The
You may be wondering why you haven’t
heard from us in a while. We’ve had a traumatic experience, and I needed time
to process and get things in perspective!!!
Ever since early October, when we attended the Looper Rendezvous,
we have been planning for, praying about, and (I’ll admit it…) worrying about
the Gulf crossing that we knew lay ahead. The “experts” at the Rendezvous did their
best to convince us that the safest and smartest way to get from the Panhandle
of Florida to the west coast was to cut a diagonal path across the Gulf of 170
miles or more, rather than to cruise along the shoreline over the course of
several days, where shallow water could cause problems. We listened to people’s tales along the way:
everything from “the experience of a lifetime” with dolphins frolicking in a
moonlit wake, to a “nightmare” where they were one step away from shipwreck. We had been told by several people that
Buddy, who works at the Moorings Marina in Carrabelle, was the one to talk to
about the best route, based on weather, time of year, and type of boat we’re
on.
When we arrived in Carrabelle on
October 30th, Buddy didn’t hesitate to urge us to do the crossing
and to leave at the crack of dawn the next day.
Apparently, he believed that there was only a day or two left in the
window of favorable winds and calm seas.
By leaving at dawn, we were allowing 24 hours for the 200 mile crossing
to
After charting our course with the
captains and first mates of Vision and Joy C (see photo gallery), we were
confident and excited about our big adventure.
When we left on the morning of Oct 31st, the idea of doing
this trip on Halloween night was a little weird to me, but I’m not
superstitious…
It was a wonderful morning, with the
sun quickly burning off the fog and giving way to a gorgeous 80 degree day,
with almost no wind. All day, we enjoyed the cruise and congratulated ourselves
on our wise choice and careful planning.
The sunset was lovely, and by
“What’s with the wind?” we
wondered. By
Fortunately, our Delta fast set anchor
held beautifully, but that didn’t keep Grace from bucking and creaking and
generally complaining about the rough treatment she was getting. Meanwhile, I had set myself down on the back
deck, tried to stare at the horizon in the dark, took some Bonine, and prayed
to Jesus to calm the seas. He didn’t
choose to calm the seas, but he did calm my mind, and I was soon asleep on the
couch. I woke up 4 or 5 times, when I
caught myself from falling out of bed but was able to go right back to
sleep. I was able to sleep because I
knew Bob was a wise captain and had things under control. Meanwhile, he never
slept all night, worrying about whether the anchor
would hold and if the boat would be damaged.
When I woke up at dawn, Bob told me
that one of the other boats, Vision, had left at
An afterthought: I had purchased a pumpkin a few days before
Halloween and had imagined carving it and lighting it on Halloween night as we
crossed the moonlit Gulf, with dolphins frolicking in our wake. What ever happened to the pumpkin? When the seas were the roughest, it was
rolling everywhere and bumping into things.
Our poor pumpkin was tossed in the Gulf by Captain Bob!
Since we arrived in
Taking a Vacation from the Vacation
This has been just what I needed! Although cruising has been a lot of fun, it
feels really good to stay in one place for a while, especially with the luxury
of our own wheels! We LOVE the Twin
Dolphins Marina; the people are very nice (especially Charlie the dock master),
and the facilities are excellent. The
heated pool and wonderful hot tub are surrounded by palm trees and a lovely
harbor, the restaurant is outstanding, and the town of
Nathan has Arrived!
What better way to wind up our cruising adventure than with
a visit from our pride and joy, our grandson Nathan aged 6 months, and his
mommy and daddy, Karen and Mike? He has been melting our hearts with his
infectious smile, his adorable laugh, and his busy little hands, grabbing and
shaking and pounding on anything he can find. Hands, fingers, rattles,
pacifiers, car keys, and whatever else that’s in reach go directly into his
mouth, and cuddles and kisses from Nana and Grandpa have been returned by
slobbery, wonderful baby kisses. He’s been to the beach for the first time, but
he’s not yet convinced that it’s his favorite place. He’s been on a boat ride, where he thought
the wind in his face and hair was very cool, and he’s been swimming in the
pool, where he’s had a blast, riding around in his baby boat and looking
adorable. He’s met his great Aunt Carol
and listened to live music at the Twin Dolphins Grill, where he enjoyed casual
dockside dining and bouncing on his daddy’s shoulders.
We learned that a 40 foot boat is just big enough for
a baby and occasional company, provided they don’t have any luggage. One small
person sure needs a lot of stuff, and Karen and Mike are excellent parents,
anticipating and meeting Nathan’s every need.
He’s a happy and adorable little guy and a joy to both of us. They all left this morning, and we expect
that they may be needing a vacation from their
vacation by the time they get home!!! We
miss you already, Karen, Mike, and Nathan.
Thank you for coming!
Back Home in
The first chapter in our Great Loop
adventure has abruptly closed, and we are at home and busy with an entirely
different life. Grace is in dry storage
at the All American Boat Storage yard in
Of course, the great part about being
home is the people. Funny, that’s also
the great part about doing the
We are so blessed to have had this
wonderful adventure and even more blessed to have a wonderful place and
wonderful people to come home to. We
will be spending the next two months in a whirlwind of holiday festivities and
visiting many of you, and God willing, we will resume the
Love
to all,
Christine
and Bob