We Made It!

Sunday, August 28 - Today is an important day for us!  Today is our 40th wedding anniversary.  Forty years ago, when we were married in a little church near Montpelier, Ohio, the weather was hot and steamy.  And, of course, there was no air conditioning in the church.  Today's weather will be very similar to 40 years ago; 88 degrees with nearly 80% humidity is predicted.

Last year on our 39th anniversary, we talked about (jokingly, of course) whether we would make it to our 40th, given our plans to live on a 32 foot boat for an entire year.  It has been a fantastic year, full of new adventures, mastering new skills while facing challenges, discovering the world through boaters eyes, and meeting wonderful, kind people along the way.  With all the "bad" in the world, the kindness of others really comes through when you live on a boat and land transportation is limited. We are not done with our Loop and for that we are glad. Living on a boat has been an experience in itself.  Some days more challenging than other days, but all in all it has been a wonderful way of life so far!

                                      Tug LeeLoo Docked at Annapolis City Marina

We have been in the beautiful, historic city of Annapolis, Maryland for a couple of weeks.  Our main purpose in spending time in Annapolis is to have some work done on Tug LeeLoo.  We have continued to struggle with the bow thruster not working properly since we bought Tug LeeLoo 4 months ago.  After yet another inspection, it was determined that the bow thruster motor was arching and it has now been sent back to the factory for repair or replacement.  We hope to hear tomorrow what the outcome will be.  We are in a slip at the Annapolis City Marina that will be a challenge to get out of without a bow thruster.  We are also having some other maintenance items checked off the list while we are here, including setting up our AIS systems so that the name Tug LeeLoo is transmitted.  In the process of reprogramming the AIS with Tug LeeLoo's name, it was discovered that we also need a new AIS antenna.  So, that has been ordered and hopefully will be installed in the next couple of days.   One thing about living on a boat, you never run out of things to maintain!

The center of Annapolis is just a short walk from our marina.  There are lots of shops, restaurants and bars close by.  Annapolis is truly a boating destination for all sizes of boats, including million dollar boats!  We fit right in! 

                                                    This Boat is Too Big!

There is a narrow channel about 100 yards long with Annapolis City Docks on one side and restaurants (including Pusser's Restaurant) and hotels on the other.  It's called "Ego Alley".  People like to drive their boats up the channel, do a U-turn and then drive back out of the channel to "be seen".   On the weekend it is a very crowded channel as boats are constantly coming and going.  We have done it a couple of times by dinghy.

                                                       Ego Alley in Annapolis

                                 Paddle Boarder and His Dog Enjoying Ego Alley

Just walking around Annapolis is a pleasure.  The Annapolis Naval Academy is also within walking distance.  Here are some pictures to share:

On August 31 our friends, Hal and Wendy, will be joining us for 6 nights on Tug LeeLoo!  We are very excited to have them visit us!  hopefully, once the bow thruster is fixed we will be able to do a short cruise with Hal and Wendy, including a night at anchor.  We will have more pictures to share after their visit.