Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 7th, 2026 to May 30th, 2026

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We finally have a break in the weather. We are trying to get to New York for May 15th to meet Rodney’s daughter, Annemarie and her husband Jon. With all the weather delays, it was really not looking like we would be able to make it. We got our break on May 7th and headed up to Soloman’s Island on the other side of the Potomac River. We had pretty decent seas until about 4:00 when the winds blew up. We were able to stay at Spring Cove Marina with our friends on Road to Nowhere and met another couple on a similar boat to ours called House Is A! Pleasant rest stop and by the 9th, we had more calm seas. Road to Nowhere went to Annapolis but we had to forge ahead and made it all the way to Chesapeake City, a very nice little town.

We got a 5:00 am start to travel down the C & D canal and then go down the Delaware Bay to Cape May. We had the current in our favor for about half of the trip down and were a little concerned about the tide and opposing current later in the afternoon which can make for uncomfortable seas. We went faster than we normally do to avoid the possibility os bigger seas. The Delaware has limited options to duck out of bad weather. It is also a major shipping channel.. at one point Rodney said he ou,d see a boat behind us that had AIS. When I turned to look, it was a huge freighter coming up behind us. We slipped out of the shipping channel and then continued on to Cape May on the New Jersey shore in a dreary rainy day. Our next choice was to wait to travel on the open Atlantic Coast or travel the shallow inside New Jersey Intercoastal waterway. Because our boat has a shallow draft, we opted to keep going on the inside.

Two days of tense navigation through extremely shallow channels with plenty of shoaling, missing or moved markers and pleasure fishing boaters blocking the channel. We had tons of high winds and a couple minor mishaps but found ourselves waiting to travel the following morning out the Manasquan Inlet to make our way on the Atlantic and around Sandy Hook and into New York City Harbor. To say I was skeptical is an understatement! Too many watched You Tube Videos of Haulover Inlet did little to I tall confidence on this next leg of our journey!

We met up with two other boaters who were also going to the trek the following morning so we joined up with them, Blessed, a 34 Beneteau Swift Trawler and A Bridge Too Far, a 27 foot Ranger Tug. Winds were forecast 5 to 10 knots, a 3 foot sea with a 3 foot swell, 8 second period. This looked to be our best opportunity. I checked Windy, NOAA and even asked AI if it was possible.

The sun was rising, it was high Slack and as we entered the inlet, we had slow swells to glide over and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The sun was breaking over the horizon and once the boat was turned northward, the big rolling swells lifted us gently along the coastline. The swells seemed pretty big but the boat ride was comfortable and a few hours later, we were into the chaos of New York Harbor with plenty of boat traffic, ferries and waves.

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Five days sightseeing New York City in 90 plus degrees was challenging! Big cities and heat are difficult for me but I am glad I got to see the sights. Beautiful city! Lots of dogs and I mean a lot….super well behaved too!

Wonderful to be back en route and headed up the Hudson and caught up with our friends once again on Road to Nowhere. We are destined to keep meeting them. We travelled up the Hudson and stayed in Coxsachie and Waterford where we have truly parted company as they headed west on the Erie and we continued north. We met Cattyshack, a PDQ 34 from Anacortes and on the loop. We have spent three days travelling with them from Fort Edward, Whitehall and Vergennes, Vermont.

We crossed the border into Quebec yesterday and met with an intense windstorm/thunderstorm that was very intense. Fortunately we were able to get onto a mooring dock at the Entrance to the Chambly Canal at St Jean Sur Richelieu. My first experience with being in a squall!

We bought our mooring pass as well as a locking pass which we will be using as we navigate through Quebec and Ontario this summer. Today started off windy and cold but warmed up nice and we were able to get groceries as well as visit this lovely little town. Rodney bought me some wool and knitting needles too!

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April 28th to May 6th, 2026

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We have been making good time and stopped in Belhaven, North Carolina for a couple days. We travelled across the infamous Albermarle Sound on a calm afternoon. We made plans to anchor out on the Alligator River and then try to cross in the morning but when we got there, it was calm and looked great for going ahead which we did, all the way to Elizabeth City.

We were greeted there with a rose and information on the lovely little town.

