Life After The Loop
Now that our Loop is done, we head back up the familiar ICW to Norfolk VA to undergo a five week boat and human upkeep period. But the trip is not without some boating drama.
Now that our Loop is done, we head back up the familiar ICW to Norfolk VA to undergo a five week boat and human upkeep period. But the trip is not without some boating drama.
From Ft. Pierce, we planned for a sprint of near-daily travel to get us the final couple hundred miles to our Loop Finish Line in St. Augustine. The route takes us through Eau Gallie, Titusville, Daytona, and Palm Coast before we arrive back where our Loop started, thus crossing our wake. It seemed straightforward, but of course Mother Nature laughs in the face of even the best laid voyage plan.
We start up the east coast of Florida, beginning with crossing Biscayne Bay to get back onto the ICW. Making our way past ridiculously extravagant homes and boats, we stop in Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Stuart before arriving for a month long stay in Ft. Pierce. There we completely slow down, enjoying just living and visits from friends.
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Fun in St. Augustine and WE START THE GREAT LOOP!!! Read More »
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 …