Great Loop

Great Loop Adventure – Day 195 to Day 200 – NEW YORK NEW YORK

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Getting to NYC and cruising by the Statute of Liberty was a huge milestone for us on Escapade. Traveling on the water is so very different than any other form of travel. It’s not necessarily the fastest way to travel…a horse and buggy might actually be faster! That said, it’s hard to describe the sense of adventure and accomplishment that comes with traveling on a boat.

Our first two days in NY were spent gently swing on a mooring ball in Great Kills Harbor. We did go into the city from there via foot, train and ferry. From there we cruised over to Hudson Point Marina on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River where we stayed for 5 more days. There were two ferry options from there right into lower Manhattan so the location was ideal to explore the city.


Wally and I were both really excited to cruise Escapade into New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I felt the sense of wonder that so many of America’s immigrants must have felt when they arrived and disembarked at Ellis Island. So much uncertainly but so much hope that a new life could be created and better times would be theirs.

We had a beautiful day to make the short cruise from Staten Island into the New York Harbor and past Lady Liberty. There were also several other Loopers headed that way so we all coordinated to get pictures for each other.

New York is still a melting pot of cultures, languages and food. We loved seeing and hearing all the sights and sounds, hearing multiple languages around us and eating different ethic foods. It can also be a smelly city but hey there are over 8 million people living there!

NYC is huge… no doubt! But what great transportation options. We used trains, ferries, the subway, buses, Uber/Lift and walked miles. Never once did I feel unsafe and in general people were kind and helpful.

Our worst experience was the dang hop on hop off bus tour we took on our first day in the city. We always do this when we land in a big, unknown city and it USUALLY is a good experience. I think it was a double whammy – mediocre bus tour combined with 2 major events which were going on in the city on a Sunday. We got rerouted past many of the things we wanted to see because of a parade and the traffic was awful in that area due to the street closures. Of course, they didn’t tell us about the reroute when we bought the ticket – oh well. My butt was asleep from sitting so long and we were both bored, hot and tired.

We must have taken this picture early in the tour before we got hot, bored and cranky!



Things got better from there and we had a plan everyday for where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We have both been to NYC before at different times in our lives so it was fun to see the city together.

Since we had both been to some of the major tourist attractions in NYC before, we skipped a repeat of those. We did take in the 911 Memorial which was sobering and haunting. It brought back all the horrors of that day and watching the attacks on the news. I can remember being horrified by what I saw and so scared for all my colleagues that were inside the nearby American Express Tower.

The Museum of Modern Art was on both our lists as was the NYC Public Library building. We both enjoyed MoMa, but I must say the library was absolutely beautiful inside and had some amazing art as well. I think I actually enjoyed library it more.


We also decided to skip the popular high end restaurants and eat at small ethic or local restaurants that got good ratings. That was a big win!! One of our favorite lunches was at a hole in the wall Indian restaurant and a small Italian bistro.

We spent part of a day just wandering Central Park, eating pastrami sandwiches on dark rye bread from a local deli and listening to local musicians in the Strawberry Fields section of the park. Can you guess what band’s songs they were playing??? – Yep, the Beatles.

We were amazed by all the wonderful parks in New York City… so many great places to get outdoors and relax. We loved the Empire State walking and biking trail that runs for miles along the NYC side of the Hudson.

Another big surprise was how much we enjoyed Jersey City where we were docked. It felt less frenetic than NYC, had great parks and a beautiful river walk which we did every night. It also felt like we were part of a neighborhood with people out walking their dogs and enjoying the evening.

Nearby were two great markets and some very nice restaurants. I am here to tell you that the bagels were just as good on the Jersey side too.

It was nice to have a break and stay in one marina for 5 nights, our last day was spend cleaning up the boat and getting ready for our friends Tom and Lisa to join us. We love having friends on board and were excited to cruise the Hudson River with them.

Great Loop Adventure – Day 187 to Day 194 – Upper Chesapeake Bay to NYC

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After leaving Annapolis Maryland we were like a horse headed to the barn! With our sights set on Cape May Delaware and ultimately New York City it was all about finding a good weather window to make the 120 mile Atlantic Ocean run.

We had originally planned to spend a few days in Baltimore but with the inner harbor access still limited due to the bridge accident we had to cross that a stop off our list. Instead we made a few more short stops in Kent Narrows and Havre De Grace on the Chesapeake Bay, then we transited the C&D Canal to Delaware City where we waited for a few days to time the long run down the Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ.

As I sit here in Brewerton NY and look back on how far we come since we left Norfolk VA in May… I am amazed! Here is our Nebo log for the month of May. So far in June we have traveled over 400 nautical miles further for a total of 735 nautical miles.

We really enjoyed our one night stop in Havre De Grace. Nestled where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace is a charming historic town – known for its waterfront views, scenic trails, parks, museums, entertainment venues, festivals – and so much more!

This friendly small town is also rich with history and the residents are incredibly proud of their history. There is a park filled with murals that depict the history of the town and its transition over time. These mural are incredible and are the creation of one man who we actually met in the park while he was finishing one of his last creations.

While we were walking through the park we met the local artist, Ezra Burger who has putting the finishing touches on this mural. He was very friendly and we had a nice chat with him. These murals have taken over 5 years to complete and he said he is ready to be finished.
This particular mural has become quite the tourist attraction . “It got a lot of attention both positive and negative,” Berger said.” I guess I wanted it to be edgy but also realistic.” I think he nailed realistic!!

I suspect the brothel had some interesting visitors over the years. During the Revolutionary War, the small hamlet known as Harmer’s Town was visited several times by General Lafayette, who became considered a hero of the war. He commented that the area reminded him of the French seaport of Le Havre on the English Channel. It had originally been named Le Havre-de-Grâce. Inspired by Lafayette’s comments, the residents incorporated the town as Havre de Grace in 1785.

George Washington stayed overnight in the town in 1789 on the journey to New York City for his first inauguration. During the First Congress in 1789, Havre de Grace missed by only one vote being named the capital of the fledgling United States.

