"The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!" Kenneth Grahame
We finished the Great Loop and earned our gold burgee! After 7238 nautical miles, 167 marinas or anchorages, 96 locks, 18 states, 2 countries, 48 friends & family visitors, 22 months (14 actually under way), here are our final thoughts as we close this chapter of our lives. Niki: I traveled the world as a …
After two months plus in southern Florida, Team Joy Girl was anxious to get back to a more active form of cruising. With several less than glowing reports regarding the busyness of the Keys, Niki and I felt even more content with our decision to take the Okeechobee Waterway route. Cutting through the center of …
As much as Fort Myers Beach was a crazy, loud, party town, beautiful Captiva Island, just north of Sanibel, was the exact opposite experience. What a relief to bask in its private serenity and wander along the lovely, quiet, shell-filled beaches. The historic 'Tween Waters Island Resort was built in 1931 and has a relaxed, …
We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! It's been a month since we checked in at Moss Marina in Fort Myers Beach. Suffice it to say, this was not one of our favorite spots. It's a very cute town but they were too many tourists, rude boaters, loud "adventure" cruises running past …
For weeks leading up to it, I dreaded the nighttime Gulf crossing from Apalachicola to Clearwater Beach. To identify a good weather window (with few to no waves and little wind!) for a full 24 hour period is tricky. And running at night is risky, even though my experienced sailor-captain and instrument-rated pilot enjoys it. …
After the long, arduous months in the rivers, we finally received the pay off: the powdered sugar sand beaches and the clear, sea green waters of Florida's Emerald Coast. From Pensacola to Panama City Beach, this strip of glorious coastline served up its healing powers to my hungry heart. Glorious beaches by day and spectacular …
Holy smoke, we are finally at the end of the Midwest river system. We cruised 1,251 nautical miles (1,438 statute miles) from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama. It took us two months, but for one month of that we rested & and took care of a sick kitty. If we ran hard, we could have finished …
A challenging but fascinating part of traveling as we are is the fact that one can never plan very far ahead. Weather, marina or anchorage availability, and various other things must be considered. As a result, we rarely truly know where we are going to be more than a day or two ahead. Indeed, it …
Ahhh, we've now spent three weeks relaxing from the heat and busyness of the rivers in Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes. With 2400 miles of shoreline, this giant body of water is the largest manmade lake in the eastern US. We docked in marinas, anchored in quiet coves, and visited with friends and family. Dealing …
We just spent two weeks sludging our way down the rivers. We'd heard tell of many boat nightmares in these parts: propellers and anchor chains snagged on submerged branches, hulls torn up by wingdams (man made rock walls in the river to push the current to the middle), Asian Carp jumping into your boat then …
