08/04/19 – 08/13/19 (Remember you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.) We were excited to begin exploring the Thousand Islands with whatever time we could spare before making our way back to the US. We had heard from several cruising friends how beautiful it was. The Thousand …
07/18/19 – 08/03/19 On July 18, we drove the 120 miles to Toronto to catch our flight to NC for Paula’s Dad’s 102nd birthday party. Unfortunately, many flights were canceled due to thunderstorms in Chicago and on the East Coast. There were hundreds of scouts stranded in the airport bound …
6/30/19 – 6/30/19 One of the main reasons we decided to keep the boat after finishing our first Great Loop in 2016 was because we loved the Trent-Severn Waterway and wanted to return to Canada and do it again, taking more time. After we started, we made the decision not …
6/16/19 – 6/29/19 OK, OK, we’re a little behind, as you can see by the dates above. But…we were in Canada, and there was too much fun to be had! We’re now trying to catch up as we make our way back down the East Coast toward the Chesapeake and, …
6/2/19 – 6/15/19 After leaving the New York Harbor and the amazing experience of being the only boat moving on the water (see our last blog), we headed north up the Hudson River. On our first loop, we took several days to explore along the way, but this time we …
5/22/19 to 6/2/2019 Last we talked, we were waiting for the Blue Angels show over Annapolis as part of Commissioning Week for the Naval Academy. That next morning, we dinghied into town again (only a 5-minute ride) and after walking a bit, had a sidewalk lunch at Mission BBQ and …
5/15/19 to 5/21/19 After our return from our home in Phoenix to Life’s TraVails at Atlantic Yacht Basin (AYB) just south of Norfolk, it was time to continue north into the Chesapeake Bay. We left Wednesday morning, May 15, with the goal of Solomons, MD, about 127 miles 2 days …
4/26/19 to 5/1/19 When last we left you, Tom and Lorenzo were working on our port engine at Seapath Marina in Wrightsville Beach, 14 miles short of where we had ended the previous day. With the elbow Lorenzo made installed, they started the engine. All seemed well until they found a …
4/21/19 to 4/25/19 April 21 at 6:35 AM, we left Lady’s Island Marina near Beaufort, SC. It was clear and nice, but still cold – 50°overnight. Though we left early, we had 5 boats pass us in the first few miles of the Coosaw River, so everyone must have thought …
4/14/19 to 4/21/19 Slack tide occurs when the tide is changing direction at high or low tide, leaving it basically motionless for a few minutes (or up to about 30 minutes depending on the moon) as it changes directions. That is the best time to dock or depart. The tide …
4/3/19 to 4/13/19 We had done some math before leaving Miami on March 30th and figured out to hit the Erie Canal by June 1, we needed to do an average of 25 miles per day. The canal closes during the winter and reopens in mid-May. Early June allowed a bit …
3/25/19 to 4/2/19 After replacing the partially varnished steps and entry door, we had a lovely travel day from Marathon to Key Largo with only about 5 knots of wind when we pulled out of Marlin Bay Yacht Club. The water was beautiful shades of blue and we saw 6.5 …
3/12/19 to 3/24/19 Monday, March 11, dawned with some scattered clouds but fine conditions for a Florida Gulf side passage. Unfortunately, the winds and sea conditions were too high for the Hawks Channel (Atlantic Ocean) passage where we had hoped we could snorkel along our way. On the Gulf, seas …
3/4/19 to 3/11/19 The Keys are grouped into 3 distinct regions – the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys – each with a bit different geology, history, culture, and population density. From the largest and northernmost island, Key Largo, to the tip of Key West, the Keys are linked by …
2/21/19 to 3/3/19 We are back on the boat! After 20 months of being off the boat due to , we once again returned to Fort Myers to restart our second Great Loop. Our journey would start by heading south past the Everglades toward Key West, new territory for us …
When we returned from the boat to Phoenix in early March because of Paula’s swollen knee, we hoped we could find out quickly what was causing it, get it fixed, and resume our 2nd Great Loop. It was not to be. After 9 weeks and 9 doctors at home, there …
After 3 evenings in Dunedin, we continued south on Monday, Feb 27 to Egmont Key, passing Clearwater Beach along the way. We were back in familiar territory, at least for a while, as Clearwater was our arrival point after our overnight Gulf crossing on our first Great Loop. Though we …
On Jan 31,2017, Tom flew to Dog River without Paula as she had a very swollen knee and knew she could not climb the ladder to the boat while it was out of the water. But Tom had work to do while Life’s TraVails was on the hard. Over the …
Now that we were getting close to Thanksgiving, crews were getting their boats settled and thinking about home. At 6:30 AM, we drove Berrlin and Debra to the Pensacola airport for their flight to Denver. Because we originally thought we were taking the boat to Dog River Marina, we had …
The day had finally come! At 8:15 Monday morning, November 14, 2016, Tango Papa’s Tom and Paula and Satisfied Frog’s Berrlin and Debra (with beautiful flowers in hand) climbed onboard Life’s TraVails and we pulled out of Fairhope, the last small town before finishing our Great Loop. Glorious Dei and …
