For most of our Great Loop voyage I have considered upgrading our 2003-vintage 40 pound Delta main anchor. I should have acted sooner, but yesterday I finally bit the bullet and bought a 55 pound Rocna. The Rocna anchor design was developed in 2004 by a sailor who had cruised more than 100,000 miles and … Continue reading New Toy →

Before we left on our Great Loop voyage, I created a spreadsheet with a rough and tentative schedule of possible stops along the way. We review and update that tentative itinerary every few days. When we had firmed up our schedule to be in Saint Clair Shores for two days, we contacted our niece Annie, … Continue reading Annie! →

Yesterday at 0700 we left the quaint small town of Vermillion Ohio. The weather was hazy and windy with some rain. East winds on Lake Erie and a long fetch produced 4ish-foot rolling swells. Since much of our travel was from south to north, the waves were often on our starboard beam, so we rocked … Continue reading Lumpy Lake Erie to Michigan →

It wasn’t our plan to go to Vermillion, Ohio. We planned to travel to Kelly’s Island, but Lake Erie had a different plan. After leaving Cleveland and being bounced and rolled by 4 to 5 foot whitecaps for a few hours, we had enough and decided to escape into this small lakefront town. Vermillion was … Continue reading Vermillion, Ohio – Sweet Surprise! →

The day after Rhonda returned to the boat, Lake Erie was relatively flat, so we traveled a long 101 miles from Erie PA to Cleveland OH. By early afternoon we had tied up at the "Rock N Dock" located next door to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, enjoyed an good upscale Mexican lunch … Continue reading In Cleveland, R&R means “Rock N Roll.” →

This cheeky slogan used by Buffalo Bills fans and other Buffalonians (yes, that is a word) shouts out the rabid fan support enjoyed by the Bills in this upstate New York city. After a couple of days in Buffalo with new First Mates, our nephews Trey and Drew, we discovered that this city has more … Continue reading Two New First Mates →

Early in the morning on Saturday we left Wolverine Park Marina in Erie, idled under the glass skybridge, past the Bicentennial Tower, and into the channel out to Lake Erie. Just before 8AM we passed the Erie Coast Guard station along the channel. We noticed a trio of uniformed Coast Guard service members standing quietly … Continue reading An Unexpected and Meaningful Moment →

The morning of July 2 we were in Michigan and R&R was at Bootlegger’s Cove Marina in Wilson, NY, a US marina that is very close to the Canadian border. Correction…R&R started the day there. R&R in a Welland Canal lock (without her regular Captain or First Mate) Captain Bill Barnaby drove R&R 67 miles … Continue reading Remote-Control Boating →

Oswego is a small city on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Oswego Canal. Our tie-up spot for the night at Oswego Marina was a wall next to the fuel dock. As we prepared R&R for departure, I was shocked to see the first mate on a boat just ahead of us climb all … Continue reading To Lake Ontario and Beyond! →

Today we boated in the rain through our last section of the Erie Canal, turned right at “Three Rivers”, and cruised the entire Oswego Canal north to the city of Oswego on the shores of Lake Ontario. Three Rivers Three Rivers: Erie Canal left, Oswego Canal right. Rhonda has become a pro using lines or … Continue reading Hello, Great Lakes! →

The Erie Canal was built at a very high cost between 1817 and 1825. It crossed upstate New York between Albany and Buffalo, linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie. At the time it was the nation's largest artificial waterway and largest public works project. The Erie Canal connected New York City with the interior … Continue reading Erie Canal – Yesterday and Today →

Little Falls town wall As we navigated the Erie Canal, we stopped at a number of welcoming small towns. Many of them had town docks alongside the canal with room for boats to spend the night. We spent two nights on the town wall at Little Falls, New York, and enjoyed it! The town has … Continue reading Little Falls, Big Fun! →

Rhonda here! Navigating on the Erie Canal has been an unexpected pleasure for this first mate! All I knew of this historic waterway was from a song I learned in elementary school about a guy and his mule named Sal who hauled barges along the Erie Canal back in the day. Maybe you know it … Continue reading I’ve Got a Mule, Her Name is Sal →

We left Half Moon Bay early in the morning, hoping to get to Shady Harbor Marina 95 miles north to see our Great Loop mentors Rich and Maggie from Lafayette, who were there on Prime Meridian. The weather was cool and cloudy with a chance of rain. We traveled most of the way with the … Continue reading Hudson River Highlights →

With our first day’s travel north from NYC, we have traveled 5,000 miles on the Great Loop since leaving Holland, MI in September 2019! After John and Katy left for Michigan, we untied R&R from the dock at Liberty Landing, idled out the channel into the Hudson River, and turned left. The first few miles … Continue reading 5000 Miles! →

The weather forecast on the Atlantic looked good, so we and Spinning Dreams decided to make the 96 mile run from Atlantic City to Staten Island, NYC. Because we knew it would be a long day, we agreed to leave at 0600. The fog disagreed. After a three and a half hour delay to allow … Continue reading Great Kills →

This morning in Cape May was glorious! After helping other Loopers untie shortly dawn to head north, we left Utch's Marina around 0815, wound our way through the Cape May Canal, passed the Coast Guard station, and headed east out of the Cape May inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. We had not boated in the … Continue reading Offshore to Atlantic City →

We decided to stay two nights in Cape May, so instead of leaving the dock this morning, we had the chance to sleep in and have an “off” day. We did some boat cleaning and organizing, and started to plan our travel north from Cape May to New York City and beyond. A man and … Continue reading A Good Day in Cape May →

Greetings! Today we and many other boats left Delaware City Marina shortly after 0800 at high tide, idled along the long dock down the narrow creek, and entered the Delaware River. Rhonda tending to lines and fenders at D City Entering the Delaware River A pair of Ospreys occupying an ATON I had all the … Continue reading Delaware Bay to Cape May →

Passing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge George Washington did it on December 25, 1776. We did it too. That is, crossing the Delaware River. Today we traveled 75 miles from Annapolis, Maryland to Delaware City, Delaware. We saw many ships and crabbers. We cruised through the north end of the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake & … Continue reading Crossing the Delaware →

We were happy that my sister Eve drove from Michigan to join us for cruising and sightseeing on the Chesapeake Bay. Eve met us at Herrington Harbour North in Deale, MD. Her first day with us was cool and rainy, so instead of boating we drove with Eve to Alexandria for brunch at an excellent … Continue reading Cheers to the Chesapeake Bay! →

Our dock neighbors in Portsmouth Virginia had told us that Herrington Harbour North was their favorite marina anywhere, so we were interested to see for ourselves. Though rainy weather prevented us from enjoying the amenities, we were impressed! R&R on M Dock at HHN HHN is well designed and beautifully maintained, with new finishes and … Continue reading Herrington Harbor North: a lot to like! →