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
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.
Since leaving Charleston SC we’ve done a series of short cruises stopping at a mix of small rural marinas and small town marinas. We are currently in Myrtle Beach at the Barefoot Marina. So far on the loop, I would say this last stop is my least favorite. It’s very commercial and touristy here… over priced restaurants with mediocre food, arcades and loads of people. MEH, Just not my cup of tea.
Took this video heading out through Elliot Cut which takes you to Charleston Harbor.
More pictures in the Elliot Cut and of the Charleston Harbor.
Leland Marina in McCellanville was our first stop after leaving Charleston. It’s rustic… fuel, docks, power and water but no other real amenities. It was also $80 a night – PERFECT. There is also a small restaurant within walking distance (we did not go but others have said it was good) and some great places to buy local shrimp. I loved the sunset from the flybridge and seeing all the shrimp boats coming and going.
We had front row seats to this cool birdie ballet show on our cruise to McCellanville
Over the years the village of McCellanville would become known for growing a great variety of produce, the distillation of salt during the Civil War, timber harvesting, the production turpentine and tar, and in recent years, harvesting of its famous Bull’s Bay oysters, clams and shrimp.
Our next stop was at Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown, SC. We had a great spot on the outside dock where we could see all the boats come and go and watch the glorious sunsets. Just across the street from the marina is a lovely, tree lined residential area full of beautiful old homes, some dating back to the early 1700’s. We got a walking map from the visitors center that listed all the historical homes and any known historical information.
The harbor walk takes you along the quaint historically district and right next door to the marina is an awesome fresh seafood vendor. Yep, more fresh shrimp!!!
Met these two dudes while we were out walking.
Wacca Wache Marina which is near Murrells Inlet was our next stop after Georgetow. This one nighter was definitely one of my favorite stops so far. Sitting in a beautiful stretch of the Waccamaw River, this small rural marina is a slice of boating paradise. The onsite restaurant overlooks the river and is the ideal place to relax and enjoy a leisurely lunch.
We really enjoyed getting the kayaks off the boat and paddling the numerous creeks around the marina. We found an area where there is a Great Blue Heron rookery. Talk about noisy!!! The adults are squawking and the chicks are beeping for food. I saw two big nests and there were loads of herons in the surrounding area, protecting the rookery. It’s fascinating as usually herons are quite solitary but during nesting season they band together to protect the babes. So sweet!
Turn up your volume to hear the heron’s chattering.
I also got to meet Charlie, the resident alligator at Waccha Wache Marina while kayaking. He was sunning up on the bank inside the marina basin when I spotted him. I might have yelled at Wally – “alligator”!!! This woke Old Charlie up and he proceed to charged right down the bank and back into the water, lighting fast. WEEHA… Literally, right in front of me – YIKES!!! Wow, did I paddle fast to get away from there. I don’t like alligators… nope, not one little bit.
The cruise from Leland Marina to just outside Myrtle Beach was gorgeous … the topography had really changed. Still low country, with marshes and abandon rice fields but in this section the cypress trees are lining the water creating a beautiful, mysterious affect. I saw loads of Osprey nests and saw one Osprey carrying a huge fish back its nest. That family of birds ate well! It was a privilege to be cruising this beautiful area most of the day with no other boats. Well until Myrtle Beach… then the bloom fell right off the rose.
The picture with the sign number 385 is actually an old ICW mile marker.
The intent was to make it a one night stop in MEH Myrtle Beach just to break up a long section of the cruise to Southport NC but it turned into a 2 night stop to wait out the rising wind. This part of the ICW is all man made and is really just a big ditch that was blasted out with dynamite. When we leave Barefoot Marina, the well know 3 mile rock pile starts and the rock ledge that lines the canal in this portion is somewhat narrow and very unforgiving. If one stays in the main channel, all is well. Stray out of it and your running gear and props could get damaged. With that in mind, we did not want to cruise this portion of the ICW with gusty strong wind.
We have really loved South Carolina, the waterways, the history and the people have a special place in my heart. This will be our last stop in South Carolina … Next stop Southport NC.
Just an FYI for all of you following our Great Loop Adventure, I created a private FB Group called Escapade on the Loop. I am posting there almost daily. If you would like to hop onboard Escapade and join the group, here is a link you can follow. https://m.facebook.com/groups/169381679353553/?ref=share
Also, can you let me know if you are NOT receiving notifications via email when new posts are published. A few people have let me know that they are not receiving email notifications anymore. If you have a word press reader, you can change the settings to receive email updates but I am not sure why the auto updates are not happening anymore.
an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure.
