March 8, 2007 to March 29, 2007

Stuart, Florida to Jacksonville, Florida

The completion of the Great Loop

Welcome back again. Let's continue with this log, the last installment of our website which takes us from Melbourne, Florida back to Jacksonville—where we started last April 2 nd !!!!!

Today, March 8th there are four of us, all Loopers, and all going to Melbourne. The weather is a calm, perfect day with a warm temperature of 66 degrees. We were off the dock at 8am, all in a line with Ocean Flyer in the lead followed by Bonas IV , SeaQuel and Adventure . Adventure is a new Looper boat which we met in Stuart. Bruce and Jeannie are from Indiana and started the Loop last summer.

Today was an easy day with easy boating. The water was calm and we had no problems. This part of the Indian River is wide and open with good depth. Much of this waterway is marshland—low, a muted green and shallow water. The vistas were beautiful—as usual—and I tried to capture some of the beauty in pictures.

Throughout most of this trip we're seeing many sand bars. Fishermen are actually standing on the sand bar while fishing. Today, we're also seeing many sailboats—going south.

Another nice thing about today is the number of dolphins that we're seeing. They're everywhere and they often swim alongside the boat for awhile. It's fun!!!!

We arrived in Melbourne at 1:20pm and quickly got settled. Jean and I realized, as we came into the marina, that Gandalf, a boat we met last summer in Canada, was also here. It's always nice to reunite with Loopers from earlier parts of the trip.

That evening eight of us went out to dinner at the Chart House—it was good food but horrible service. Jean complained to the manager but that got us nowhere. Later that night was the shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Jean and I missed it but Bonas IV and SeaQuel crews stood out on the docks of the marina and saw the shuttle as it was launched.

The next morning, Friday, March 9 th , we all left but this time we would be heading for different destinations. The morning was beautiful and clear with a temperature of 72 degrees. We were off the dock at 8:10am.

Jean and I were on our way to New Smyrna Beach to observe “Biker Week” at nearby Daytona Beach. The other three boats were stopping at Titusville where they were planning to visit the Kennedy Space Center (something Jean and I did last year).

The route for us was easy and one that we have traveled before. As we passed the Kennedy Space Center we could see the launch pad and missile ‘barn'.

Today we'd still be cruising on the Indian River—it stretches for more than one hundred miles. It's a beautiful body of water—very wide open and deep. For many miles, small islands dot the river.

We went through many interesting sections, especially Haulover Canal. It's a very narrow cut of water that was lined with fishing boats. We also went through Mosquito Lagoon—and never saw a mosquito!!!! It's a very shallow section of the River with barely five feet of depth and it stretches for almost ten miles. Interestingly, due to its proximity to the Kennedy Space Center, this area is off limits to watercraft within 72 hours of any space shuttle launches.

We made it New Smyrna Beach, about 15 miles south of Daytona. We were in at 3:20 in a wonderful city marina sitting just inside the river.

The next morning we headed to Daytona by car and went directly to the Daytona Speedway!!!! What a thrill. There were motorcycles everywhere—the newspaper said that about 500,000 bikers would be in town for the week!!!! I took this picture of the parking lot at the speedway.

While there we went to the exhibitions of the various vendors—BMW, Honda, Harley, etc.—and saw all the latest gear, equipment and motorcycles. We even passed this section of specialty bikes—they certainly do NOT look comfortable.

Of course, Jean went out of her way to find the Trike vendors!!!!! She's definitely interested in these three-wheelers for a future adventure.

Later in the afternoon we went to the ‘Daytona 200', a 200 mile, 68 lap motorcycle race at the Speedway. It was wonderful to actually be at the Daytona Speedway—it's huge with multiple tracks which crisscross the field extensively. I was also surprised at the steep bank angle of the track!!!!!!

This was a wonderful experience given that there were about 60 bikes in the race—which is a lot. The lead bikes travel at about 180mph down the stretch—that's pretty fast. We sat by the finish line and as the bikes went by they were very fast and very loud. Plus…after the first few laps, I lost track of which bike was which. Their numbers are very small and they go by so fast…I kept asking the guy next to me about who was in the lead. We had a lot of fun.

The next day we then went ‘downtown' which was wild. Bikers were everywhere—everyone was tattooed—and everyone was partying!!!! It was quite the scene. We did stop by at one of the large hotels in the downtown area and I took this picture of the beach from one of their terraces. The beach was gorgeous.

