Month: April 2023

We’re Loopin!!!!

/ our38ftlife / 2 Comments

It’s been two weeks since we set off on our great loop adventure from Hobe Sound Florida. We’ve travel about 336 nautical miles (NM) and motored about 44 hours at an average speed of 8 knots. Escapade is capable of going much, much faster but there are many parts of the Atlantic Inter Coastal Waterway (AICW) that require you to go slow (no wake zones) but honestly we have just been enjoying getting a feel for the boat and cruising along slow and enjoying the scenery. We have mostly been docking in marinas along the way but have had an opportunity twice to anchor out, which we love!! Cumberland Island was a highlight so far.. wild, unspoiled Georgia low country with no other boats in our anchorage. We toured historic Plum Mansion and rode our e-bikes all over the island, seeing loads of wild horses.

Our e-bikes were the perfect way to explore Cumberland Island. I was so excited to see the wild horses.

We always hope for uneventful cruises, meaning nothing breaks and the weather/wind is mild. For the most part the weather has been uneventful underway, a few sporty days but within our Go-No-Go parameters. A couple of exciting docking but they ended in no harm no foul, maybe just not the prettiest. We have had a couple of eventful days boat wise. Our second day out, there was a mechanical issue with our port engine and we motored part of the day on one engine. Turns out it was an easy fix, once we got on the dock (which wasn’t easy at all on one engine in the wind). Thankfully there were people waiting when we arrived to help us dock.

Part of the Great Loop experience is the people you meet along the way. Boaters in general are the nicest people…always ready to lend a hand getting you on the dock or troubleshooting a problem. Doesn’t matter what your politics or religion are, all that gets put aside (as it should) and the basic kindness of humans just shines through.

Our new friends Carol and Greg in Cocoa Florida, whom I met thru my Facebook site Escapade on the Loop were just the tonic we needed today when we arrived at Cocoa Village Marina. Not only did they help us get the boat into a slip on one engine, Greg took Wally to West Marine for a couple for parts he needed. Later that evening they drove us to dinner at their favorite Mexican place in town.

Click on this link if you want to join us aboard Escapade on the Loop. I typically post there everyday. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169381679353553/?ref=share_group_link

The Fur-bags Babies are also doing well on the boat… Sucia has decided she no longer needs to travel in a crate while the boat is underway and she is even joining us on the flybridge some days. Bentie has mastered his potty breaks while underway on the back swim step. He also loves hanging out with us on the flybridge or laying in the sun on the back deck when the boat isn’t moving.

We too are acclimating to cruising again and wow have we been tired some days. We knew the first few weeks might feel stressful as we get our boat mojo back and develop some routines. We quickly decided we don’t like motoring everyday and/or long cruise days back to back. Some times it’s necessary to get where you need to go or if weather is going to be dicey. It’s been great to have stops that are 3 to 7 days long and we are currently enjoying a one week stay in Savannah. My niece flew in from Portland Oregon and we have been having a blast exploring the city with her.

Savannah is a very walkable town and we have really been putting on the miles. We also did a trolly tour on our first day to get an overview of the city and understand the lay of the land. It was actually very well done with loads of history about the city. I think we have seen all 22 square in the city proper and every district. It truly is as beautiful and mysterious as I envisioned it to be. I love all the art within the city and the presence of the Savannah Collage of Art and Design has a profound influence on the vibe of Savannah.

I have this groovy app called Nebo which tracks our voyage … you can follow us any time you want to see where we are by clicking on the link below. Right now it will just show us as a white dot at Thunderbolt Marina near Savannah. When we are underway, you can see us cruising real time.

https://trackme.nebo.global/?link=J83SBINX3F8D19FB3IS1QNT7J6

TODAY’S THE DAY… OR NOT???

/ our38ftlife / 2 Comments

Planning a trip in a boat is very different than planning a road trip in the car or RV. Weather is one of the biggest factor that can change our plans, sometimes for days.

Go/No Go Plan…Hopefully all boaters have one. So what our Go/No Go Plan???

We look at weather forecast where we are currently at along with the forecast for our destination. Will there be rain, high wind gusts, are the tides and currents favorable? What is wind speed and from what direction? Do we feel comfortable with our experience, knowledge, and skill set to handle the boat if the conditions actually gets worse than the forecast? We also consider our guests comfort zones and the fur-bags too. Sucia and Bentley like calm seas too!

Wally and I make the go/no go decision together. If either of us have apprehension, even if just a gut feeling not wanting to go, we do not GO.

Our base line for wind is 15 knots plus of steady wind with wind gusts above that are generally a no go – especially in a boat we don’t have much foul weather experience in. Often marinas are tight and Escapade is a big boat to be docking in the wind. Wind and current opposing each other can cause wind waves that stack up tight. At large inlets, where water is entering and exiting the Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW), this can be very uncomfortable and sometimes down right dangerous. Tides affect the water depth and again here in the ICW, this is important to consider as the water is dang skinny (shallow). Yep, skinny is a boating term too! It’s easy enough to run aground on shoals on the ICW without all of the above factors working against you.

If we were planning to go offshore, this plan would be significantly more conservative as wind and wave height become significant factors and the danger level is much higher than cruising on the ICW.

Looking down our canal from the back of Escapade…its definitely blustery and windy here today and gale force winds are predicted for later today.

Being retired should mean no schedule, right? It’s amazing how bad shite happens when you make a decision based on a schedule – most great boating stories revolve around how people have earned that one the hard way. Personally, we prefer a safe and pleasant day on the boat as opposed to a arse whooping by Mother Nature.

This is the forecast from the NOAA weather website for todays proposed destination – Vero Beach. We also look at the Windy and Windfinder apps and compare the three reports. UGH, not looking good for at least three days but we will look again tomorrow.

Bentley doesn’t look bummed does he???

Sucia is watching the weather too… I think she would have voted GO!!!

So… the boat is ready to go, fuel tanks are full, water tanks are full, the refrigerator/freezers are full but today but it is definitely a no-go day! Mother Nature casted the final vote, we are both a bit bummed but such is life on a boat. I thought I was going to be writing our FIRST Great Loop post today but c’est la vie, this is for another day.