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America's Boating Club Lehigh Valley's 'Loopers' Log
March 15, 2023
Greetings
from the crew of Sea Stories! In the last Delhighlights we told you we
bought a new home in Port St Lucie. We’ve been busy making it “our
home” and we’ve also found time for some shorter cruises. Our time in
Pompano Beach, FL ended at the end of February, and our summer home for
the boat will be in Fort Pierce.
Dave
and Nancy Bernard from Absecon Power Squadron came to visit after the
National COW in Orlando. The timing was perfect as we had to move the
boat, so they joined us for the ride. We left Pompano Beach and headed
out the Hillsboro Inlet heading south. We went inland at Port
Everglades Inlet and continued south down the ICW into Biscayne Bay. We
had perfect weather for the trip and our first stop was an anchorage
called Miami Marine Stadium. This was a fun place, with lots of the
craziness you’d expect in Miami! The next day we anchored out in No
Name Harbor; a beautiful anchorage and much quieter. We spent two
nights there before we started up the ICW heading for Fort Pierce.
We
stopped in at the Seagate Yacht Club in Delray Beach and spent two days
there. One thing I love about boating is you are seldom in a hurry. It
is a nice town with lots of things to do within walking distance of the
boat. I had some of the best fish & chips I’ve had in a long time!
We
finally made it to Fort Pierce and got Sea Stories all tied up in her
new home. Fort Pierce is a nice town with lots of places within walking
distance. Nancy’s family used to go there so she enjoyed some memories.
We spent two days there before heading back to Port St Lucie. After 1 ½
weeks, we said good-bye to the Bernards and got back to work in our new
house. I love that there are so many great cruising areas around here,
we’ll always find time to explore some place new!
Closing day on our new home.
Miami skyling from our anchorage spot.
Sea Stories at anchor.
January 15, 2023
Greetings
all! A lot has changed since my last writing. We’ve spent the winter in
Pompano Beach, FL. It is a great town with a beautiful beach and
fantastic weather. We got some boat projects done, then started really
enjoying the area. We took the boat out the Hillsboro Inlet and headed
south offshore to the Port Everglades Inlet. This is a busy inlet the
cruise ships and tankers use. We took our time heading north up the ICW
back to our marina in Pompano. The whole ICW from Fort Lauderdale to
Pompano is lined with beautiful mansions and unbelievable boats! It was
an amazing ride, seeing all the wealth on display.
The
cities here put on a Christmas boat parade. So many boats were
decorated for an incredible light show. We enjoyed the parade from the
bow of Sea Stories with an adult beverage and a cigar.
We
have been looking for a new home in Florida for the past year. We
thought it would be in the Fort Meyers area, as we really loved it
there last winter, but Hurricane
Ian
changed all that. We found a new home in Port St Lucie, FL on the east
coast. We still have the boat in Pompano Beach till the end of
February, then we will be bringing her up to Fort Peirce, which is much
closer to our new home. We are also joining the Stuart Corinthian Yacht
Club. They are very active group with cruises to the Bahamas every
spring. We hope to be cruising there in a few months. We’ve wanted to
go to the Bahamas for the last two winters, but never made it there.
Now we will!
We’ve
also contacted the local USPS squadron. They seem like an active group
as well. I think between the yacht club and the squadron, we’ll be
busy!
It’s
hard to believe all we’ve been through since we first moved onto the
boat. The journey has been amazing, the experience has been wonderful.
We are missing all our Delhigh friends and hope we get to see you again
soon!
Christmas Boat Parade
Sea Stories at Sands Harbor Resort and Marina
November 15, 2022
Greetings
from the crew of Sea Stories. At my last writing, we were about to
start the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Our journey continued past
Norfolk, VA on to Coinjock, where the roast beef was as good as always.
Then we finally got a good weather window to go to the Outer Banks.
This was our first time there and it was fabulous! We spent some time
at Kittyhawk where the Wright Brothers made their famous flight. There
is a great park and museum there. We also rented a jeep and drove out
onto the beach; another first for me. After four days on Manteo Island,
we headed over to Ocracoke for two more days. The beaches are
fantastic; water is warm, and the scenery is amazing.
After
leaving the Outer Banks we headed to Oriental, NC then on to Beaufort,
NC. We planned on a few days there, but we started hearing about a
storm in the Caribbean named Ian, so we waited there for 15 days to see
what it would do. Turns out, best decision I’ve made in a long time.