Later in our stay, we spent more time in New Smyrna visiting with friends and relaxing. We decided to take a day trip by car (we still have our car with us) to the Ocala area which is famous for its horse farms. We decided to drive on remote roads so that we could see more of Florida. Well…while driving along we came across this very interesting shop. It has a strange combination of items for sale—mostly yard items. But what was amazing was the range of items!!!! Take a look.

This same shop also has fresh produce—plenty of grapefruit and oranges.

This was a great trip and the horse farms were huge and meticulous. It was nice to see this different part of Florida—away from the water and boats!!!!! This part of Florida is less developed than most and was very picturesque.

We also went to Silver Springs—to see the springs. Jean had been there over thirty years ago so off we went. The Springs is reputedly the world's largest formation of clear artisan springs. One major spring, 65 feet long and 12 feet high, and more than a dozen minor springs form the headwaters of the crystalline Silver River, part of the inland waterway that links the springs to the St. John's River and Jacksonville. The springs release more than 550 million gallons every 24 hours. To see the springs, you ride in a glass bottom boat. This was fun although a bit touristy. I took these pictures while in the boat.

These springs were used as the backdrop for all of the episodes of ‘Sea Hunt', an old TV show starring Lloyd Bridges. The area was also used for James Bond movies and other undersea adventures. These statues were put in the springs for one of these movies.

For some strange reason, the park had two giraffes—that's it—in an area all by itself. So, of course, I had to take some pictures.

We also took a small boat ride through their ‘jungle' which was strange but…we did see some of the wild rhesus monkeys that live in the park. Back in the early 1900's a wealthy businessman brought some monkeys from Africa and put them in this area. There are now only approximately 75 monkeys in the park. I was surprised at how small they are—and they're a reddish orange in color. It was hard to get a picture but here it is.

On this trip we also saw some birds in captivity due to physical problems. This barred owl was recuperating from a broken wing.

There are alligators everywhere in Florida and this park was no exception. We have heard that there are over one million alligators and only 200 crocodiles in the state. There were also plenty of turtles in this park.

Jean snapped this picture of me at one of the palm trees in the park.

We got back to the marina pretty late in the evening. I took this picture of the marina as we walked back to the boat. We noticed that a stunning blue-hulled boat (a Sabre 37) had come into the slip next to us. We spoke with the owners who were from Savannah and found out that they bought their boat from the same broker who was involved in our purchase of Ocean Flyer !!!!! Small world!!!!

While in New Smyrna we also took a day trip to Merritt Island, a National Wildlife Refuge. This 140,000 acre refuge shares a common boundary with NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Island's mild climate enables many temperate and subtropical plants to intermingle providing habitat for some of the most rare and unusual species of wildlife.

The refuge manages habitat for over 500 species of wildlife. The habitats support one of the highest numbers of endangered and threatened species found within the National Wildlife Refuge system. This island is spectacular and we were able to participate in a birding tour. There was a palm forest on the island and we had some fun walking around.

We saw a beautiful roseate spoonbill which is really quite spectacular—they're a rich pink in color due to all of the shrimp they eat.

We also saw a wood stork mixed in with some egrets. The tour was excellent and the tour leader knew everything about birds.

We left New Smyrna on Friday, March 16 th and cruised to St. Augustine—a town that we have visited many times and that we love. We were off the dock at 7:30 in surprisingly clear skies. It had rained all through the night and more rain was predicted so Jean and I were both surprised to see clear skies. I took these pictures because I thought the sky looked so stunning.

The trip to St. Augustine was another easy one although it rained for most of the morning. Actually it didn't just rain—it poured and there was a ton of thunder and lightning!!!!!!!

This scenery is very pretty especially with blue skies, which emerged later in the day.

As we came around one of the bends in the river, we could see the skyline ahead—it was really gorgeous.

Much of this route is past low marshland which emits a very serene picture as you cruise by the area.

As we approached the city, I liked the look of this bridge—it was off in the distance and looked so inviting.

As usual, I've taken far too many pictures of the water and the sky. But…when you're in the boat cruising along, it's very difficult to ignore the beauty and calmness of the many vistas.

Unfortunately, as we got closer to St. Augustine, we noticed quite a few SeaRays—sleek and fast powerboats—all heading in our direction. We then noticed that they were all going to the municipal marina—where we were also staying. We soon learned that there would be a 33-boat SeaRay rendezvous there this weekend!!!! This marina is wonderful because it's right downtown—you can walk to everything.