The next morning we were up before light so we could make the first lock opening for the Dismal Swamp, a 22 mile stretch. So pretty and peaceful. We stayed a night on the visitor dock. The next day we travelled to Norfolk, Virginia where me met up with friends that we travelled with back in December when we crossed the Gulf and stayed in Steinhatchee, Florida. So nice to see them again. They are almost finished their loop as they started in New York last fall.

We entered the Chesapeake Bay hoping to make some time to get to New York City. We got as far as Deltaville and have been staying at lovely Fishing Bay Marina since Friday. The winds and sea conditions are too much for us to continue travelling, small craft warnings every day and 3 foot seas with 20 to 30 knot winds. Hoping for a break in the weather this Friday. It looks to be challenging!

Lucy has been loving the break, lots of walks and play ball time!

Hoping we have updates next week!

We are back! April 20th, 2026 to April 27th

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We are back on our Loop adventure. Leslie flew home to Ladysmith, BC for the winter. Rodney went back to Forest Hill, Louisiana with me to wait for weather and for Leslie to have more days in the US. We were very blessed to have cousin Jack in Charleston help with hauling the boat out and storing it at his home. It made everything involved in getting ready much easier plus we got to spend some time visiting.

We left Charleston on a beautiful sunny Monday morning and have made our way with stops at Georgetown Harbour, SC, Carolina Beach, SC, Swansboro, NC, Eastham, NC and Belhaven, NC where we have been held up for windy weather for a couple of days. Happy to be on a dock for a few days to stretch our legs and take a break.


We seem to have been able to quickly get back to the rhythm of daily life on the loop. It is a lot busier and we are meeting several other Loopers that are at various stages of their journeys. Lots to look forward to in the coming weeks! Glad to be back!

November 21st to December 15th, 2025

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Okay, I have been lazy and remiss in posting updates. It has been a couple of weeks with slow progress and being held up by bad weather. We travelled from Navarre Beach to Rocky Bayou near Niceville, Florida. Peaceful and calm. When we left Rocky Bayou, we got our first taste of spicy seas and we moved down to Smack Bayou, another beautiful anchorage. The winds were forecast to be 15 to 20 mph so we moved to a marina in Panama City. We were on a fixed dock with pilings and no breakwater. What we didn’t know is that we would be rocking in our slip for three days. It was interesting to have to jump from a moving boat onto a narrow finger that was three feet higher than the boat! We spent Thanksgiving there with the staff and other loopers!

we left there November 29th for a peaceful night at Saul Creek. We then headed over to Carabelle where we met lots of other loopers, all waiting to make the overnight crossing to Tarpon Springs or the three day trip around the Big Bend. Weather was not good with no good weather window to do the long crossing. We, and three other boats, opted to go from Carabelle to Steinhatchee. It was truly my roughest day on the boat. There were big waves and lots of wind. Part of the trip, which was about 9 hours, had the seas rocking and rolling our boat. Stuff flew off the counters and shelves, I just stayed in my bed under the table. You couldn’t walk anywhere in there! It was a big relief to stop at Steinhatchee.

It was a big bonus to be there, lots of walks, friendly people and FISH! My dad went fishing everyday and caught his limit of speckle bellied trout! That meant there would be fish in my bowl. We ended up spending a whole week there. We decided we would wait for better seas as we are not in a hurry and we had about 150 more miles to travel. My mom was able to make a pretty Christmas tree with a looper lady that has all kinds of pretty crafts on her boat! They had a couple of potluck dinners with everyone and really enjoyed their time with them.

They had several cats at the marina that I really was interested in chasing but I wasn’t allowed to!

Our trip to Crystal River and then Tarpon Springs was uneventful. Beautiful, flat calm seas. Sadly we have parted ways with the looper boats we have been travelling with as they moved onto different destinations so we are back on our own again.

We are now in Gulfport, Florida at the Municipal Marina waiting out more windy weather. With any luck we will be able to start moving again. Dad bought some bicycles so he is teaching me to trot alongside which will give me a little more exercise too! (And them)!

November 15th to 21st, 2025 (Week 3)

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Not a lot this week from my perspective. We were at the Fall 2025 AGLCA Rendezvous in Orange Beach, Alabama. Beautiful sunny days, a great park area for running and chasing the ball and plenty of people to give me scratches. We left Orange Beach and stayed the night at Fort McCree. Gorgeous white sand beaches and plenty of fish around to catch. Nice to be on the move again.

