat, and I had different ideas. Throughout the search, Dick refused to consider catamarans, even though we had enjoyed the catamaran on our last sailing charter with my parents. He was certain they would be too wide for many of the locks, especially those in Canada, that boats must go through on the Great Loop.

In 2013, we bought our retirement home in Hilton Head Island, with the plan that I would move there immediately, while Dick continued to work for a few years, commuting between Houston, his then current assignment in Brazil, and Hilton Head. We soon bought our first boat, a 24-foot Bayliner pocket cruiser. The cabin was big enough for two people to get away for a weekend, and it was complete with a head (toilet and shower) and cooking facilities. This was our “practice boat”, a chance to review and learn more about the many aspects of power boating, in the protected waters of the Intracoastal Waterway around Hilton Head.

Dick retired in 2016, and it was time to get serious about choosing our Loop boat. We had just about settled on a Sea Ray Motor Yacht, when Dick discovered Endeavour catamarans. Endeavour had a long history of building highly-rated sailboats, and around 2002 they started building catamarans with much bigger engines, designed to be Trawlercats. They came in 2 lengths, a 36-ft (soon replaced by a 38), and a 44-ft. The Endeavour Trawlercat 44 has 3 staterooms, 2 heads with separate showers, a full galley, and a pilothouse design that eliminates the need for a flybridge. Wide decks mean safe and easy access for locking and docking. The beam width is just under 19 feet, perfect for the Great Loop.

The EndeavourCat 44 has a shallow draft (3.5 feet), allowing for (relatively) easy passage through some of the very skinny waters at various points on the Loop. It has a 14 ft air draft, so it fits under all of the fixed bridges on the various alternative routes. It is very fuel efficient. Normal speed is “trawler speed” at about 8 knots, but she can also do 18 knots to get away from a storm, or help to smooth out lumpy water. The catamaran configuration allows for a lot of interior and exterior space while keeping the length down to 44 feet, so is less expensive for docking in marinas compared to monohulls with the same interior space.

Below, the Trawlercat has a master suite with an olympic queen-size bed, plus two additional staterooms with double beds. There are two heads, each with separate showers, a galley (kitchen), and a salon (living room dining room). Above, the cockpit has seating for 6-8 people (depending on how friendly you are) with a captain’s and mate’s chairs, plus lounge seating and a fold out dining table, all in covered space with roll-down isinglass and screens. Three separate heat pumps ensure that all spaces can be cooled or heated as necessary.

The Endeavour factory was in Clearwater, Florida, with a service yard nearby in St Petersburg. Bob Vincent, the boat builder, was willing to feature used boats that owners wished to sell on his company website. There were two of the most recent models (2012) for sale at that time. Dick contacted Bob, and we set off in the car a few days later to go and see them. One of them had considerably more upgrades and enhancements than the other, so even though it was slightly out of our budget, we settled on that one, and closed the deal in December of 2016.

The 44 foot Endeavour Trawlercat arrives for the survey.

The Trawlercat being lifted out of the water for the survey.

Before I go on to tell you about our Great Loop, I must mention our third crew member, Tucker the Siberian Forest Cat. Tucker is a very pretty grey and white, long-haired kitty, with a personality that is both laid back and happy. He is fortunate to have two families, as we have always been travellers, and local friends have been delighted to have him in their home whenever we are away. A great deal of thought and preparation went into planning for Tucker’s role as the official boat cat and mascot. Much research was done to find a suitable life jacket. Once the right one was acquired, it was duly fitted onto the somewhat mystified cat, who promptly did what most cats do in these circumstances, and flopped down on his side and played dead. The life jacket was planned to be only a precaution, as Tucker is an indoor cat, and there was no expectation that he would be outside on the decks and at risk of falling overboard.

The other precaution we took was to obtain a scissor style baby gate, and fix it at the top of the companionway steps. Although Siberians are good jumpers, Tucker would not be able to get enough purchase from any of the steps below the gate, and could thus be kept below when we needed to have the cockpit doors open for locking and docking. While we were underway, he was able to come up and join us in the cockpit. He particularly enjoyed sitting on the window ledges, watching the world go by.

I am pretty sure that wave motion did not agree with our little boy, as he was really not himself for the entire three months of his first voyage. That story will be told later, but the result was that he shed far more than normal. All that fur floated around the boat, and inveigled itself into inconvenient places, particularly the air conditioning units. The handy central vacuum system got a big workout on a weekly basis, as Dick tried in vain to keep the cat hair out of places it did not belong. Not only was Tucker unhappy during the voyage, so was Captain Dick, who was never a big fan of cat hair in the first place! Ultimately, Tucker’s first long trip on Nine Lives was also his last, and Shel and Sherry were delighted to enjoy an extra four months of his company each year. Captain Dick breathed a sigh of relief.

America’s Great Loop

America’s Great Loop is roughly 6000 miles long, following the US East Coast north via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, the Hudson River, the Great Lakes, Illinois River, Mississippi River, Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers and Waterway, the western Gulf of Mexico, and the Florida Keys. The passage includes more than 100 locks on the various rivers and canals, and several times more bridges, some of which must be opened.

The route is completed by as many as 300 boats each year; trending upwards as more people become familiar with it. Most make the trip once, maybe 30% do it twice, and a very few have been going around every year or so for 10+ years.

Variations and extensions of the Loop include Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River, the Canadian canals, Lake Superior, north on the Mississippi to Minneapolis, up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, the Cumberland to Nashville, the Tennessee to Knoxville, Florida’s Lake Okeechobee and the St John’s River, and the Bahamas. There is also a “Down East” extension that includes the St. Lawrence River, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and follows the New England coast south to Long Island Sound. These are rougher waters than Nine Lives (or Louise) is happy with, although both would manage if using only the very best weather windows. Like Superior, this wasn’t on our bucket list.

