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 …
Tag: Great Loop

Mommmm, Are We There Yet?
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 Really Cool Way To Be Homeless
We are back in Wisconsin now after steaming up and around the tip of Michigan. We cruised a few long days to make up time, since we'd already seen many of the sights and our focus is now on getting down to Chicago. We had one of our roughest days ever while traveling to Port …
The Door
Door County, Wisconsin was named after "Death's Door", the legendary passage between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. The exact number of deaths and ships lost in this narrow passageway is unknown but the official 1906 Sailing Directions for the area describes the passage this way: There is a strong current setting in and out according …
Pure Michigan
Did you know they call the western Michigan coast the "Riveria of the Midwest"? We had no idea this area was that beautiful. Craig always visualizes Detroit when he thinks of Michigan, but just like New York, these states are so much more than their famous cities. Way up north, Mackinaw Island is surrounded by …
Joy Girl Gets (more) Ready To Go
To say it's a bit disquieting to see one's 35,000 pound boat dangling in the air, supported by but two straps, is quite the understatement!
Christening Joy Girl
This is the excerpt for your very first post.