We quickly got settled and then went for a walk downtown. We really enjoy St. Augustine. It was founded in 1565 as a Spanish military outpost and is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. Traces of the city's Spanish heritage are everywhere and a Spanish Quarter where conquistadors once strolled is re-created for today's visitors. We went back to Flagler College, the former Hotel Ponce de Leon—one of our favorite spots in St. Augustine.

We also had a chance to see the Lightner Museum—another of our favorite places in St. Augustine. The Lightner Museum is housed in the former Hotel Alcazar, built in 1888 by Henry Flagler. Going through this Museum is like a trip back in time to the 19 th century and a glimpse of elegance from the Gilded Age.

Luckily, we had marina reservations for four nights and the rendezvous was for only two nights!!!! We thought that we could ignore the loud music and parties for two nights—especially since the municipal marina is located in such a perfect spot.

We later hooked up with Bonas IV and SeaQuel who were both at a different marina in St. Augustine. Adventure was at the municipal marina with us. We also met up with Betty and Huddie, another Looper couple who also live on Cape Cod. St. Augustine is where they spend their winters. We had a blast in St. Augustine—sightseeing, walking and shopping. We ate out at fancy restaurants—a lot!!!!! This town has spectacular restaurants—you could never starve here

We left St. Augustine on Tuesday, March 20 th with clear skies and a cool temperature of 67 degrees. We were off the dock at 7:45 and quickly underway. The morning was particularly peaceful and serene. The sky looked gorgeous—especially against the setting of all the sailboats.

We went through the Bridge of Lions which is famous in St. Augustine and which is also under total reconstruction. This bridge spans the Matanzas River and two marble lions anchor the historic bridge between St. Augustine and Anastasia Island.

I also got some pictures of downtown St. Augustine from the water as we headed to Jacksonville. Included is a picture of Castillo de San Marcos which lies inside the city and on the water. The fort is the oldest and largest stone fort in the continental U.S.

Today's journey would take us through more marshlands—setting the stage for more pictures, including a bow view photo.

I really love these next two pictures—the blues are so rich!!!!!

We saw a million fishermen in these waters—they're everywhere. The water is so calm and there are so many shallow areas that there's always someone fishing.

I was very surprised to see these dunes along the way—we haven't seen dunes in a long time.

We also saw a magnificent bald eagle perched high in a tree—I tried to get a picture but the eagle was too far away.

We knew that when we left St. Augustine we would head to the St. Johns River for 7-10 days of cruising. Of special significance is that as we entered the St. Johns River we would be ‘crossing our wake' and thus officially completing the Great Loop!!!!!! Since SeaQuel was headed in that same direction—north—they decided to join us and share in our celebration as we turned into the St. Johns River from the Intracoastal Waterway. It was great to have them with us. Barry and Sheryl honked their horn (which was brand new) and Barry took pictures of us.

We stayed together for a few minutes and then we headed up the River toward Jacksonville and they continued north on the Intracoastal. Here's a picture of Barry waving to us as the two boats went their separate ways.

Last night, at dinner with Barry and Sheryl, they gave us a black-and-white checkered windsock to attach to Ocean Flyer . It was a great gift—perfect to fly from the boat as we crossed our ‘finish line'.

The St. Johns River intersection is a very busy spot. Here you can continue along the Intracoastal, go straight out to the Atlantic Ocean or turn upriver to Jacksonville. It's also ‘home' to the Mayport Naval Station and the U.S. Coast Guard's group headquarters. So...it's very busy and Tuesday was a very typical day.

Jacksonville is about twenty miles up the St. Johns River. Along the way, you pass quite a few cargo ships and tankers in some state of loading or unloading. These ocean-going ships are huge.

We even saw a small tow and barge along the river—this was a fun reminder of all the barges we saw along the Loop.

We passed under this imposing bridge which looked even more spectacular against the clear blue sky.

We took this next picture because this ship was being pushed SIDEWAYS!!!!! It was pretty amazing to watch.

We docked at 1:15pm at the Jacksonville Landing which is immediately downtown in Jacksonville. There is a huge, free dock which lines an area filled with restaurants and shops.

We docked in front of the Civic Center and saw that the ‘Lion King', which we have never seen, was playing—what good luck. Later in the day, Betty and Huddie came by with flowers and champagne!!!! How thoughtful!!!!! The four of us went out to dinner and celebrated our completion of the Loop. It was a wonderful evening.