We planned to do all the variations (except Lake Superior and Down East) in one Loop.

The “conventional” way to do it would be to retire, buy a boat, sell your house, do the Loop in one year, possibly do it again for a second year, buy the retirement house, sell the boat. We did it 3-4 months at a time, leaving the boat where we finished each year, over 8 years.

The “normal” passage of the Loop moves round with the seasons – spring up the East Coast; early summer the Hudson and into Canada; late summer on Lake Michigan; September into the Illinois; autumn down the Mississippi and into the Gulf; winter in Florida and possibly a side trip to the Bahamas. The reason for the seasonal movement is that the water gets extremely hard (frozen) in the north in winter, insurance restrictions mandate avoiding the June through October hurricane season in the south, and the Erie and Canadian canals open in May and close again in mid-October.

The route typically involves about one hundred 50- to 70-mile travel days, with the remaining 250 days at anchor or in a marina to explore the local area. This exploration time is often extended due to weather delays. Many parts of the Loop have speed restrictions, so the 6- to 8-knot speed of the average trawler or sailboat is a useful guide for planning.

Both of us took classes to update and further our boating education. Also, it was very important that both of us be capable of handling the boat alone. For various reasons, Dick did most of the driving, but we made sure I had both the skills and the practice to dock and manoeuvre the boat as needed. The helm was never unattended when we were underway, and when Dick was driving, I followed along on a separate chart, making sure of navigation marks and hazard warnings as they came up. It was also critically important to keep a 360-degree watch at all times.

We enjoy anchoring, when a safe anchorage is available in salubrious surroundings. Dick handled the anchor while I manoeuvred the boat. We set an anchor watch on the chartplotter and also on a cell phone.

One of the great joys of Looping is the people you meet. The distinctive burgee meant we recognized other Looper boats on the voyage, and it was easy to introduce yourself and compare notes. There are often one, two, or up to 15 or 20 other Looper boats in any given marina or anchorage, and docktails on shore or on board are very popular. Some boaters prefer to join up with several other boats and travel together, sometimes for a substantial part of the Loop, while others are like us, following their own itinerary, but enjoying meeting and sometimes leapfrogging other Loopers.

Weather dictates everything. We each had several weather apps we consulted on a daily basis. We knew (from tough experience) that Nine Lives can handle much worse conditions that we are comfortable with. And Dick handles roll and chop far, far better than Louise. We had a go-no-go formula that takes into account predicted wave height and period, wind, and precipitation. Over our 8 years of Looping, we have easily lost more than a month of travel while waiting for weather. This is not an endeavour to take on in a hurry or with strict deadlines. Even when we had a place we had to be (for family or other obligations) we always had a fallback plan for where to stop if we couldn’t safely and comfortably get to our primary destination.

Every Loop is different; every Looper does it in their own way. Dick and I liked to try local restaurants, so we stayed in marinas and ate out more often than on board. On the other hand, I had a fully equipped galley, and we both enjoy cooking, so when we anchored or didn’t care for the local restaurants it was no hardship to cook. Nine Lives is better equipped than most Looper boats for fridge and freezer space; I probably had close to the same capacity as at home.

Dick did all the planning, producing a spreadsheet of the expected itinerary, easily adjusted for weather delays. I was the photographer and record keeper, producing the blog of the journey at roughly two-week intervals during our travel season. Dick was in charge of maintenance and all handyman tasks, while I was usually fender maid and galley slave. That said, I am also co-captain (DON’T call me Admiral!) and go-no-go decisions were taken by mutual agreement after consultation of our various weather apps.

Loopers say that the best part of the journey is the people that you meet along the way. We agree, although a close second is seeing and feeling the history of the places we pass by and stop at. It is only in the last 150 years or so that settlements reached only by road or by rail became possible. Anything older than that is on the water, because that was how people and goods moved about, and that was what provided the power for manufacturing and milling. Viewing from the water often gave us a much different perspective than if we’d come by car.

We have also found ourselves visiting a number of places we would never have thought of as destinations:

Detroit, with its amazingly revitalized downtown.

The smaller towns on Lake Huron including exceptionally beautiful Goderich.

The Chambly Canal and delightful French towns of Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

Historic Delaware City.

Other stopping places have offered a surprisingly different experience from what one normally enjoys as a tourist, from the waterfront marinas, including Montreal, Ottawa, and downtown Buffalo

Anchoring off Royal Military College in Kingston was fascinating, watching students learning to sail, as well as the expected marching and team sports.

Experiences on the water have included the two Canadian lift locks, which raise the boat in a chamber of water.

Big Chute is the marine railway on the Severn River near Georgian Bay where you drive the boat out of the water and onto a railcar that transports you 60 feet down a steep incline;

We transited a great many locks, some of them very large, and some surprisingly small.

The water-access-only restaurant at Henry’s Fish Camp on Georgian Bay is considered a required Looper experience.

The rivers of the mid-west offered a view of a different lifestyle and perspective. We loved visiting Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

We also fell in love with Saint Charles (now a suburb of St Louis).

La Crosse in Wisconsin remains one of our favourite destinations, whether visiting by water or arriving by road.

The towns on Green Bay and the western side of Lake Michigan are unique.

The fascinating small towns of the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast were a great pleasure.

On the east coast, highlights included the historic Erie Canal, the busy Hudson River, and some of the fascinating towns and villages in the Carolinas.

Here are the stories of our voyages.