The early industry of Havre de Grace included oyster and crab harvesting. Extensive fruit orchards were cultivated in and near the town. Products were shipped to markets along the East Coast and upriver. In. the 19th century, Havre de Grace became known for duck hunting, and was a seasonal destination for hunters. They stayed at the town hotels and hired local guides to escort them hunting on the river and along the bay. Local artisans became known for making high quality decoys, which they carved and painted.

We visited a local shop, Vincenti Decoys whose owners and family have been making duck decoys for over 60 years. Some of these early decoys are collectors items and are really beautiful pieces of art.

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From Havre de Grace we cruised up the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Delaware City where we had a few maintenance things done on the boat while we waited for a good day to run the Delaware Bay to Cape May New Jersey.

Many thanks to the staff at Delaware City Marina… this an important stop for us loopers as our next two cruises are the dreaded Delaware Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean. The daily weather briefings here at the marina are great as the Delaware Bay isn’t exactly a pleasure boat mecca because of the weather off the ocean.

The marina owner Tim is a long time supporter of the AGLCA and loopers are treated like royalty. The marina itself is on the Delaware City Branch Canal which is a long canal off the Delaware River. The water in this area can have some strong currents and can also be very windy – Yay, a boaters dream for docking!

The staff gave us excellent advice about when to arrive, the communication from the time we left the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the time we docked was awesome.

Since the canal that the marina is on is narrow and and current can be strong, the staff gets you tied up on the dock and then, using the current and the wind and ONE line on either the bow or stern of the boat… with the help of the wind and current, they flip you around facing the direction you need to go to exit. Quite the party trick!!!

It was hard to get a good video of Escapade since I was onboard when they spun us but I was able to get a completed spin on video when our loop buddies on La Gypsie arrived.

Isn’t that coolio…No engine assist needed!

The marina is a short walk along the Delaware City Branch Canal to the very old historical area with some cute shops and restaurant’s … so much history here.

Looper “Docktails”… always a fun way to meet other folks who are doing the loop.

We got lucky in that good weather was forecasted so our cruise down the Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ was uneventful. The Delaware Bay is not a pleasure boating destination and really is just a way to get from point A to Point B. It’s really not even pretty and the Nuclear facility is definitely operational. Get to close or stop to take pictures and you will be getting a visiting from the security team.

The reason the Delaware is so dreaded is because it’s a 60 mile long bay with only one potential hop off spot. If the wind and current are opposing the conditions can get really ugly. Strong winds have that 60 miles to gain momentum and cause fetch. Standing 5-6 foot waves are common and sometimes up to 8 ft waves. So weather planning and timing is everything on this bay. We had 1-2 foot wind waves during our run but the wind was also following us down the ways as was the current so it made for an easy ride.

Cape May was another one night stop as the ocean conditions looked perfect on June 1st for the 120 mile run to NYC. We had the afternoon to explore some of Cape May and had a fun evening with some fellow loopers at dinner later.

The marina we stayed at in Cape May caterers to sport fishing which is a big, damn deal in NJ. We were just one of two transient loop boats and it was really quiet while we were there. Come July when the big tournaments start, this place is hopping!

With the dreaded Delaware Bay behind us, we were ready for a long day on the ocean. We decided to make the long, boring run in one day just to get’er done! There are a few potential stops along the NJ coast but none of them interested us.

We were only about 3 miles offshore so we could see all the gaudy casino buildings and amusement parks that loomed on the Atlantic City horizon. Besides AC, there are two other potential inlets that boaters use to bail out if conditions changed or they just didn’t want to run 120 miles in one day. Both those inlets are insane with fishing boats on the weekend and since it was Saturday, that was another reason not to stop. Both inlets can also be notoriously dangerous if the wind and currents are opposing so we were happy just to keep on motoring.

Atlantic City off in the distance.

And motor on we did, I prepared the inside of the boat for the worst case scenario where the conditions changed and it got rough. Anything that could become a projectile was put on the floor in the salon and master stateroom. We brought our e-bikes inside too. Fortunately, it was a BLUEBIRD day and we had mostly smooth seas all the way to NYC.

I was hoping to see right whales as they are active in this area in early June but none graced us with their presence. We did how ever see loads of dolphins and even a butterfly!

Here is our voyage report for the day… it’s mostly accurate but, LOL… we did not go 44.2 miles per hour. Not sure why Nebo glitched on that!!! Escapade performed like a champ and we ran faster than we normally do but it was still an 8 hour day. At one point. I told Wally to look out the back of the boat. He nervously asked why is something wrong and I chuckled and said “no, but you will see all the $$$’s flying out the back of the boat!! I think we burned about 200 gallons of diesel fuel that day going 16 knots for 8 hours!

We got off the Atlantic Ocean near Sandy Hook, NJ and headed to Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island NY. We were able to get on a mooring ball in the harbor. After we got settled, we opened all of the doors, enjoyed being still and the nice breeze rolling through the boat. Dinner was a simple Chicken Caesar salad and a few glasses of bubbles!

Pinch me… we made it to New York!!!

Great Loop Adventure Solomons MD Days 179-181

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This is only our third stop in the Chesapeake but one thing is really clear – it’s very boaty here!!! Yes, Boaty is a word in my dictionary. Here in Solomons, boaty is an understatement.

Can you even imagine the escapades that would have happened if Lucy and Ethel had done the Great Loop!

There isn’t one area around Back Creek, which is quite big, that there isn’t a marina or a boat yard. Solomons even has a Yacht Club which hosts Loopers – except for this weekend of course. But no worries, we found funky Beacon Marina run by Captain John to be very welcoming and he even gave us a very nice AGLCA discount. Captain John and his wife are also planning to do the great loop in a few years and he really enjoys chatting with loopers.

Marinas are like hotels in that some are basic no frills, like a Holiday Inn Express and some are high end like a Ritz Carlton. We tend to go for no frills but sometimes it’s nice to splurge, which is what we are likely to do in NYC. Who doesn’t want to stay at the marina across the river from NYC with crazy beautiful views of the skyline and a ferry right into Manhattan!!!


