Karen Elhai

Onward and Loopward!

After a brief hiatus for the trip to France, we resume our travels on America’s Great Loop.  Heading north up the Chesapeake Bay, we stop in small coastal towns and one big town very familiar to us – Annapolis – where we have some honored guests fort a night. Click the Google Map button below […]

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Two Weeks, Two Continents

We hunker down for a whole week of unusual weather on the Chesapeake.  Then we head to southwest France for a Celebratory French Garden Party.   Fair warning: this blog contains LOTS of photos. Click the Google Map button below to open the map  in a separate window.  There you can zoom in/out, and click

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Yes, Virginia, We’re BA-aaaack

We return to the very familiar Hampton Roads area, setting up shop for a month plus stay to go through the Life Maintenance Checklist.  We also spend a week at the Looper Rendezvous in Norfolk.  Click the Google Map button below to open the map  in a separate window.  There you can zoom in/out, and

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Blowin’ through North Carolina

Lots of travel days as high winds force us to make quicker time through North Carolina than we had originally planned.  But being our third time along this stretch of the ICW, these are familiar towns and stops.  We see spring emerging and continued recovery in many of our repeat stops compared to last year. 

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The South Carolina Saunter

We continue moving north, taking our time, along what is now familiar territory for us on the ICW.  Then the weather starts to mess with our plans.  Along the way, we cross paths again with fellow Loopers we’ve met previously, and meet new ones. Click the Google Map button below to open the map  in

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The Georgia Coast

Georgia has a relatively small area of coastline, but we think it is one of the hidden gems of the ICW.  Wide, sandy, near-deserted beaches.  Long stretches of pristine marshland and shore birds interspersed with small hammocks.  The few marinas and stops are loaded with personality and history.   Many boaters go ‘outside’ to the Atlantic

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Fun in St. Augustine and WE START THE GREAT LOOP!!!

Summary:  Back in Jacksonville after our side trip up the St. Johns River, our friend Colleen joins us for a week.  We explore Jacksonville and cruise down to historic St. Augustine, FL.  Departing to return north, we officially start THE GREAT LOOP!  After dropping Colleen off back in JAX, Dave and I continue north to

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Side Trip on the St. Johns River — Part 2

Quick recap:  In Part 1 of our cruise up the St Johns River (that’s going south toward the headwaters), we left from Jacksonville and stopped in Green Cove Springs and Palatka, where brother Chuck met up with us for the night on 2/25. Click the button below to see a detailed and interactive Google map

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Side Trip on the St. Johns River — Part 1

Time for a new adventure! It is a commonly voiced observation among many cruisers that we like the thrill of actual travel,  but after several weeks of being on the move one also looks forward to staying put for a bit.  The  itch to be on the move again returns when tied to the dock

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