The Jacksonville skyline is very interesting. Its buildings are somewhat modern and have quite a bit of architectural design.

This downtown is beautiful at night. The bridges are lit in colors and the Landing and buildings look spectacular.

Unfortunately, the next day was not as good. It started out quite nicely. Jean and I went to two of Jacksonville's museums—the Maritime Museum and the Science and History Museum. The Maritime Museum houses a large and interesting collection of books, documents, artifacts and other historical objects. On display we saw many scale model ships, paintings and photographs related to maritime history in the Jacksonville area.

This town has decorated cats as part of its downtown landscape and we noticed that one was sponsored by Prudential—so I just had to take a picture. It's called “Bright Nights—Big Kitty”. Look at this.

Jacksonville is also a major city for Prudential. Pru has had a big office here for years. While working at Pru, I traveled to Jacksonville many times. The Science Museum is directly across the street from the Pru building so I decided to have my picture taken. I also took a picture of the Prudential building from across the river.

Now…to our misfortune… At about 2:45pm, while we were sitting on the boat while docked at the Landing, we were ‘waked' by a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue boat. The wake was so severe that our boat rocked violently and crashed into a nearby concrete piling. The piling had a protective pyramid-shaped plastic cap that was ripped off when Ocean Flyer was thrust upward due to the wake. Ocean Flyer came down on top of the bare concrete piling damaging the fiberglass on the hull. We ran outside but the wake continued for what seemed like several minutes. We tried to keep the boat from hitting the piling but were unable to move it ( Ocean Flyer weighs 50,000 pounds)!!!!! Poor Ocean Flyer hit the concrete piling several times. We finally got the boat re-tied but Jean was not comfortable staying there so we knew that we had to go somewhere else. There was another boat behind us that also suffered damage, and we went over to it to secure it (its owners, who we had met, were not on their boat). Here's a picture of the two boats, docked at the Landing, prior to the accident ( Ocean Flyer is the smaller boat).

We later called the Fire and Rescue team who yelled at us for ‘leaving the scene of an accident'. They insisted that we return to the Landing or they would NOT be able to assess the damage and file a claim for payment. So…we returned to the Landing and completed all the paper work to file a claim. The officer in charge of the fireboats said that they were responding to an emergency call about a fire on a bridge near where we were docked when the accident happened. He also indicated that they were operating a new fireboat which was a jet boat. Unfortunately for us and the other boat, we each sustained thousands of dollars of damage as a result of the wake!!!! And all this happened just hours after we had celebrated our completion of the Loop!!!!!

On Thursday, March 22nd, we were off the dock at 9:45am and on our way up the St. Johns River. The owners of Loose Stones came by and gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate our completion of the Loop.

We have been told that the St. Johns River is gorgeous and have wanted to explore it for a few years. The St. Johns is one of a very few number of rivers that flows north. So …. up the River we went—heading south!! As we left Jacksonville I took this picture from the bow.

After leaving Jacksonville but before actually starting up the River, we took a short detour, for fuel, on the Ortega River. This next picture shows one of the low bridges on the Ortega River opening for us to let us re-start our journey along the St. John's River.

We didn't go very far today—we stopped in Palatka—a small town in need of some revitalization. We docked at 3:50pm at a huge marina connected with a Quality Inn. This spot was immediately downtown—a great location. We walked downtown and took some pictures of these murals which are on many of the town's buildings.

We stayed here for two nights so that we could use the dinghy to explore some of the small creeks in this area. These creeks are usually very narrow and can also be very shallow. We packed a picnic lunch and went to Murphy's Creek and Dunn's Creek.

These creeks were a blast. We saw a ton of alligators!!!! Both of these creeks snake around various twists and turns and we saw quite a few birds. The great blue herons were in abundance as were a number of egrets. Jean wanted to use the dinghy to move closer to the alligators—but….is she nuts???????

On Saturday, March 24 th , we left Palatka and continued our cruise up the St.

Johns River. We were off the dock at 7:45am with very calm waters—glass-like—and a nice temperature of 68 degrees. Here's the obligatory morning picture.

This waterway is very pretty and the day was gorgeous. I love taking these pictures from the bow of the boat especially when the view looks particularly serene.