Our cruise from Kilmarnock Virginia to Solomons Maryland was 53.1 nm and a bit sportier than all the reports indicated. Those dang weather gnomes were at it again.

Escapade handled it well but the wind on our beam makes for a bit of a rolly ride plus we had some rain to make it more interesting! We did get her up on plane for a bit to work the engines. I told Wally to look out the back of the boat to see the dollars flying out the exhaust!

At 10 knots, the boat is fairly economical and burns about 8 gallons a hour… as you can see from the cruise report below, we run at 10 knots most of the time. At 16 knots, we are burning about 25 gallons an hour. Do the math, the break even for time vs fuel burn definitely isn’t at 16 knots. That said, sometimes we need to get up and go or just work the engines a bit harder.

53 nm in rolly conditions is tiring so when we got into Beacon Marina in Solomons on Friday, we took a walk, chatted with some fellow loopers and just relaxed later with a glass of wine.

Saturday was dreary and rainy… almost all day. So while Wally did inside projects, I placed a Harris Teeter Instacart grocery order and did some trip planning for north end of the Chesapeake.

Instacart is awesome, go online, fill up your virtual grocery cart and schedule the delivery. Boom, done! 99% of the time I am very happy with the shoppers and the quality of produce they pick out for me. My shopper Brenda who is a lifelong local in the Solomons area was a great communicator and delivered the grocery’s right to the marina parking lot. All I had to do was put on a rain jacket, walk up and get the bags. The app tells you when they are shopping, you can discuss a substitute if your first pick isn’t available, when they have checked out and their arrival ETA.

Wally worked on getting our Boston Whaler, Hyjinks recommissioned. It is our tender for Escapade and it rides snuggly on top of the back of the flybridge. We have a lift to get it off there and into the water. Turns out the original battery that came with it passed away over the winter (not sure how this happens but things on a boat can be mysterious). No fear, the Napa Auto part store 3 miles away had the exact marine battery we needed. Bummer was, it was raining and a trip on the ebike with a 40lb battery strapped to the cargo rack seemed dicey.

Well, Kim St. Laurent, AGLCA Harbor Host extraordinaire came to the rescue and drove Wally there and back. What is a Harbor Host??? Harbor Hosts are volunteers who lend a helping hand to other Loopers as they pass through their home ports.  Members in need of local knowledge or assistance, or who just want to say hello to a Harbor Host on their way through, reach out via phone or email. Harbor Hosts provide advice and information on local services and things to see and do.  Some go above and beyond by offering rides for provisioning, or will meet you at a marina to enjoy Docktails.  Many Harbor Hosts have also provided written Harbor Guides about their areas. This is just another example of the great support we loopers get from the AGLCA.

We had a great time chatting after the parts run and I gave Kim a tour of Escapade. Kim is planning to do the Great loop in 2030. She is enjoying meeting Loopers and learning about the lifestyle – THANK YOU KIM!!!!!


The history here on the Chesapeake is fascinating and I am so glad I read the James Michener book “Chesapeake” before we started our cruise in this area. Reading any Michener is a commitment and he can be very verbose but the history in his books is solid and he has a gift of bringing you right into it the lives of people and places he wrote about.

We spent Sunday morning at the Calvert Marine Museum where pre-history, natural history, and maritime heritage come together to tell a unique story of the Chesapeake Bay. This is a wonderful museum, located in Solomons, Maryland, at the mouth of the Patuxent River. It offers an aquarium, live animals, fossils, interactive exhibits, daily activities, and a furnished cottage-style lighthouse which you can tour. I love the aquarium exhibits and the seahorses were so cool!

Okay, how cool is that!
This is a white Snapping Turtle… boy did he snap up the dead mouse they offered him for breakfast!

The natural resources in and around the Chesapeake Bay were incredible in the day, so many waterman made a living on the bay and some still do. Work hard, play hard… this is evident in history of the bay as well. Showboats plied the bay and offered entertainment of all kinds!

It was very easy to spend the entire morning in this museum and I felt myself being drawn back to the book Chesapeake over and over. I love that feeling of being pulled back into the history of an area and the way things resonate in a place like this museum.





This area of the Chesapeake is rich with fossils and the Calvert Cliffs have yielded some amazing finds. The skeletal remains of such land fauna as tapirs, mastodons, rhinoceros, horses, and dogs have been found here.


The Drum Point Lighthouse which now resides at the Museum was fascinating.. I don’t think I have ever been in a cottage style light house. It is beautifully restored and seemed cozy, until the docent told stories about the second level kitchen being flooded when the windows were blown out in a fierce storm.

This screwpile, cottage-type light is only one of three remaining from forty-five that once served the Chesapeake Bay at the beginning of the twentieth century.  Decommissioned in 1962, the lighthouse fell victim to vandals until moved to its present site in 1975. Beautifully restored, complete with furnishings of the early twentieth century, it has become the waterfront’s main attraction and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



After our delightful stroll back in time at the museum, we took a walk to Solomons Island, stopping along the way for lunch at the CD Cafe. The food delicious and the strawberry mimosas were very refreshing.


To walk off a bit of our lunch, we continued on foot seeing some interesting old homes, loads more boats, the happening Tiki Bar, a fox and a water snake! Not a dull walk. Strolling the boardwalk along the Patuxent was a lovely way to meander back to the marina.

We enjoyed our final evening in Solomons with a light dinner and glass of wine on the flybridge. Water fowl and birds were abundant, the water was like glass as the sun slowly crept into the horizon.

Next Stop…. Annapolis Maryland.

Great Loop Adventure … Days 167-178 Chesapeake to Kilmarnock Va

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It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since we arrive in Virginia last month. The boat wintered well at Atlantic Yacht Basin but we had lots of projects and maintenance to do to get prepared to cruise again. We will be taking Escapade out into the Atlantic Ocean for 120 nautical mile run from Cape May NJ to New York City NY next month so we want get all of our maintenance and projects done before that.