Ian devastated our home port in Fort Meyers. There is nothing left. We
know people there that lost their boat, the only home they had. So very
sad. Luckily, we had no direct problem from Ian, or later from Nicole.
We always managed to get to a safe place. I almost feel guilty knowing
so many people who lost so much.
While
working our way south, we met up with Rich and Bea in South Carolina.
It’s always a pleasure to see them! Another neat place we found was
Marineland on the Palm Coast. The original theme park in Florida, which
opened in 1938 and is still in operation today. Great dolphin shows and
all kinds of marine life displays.
Taking
the ICW through South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida is fun and
challenging. Lots of twists and turns, including eight-foot tidal
swings, and fantastic scenery! We anchored out more than usual during
this stretch, and it was wonderful. I loved being out there. On
November 1st
we finally made it to our new winter home in Pompano, FL. We will be at
the Sands Resort and Marina for the winter. If any of you are heading
down to Miami this winter, look us up.
Kathy hanging out with Orville.
Dolphin in the air.
Sunset on Ocracoke Island.
September 15, 2022
Ahoy
Mates! Greetings from the crew of Sea Stories. As of this writing, we
are in Urbanna Virginia on the Rappahannock River. Our next stop will
be Norfolk and the start of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Spending the summer back in Rhode Island was a real treat for us. We
visited so many of our favorite places and spent time with family and
friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. We walked the full length of
Napatree Point and back in Watch Hill, and we even completed the Cliff
Walk in Newport, something we haven’t done since we were much younger.
We
started our trip south in mid-August, with stops in Clinton,
Conneticuit, Morehaven, New York, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey,
Barneget Bay Marina, Waretown, then finally to Atlantic City where we
anchored out for the 1st of 4 straight nights, giving my credit card a much-needed break. The 1st
night was just outside of Atlantic City, the next two nights were with
Dave and Nancy Bernard on the Great Egg Harbor River. The town of Mays
Landing held their annual boat parade while we were there, and it was
so much fun! After dark, 15 boats paraded by us all lit up and
decorated, and then there were fireworks after the parade. From there
we anchored out one more night in Cape May, New Jersey before we got a
slip at the South Jersey Marina for 8 days.
We
left Cape May after Labor Day and headed to Chesapeake City. Then on to
Haven Harbor South, Solomons Island Yacht Club, and Urbanna Boat Yard.
There we met up with some friends we met last year at Belhaven, North
Carolina. I love it when that happens! The folks at Solomons Island
Yacht Club couldn’t have been any nicer, and it was a great stop for us.
The last two times we came up the ICW, we didn’t have good weather for detouring to the Outer Banks, but right now it’s looking
like we will have a good weather window and should be heading out there
in a few days! I’ll let you know more about that in the next
Delhighlights.
One of the 'cottages' along the cliff walk.
View from the end of Napatree Point looking back to Watch Hill.
July 15, 2022
Greetings
everyone! We left you last time in Brunswick, GA. We made several stops
in GA including Savanah, which is a great town for boaters. Wonderful
waterfront and loads of fun with some looper friends! On May 15th
we returned to Beaufort, SC and “crossed our wake” and our Great Loop
trip was finished. It was a little bittersweet to finish up such an
amazing adventure. It seems like it went by so fast, but we were
looping for 14 months!
Seeing
many of you at Michael’s final farewell during the Summer Rendezvous in
Rock Hall, MD was heartwarming. It was a blessing to get together and
share our Michael stories. Our dear friend will be missed.
We
continued up the east coast, trying to find new places to stop that we
missed on our first trip through. Norfolk, VA was a real treat this
time. Last year so much was closed due to COVID, but this year we saw
all kinds of museums.
We made it to Cape May, NJ for the 4th
of July, spending it with our son and some friends. Saw the fireworks
from the Delaware Bay, always the best to see them from your boat.
When
we got to NYC we headed east up the East River into Long Island Sound.
This trip we traveled along the Connecticut coast and found some nice
little towns we’ve never visited before. We anchored in Mamaroneck
Harbor, stayed at Milford Landing Marina, and Old Lyme Docks; both
great old waterfront towns!