We saw another bald eagle—which is fantastic. Today we also crossed Lake George which is a large lake inside the river but—it's very shallow. At one point we had only one foot of water beneath us. They've even constructed a wooden gated area for boats to follow given the very shallow depth of the water in this area.

At one point there was a great blue heron walking on a sand bar right next to our boat!!!! I was flipping out!!!!! It's very disconcerting when you can see sand immediately to the right of the boat.

Along the St. Johns River we saw a lot of water hyacinth growing in the water. It looked beautiful, especially against some of the small islands.

There are small towns lining this river and the setting is very much ‘old Florida'. It's less crowded in this area and the residents seem very down to earth. We saw a ton of small boats along this river, and it seems as though everyone owns a boat of some kind. We even saw this boathouse—more elaborate than most.

This river is also filled with small bends and turns—very snakelike and very picturesque.

We docked at 2:30pm in a place called Hontoon Landing. It's a small marina near Deland, Florida. There was a restaurant immediately next door which was extremely popular with the local folks and especially the locals on motorcycles. This was a good stop for us—we even got to wash the boat!!!!!

On Monday, March 26 th , we headed out again, going to the town of Welaka. We left at 7:30am with clear blue skies. Untying our boat lines was a chore—we had secured them to a distant piling—releasing them was pretty difficult but we finally got it done. Today would be an easy day—we were only going about 40 miles but were planning on quite a bit of dinghy usage once we reached the marina. The water and trees were, as usual, beautiful and we continued to see more of the water hyacinth plants.

The waters were calm and we were in at the Acosta Creek Marina by noon. We quickly got settled and launched the dinghy. The marina is in a beautiful spot and most of the boats never move—their owners are permanent residents and live on their boats. Everyone was very friendly and gave us good tips about which creeks to visit.

We started our exploring on the Oklawaha River which was really pretty and serene. We traveled up about 5 miles and only saw a few boats. We were looking for alligators but saw none! There was plenty of birdlife—especially great blue herons and egrets. I saw this egret just standing alone in the midst of some hyacinth plants.

Further along the river, we saw this rookery—it was gorgeous. I counted at least fifty white ibises (or is the plural of ‘ibis' actually ‘ibi') here.

We enjoyed the trip greatly. There are many more creeks to explore by dinghy so we decided to stay at this marina for another night.

Here's a picture I took from the dinghy as we cruised along one afternoon.

Early the next morning we got back in the dinghy and headed to a very popular

spot—Silver Glen Springs. These springs were about 15 miles from the marina which was a long way to go in the dinghy. Crossing Lake George was difficult in that the water was a bit choppy. As we moved along, the time on Lake George seemed endless. However, we finally made it—safe and sound. The springs area has crystal clear water—really gorgeous. It's a small inlet with very shallow and very clear water. We stopped there for lunch and really enjoyed the views.

From Silver Glen Springs we headed to Salt Springs Creek—a much longer creek which was also wider and deeper. We went through the opening at a very low speed—the depth at the mouth is only about 1 foot!!!!! As soon as we got through, we stopped to take some pictures—I took these of Jean and the dinghy.

Once you're in the creek there's plenty of depth but, as I mentioned, you have to cross a very shallow entrance. The trees along this creek were very interesting—especially this tree.

This creek is about 5 miles long and we went all the way to the end. This creek is very pretty and very quiet.

At the end of the creek there are manatees that swim in a very shallow section. There were a lot of families at these springs watching the manatees.

We stayed in the creek for awhile and then started back to the marina. I took this picture as we came back to the mouth of the creek. The view, looking into Lake George, was stunning.

On the way back to the marina, we passed this Victorian house with two matching boathouses. It's very strange to see a Victorian house in this area—so I took a picture.

As we continued along I also took a picture of one of the navigation markers in the river. These markers always have osprey on them either building a nest or protecting a nest. Look closely.

Ospreys don't seem to be bothered by the close proximity of the many boaters on the St. Johns River. During their nesting season (January through April) there are osprey nests on almost every navigation marker or power line. The osprey is very pretty and large with a wingspan of 54 to 72 inches—somewhat smaller that that of the bald eagle.

I also took some pictures of Ocean Flyer and the marina as we approached the marina in the dinghy.

We made it back to the marina by 4pm and had a nice dinner on board—Jean's shrimp scampi!!!! It was great!!!!!

On Wednesday, March 28 th , we left Welaka and headed to the Outback Crab Shack!!!!! We were off the dock at 9:35 after using some time in the morning to put the dinghy back on the boat. The skies were very clear and it was already in the low seventies.