On May 5th we took a slow, leisurely cruise from Chesapeake to Norfolk where we tied up at Tidewater Marina for 6 nights. Wally continued working on his project list, while I attended the Great Loop Cruisers Association Spring Rendezvous. I think I had way more fun than he did for sure!!! I left the conference with loads of route planning information and some new friends that I hope to see again on the loop.

From Norfolk, we had planned to cruise to Mobjack Bay, anchor there and explore by kayak for a few days but the dang weather gnomes had other ideas. Wind direction did not look favorable for a quiet anchorage so instead we headed to Deltaville and spent 2 nights at Norview Marina.

There is no way to know what the weather Gnomes are up to!!!

Best I can tell, the Chesapeake Bay is a moody bi-otch and needs to be given a lot of respect. That said, understanding and watching the weather is a huge part of boating and despite our 20+ years on the water, the loop is definitely test testing us on this aspect over and over. Knowing how your boat handles and having a solid Go-No-Go Plan is critical. The joke amongst loopers is you can always say ”my half of the boat isn’t going today”.

I know this looks basically simple, but there are so many factors to consider every day down to what direction is the wind coming from. I feel like I could write a whole post on this, but won’t bore you with the gritty detail. Wally and I both look at the weather and discuss it often, some days ad nauseam but it’s better than a bit arse whooping from Mother Nature!

On our run up to Deltaville a hose clamp on the port side turbo output broke, which created a bad vacuum for air to move thru the turbo and into the engine. She ran fine at lower rpm’s but our stern transom and the cockpit was a sooty mess when we arrived. UGH, scrubbing the entire back of the boat was not part of the plan after a long cruise day.

The folks at Norview Marina are great and connected us with a local mechanic to trouble shoot any potential issues from that broken clamp. Bob actually called us back on Sunday morning and after chatting with him, Wally was able to check inside the turbo and then replace that damn hose clamp.
What is with us and hose clamps?? We had a recent turbo failure on our coach due to a broken clamp… that due to design and was fatal for the turbo. Nothing preventative maintenance could have done to prevent it from happening.

Thankfully, on the boat, there was no damage to the turbo itself – yay – and it was an easy fix on Sunday. Knowing that we had a relaxing rest of the weekend. There is not much to do in this area so we took a nice long walk to Stingray Point.

Apparently F dock at Norview Marina is party central in the season… I love all the porch/kitchen setups.

Our cruise to Kilmarnock was short and uneventful – just the way we like it! It was definitely a bluebird day for cruising.

Kilmarnock is a great stop over and the Chesapeake Boat Basin is a nice marina to be tied up at. It is a small marina just off the bay on Indian Creek. There are mainly permanent moorage boats here now and the transient docks are nearly empty this time of year. There has not been another looper or cruiser come in since we arrived Monday.

The marina is small but has very nice amenities like a courtesy car, bikes, swimming pool, boaters lounge, laundry and clean bathrooms. Since there are no other transient boaters here, we have been taking full advantage of the loaner car.

Oddly, not one other looper pulled into this marina during the 4 days we were there. Seems, many have cruised right on by so many of these small charming towns like Kilmarnock and just run up the Chesapeake to more well known areas.

It is an easy bike ride into Kilmarnock proper. Wally did it once to go to the hardware store but we also used the car to explore a bit. Town is super cute, some nice restaurants and stores. Double bonus points from this crew for the amazing wine shop – Specials. The owner Amy, is an Advanced Sommelier and the wine selection in this small rural city store indicates her depth of knowledge. We found a great Thai/Sushi restaurant and treated ourselves to a nice dinner out one night.

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The plan was to cruise over to Coles Point off the Potomac River on Monday to spend time with my cousins who live on Machodock Creek. Again, the weather gnomes had other ideas so we stayed put and my cousin Tina drove over from Montross VA and spent a couple days with us on Escapade. We love having guests onboard and especially appreciate our adventurous friends and family who join us along the loop.

Both half of the boats stayed in the marina!


We took a drive over to Irvington and had lunch at The Office – it was delicious! We found a great small store, Kellum Farms on the way back that had loads of local items. The fresh gulf shrimp caught our eye and later that evening I fixed Cajun Spiced Shrimp and Grits for everyone. There may have been some wine consumed as well!!!

Today’s cruise will be about 52 NM to Solomons Maryland. The weather looks very favorable for a nice cruise and I am hoping the weather gnomes give it a rest for a few days!

See you in the Solomons!

Great Loop Adventure – Day 165 – Chesapeake VA

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So glad we skedaddled over here on Thursday before Tropical Storm Ophelia unleashed her wrath on the east coast. By late afternoon yesterday is was wild and windy in this part of Virginia. We felt super safe here at Atlantic Yacht Basin as the facility is on the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal and behind the Great Bridge Lock. Escapade was storm tied on the fixed docks and we had no issues during the height of the storm.

I took the screen shot below on one of our weather apps last night. This was during the peak of the storm here. The green dot is where we are at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake. The white dot is where we were at Bluewater Yachting Center. The chart shows the sustained winds but not the gusts which were around 30 mph here… can’t imagine what they were over in Hampton where we are having all the work done on the boat. The blue dot is where I hope no one was last night!!!

Yesterday afternoon…. You can see that we weren’t getting any real wind waves in the canal but it was raining sideways all day.

It’s actually the A & C Canal, silly me!

Friday morning before the storm hit, we took an Uber back over to Hampton to get Ernie and have brunch with our friends Stacy and Eric at Mango Mangeaux in Phoebus. The restaurant is adorable inside and the food is excellent. Wally and both had the Chesapeake Benedict.

Two Poached Eggs, Two Fried Green Tomatoes, Lump Crab, and a Cajun hollandaise sauce. Topped on a buttery biscuit and served with a side of fruit and ‘Mango Mango’ fruit dip. The City of Hampton is known for its crab and Mango Mangeaux’s is well known for their Chesapeake Benedict! Some how we were also influenced to have a flight of Mimosas, go figure!

