Category: Uncategorized
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Day 37
Friday, June 19 Solomon’s Island to Herrington Harbour Marina (Tracey’s Landing) 33.6 nm – a lot more time under way than expected All good things must come to an end – just not always the way you planned them. We weren’t sure the weather was going to cooperate for us to leave Solomon’s, but little…
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Day 36
Thursday, June 18 Solomon’s Island Dock Day 0 nm | 0 hours underway The forecast all week had been calling for heavy winds, so we planned ahead and declared this a dock day. Heather worked until noon, and then we set out to explore Solomon’s — not fully realizing what we were about to stumble…
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Day 35
Wednesday, June 17 Deltaville, VA – Solomons’ Island, MD 53.73 nm 8.25 hours underway As miserable as the first third of the trip was yesterday, the Chesapeake couldn’t have been more welcoming today. We cruised along, lulled by the gentle rocking of the waves for most of the day. As we approached Solomon’s, we did…
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Day 34
Tuesday, June 16 Norfolk, VA – Deltaville, VA 49.08 nm 7.5 hours under way Our first day on the Chesapeake Bay—and now we understand why people sometimes call it the Chesapeake “Ocean.” Leaving Norfolk felt like it might be the most stressful part of the day. Commercial traffic was everywhere—tugs weaving in and out, Navy…
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Days 31, 32, and 33
Day 31 Saturday, June 13 0 nm 0 hours underway Today was a day for play. We started the morning wandering through historic downtown Portsmouth, weaving our way between the Farmer’s Market and a surprisingly large car show. Heather had been looking forward to the market—but as we near the end of this leg, we’ve…
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Day 30
Friday, June 12 Elizabeth City, NC – Dismal Swamp – Portsmouth, VA 45.28 nm 11 hours underway 8 “bumps” State #5 There are two routes from Belhaven to Norfolk – the Dismal Swamp and Coinjock. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. The Coinjock route has a well “Looper-reknowned” restaurant where they call you for…
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Day 29
Thursday, June 11 Alligator River Anchorage (South Lake) – Elizabeth City, NC 31.67 nm 6.25 hours underway We pulled up anchor with some feelings of dread—another slalom through crab pots ahead of us, and the Albemarle Sound looming just after. It’s one of those stretches on the Loop that earns a reputation, and not the…
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Day 28
Wednesday, June 10 Dowry Creek (Belhaven) – South Lake (Alligator River Anchorage) 48.84 nm 8 hours underway It was a quiet morning on Dowry Creek, and the cast of characters on the dock were all too happy to lend a “helpful” hand as we prepared to leave. Thankfully, we didn’t need much help—undocking was smooth—and…
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Day 26-27
Monday, June 8 Oriental – Belhaven Tuesday, June 9 Dock Day – Dowry Creek Marina – Belhaven We left Mile Hammock with a mix of anticipation and just a little bit of nerves. The Neuse River has a reputation. Fortunately for us, the winds were favorable and the chop was minimal. It got a little…
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Day 25
Sunday, June 7 Mile Hammock – Oriental 63 nm 8.5 hours underway We had another early start—wanting to make the first bridge opening at 7 and hopefully get ahead of the weekend traffic. Today was supposed to be a shorter, easier day. We had been looking forward to stopping in Beaufort, NC and spending some…
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Day 24
Saturday, June 6 Southport to Mile Hammock anchorage 65 nm – 9.5 hours underway There’s a saying: “A bad day on the water beats a good day at work.” Today… felt like work. The day did start on a high note. Kevin had the chance to meet Harvey and Terri aboard Otium out of Vero…
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Days 22 & 23
Thursday, June 4 Enterprise Point – Southport, NC 57.67 nm 9.25 hours underway Friday, June 5 Dock day We were up with the sun—well, technically with Wimbi’s food dispenser—ready to get an early start. At nearly 60 nautical miles, this would be our longest day to date. We debated a Myrtle Beach stop, since Kevin…
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Day 21
Wednesday, June 3 Georgetown, SC – Enterprise Creek Anchorage 26.83 nm 4.5 hours underway The day was bookended with highlights. We woke up to a brisk 52-degree morning and while we thought it was great sleeping weather—Wimbi wanted absolutely none of it. We’ve been loosely traveling alongside a boat called No Shoes Daze, a 45-foot…
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Day 20
Tuesday, June 2 Leland Oil Co. (McLellanville) – Georgetown, SC 24 nm 4.25 hours underway We went back and forth on the plan for the day—Georgetown or Wacca Wache. Wacca Wache had its appeal: notoriously cheap fuel and a few extra miles north. But Georgetown…Georgetown is one of those “classic Loop stops” you hear about. …
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Day 19
Monday, June 1 Charleston, SC – Leland Oil Co. 31.3 nm 6.25 hours underway Rest Day There is a saying in sailing: “if you are thinking about reefing, you are already too late.” The same could probably be said about rest days. Starting Friday, Heather began contemplating how to work a rest day into the…
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Day 17 & 18