From
there we came to one of my favorite places in the world, Watch Hill,
RI! Many childhood memories here and the town looks the same as it did
60 years ago. The Flying Horse Merry-Go-Round is still operating
unchanged since 1883. We will be spending the rest of the summer in and
around Narragansett Bay, visiting all our old haunts and meeting old
friends before heading south again for the winter. Our Great Loop trip
is done, but we will continue cruising for the next few years.
Crossed our wake and put out our gold burgee.
From the bow of the Battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk Virginia.
May 15, 2022
Greetings
all! We are finally underway again. Our port engine is fixed, and we
are continuing our great loop adventure. We went across Florida on the
Okeechobee Waterway with stops at Moore Haven and Stuart. We went
through five locks and one very big lake, and it felt great to be
underway again!
We
stopped in Vero Beach, Cocoa Village, anchored out in Daytona, then
spent 4 days in St Augustine: a great city with so much history. We
loved it there! Then we went on to Fernandina Harbor for our last stop
in Florida. Now we are in Brunswick, Georgia where I am writing this.
While
we were in Cocoa Village, we rented a car and visited the Kennedy Space
Center. It was such a great experience to learn not just the history,
but to know it is still the active site of so many launches with NASA
and SpaceX using the facility is incredible. A fantastic blend of feats
accomplished, and what is happening now. It was a great trip and such a
unique experience to be there.
St
Augustine is known as Americas oldest city and there is a ton of
history there. We also found the oldest bar in Florida in Fernandina
and made sure we had a drink there.
Our
first stop in Georgia was in Brunswick, where we found a wonderful rum
distillery. We liked it so much, we went twice! We should be through
Georgia in a week or so, then we will “cross our wake” when we get back
to Beaufort South Carolina where our Great Loop will be complete. We
plan to continue cruising for the next few years. See you guys in the
Chesapeake this summer.
Doug crashing the space shuttle 3 times.
Submarine degaussing station.
March 15, 2022
Greetings
everyone! Hope all is well with you. We have spent the winter in Fort
Meyers Florida, and it is a beautiful place. The weather has been
nothing short of spectacular - sunny, 80’s and not humid at all. We
have our car here, so we’ve taken some road trips. My favorite was to
Everglades City where we took an air boat ride into the Everglades to
see alligators and other wildlife. No shortage of gators here! We’ve
seen Manatees here too, they like the warm waters here in the winter
months.
The
beaches on the Gulf are so nice; no matter how strong the sun is, the
white sand doesn’t get hot. You can walk barefoot without burning your
feet. The water was warm enough to swim in, even in January the
temperature is about the same as it is at the New Jersey shore in
August.
Downtown
Fort Meyers is about ½ mile walk from the boat, and there are too many
restaurants to have visited them all in just the 3 months we’ve been
here. They had a Jazz Fest, Blues Fest, Antique Car Show, Art Show, and
a Mardi Gras, all right on the downtown waterfront.
In
the early 1900’s, Edison, Ford, and Firestone all built winter homes in
Fort Meyers. Now their properties are open to the public and it is
interesting to tour them and learn about these men and their families.
For anyone interested in history, this whole “Great Loop” adventure has
been awesome. Traveling the waterways that were the bloodstream of our
country is an experience I’ll always treasure.
I’m
still waiting for my mechanic to fix my port engine. The job should be
done by the end of March. Then we’ll get underway again, cross Florida,
and start up the east coast. We’ve loved wintering here, but we are
getting anxious to get underway again! Hope to see you in the
Chesapeake this summer!
A six foot alligator keeping an eye on us
Fort Meyers beach in February
January 15, 2022
Greetings everyone. Last time I checked in with you we were getting ready for the big crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, 170 miles of open water. I
decided on a different route going from Carrabelle to Steinhatche, 65
miles of open Gulf waters. Steinhatche is a small, rural and frequently
overlooked town for cruisers, which is too bad because we really
enjoyed it there. From there we traveled offshore down to Crystal
River, another 70 miles in the Gulf. Instead of going to a marina, we
anchored out in the Gulf about 8 miles offshore. The weather was beautiful and we had our Thanksgiving dinner there. We were traveling with 2 other boats and all gathered on our boat for drinks after dinner. It was a magical evening. From there we went to Clearwater and spent a few days. The beaches are great with a powdery white sand and it is sunny and warm! We went from Clearwater to Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda. Another great place to visit. Our last trip took us to Legacy Harbor marina in Fort Meyers. This section of the Great Loop was so beautiful, accompanied by dolphins and so much wildlife. My descriptions don’t do it justice, it is such an overwhelming experience to see our great country in such an intimate way.