While underway, we waited at the Buffalo Bluff bascule bridge while a 50-car train passed in front of us. After it completed its bridge run, the bridgemaster lifted the bridge and we continued on our route.

We also saw a bald eagle while waiting for the train to pass.

Further along on the journey we passed a barge—one of the few we've seen in this area. We weren't even sure where a barge would be going on this river.

Our destination today was a restaurant—a very famous restaurant!!! The Outback Crab Shack is near Green Cove Springs on Six Mile Creek and serves excellent food in a very casual setting. They have constructed a huge dock — nearly 1/4 mile in length for boaters to tie up and have a meal. Everyone told us that we had to go to this restaurant. If you have a meal at the restaurant you get to stay overnight at the dock—which is what we did. We got to the dock at 3pm, got settled and then went and had an early dinner. The restaurant was excellent!!!!! We even got some pictures of me as well as Jean with some alligators.

The next morning, Thursday, March 29 th , we began our last day on the water!!!!!!!! We were headed to Huckins Yacht Yard in Jacksonville to ‘finish our trip' and to leave the boat to have some work done. Boo Hoo!!!!!!!

We were off the dock at 8:45am on our way from Six Mile Creek to Jacksonville. It was from Huckins Yacht Yard on April 2, 2006 that Ocean Flyer began the Great Loop voyage—just about one year ago!!!!!

The waters were calm, the sky was blue and so were we. This has been an incredible journey and it's sad to see it end. I managed to get one more picture from the bow.

We've had an amazing time and loved every aspect of the trip. We arrived at Huckins at 12:20pm—and officially ended this marvelous journey!!!!

REFLECTIONS

It's easy to say that we enjoyed every aspect of this trip. It has far exceeded our expectations—in every way. We loved the different waterways and we particularly loved seeing parts of the U.S. from the water and seeing Canada's beautiful Georgian Bay and North Channel. We definitely underestimated the beauty of the waterways, the history of the different towns that we visited and the warmth of everyone that we met. It's very true that boaters are a welcoming group and our experience greatly reinforces that truism.

We have some favorite spots along with some favorite memories. We really enjoyed our week-long stay in Washington, D.C. last May which now seems like light years ago. We very much loved the ease of being downtown and being able to walk to everything—especially the Smithsonian museums. This stay was just wonderful.

We loved all of the Chesapeake Bay especially Solomons and St Michael's. These towns are rich in fishing history and have spectacular museums which preserve that history.

We cannot say enough about Georgian Bay and the North Channel in Canada. I originally wondered “what would we do in Canada for three months????” These waterways were pristine with brilliant colors of blue partnered with gorgeous mountains.

Needless to say, the river system surprised us in many ways. The commerce aspect of the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers was very interesting to observe. This is where we were truly tested in our locking skills. Equally important, though, was the education we received about the barge-driven movement of products, especially grains and fuel. We had no idea that this amount of commerce took place on these rivers. It was very fascinating.

Our favorite river by far was the Tennessee. Its beauty is spectacular, and paired with the Great Smoky Mountains it is unmatched in splendor. It also helped that we were there in the Fall when the trees were a magnificent combination of yellow, red and orange!!!!! We spent a couple of weeks in the Chattanooga area docked right downtown where we could walk to everything. We really enjoyed our time in Chattanooga.

One of our very favorite towns came as a surprise to us. We absolutely loved Fairhope, Alabama. We never expected to love any part of Alabama and yet this town easily won our hearts. It's a small town located on the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Mobile Bay. It has a charming downtown with very welcoming residents. Equally interesting was Huntsville, Alabama which we were able to visit after the Fall Looper rendezvous held at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. Who'd a thunk it????

We've enjoyed our time in Florida and have been pleasantly surprised at how much of this state we've seen—much of it by car while using the boat as our hotel. By boat, we've traveled both coasts, cut across the middle and successfully crossed the Gulf—not too shabby!!!!!

During our year-long Loop voyage, we cruised over 6,000 miles and passed through more than 125 locks. We have earned our ‘BaccaLOOPerate Degree' and will change our AGLCA burgee on the bow of our boat from white to gold. Along the way we met some wonderful people and were enriched by the history of the areas we visited. It has been an incredible and memory-rich voyage. And those of you who took bets on which of us would ‘kill' the other, we have actually grown closer during the past year!!!