Saturday & Sunday, May 30-31 Church Creek to Charleston 19.2 nm – 4 hours underway After a busy week, we were both excited about the possibility of sleeping in. Naturally, because we had the opportunity to sleep in, neither of us really did. Fortunately, we didn’t need an early start. The run to Charleston was…
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Day 16
Friday, May 29 Beaufort to Church Creek Anchorage 48.23 nm 9.75 hours underway Today’s run was relaxed and unhurried – to the point that we chose to continue heading north to an anchorage we weren’t sure that we would reach. It would also make for a short jaunt to Charleston the following day. The route…
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Day 15
Thursday, May 28 Savannah to Beaufort 41.1 nm 7 hours underway The stretch from Savannah to Beaufort felt like a shift. In days prior, we had long stretches of uninhabited coastal marsh – this leg was a bit different – it felt more like an obstacle course. Not more than a few hundreds yards off…
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Day 14
Wednesday, May 27 Kilkenny – Savannah 27 nm – 4.5 hours underway We left Kilkenny expecting a pretty day on the water. What we didn’t expect was just how empty it would feel. For nearly 80 miles, the ICW stretched out in front of us with almost nothing along the shoreline – no houses, no…
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Day 13
Darien – Kilkenny Tuesday, May 26 41.4 nm – 6.75 hour underway After our detour inland to Darien, we began the morning retracing our path back to the ICW. This stretch of the ICW is classic coastal Georgia – wide open sounds, followed by narrow, twisting rivers full of biting flies. It keeps you engaged:…
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Day 12
Monday, May 25 St. Simon’s Island – Darien 32 nm – 4.75 hours underway We had every intention of staying put. Darien sits about 7 nautical miles west of the ICW—roughly an hour each way at our cruising speed. Normally, that distance would make us hesitate. But since we hadn’t planned to move at all,…
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Days 10 & 11
St. Simon’s Island Saturday & Sunday, May 23-24 Dock Days Not every day is a fun day on the Loop. Some days…are for cleaning. Docked and plugged in, we traded in cruising plans for a “boat reset” day. Even when you try and stay on top of things when you’re on the move—salt spray builds…
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Day 9
Friday, May 21 St. Mary’s to Saint Simons Island 36.5 NM 6.5 hours underway The day began quietly at St. Mary’s, the kind of still morning that makes it hard to leave. But anxious to get to St. Simons, we pulled up anchor at first light and headed north. The run toward St. Simons Island…
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Day 8
Thursday, May 20 Sisters Creek Anchorage – St. Mary’s Intracoastal Gateway Marina 26.7 NM – 6.5 underway (including fuel stop and circling) After a peaceful night on the hook at Sister’s Creek, we got an early start off the hook. There’s something about anchoring out that calms everything—no dock lines, no neighboring boats humming with…
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Day 7
Wednesday, May 20 River’s Edge Marina (St. Augustine) to Sisters Creek Anchorage (Jacksonville) 36.9 NM 6.8 hours underway Today was our first real lesson in coordinating both tide and bridge schedules—a combination that sounds simple in theory but adds just enough complexity to keep things interesting. Our target was the Bridge of Lions in St.…
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Day 6
St. Augustine Dock Day Tuesday, May 19 0 NM 0 hours underway Not every day on the Loop is filled with dolphin, or dramatic stories—and today was one of those days. We spent the day tied up at the dock, waiting not so patiently for the A/C technician to work his magic. The upside? We…
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Day 5
Monday, May 18 Marinetown Marina (South of St. Augustine) to River’s Edge Marina (St. Augustine) 15.2 nm – 3 hours underway We knew this would be a short cruise day, but that didn’t stop us from getting an early start. The goal? Get settled somewhere with enough time to track down a service technician for…
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Day 4
Sunday, May 17 Halifax Harbor Marina (Daytona Beach) to Marineland Marina (outside of St. Augustine) 30.83 NM – 5 hours underway There’s a saying in boating: sometimes you watch the show… and sometimes you are the show. Today, we were very much the latter. We knew going in that it would be a short cruising…
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Day 3
Saturday, May 16 Mosquito Lagoon (Cape Canaveral Seashore) – Halifax Harbor Marina (Daytona Beach) 29.28 NM – 5.5 hours underway Day 3: The Case for a Second Head When you’re boat shopping, there’s always that ongoing debate: one engine or two, one head or two. You can make a solid case either way. Two engines…
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Day 2
Friday, May 15 Telamar (Melbourne) – Mosquito Lagoon 49.65 NM 9 hours underway As perfect as Day One was, Day Two was—well—not. We kicked things off with a Keurig explosion, which pretty much set the tone for everything that followed. Coffee is non-negotiable, so this could have gone very sideways very quickly. Enter Manolo to…
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Day One
Thursday – May 14 Vero Beach – Melbourne (Telamar Bay Marina) 34.94 NM – Underway from 8:21 – 15:58 We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to our Loop. A partly cloudy sky and a high of 83 degrees with winds out of the east at 5 knots set the tone for the…