We think it’s the perfect name for the boat as it really sums up our big adventure that we will be doing on the great loop.
Escapade on the dock in Hobe Sound. It’s been a great place to spend the winter and we are uber grateful to our friend Barb who offered us this space on the canal behind her house.
So what is the great loop??? The Great Loop is a 6,000 nautical mile circumnavigation of the eastern U.S., and part of Canada. The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York State Canals, the Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. “Loopers” take on this adventure of a lifetime aboard their own boat, no cruise ships do this as it takes at least a year to complete. We are “slow” looping, breaking the loop up in segments based on the weather and best seasons to explore that area. We think we will be looping for 2-3 years. This year we will leave Florida in April and cruise as far as Chesapeake Bay. Ultimately, we will put Escapade away for the winter, under covered storage in Chesapeake VA.
So why not just do the loop in one year you may be wondering. We certainly could but want to have more time to really explore. If one does the loop in one year, you have to cruise thru certain areas with the season and you do this over the course of a year to stay ahead of the seasons, so you are constantly on the move. As an example, unless you want to be the Edmond Fitzgerald, you need to be off the Great Lakes by late fall. Cold, wet and windy with potentially life threatening storms make Lake Superior nowhere to be past fall.
This will be our cruise route for 2023.
SOOO, about Escapade… she is a 1998 Carver Voyager 530. Measuring 53 feet long, 16 feet wide and just over 19 ft tall, she’s a big girl. Our biggest boat and quite possibility our last boat. She has three staterooms, two full bathrooms and a spacious salon and galley, she is a pilothouse/flybridge model, meaning there is a fully equipped driving area inside the boat which also has a big semi-circular dining table. There is also an enclosed flybridge with a huge lounging/dining area and another driving station. I love the views from the flybridge and we spend a lot of time up there. It is the place of choice for happy hour.
I will post a video walk thru when we are done tearing things apart (and putting them back together!).
The other cool thing about Escapade is that she has a crane to lift our 11 ft Boston Whaler up and onto the stern flybridge of the boat. The whaler gives us the option of exploring nooks and cranny’s on the water where Escapade can’t go. It is also a way for us to get Bentley to shore if we are anchored out somewhere. We bought the whaler sight unseen from a couple in Sarasota Florida last summer. This size, year and model of whaler is the perfect fit weight wise for Escapade. When I found it online, we jumped on it. Basically, we did a video chat and inspection with the owners, who were great. They even towed it to their storage facility for us, where it sat thru Hurricane IAN – GULP!!! It all worked out and when we got back to Florida in October, we drove over to Sarasota and picked it up. Other than two flat tires on the trailer and the boat being dirty, it was in great shape. Thankfully Hurricane Ian dodged both boats which were on land in differnt parts of Florida. It’s a bit nerve wracking the first few times, lifting the whaler up and on to the boat but hopefully it will get more routine as we get used to doing it. Wally did maintenance the lift, replace the steel lift cable with synthetic and purchase all new rigging before our first attempt.
The whaler’s name is Hijinx and we are looking forward to some fun in it! Hijinx also got a through cleaning, new electronics and a bilge pump. Wally serviced the 25 hp motor and it runs like a top.
Okay, maybe she’s bigger than we needed but we plan to be living on this boat at least 6 months out of the year and will have friends and family join us as we cruise the great loop. She was also a bit older than we originally wanted but the trade off financially for new/smaller vs older/bigger will hopefully be worth it. I say hopefully, because she has needed a lot of upgrades. I mean thousands of dollars in upgrades…credit card limit increasing upgrades! We did have full marine hull and engine surveys (basically like a pre-purchase house inspection) so we did know what we were getting into. That said, boats are mysterious machines with complicated systems and it never fails that you start by fixing or upgrading one thing and BAM… you are into now elbow deep in two or three other fixes or upgrades that you didn’t budget for or even think needed to be done. BOAT = Break Our Another Thousand!!!
Manuals… lots of manuals! Luckily, the boat came with loads of manuals and documentation, which I sorted, updated and reorganized.