We planned on being home one week for Christmas, but the passing of our dear friend Michael Lebeduik changed that. We
spent several weeks at home, preparing to sell our house and go “All
In” as the cruisers say and live full time on the boat for the next few
years. Our plans include going to the
Florida Keys, then up the east coast of Florida, through Georgia and
back to Beaufort, South Carolina where it all began. This summer we
will spend much more time in the Chesapeake Bay and we hope to see many
of you there!
Thanksgiving sunset
November 14, 2021
Greetings to you all. We last checked in with you in Chicago, since then we’ve traveled over 1400 miles down the river system. For the most part, it’s been fantastic! You really see how America works on the rivers. So many barges traveling up and down the rivers and so many factories and processing plants. This is the heartland of the country.
From
Chicago we traveled down the Illinois River, to the Mississippi River,
to the Ohio River, to the Tennessee River, to the Tenn-Tom Waterway,
into Mobile Bay. It’s been an absolutely wonderful trip. So much breathtaking scenery along the way. We
had one bad experience in Joliet, Illinois when a deranged woman untied
our boat from the wall in the middle of the night, but our angels, Mark
and Mary, heard something going on and Mark went outside at 1am and
chased her away. He then woke up everyone and had them check their lines. If not for them our night could have ended very badly, but as it was, we all ended up safe!
In Grafton, Illinois there is a winery on top of a hill which we went to on a ski lift. The views were amazing looking down on the Mississippi River. We also went in the St Louis Arch, which was awesome. We
spent 15 days in Iuka Mississippi, partially because I had some engine
work done and partially because I got sick and couldn’t go anywhere.
While we were there we went to Shiloh National Park. It's very much like Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. A Civil War battle ground that was really well preserved. It was a very moving experience being there. I was very happy that we got to tour the area.
Our first lock on the Tenn-Tom Waterway lowered us 90 feet! The locks on the rivers are much bigger than any we encountered on the Erie Canal. Getting through the locks is challenging, but we’ve met so many nice people in them.
Getting to Mobile was exciting, we hadn’t seen a big city since we left Chicago and Mobile is a busy port! As
I write this we are in Destin Florida. Next stop is Panama City and
soon we will take on “The Crossing”, going from Apalachicola to Tarpon
Springs. 170 miles across the open gulf waters. I’ll let you know how
that went in our next update.
Looking down on the convergence of
the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers from
the ski lift
Monument to the men from Pennsylvania who fought at Shiloh
September 22, 2021
Ahoy
Matey’s! So much has happened since we last checked in with you. We picked up
Kathy’s uncle in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, and traveled up the Hudson River with
him. Seeing the Statue of Liberty up close is always a thrill, no matter how
many times we’ve been by her! The Hudson River is really beautiful once you
get past NYC. Great little towns, too many to name, but all filled with history
and friendly people. Uncle Wally stayed with us up the Hudson and into the Erie
Canal, then he went home and we continued on.
The Erie
Canal was an awesome experience. We stopped in 10 towns along the way, went
through 34 locks and thoroughly enjoyed it. We stayed at several free walls
and some marinas along the way. The western end of the Erie Canal has low
bridges and I had to take down my radar and bimini to get under them. Yes, I
was singing the “Low Bridge” song all the way. We met loopers on the Erie that
we are still in touch with and traveling with as much as possible.
The Erie
Canal empties into the Niagra River, which takes us into Lake Erie. Our first
night we stayed in Buffalo, then on to Dunkirk New York, Erie Pennsylvania, Geneva Ohio, Clevland
Ohio, Lorain Ohio, Port Clinton Ohio, and the lake treated us well. We waited for
weather a few times but when we traveled, the lake was calm.
From there
we crossed Lake Erie into the Detroit River and spent the night in Detroit.
