We have a map but no directions, a plan but not a schedule, and a healthy dose of adjusting course as we go.
The USA is blessed with a diversity of people, culture, geography, and history.
Amid COVID restlessness, we decided to live on a boat and see parts of the country a little off the beaten path along America’s waterways, see and learn from the locals and the community of fellow wanderers we meet along the way, and see how we face up to the challenges we certainly will have. In April 2021, we moved aboard See Leel, our Maine Cat P47 power catamaran, in Ft. Pierce, FL and the adventure began.
Hence it is our Seefari.
We have since completed over 12,000 nautical miles, done America’s Great Loop, transited up and down the Atlantic ICW and the Chesapeake Bay several times, seen the natural beauty of the St. John’s River in FL, and cruised the Bahamas. And we’re still going.
— Karen & Dave (and Roxy)
Recent Blogs
Backtracking South
We head south from upper New York, slow enough to let the hurricane season run its course but fast enough to keep temps comfortable for cruising. We have a special guest join us along the Hudson and in NYC, set a personal record for most miles traveled in a day, see friends from our present and past, and get back to the Chesapeake Bay with time to spare before Dave’s Naval Academy Reunion.
Charming Champlain
We close the loop on our summer travels, cruising down Lake Champlain back to where we started the Erie Canal in Waterford NY. First, though, we take a short pause for a Minnesota visit. Clontinuing south, when the port engine suddenly quits working we learn how much a $25 part can actually cost. Ah, such is boat life…
Croisière au Québec (Cruising Quebec)
We travel along the big rivers of Quebec from Ottawa to Montreal and then turn south back toward the US via the smaller Richelieu River and Chambly Canal. Along the way we pass through a wide variety of locks, and enjoy both the big city of Montreal and stops in smaller towns.
Rideau Repeat
Edit Column
The entire historic Rideau Canal is a Canadian National Park and was a highlight of our Loop in 2022. So we do it again — just in reverse to give us a new perspective. From Lake Ontario we go up through 14 locks, through the three lakes at the highest point, then down another 21 locks to Ottawa, where we have a grand finale of 8 locks taking us to the Ottawa River. That’s 43 locks in 126 miles.
Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands: Canadian Version
We cross to the other side of the St. Lawrence River, visiting towns and anchoring at several islands in Thousand Islands National Park in Canada. We end up in Kingston on Lake Ontario, where we enjoy a week of city living.
Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands: American Version
Our summer cruising continues in new territory for us – the freshwater cruising of a Great Lake and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Along the way, we are surrounded by a vintage vibe in the towns and a timeless feel on the water as we hug the NY coast of the Lake and make our way into the American Thousand Islands.