The upside of being in the Norfolk/Hampton area for almost 3 months is that we made some new wonderful friends, both human and canine. Stacey and Eric have the most adorable dogs and we have really been getting sweet doggie fixes from them. We are looking forward to seeing them all when we are back in May.

This is May and Val…they are Australian Labradoodles. These two are not from Australia but the breed did originate in Australia in the 1980’s. The Australian Labradoodle is a mix of up to six different breeds including Labrador, Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker, Curly Coated Retriever and Irish Water Spaniel.

Phoebus is a cute area on the edge of Hampton, It has been revitalized over the years and has some great shops and restaurants now. After brunch we checked out a few shops in Phoebus. Thanks Stacy for introducing us to the “Way We Were Book Store”. Thousands and thousands of books, stacked 6-7 feet high and apparently 7 more offsite storage units full of more books. Let’s just say it was an experience!!!

It’s still gusty and rainy here in Chesapeake today so it’s a good day to hunker down inside. We have started packing and getting organized to leave on Friday.

Escapade is set up with everything we need in the way of kitchen supplies, linens, towels, bedding, etc so mostly what we are packing up is anything food related and some of our clothes. Oh, and the liquor cabinet and wine stash of course!

I don’t like to leave any food items on the boat when we leave for the winter. Since we will be gone for 6 months, I am emptying, cleaning and turning off the refrigerators/ freezers too. After six years post retirement of doing the annual switch between the boat and the RV, we kinda have this down to a science.

Geez, there is only about a couple of inches left in each of those big bottles… Hmm, there are 6 cocktail night opportunities before we leave. Can we do it???

The Amarula is Wallys coffee creamer of choice so of course that has to go with us!

Great Loop Adventure – Day 161 – Hampton VA

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Well, we are still in Hampton in the boat yard but the good news is that the transmission repair is finished, the transmission is back at the Blue Water repair yard was painted yesterday. It is being installed today(Tuesday 9/19) – YAY!!! Then the boat will get launched and we will do a sea trail, hopefully on Wednesday, to make sure everything is running well and the shaft and engine alignment is correct.

Basically the transmission has been rebuilt inside. Who said diamonds are a girls best friend??  This is even better than diamonds but probably more expensive!!! It feels great to have an end in sight, even if it’s just taking the boat to Chesapeake where she will go into a boat house for the winter. Our plan is to still be rolling west in the coach on Oct 1 – YAY!!!

The hot temperatures here have finally abated and we have had several nights that we could turn off the AC’s and open up the boat to get nice breezes. It’s been great walking weather so we have been hitting our favorite places like The Nolan Trail. On our last walk, we did the entire 4.5 mile loop and we saw loads of turtles in the lake, a huge herd of white tailed deer, herons and loads of ducks and geese. Such a beautiful hike.

We also visited the Mariners Museum … of course we did, despite been grounded we still qualify as mariners!!! The museum is amazing… more than 90,000 square feet of galleries filled with maritime art, culture, science, and history. We totally reconnected with our inner maritime selves.

One of the more fascinating exhibits was the Ironclad Revolution. I had never heard of these ships but of course, Wally had and was super excited about seeing a replica of the Monitor. An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells.

The Battle of Hampton Roads was a two-day naval engagement of the American Civil War, which took place on March 8–9, 1862 in the waters off Hampton, Virginia. This battle is remarkable for the first fight between two ironclad warships: USS Monitor, and CSS Virginia. After the battle ended naval warfare had been changed forever.

Walking through the exhibits you experience the story of USS Monitor, CSS Virginia, and the historic 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a melding of artifacts, original documents, paintings, personal accounts, and interactives that will pique all five senses. You are immersed in the tales of the individuals who lived through and lost their lives in this pivotal period of American history.

The Mariners’ is the proud caretaker of more than 200 tons of artifacts recovered from the wreck of USS Monitor, including its revolving gun turret, Dahlgren guns, steam engine, and more.

This museum has way more to see and experience that just this small part I am writing about. History buffs, civil war aficionados, boaters, it has something to offer everyone.

If you are looping, there are many marina choices in this area on the James River. We are at Blue Water in Hampton which is a very nice Safe Harbor Marina. You would definitely want to rent a car if you wanted to see more but I suspect Uber could easily get you to this Museum in Newport News.

Another fun town to explore was Smithfield… they have a nice Farmers Market on Saturday’s and the nearby Windsor Castle Park has miles of beautiful shady walking trail which we really enjoyed. The park features a woodland trail system, picnic and open area space, dog park, kayak/canoe launch, fishing pier, mountain bike path, scenic overlooks and the historic manor house — Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle Farm was originally part of a 1450 acre parcel patented in 1637 by Arthur Smith, an ancestor of the town’s founder, Arthur Smith IV.

FYI… There is no castle and no one seems to have any clue as to why its named Windsor Castle – Oh well!!!

HAHA…. Not Windsor Castle but the Smithfield historical area is filled with beautiful old Victorian homes.


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If you like ham, you are in the right place… Smithfield is known worldwide for its famous ham curing process. Nope, we did not tour any of those facilities but instead wandered around the quaint downtown area. There is a ham shop that you can taste at and have lunch too. Bacon, BBQ, Breakfast Sausage, Deli Meat, Fresh Pork, Ham, Lunchmeat, Marinated Pork, Ribs, Smoked Sausage, Snacking – they got ya covered.

Okay, that made me laugh out loud!!!

Loopers or boaters could easily take a side trip to Smithfield. The James River is beautiful cruising and will take you to the Pagan River which will take you to Smithfield. There is a small marina in Smithfield that is about a half mile from historical area and 3/4 miles from Windsor Park.

Several weeks ago we took a drive to Cape Charles to check out this quaint fishing town and its beaches. For much of its history, Cape Charles has been a center for the fishing and seafood industry. The area is particularly known for its clams, oysters, and crabs.