Then we were into Lake Huron and starting our trip around Michigan. Michigan has so
many beautiful small towns and really friendly people. Michigan has been a real
highlight of the trip so far. Especially Alpena Michigan where Mark and Mary Lee caught
up with us. We’ve been traveling with them for a few weeks now and what a
blessing it is having them with us! We stayed in Macinaw City for 8 days and
took the ferry to Macinaw Island. A great trip but we stayed so long because I
was waiting on a new heat exchanger for my Stb engine. Part of living on a
boat and a big THANK YOU to Mark for knowing how to switch out the parts.
Heading south on Lake Michigan in September is challenging. The weather is changing,
winds are strong and waiting for a weather window is the only way. We had 7
stops down the western side of Michigan but it took 18 days. Waiting for the winds
to die down is a way of life this time of year!.
As I write
this, our journey on Lake Michigan is over. We are just outside of Chicago and
will soon start the inland rivers. The Great Lakes have been great but we are
looking forward to the next phase of our trip.
Uncle Wally with Lady
Liberty
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Doug, Mary Lee and Mark in Fishtown
July 15, 2021
Greetings friends. Kathy and I are continuing our Great Loop adventure. My last writing left us in Crisfield, MD. We left there with some fellow loopers we met along the way and spent a night at anchor in the Little Choptank River. From there we went to Cambridge, then Oxford, then on to Knapps Narrows. I
really loved all the quaint little towns on the eastern shore of the
Chesapeake Bay, each one unique but also very familiar at the same time. There is a maritime museum in most of the towns detailing the towns history which I found fascinating!
When we were in Kent Narrows our son Tom came to visit and spent three days with us. What a great visit! After Tom left, we back tracked to St. Michaels for an event called a “Looper Crawl”. This is sponsored by the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association. We opened our boat to other members to tour, so future loopers can see different kinds of boats. It was fun meeting so many people that are in the planning stage of their adventure! Mark and Mary Lee came to visit at this time and we all had a lot of fun together!
From St. Michaels we went to Tolchester, MD for the Memorial Day weekend. The weather was miserable, but I managed to make some friends there so we had some drinking buddies. Randy and Jeanette came to see us too, that was a lot of fun! On Memorial Day itself the weather cleared and we went to Chesapeake City. We met some loopers there and had a great time in that neat little town.
On June 1st we went to Cape May, NJ. The Delaware Bay was calm and we had a great transit. We stayed in Cape May for 30 days visiting our son Matt who is stationed there in the Coast Guard. We had a great time there but after 30 days we were ready to get going again.
We spent three days with Dave and Nancy Bernard on their dock, then we were off to Atlantic City for the 4th of July fireworks! From there we went to see P/D/C Brad and Megan Humphrey and spent a night at their dock. They have a beautiful house on a canal in Forked River, NJ. After that we spent the night on the hook in the Manasquan River and then up to the Atlantic Highlands. We are meeting Kathy’s uncle here and he will travel up the Hudson River with us. He is 88 years old and this is a bucket list thing for him that he never thought would happen. We are happy we can do this for him.
Doing this trip has really been great and we are so thankful that we have this opportunity! We have met some incredible people that we will be in touch with forever.
Calm Seas, Delaware Bay Crossing.
May 15, 2021
Greetings to all reading this! Kathy and I are 6 weeks into our Great Loop trip and so far, it has been wonderful! We started in Beaufort, South Carolina and as of this writing we are in Crisfield, Maryland. We
are slowly working our way north and it is still cold this time of
year. We’ve seen many wonderful places and our trip is just beginning.
The ICW was beautiful and we had so many dolphins swam around the boat. The scenery and sunsets have been amazing! We took horse and buggy rides through Beaufort, Charleston, Wilmington and a few other towns along the way. The historic districts are fascinating and so beautiful.
Meeting other ‘Loopers’ as we travel is always fun, a real highlight of the trip. So far we’ve made a lot of friends from the mid-west. ‘Docktails’ is our favorite time of day.
We
went through our first lock outside of Norfolk, Virginia and it went
pretty smoothly, but it only raised us about two feet. Some locks in
the Erie Canal are 40 feet! Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
We have spent most of our nights at marinas but we have anchored out five nights and it’s fun, very quiet and peaceful. Once we are better at using the dinghy we will anchor out more.
Don’t
worry looking at the photos, the trip isn’t all about battles won or
lost, but there is a lot of history along the way if you are interested
in it.
Anchored out near
Belhaven North Carolina.
Battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia.
Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.
Monument where General
Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington ending the revolutionary war. Yorktown, Virginia
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