Tuesday September 12, 2017. After nearly two years on the Loop, today we
crossed Lake Michigan from Grand Haven, Michigan to Racine, Wisconsin and “crossed our wake”. It was exciting but also a little
bittersweet. Our traveling companions
Paul and Taffy (Catalina) and Eric and Robin (Robin’s Nest), along with several
other looper boats, continued south from Grand Haven while we turned west
towards Racine. We wish them safe
passage and are excited for them for the many new adventures they will soon have.
Our crossing was stellar! For the first four hours, we had less than
one foot following seas. And then the
lake turned flat calm with barely a ripple.
We left at 7:00 am just before sunup and arrived in Racine 4:40 pm; the
trip was 82 statute miles. Over the
course of nine plus hours, the captain was able to take four shot naps while Nancy
operated the boat. We were out of sight of
land for about five hours. There were no
radar or AIS targets at all except for one great lakes freighter.
Flat, Calm Lake Michigan
Our arrival in Racine low key, to
say the least. This is because we
crossed mid-week and no one knew we were returning. On well.
Our good friends Hal and Wendy drove our car up to us on Wednesday and
took our picture with our new Gold AGLCA Burgee. Once you complete the Loop, you retire your
white burgee and deploy the gold one. We
are now known as Gold Loopers! (If you
complete the Loop a second time you retire the gold burgee and deploy a
platinum one).
Gold Loopers!
The Great Loop is a most excellent
adventure! We visited 15 states, two
countries, and went through over a hundred locks. We saw things you wouldn’t see on land. Boating provides a whole different
perspective. And we met countless new Looper
friends, many of whom will be friends for life.
Our advice for those considering the Loop . . . . just “Do It!
Congratulations dear friends. You have lived the dream. Can't wait to see what is next for you...and your advice to "just do it" is perfect. Welcome home.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. It's been great following your travels!!!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting to read your final loop blog post. We sure were glad to have at least some time to travel with you and have some fun together! Perhaps we can meet up on land sometime. Come visit Nashville, we will be land based soon and stay that way until Spring. BTW, Row Jim Row was spending the July 4th holiday at Block Island on his sailboat and he found us by dingy in a huge mooring/anchoring field! The world gets smaller!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the Loop! I have so enjoyed your blog over the past 2 years. So what is the next trip of a lifetime?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your two-year adventure. I've enjoyed reading your blog. Are you heading out again for round 2? Or, are you staying put for the winter?
ReplyDelete