The beautiful sandy beaches are within walking distance of the historic district and the marina. Because the beach is on the Bay side it is very safe and no real surf to speak of. There is also a nice fishing pier and it was fun chatting with some local folks who were fishing for spotted trout or flounder, but would have been happy to hook anything! If you are doing the Great Loop it’s definitely worth considering a stop there. There is a really nice marina and it’s a very short walk right down to the main street or beaches. The Shanty, where we had lunch is also located at the marina.

We enjoyed a stroll on the beach, lunch at The Shanty and a cider tasting at Buskey Cider. I had a delicious bacon and soft shell crab sandwich at the Shanty and the water view wasn’t bad either. Do you think I really liked that sammie??!!

Our lunch at The Shanty was delicious and without a doubt very unhealthy but a girl has gotta splurge occasionally.

The Main Street area has loads of restaurant choices and cute shops to browse in. Like a Sailor was my favorite shop…. So many funny items and its expected that you will laugh out loud while shopping!

No way you can’t laugh out loud in this store!

Just one of many awesome dish towels in Like A Sailor.

The drive to Cape Charles is interesting as you have to cross the Chesapeake Bay where it opens to the Atlantic Ocean to get to the eastern side of Virginia. To do this you will drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Between the toll plazas on the north and south ends, the bridge-tunnel is 20 miles long. Counting the approach roads, the facility is 23 miles long. Each of the underwater tunnels is over one mile long, and the entire project is a major engineering achievement.

The drive is really beautiful and the idea that you are under the bay for over a mile is kind of creepy cool. As you drive along on the bridge, at a distance it appears that it just ends and you will drive off into the water. It’s quite an optical illusion and for this cool adventure, the price of admission is only $14 each way!!

That’s the update for this week… hopefully the next update will be filmed on the water!!!

Great Loop Adventure – Hampton Virginia

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It’s been a while since I posted anything and honestly August is shaping up to be the worst month we had since starting the Great Loop Adventure… possible the most epically bad month I can remember.

As you know, we have been hanging out at Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton Virginia waiting to get parts to repair our port transmission. Annoying yes but definitely not the worst par of the month.

The last ten days have been consumed with end of life issues with our sweet boy Bentley. We knew he was slowing down, we knew 12 years old was getting on for a Boxer and we knew the inevitable would happen someday. But it just happened so quickly and we are reeling from it.

He was fine one day and really sick a couple of days later. A trip to the veterinarian revealed some serious heart issues. We left the vet with a bag of meds, a referral to a cardiologist and we were somewhat hopeful. Less than a week later we were were back at the vets office saying good bye to him.

After we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t breathe and went outside and just wailed. 12 plus years with him, our hearts ache and it’s hard to see the joy he brought us through the grief right now. I know this too shall pass and his bright light and the joy of him being a part of our lives will return, just like it did with Gus, Bob, Lacy and Chauncey before him.

Bentley will always be the tether ball champion!!!

He was such a big part of our lives and so many of our adventures, especially since we have been retired. Such a silly, goofy sensitive soul who loved to play ball, chase butterflies and lay in the sun. When I was still working he went to work with me almost everyday, he loved going to the beach with us, he cruised the San Juan Islands and all the way to Desolation Sound British Columbia with us. He traveled thousands of miles with us in the coach through out the US and Canada. I know he had a wonderful life but damn it we just were not ready for his passing.

It’s painful to go through his things, remove his beds from the boat, clean out his food and treat cupboard… it’s like I am erasing his presence. We have never not had a dog and we’ll see how long we last before another four legged fur baby enters our life. But for now, our Kitty Sucia is trying to fill the void. Extra headbutts and lap time, but she too is missing him. He was her pack.

And if all that that isn’t bad enough… we both have COVID! Two days after Bentley passed we both felt tired and rundown and the symptoms have just gotten worse from there. So while I wallow in my self pity, I also know this too shall pass and we actually have a lot to be grateful for. That said, we are both ready for this month to be over and looking forward to a better September.

I’ve been looking at photos and videos of our sweet boy and will share a few with you. Rest in peace baby Bentie, we are blessed to have had you as part of our family.

Bentie was an adorable puppy, his buddy Gus helped us raise him and taught him some manners too. They were the best buddies and I hope they are together again.

That boy loved the beach… and with those long legs he could fly like the wind! He wasn’t much of a swimmer but wading was big fun!

Bentie on Patos Island…

Bentie on Matia Island…

Bentie at Kwatsi Bay in the Broughton Islands British Columbia…

Bentie on the boat…

Bentie in Santa Fe New Mexico…

Bentie in the desert… The Lemon Dog was his nickname. He discovered lemons at our RV Resort in Palm Springs and loved playing with them and chewing on them. Lemony fresh breathe!!!

All good things got to come to an end

Rolling ’till it ends in the sea
Our pleasure grows
Rolling ’till it ends in you and me
Rolling ’till it ends in you and me
Here where the angels
Have appeared and are gone
Your face like an ember
Glows in the dawn
But I want you to remember
All wild deeds live on
All good times, all good friends

Great Loop Adventure – Hampton Virginia

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It’s not usually good news when the captain is doing routine maintenance on the boat and greets you with the following words “I think we have a problem”. Well, it’s a boat so yeah what’s new I thought. Then he showed me this…

Nope, those are not gemstones or black diamonds, those are metal pieces that he found in the oil of our port (left) transmission. First he found 3-4 pieces in the oil, then put a magnetic wand in the oil drain and found a lot more… NOT GOOD!!! After some discussion with a ZF/Hurth Transmission expert, the consensus is those little metal bits are likely from our transmission clutch gears. Nope, not good at all.

The irony (pun intended), is that we have traveled almost a thousand miles with ZERO issues. No tale tail clunking, grinding or rough shifting. So our first though is can we keep cruising, take it easy on the engines and transmissions and have it fixed this winter while the boat is in storage.

