Hello again, friends! It's been awhile. We hope everyone is well and happy. Joy Girl Update... First, for those who don't know, let me summarize what happened after we finished the Great Loop in March 2020. (If you know the story, skip down.) When we entered our slip at Shelter Cove Marina on Hilton Head, …
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 …
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, …
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. …
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 …
Life is looking up in Michigan. Finally, we have clear skies, sunny days, calm seas, and just finished up a fantastic visit with our friends Jim and Sherryl. Craig and Jim have been friends since third grade and Sherryl felt like my long lost sister. We took a two hour cruise to lovely Charlevoix, motored …
When we first arrived in Grand Haven I often found myself humming this old Temptations tune... I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May. We'll, I guess you'd say what can make me feel this way... Joy Girl, talkin' 'bout Joy Girl. Yes, she is a …
Ahoy, mateys! We hope all is well with our friends around the world! Winter has passed and spring is here. Hallelujah. It was a strange winter for us. We were lost in retirement transition pains without our full and active life on Joy Girl. And it was difficult to watch my mother suffer as she …
Living life on a boat can be, in many ways, similar to life on land. But if you are actively cruising (or planning to be, as we are) and have no car, certain otherwise simple activities can get a bit more, well, interesting. Lying in the sun here is as good as it gets, according …
We've reached the bitter end. It was a struggle, and we worked very hard, but we've reached the end of our rope. If you speak nautical, then you know I'm referring to the end of our anchor line, which is called "the bitter end". In the old days, anchor lines were tied to "bitts" on …
Team Joy Girl Adventures 