After spending two days getting necessary boat repairs accomplished in Fort Lauderdale and North Palm Beach, we are underway again with all systems operational. The big change since we got back from the Bahamas has been the extreme increase in the cost of gas and diesel fuel. The good news about cruising the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is that a good portion of it is restricted to slow speed (7-10mph) which has greatly reduced our hourly fuel consumption while we travel. We are now enjoying Vero Beach where our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren will join us for a few days of relaxation. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a month since we have seen our children and grandchildren.
Tag: Cruising
Back in the USA!
Although we have enjoyed our two weeks cruising in the Bahamas, especially the beauty of the turquoise waters, it is great to be back in U.S. waters. Most of our decisions to move from island to island were based on the predictions of the wind and wave height of the seas. We reduced our planned stop at Chub Cay from two days to one so we could make our way south to Nassau before strong tradewinds settled in. The plan of cruising further north to Grand Bahama was cancelled due to a combination of deteriorating weather and some annoying mechanical issues with our boat that needed to be addressed as soon as we could get back to the mainland.
We therefore, circled back to Chub Cay from Nassau with a new plan to cruise west to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale. We crossed the Gulf Stream Thursday March 10th in some uncomfortable seas to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale where we ultimately lost our steering capability due to a combination of hydraulic issues. Thanks to Tow Boat U.S. for towing us to the Lauderdale Yacht Club where we were able to arrange for necessary repairs which occurred on Thursday afternoon and most of Friday. We took advantage of our unscheduled stay in Ft. Lauderdale to have dinner with friends who live nearby. They were even kind enough to loan us their car to run some errands and re-provision the boat for our first true installment on the Great Circle Loop. We are now taking advantage of the slow pace and calm waters of the Atlantic ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). Today we cruised from Ft. Lauderdale to Boca Raton, passing through five drawbridges en route.
The Great Circle Loop
The Great Circle Loop is a circumnavigation of the eastern US and part of Canada. We will begin our Loop journey from Sarasota, FL and move counterclockwise, first heading south to our familiar cruising ground of the Florida Keys. Although, technically not part of the Great Loop route, the Bahamas are so close to the east coast of Florida, we plan to take a side trip there. We plan to cruise to Bimini, the Berry Islands, Nassau and Grand Bahama Island before returning to the east coast to resume our trek to the north.
We will move up the eastern seaboard utilizing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) all the way to Norfolk, VA. We will enter the Chesapeake Bay, cruise the eastern side of New Jersey and enter New York Harbor. Here we will pass the iconic Statue of Liberty and proceed to the Hudson River traveling north past the West Point Academy and onto the Erie canal north of Albany. Off the Erie canal we will travel north via the Oswego river and canal to Lake Ontario. We will cross into Canada and follow the St. Lawrence Seaway to Montreal. From there, we will cruise north and west to Ottawa and down the Rideau canal system back to Kingston, Ontario. A beautiful time to spend the summer in Canada, will allow us to cruise up the Trent Severn waterway and canal system to the north Georgia bay of Lake Huron. As summer fades, we plan to make our way back to the US via Mackinac Island, Michigan. From there, we will move south along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan until we reach Chicago. We will enjoy the fall weather as we move down the Illinois river, the Mississippi river to the Ohio river. Near Paducah, KY we will cruise south along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico. From there, we will work our way along the Florida panhandle and then shoot across the Gulf of Mexico to return to our home port of Sarasota. Returning to our starting point is referred to as ”crossing our wake”. Overall, we will cruise in excess of 6,000 miles and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. We are happy to share our adventure as we make our way.
About Us!
We have lived in Sarasota, FL since 1985. We started boating locally on the west coast of Florida in 1988, utilizing a boat rental club called “Club Nautico”. Through that exposure, we realized that boating was something we wanted to continue to do with our family. Our two grown children and their families now share our enthusiasm for boating and scuba diving. We cruised many summers to the Florida keys with our children and dove for lobster and recreation.
Through the years we have owned three gas powered Sea Ray inboard/outboards and three diesel powered Sea Rays. During that time, we kept admiring the quality of Marlow yachts, which has its headquarters near Sarasota. Throughout our many years of owning boats and boating, we knew what would be an ideal boat for us. We designed and built a 49E Marlow with all the comforts necessary for long range cruising. In 2018, we took delivery of our vessel, which we named Hydrotherapy.
We had heard about a 6,000 mile boat trip around the eastern United States waterways. This is referred to as the Great Circle Loop. We had been reading articles about this cruising adventure for many years in boating magazines and become more and more familiar with this boating trip. We are recently retired and now have the time to embark on this journey.