Nope, not a good idea at all and the worst case scenario is that something could happen at the worst possible time and do even more damage to the transmission. UGH, we are not gamblers so continuing on our merry way didn’t seem like a good option. Our transmission experts were a bit puzzled about these bits of gear in just one of our two transmissions. They said this isn’t due to lack of maintenance – this usually happens because of an incident. Did we have an incident??? Nope, but there was one when the boat was being pulled out for the pre-purchase survey. Thats another long story, which I won’t bore you with. But honestly none of us including the engine and hull surveyor even thought about transmission damage. After describing that incident to the transmission expert, he agreed that it was indeed possible that this damage had happened then.

So now what??? We decided to bring the boat over to Bluewater Yacht Center in Hampton to have the transmission pulled and sent to Great Lakes Power to be repaired. Unfortunately , this type of repair can’t be done any other way. 

The good news is we can stay on the boat while the repairs are being made but the bad news is our 1998 ZF Hurth Transmission isn’t easy to find OEM parts for. The Great Lakes Power folks found everything except the gasket and seal kit. It might be available by late September. UGH… after some looking we found an aftermarket kit made by a reliable company so we are going to go that route.

Yes, we are both a bit bummed as an extended layover in Hampton was not on the agenda for sure. So … no cruising for us until the repair is done but at least we have our trusty SUV Ernie to go exploring in. The marina is nice, we have a pool and laundry facilities and a really great cider place nearby!!

Plus it really pretty here and Mother Nature put on a show last night just to cheer us up!

Great Loop Adventure Hampton VA – Day 116

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With a 95% chance of rain and expected accumulation of over 1/2 inch it definitely wasn’t going to be a day to be exploring outdoors. After a leisurely morning with loads of hot coffee, we decided to get out and brave the deluge of rain. It’s weird to dress for a warm, wet day… I’ve mostly been living in shorts, a tee shirt and flip flops so I was puzzling on what to wear, LOL!!! So, I could have just thrown on a rain jacket over that attire but I figured it might be cold inside places we might go. Usually the air conditioning is set on high almost everyplace we’ve been into in Virginia. In the end, I chose a pair of lightweight, quick dry capri pants, a capped sleeve shirt and a pair of slip on boat shoes. EWW, shoes!!! Of course I forgot my light sweater but somehow I survived with my fashion choices and yes, I really did need that rain jacket!

We decided to explore locally and started off with lunch at Venture Kitchen and Bar in Downtown Hampton. Their website described handmade pizza dough and a wood fired oven, so that seemed like a perfect lunch on a rainy day. The young man who waited on us was great and very chatty. Not sure how we got on the subject but he was fascinated by The Great Loop and kept coming by to ask us questions. He has a friend who lives on a boat… that is not operable, but still, he totally got the magnitude of doing a 6,000 mile loop around the US on a boat. Maybe it was more the idea that a boat could could actually run for that many miles??? I loved his curiosity and interest in traveling and so hope he follows his dreams, gets out and sees the world.

After lunch, we headed over to the NASA Langley Visitors Center which houses the Virginia Air & Space Science Center. Wally worked for NASA in the early 90’s and is always game to visit anything NASA, Space or Aeronautics related. It was a very heady time in his career and the spacecrafts he designed electronic hardware for all launched into space and gathered some really amazing science.


Mars Pathfinder was one of the most exciting projects that Wally worked on during his time at NASA- JPL. I will never forget the excitement of seeing it launch in Florida and then seeing it actually land on Mars and start collecting data.

Hampton, Virginia is the birthplace of America’s space program. The Virginia Air & Space Science Center features interactive aviation exhibits spanning 100 years of flight, more than 30 historic aircraft, a hands-on space exploration gallery, unique space flight artifacts, and more! The Center is home to the Apollo 12 Command Module and the Orion PA-1 Test Vehicle – COOL!!!!

A unique collaboration between the City of Hampton and NASA Langley Research Center started in 1986. NASA Langley Research Center expressed a willingness to relocate their visitor center to downtown Hampton, so more people would have access to explore the past, present, and future of air and space. The City wanted a new place to highlight Hampton’s wealth of history. Hampton is America’s first permanent English speaking settlement and the birthplace of our country’s air and space technology so it appeared to be the perfect collaboration.

The museum isn’t big so it’s amazing how it can house so many aircraft’s. YF16, F4 Phantom, Burt Rutan’s Experimental and the FA18 which a friend based out of Whidbey Island Washington flew over our marina on occasion!

It was a perfect rainy day outing and it wasn’t really crowded either. There were more kids there than adults as the museum has an excellent educational program. They provide educational experiences through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to students who will one day become our next 21st Century explorers of the future. We had fun watching a group of kids being led by a teacher doing an egg drop experiment. The goal is to drop your egg from a high point and have it land intact – think humans in the first Apollo mission!!! The girl with the balloon design and the boy with the coffee filter design nailed it!! We helped a few that landed early on the second level of the museum where we were watching. Sadly, some of those egg astronauts didn’t survive their space flight.

It was a real walk down memory lane seeing all the Apollo exhibits. It was an exciting time in American history to see Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. My mother worked in High Tech and her group manufactured some of the high reliability power supply’s in these Apollo spacecraft that we saw in the museum. She was incredibly proud of that work and we all excitedly watched so many of the Apollo launches. Who’da thunk I’d eventually marry a man who helped send space craft to Mars and Saturn???

After the museum, the weather gave us a break so we took a walk around Downtown Hampton. There is a nice river walk that winds along the Salters Creek. Don’t know if was the rain, but we wehardly saw a soul out and about and the area had ZERO vibe. Not good, not bad or indifferent, WTH??? We will have to check it out again on a weekend and see if that changes.

For boaters, Hampton is a nice stop if you are interested in the Museum and a checking out a few restaurant within walking distance. The Docks at Downtown Hampton is an option for boaters and it is right off the Hampton River in Downtown. Personally, I wasn’t impressed with it BUT the location is perfect. Safe Haven Bluewater which is a great marina is another option but it would mean taking their water taxi or Uber to get to downtown.

