We had planned to leave Key West to head north on Wednesday, March 4, but the weather gods had other ideas. The more we looked, the more it became clear that a smooth crossing to Marco Island depended on leaving no later than Sunday, March 1. Otherwise we would likely be spending another week or ten days in Key West before crossing conditions suitable for the Admiral would return. We scheduled a dawn departure on Sunday only to find ourselves enshrouded in thick fog when d

Following up on my last blog, we did, in fact, enjoy the prime rib at the Roland and Mary Ann Martin Marina in Clewiston. A down home spot if ever there were one, we also appreciated the opportunity to have a long chat with our loquacious waiter. He informed us that Clewiston is the hub of the 400,000. acre Everglades Agricultural sugar production area which produces 50% of the nation's sugar. Domino's, Coca Cola, US Sugar, Florida Crystals, and others all have production

You never know what life will bring. As we closed in on a near perfect day to cross from Riviera Beach to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island, the Admiral approached me and said we had to talk. The pain in her hip has worsened steadily and she worried about climbing in and out of the dinghy and up and down off shaky wooden docks on pilings. Perhaps most of all, she worried about being out of the country and becoming less than fully functional. Though it was disappointing, we have

But for my philosophical musings yesterday, I haven't provided a real update in several days. Last Wednesday, we traveled from Daytona to Cocoa Village. We are now in Manatee country and there were numerous Slow Speed, Minimum Wake zones where they particularly hangout. We honored these religiously but fear that we may have had a Manatee strike in one of the unrestricted areas. At high speed, the boat had a thump--could have been a submerged log but more likely a Manatee.

I saw this bit of philosophy on a wall in Cocoa Village and it struck a nerve. We love being Philosophy on an Outdoor Wall in Cocoa Village, Florida on the water in the middle of nature and so much enjoy watching the wild things around us live their lives. Wittingly or probably not, they allow us to travel through their part of the world, observe them and somehow feel one with them. And I also remember a conversation many years ago with my friend, John Bernotavich, not lo

Yesterday, just on the outskirts of the historic district of St. Augustine, we stumbled upon a slough full of avian wildlife--aka birds. And, as if they were in the Galapagos, they kindly posed for pictures, some quite close up. There were great egrets, ducks and a a variety of nondescript waders. In fact, fish-eating ducks drove fish into the inlet where the waders hung out to spear, catch and eat them. Some of the more interesting were: Wood Storks Including One in Flight

Promise, this will be quick. I am happy to report that, as we headed off to supper last evening, we found our great blue heron from the night before happily hunting in the shallows at the head of the marina. he appeared no worse for his bomb cyclone wear and, sitting on a pier, he greeted us again when we returned later in the evening. We chose not to disturb him to take his portrait. However, in the somewhat amazing category, we observed not one, not two, but eleven black-

Our End of January Report--We Didn't Get Far Enough South! We finished January on Saturday racing from St. Mary's to St. Augustine to hole up before the Southeast's bomb cyclone storm hit. Leaving St. Mary's at zero dark thirty (slight exageration, it was first light at 06:45), we scampered down the ICW and securely docked at St. Augustine's Municipal Marina just before the temperature plummeted and the winds started to scream. Our highly focused trip through undeveloped m

When I last left you, I was heading to pick up the Admiral to take her to lunch at The Olde Pink House in Savannah. Sadly, the Savannah Belles Ferry was not running and we had to hire an Uber and take the long way around from Hutchinson Island. Judging from the The Admiral--Enjoying Lunch Judging from the smile on her face though, the Admiral had a good time dining in the historic home built in 1771 for James Habersham, Jr., a wealthy planter. The Georgian style building was

As I mentioned in my last blog, we've been holed up at IGY Savannah Harbor Marina since Friday. Some of what you think about the cruising life is true. We've both had massages (the Admiral is going back for a second one this morning); we had a delightful if garlicky Italian dinner at Garibaldi, we enjoyed Sunday brunch at a touristy all day breakfast place on the waterfront; and, best of all, we watched the Patriots painfully but successfully beat the Broncos from the comfo

We arrived in Charleston late on Sunday, January 18 to reunite with Katahdin after almost five months apart. To be honest, it was both great to be back on board and unsettling how much there was to do, remember, locate and fix in order to get back underway. On the "great" side, thanks to our good friends at Coastal Carolina Yacht Sales, Katahdin was warm and cozy when we opened her hatch at 9:00 pm on a chilly winter evening. She felt like home despite a few boxes of "stu

For those of you wondering what happens to the good ship Katahdin after the Great Loop and before her next adventure, this blog's for you! A day or two after we finished America's Great Loop at the end of August, the terrific folks at M.E. Yacht Restoration in Holland, Michigan, hauled Katahdin, cleaned her up, and dried her out. Specifically, they acid washed, dried and detailed the hull; then, just in case of a freeze up before she headed south, they drained the water from

Sunrise Over Lake Macatawa at the End of Our Loop Looking back at our year on Katahdin as we circumnavigated America's Great Loop, some...

August 22, 12:53 PM: Crossing Our Wake at the Entrance to Holland Harbor Cap Getting Ready to Remove the "We're Looping" Pennant The...

Hopping from harbor to harbor, we're playing hopscotch down the east coast of Lake Michigan while trying to avoid the worst of the wind, ...

Katahdin in Her Slip on Mackinac Isla After a few days on Mackinac Island, we crossed Mackinac Straits, left Lake Huron and arrived in...

After several days of offshore runs along and across Lake Huron, we have settled in for a few days at Mackinac Island, Michigan. Two...

I can't believe that this is the 100th time I've shared our adventures with you since we started the Loop last September 25. Allowing...

On a very smoky Sunday morning, we left Mill Lake to travel through more of the fijord-like channel we had arrived through, cross about...

At Phillip Edward Island on Mill Lake, we're sharing a cove with a pair of loons and their late summer chick. Like our grandkids, the...