So bam it has been.. it was all the upgrades we wanted to do that have been keeping us busy since November. We have mostly done all this ourselves (well, mostly Captain Handy who I am fortunate to be married to). The galley “needed” all new appliances.. come on now, the old Sub Zero refrigerator was non-operational! The new smart oven replaced the old funky but functioning microwave, the induction cook top replaced the crappy but functioning electric cooktop and the GROSS and non-functioning trash compactor had to go. In its place went a pull out storage area. Woo-hoo, more storage is always appreciated on a boat! We also yarded out all of the stone age TV’s ..three of them, a VCR and a disk music player. The salon (living room in non-boater speak), is getting a new solid maple cabinet that will house the 43 inch smart TV on a remote lift and have more storage. We also replaced the mattresses in the master and guest staterooms (bedrooms) and converted the bunk bed stateroom to storage. The list goes on and on and these upgrades are creature comforts that will make life aboard Escapade even better.
Another huge upgrade was the new flybridge enclosure… the existing one was put on just before we bought the boat by the prior owner. It turned out to be the worst quality material and was the most janky looking piece of garbage. It was conveniently installed just days before we took ownership so there was no negotiating on any of that. The goal of a flybridge enclosure is to provide shade… it did that. It should also make it more comfortable to drive from the flybridge and it should keep the elements out. Big fail on that part, the first time it rained despite having a canvas top that technically did provide shade, it leaked like a sieve and we had to put on rain coats. Did I also mentioning its was a janky piece of junk that started falling apart after 6 month in the sun. UGH, so we had to get a new enclosure and despite the budget shattering price, we love the new enclosure and it doesn’t fail on any of the criteria now. We opted to go with white vinyl “staminode for the top and sides, which is more heat reflective than the black canvas top that was on it.
Happy Hour on the flybridge is a very happy time now!
Janky, Janky, Janky …so damn janky! I was not exaggerating how bad the enclosure was. The rain is supposed to be on the outside …arrgh!
Now that’s what a flybridge enclosure should look like… bye bye janky, hello happiness!!
Notice the rain is on the outside… novel idea huh!!!
Creature comforts are one thing but making sure all the systems are in good shape and operating properly is not only essential to using the boat but are also huge safety factors. With two 450 hp diesel engines, a 13 KW generator, a bow thruster, nine batteries with 3 separate chargers, a windlass system for anchoring and 4 air conditioners there have been plenty of things to maintenance and repair. A boat this size has miles of hoses that get old, brittle and and crack or break. Dozens of hose clamps that can rust out or break – it’s amazing how something as simple as a hose or hose clamp could potentially cause catastrophic damage on a boat. Shortly after we bought the boat we had a certified Cummins Engine Mechanic go through both engines and the generator. There are some thing’s that require writing a check and this one was worth every penny we paid. The four AC units also had a check up and got a clean bill of health from the AC Technician (that was a huge sigh of relief).
We’ve also been replacing old sink faucets, shower heads and checking all the places where water can and SHOULD drain out of the boat. There have been some interesting discoveries of places where water was COMING into the boat – OOPS. Plastic fittings get old and brittle, drains gets plugged – basically shit happens as a boat ages, hmm, kinda like me!
This is a grille on the exterior of the boat where rain water should have been draining out instead it was blocked with gross green plant debris and was backing up into the exterior pilothouse door well. So, we cleaned out all three drains and replace the old cracked grill. Great!!! Until the first time it rained hard… now the water from one of those drains was coming into the boat behind the electrical panel and onto the floor in the salon like a river – not good on so many levels. Turned out a fitting in the wall had broken and when we unplugged the drain it now had a place to go! ARRGH!!!
People always ask me how the pets like the boat… so far they have adjusted quite well to life on Escapade. There are lots of places for Sucia and Bentley to stretch out and nap or watch the world go by outside. The both also love the cockpit and having some sun time out there. Bentley’s other favorite place is the flybridge. There are interior steps from the pilot house to the flybridge so he can easily join us up there. Another great feature that sold us on this boat.
Granted we’ve only left the dock here in Hobe Sound once, LOL. It will be different for them when we start cruising again but it’s not their first rodeo on a boat. I guess I should tell them that we will be on the move again soon.
It’s hasn’t been all work and no play for the crew. We did take a one week trip around Christmas to see my cousins June and Matt in Kentucky. A couple of short trips to the west side of Florida to see friends and a fun weekend on a friends yacht in West Palm Beach. We also had our first guests onboard …yay for girlfriends!!! Locally there is so much to do in this area, farmers markets, art festivals, great water front restaurants, polo and beaches to walk on!
4 months have flown by as we’ve tackled all of these projects and we now have one month until we cast off the lines and cruise off into the sunset! We have a loose schedule and a long list of places we want to see and explore between Florida and the Chesapeake Bay.
our38ft^pluslife 