LOL, there was definitely no Joy at the Joy’s Marina. Looks like its hasn’t been operational in years!

After our walk around Hampton, we decided to drive over to the Phoebus Neighborhood and check out Sly Clyde Ciderworks. I really like this eclectic little neighborhood, it has all kinds of cool eateries, a few art galleries and a nice middle class vibe.

Wally is a big cider fan… me?? Meh, most are too sweet but when a good one comes along, I am all in. Wally had ordered a Sly Clyde Submursive Hard Cider at lunch and I liked it so much, that I decided to get one too. WooHoo, day drinking on a rainy day. We knew the brewery was local, so now we were really motivated to check it out. Again, there was not a soul on the streets and NO one inside at Sly Clyde when we got there around 3:30.

We had a great time with Amy, who was behind the bar. It’s really interesting and fun to connect with people who are locals. She is putting in a few extra hours at the ciderhouse on Friday and Saturday to top off her kids colleague funds. Otherwise, she is a bean counter at a nearby shipyard so we got to talk with her about that, which was fascinating! We also met her daughter who is in Vet School in Grenada but home for a summer break. The ciders were all great and we had more fun conversation with Amy and some friends of hers that stopped by with their adorable Cocker, Poodle Doodle Dogs. .

We started with a tasting flight but Amy kept the samples coming off the taps. Even a few of her own concoctions, which were delicious. The ciders were great and of course we left with several four packs and a few new friends. A very good rainy day indeed!

Taking a Break Great Loop Adventure Day 79-92

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Sometimes the joy of traveling is not traveling – LOL!! Seriously, it’s exhausting to be on the move everyday so taking a break for a few days or a few weeks is great. Technically we are in Portsmouth VA but are just across the river from Norfolk and I couldn’t be happier with the location. It’s easy to get to Norfolk proper and also explore the area with our trusty SUV Ernie.

We really wanted to be in Norfolk for the 4th of July… it just seemed so fitting to celebrate our independence surround by navy ships and personnel. Our slip at the Tidewater Marina gave us a birds eye view of the firework show and it was quite spectacular.

I use an app called Bands in Town… it helps you find musical events in your area. You can set your location and choose your favorite band or musician. Based on your preference it will alert you when a musician you like is in the area and also give you alert for similar musicians. I just happened to go on the app to update our new location and up popped The Doobie Brothers 50th Anniversary Concert tour at the nearby Atlantic Bank Pavilion. Wally loves the Doobies so of course we had to buy tickets for July 3rd. Concert day rolled around and by late afternoon a massive electrical storm was brewing. Thunder, lightening and torrential rain started around 5:00 pm. I was sure the concert was a no go and poor Bentie was shaking. We had good communication from the venue via social media so after the first big storm stopped we walked 10 minutes to the pavilion. Right as we got there. – KAPOW – another storm starts rolling thru. Geez, I was sure again it was doomed but long story short after two delays we got into our seats and the concert started at 9:00 pm.

It was poring buckets … You couldn’t even see Downtown Norfolk a cross the river.

The Doobie Brothers band was really tight and the concert was a blast. Michael McDonald was on keyboard with his still great voice and the saxophone player was incredible. They even had a guest artist join them for the last few songs – Bruce Hornsby – who I LOVE!!! I also really liked the multimedia show that was playing behind the band. Seeing the old film clips of the much younger Doobies were really fun.

It’s been quite warm here so we have been doing our walks and exploring in the mornings. Or, we are finding indoor places to explore like the Chrysler Museum of Art and Glass Studio. This museum is really well done and I love that they have made art available to everyone by not charging admission. We also had a nice lunch at the museum cafe .. the food was really good and its a nice way to support the museum.

Of course, we have found all the necessities like grocery stores, West Marine, Lowe’s and Home Depot!!! There is even a Farmers Market every Saturday in Portsmouth and it’s a nice walk to get there. I’ve gone twice and done a side trip through the old town area to look at all the beautiful, historical homes.

My yummy lunch with spoils found at the local farmers market. Basil and heirloom tomatoes with a goat cheese and chive quiche.

There is an adorable family of ducks who have come visiting frequently. They seem to know when I will be sitting outside in the early evening and Mama duck quacks really loud to announce their arrival. Of course I scramble to find something to feed them … I am a sucker!!! They have been the happy recipients of stale bread, tortillas, corn and oats. Wonder if I can find some Purina duck chow somewhere??

Mama was trying to get the full attention of the brood… she seemed to be giving them a lecture on being grateful for unexpected gifts.

We have had some repairs and maintenance to get done on Escapade, so that is another great reason to tie up here for a few weeks. Our gal needs engine and generator oil/filter changes and we are replacing the house batteries as they are getting long in the tooth. Captain Handy aka Wally will be doing that as well as replacing the AC main water pump. He got the AC pump done earlier this week and after a couple of failed starts, he got the system working – YAY. All the AC’s are working again, they are much quieter, producing cooler air and not cycling on and off. YAY and more YAY – everyone is happier on board too. The portable monster unit we bought at Walmart in Elizabeth City saved our bacon and I was sure glad to have it.

It wa a little janky but it did the job. I put the vent tube out the porthole window and stuffed a towel around it to keep the warm air out.

The furbags are happy to have all the AC units working again too.

We have found plenty to keep us busy and entertained since we got here PLUS Wally drove to Florida in Ernie to bring Road House, our Entegra Coach here to Virginia. We really wanted it out of Florida during hurricane season. It was a whirlwind 5 day road trip for Wally but I stayed on the boat to look after the furbags. I found a great indoor storage facility about 50 miles from Norfolk. It’s a massive cinderblock building in the middle of nowhere. Definitely not worried about the weather with her inside that building.

Road House is all tucked away inside for the summer.

There is so much to see and do in this area so we will take advantage of having wheels. Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Cape Charles and Hampton are a few of the places we want to check out so stay tuned for more land based adventures.