November 8th to 14th, 2025 [week 2] Gulfport, Mississippi to Orange Beach, Alabama

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We had a pretty easy week. We got down to the Gulf sooner than we thought we would. We did stay over at Gulfport Municipal Harbor Marina for a couple nights. There was a cold front that came down from the north that brought us high winds and very cold (almost freezing) temperatures. The Marina was really nice and a great place to settle for a few days. Our first time with fixed docks which were pretty challenging with the tides. Sometimes those docks are too high to jump up on. We left there and spent a night in Pascagoula at Lake Yazoo. Very pretty and a quiet night on a super shallow lake.

We then made our way to Dauphin Island, Alabama. We stayed at a place called Pelican Cove where I had a great time running around on beautiful white sand beaches and going for swims! I have mastered my own personal potty spot on our boat on the swim grid! It’s a big relief for my Dad not having to worry about getting me to shore in those sketchy areas (alligators, mud and no pee zones at all). A bigger relief for me as I don’t have to stress waiting!

We crossed Mobile Bay yesterday and we are now in a little anchorage near Oyster Bay waiting on our moorage at The Wharf at Orange Beach for AGLCA Rendezvous. We took the dinghy out and explored the beautiful marshes and bays of the Alabama Gulf Coast.

I will have to be on my best behaviour at the Rendezvous and looking forward to socializing and getting extra pets from all the people.

Week 1 – Pineville, LA to Gulfport, MS

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I have officially completed my first week on the Great Loop. We saw amazing scenery! We saw many alligators after Lock 1 (Lindsay C Boggs). The area is known as the gauntlet. Our plans included staying the night in this area but after seeing several large alligators on both sides of the river, it was decided to carry on. There was absolutely interest on my part to go ashore. We travelled south on the river until almost dark! We anchored behind some barges in a quiet area off of the main river. The shore was very muddy which means I made a mess of our dinghy! Day 2 was another really long day….I generally doze a lot when we are cruising along but sometimes I like to get up onto the passenger seat and take a look at the scenery. There wasn’t anyone around the first few days. That changed when we got to Morgan City. We docked at the City dock with some shrimp boats! I don’t think much of shrimp but my Dad was able to get some fresh shrimp. Heading out the next morning to Houma, I spotted about a dozen tern flying behind our boat. I got pretty upset about that and was making as much fuss as I could to scare them off!

We docked at the Downtown Marina in Houma. We were able to go for a leash walk while we were there. I prefer to have the freedom to go where my nose and sight are interested but this is ok too. Many dogs at the houses here, I was greeted by many different barks on our way.

We headed out early the following morning through some beautiful swampy areas and we also are now seeing huge barges heading up and down the river regularly. Great warm weather! Lots of pelicans and tern birds. I am getting used to them following us. We stayed in Bayou Sorrel, pretty cool place. Not many on shore options for me to do my thing but Dad was able to take me out in the dinghy and find a place that I didn’t get covered in mud.

We stayed the night just past Jean La Fitte on a public dock. I got another leash walk and was able to stretch my legs. We seem to be settling into a routine here and getting used to boat life. I admit I am pretty lazy most days but there are many different smells and sights everywhere we go. The last night at the end of the river was really nice. We anchored in a marsh next to the Gulf. It was quiet and I got to run around on my first white sand beach. Dad was fishing while the day ended and caught a huge redfish, too big to eat but, hey, they didn’t ask me about it! I love 🐠!

Tomorrow we venture out to the big Gulf and back to the sea!

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Seahorse is in the water at the Red River at Fort Buhlow Recreation area in Pineville, Louisiana ready to begin the first leg of our Great Loop cruise. We have spent two wonderful days sharing time with family and getting last minute errands done. We’ll be heading south on the River tomorrow morning as soon as the fog clears.

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Washington to Louisiana!

I knew they were preparing for a big trip! I watched them pack up all our things but this time there was more than what they usually took. I was a little anxious myself so I made sure to follow them and keep tabs on their activities. I finally got to do a walk on trip onto the ferry with my Mom and we met Dad in Tswassen. He were six days on the road towing the boat through snow, sleet, high winds, lightning storms, tornado warnings, pouring rain but we made it. We slept in the camper in rest areas. Awaiting the next adventure!