Friday, May 31: Anyone interested in some facts and observations on Our First Leg of 2013 - Jacksonville to Portsmouth?

Date                            May 31, 2013

Days on the Cruise       Holding at 47

From:                          Home                                                                   

To:                              Home

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.1 SM

On Board: (No one, I hope)

We are busy packing and loading the car for a 6:30 AM departure in the morning. That should put us in Portsmouth right after dinner. We were able to pick up our car (not the rental car for those Enterprise folks who might be reading this) from the body shop in Montgomery late this afternoon. Kudos to Adam Hudson and his team at Joe Hudson Collision Center. They did what they said they would do, and that is very rare in this day and time. 

Several other notes. I heard from my old Air Force Buddy today and it looks like he and his wife will be able to go to dinner with us in Baltimore. Thanks Jack! I also heard from my cousin Pam today and we may get to see her and her husband in St. Michael's! Great news! We made our marina reservations from Portsmouth through our stay in Annapolis. Please cooperate Mr. Weatherman!!!

Now, anyone interested in some facts and observations from our first Leg of the 2013 Loop Trip? Here we go.

We traveled 793 statute miles in our boat from Jacksonville to Portsmouth/Norfolk.

Leaving Jacksonville on April 3 and then heading back to Alabama on May 11, we were on the boat for 39 days during this leg.

We traveled or were "underway" a total of 18 of the 39 days. Ok, we also did two short hops of a mile each between Portsmouth and Norfolk, but these are not included in the 18 days.

We traveled an average of 44 statute miles per day that we were underway. 

We put a total of 99 hours on the engine.

We traveled an average of 5.5 hours per day that we were underway.

We averaged 8.01 statute miles per hour while underway.

We stayed at 19 different marinas.

Our favorite marinas in no order were Harbor Walk in Georgetown, SC; Southport Marina in Southport, NC; and Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth.

We thought the best "Dog Friendly" marinas were Harbor Walk, Southport, and Ocean Marine. These had good, lighted, close by areas to walk the dog, and also handed out dog biscuits!

Our favorite towns that we visited in no certain order were Charleston, SC; Georgetown, SC; Beaufort, SC; and Portsmouth, VA.

Our favorite restaurants in no certain order were Sunbury Crab Co. in Sunbury, GA; Plums in Beaufort, SC; Fishy Fish in Southport; and Bier Garden in Portsmouth.

We had three major mechanical/electrical problems in 39 days. All have been fixed, we hope. We also had an oil and filter change performed on the boat in Portsmouth.

Once we left Charleston in mid April, it was very cool until we left Portsmouth to come home on May 11. This was surprising to us.

So, tomorrow will begin the second leg of the 2013 Loop trip. We will tally our facts and favorites on the second leg and publish these in early August!

Thanks for Reading! 

Thursday, May 30: Getting Ready to Go Back to the Water

Date                            May 30, 2013

Days on the Cruise       Holding at 47

From:                          Home                                                                   

To:                              Home

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.1 SM

On Board

Two weeks since the last Post seems like two years. The day after tomorrow, we will get back on the road and head to Portsmouth, VA and the boat. We are more than ready to start the second segment of the Loop that will take us from Norfolk to Toledo, OH.

At the last Post, we were on our way to see daughter - in -law Amanda and son Ben and their brand new baby Charlotte. It was a great trip, (except for the 4 vehicle wreck we were in on the interstate) and "Nana" Susan got her share of hugs and cuddles from our third grand baby. We were able to sit with Charlotte and let Amanda go out and do some errands. We also ate supper at "The Original Oyster House" on the Causeway in Mobile. We all had seafood, and it was great. I especially like the Gumbo. We will definitely go back there to eat on the next trip down. I know Amanda liked getting out for dinner after being cooped up with the baby for two weeks.

Tiny Baby Charlotte being loved by her Nana

Two week old Baby Charlotte

The following week, we did our Doctor's and Dentist appointments in Auburn and Opelika. I had one old filling that had disintegrated and had to have it replaced. Plenty of deadener and it was no problem. I am good for another 6 months. 

Susan spent several days with her sisters in Montgomery, and we took the car to a collision center over there to be repaired. We hope to get it back tomorrow.

Last weekend was Memorial Day and we had a big get together here at the house. Two of Susan's sisters came and Linda's husband Richard also was here. Linda and Richard brought their granddaughter Maylon, who is going into the 8th grade. Our daughter Beth came up from Jacksonville with grand child number 2, Annabel. Our oldest granddaughter Ava spent the weekend at a church camp with her father. The weather was beautiful. I smoked two Boston Butts on Friday, and we all chowed down on them on Saturday. 

Clockwise from the top: Maylon and Annabel, Beth, Sister Joan, Richard, and Sister Linda

Annabel was a good kid during her stay

Maylon and Annabel

This past Monday, Susan rode back to Jacksonville with Beth to see Ava and to get our car that we left down there on April 3rd when we departed Jacksonville on "Blue Moon". Susan arrived back last night, ready to pack up and get going again on Saturday.

Our next leg itinerary is pretty much established. We will leave Portsmouth next Tuesday and go to Deltaville, VA. Wednesday will be Tangier Island, VA. Thursday and Friday is Solomon, MD. Then Oxford, MD and St. Michaels, MD. From there we go to Annapolis, then Baltimore, then up the Sassafras River to meet up with my cousin John. After that we go to Delaware City, DE for a few days. I hope to get a car and visit a couple of uncles and an aunt in New Jersey. Then its on to Cape May, Atlantic City, New York, and up the Hudson to the Erie Canal. Across New York to Lake Erie at Buffalo, then West on Lake Erie to Toledo, OH where we will take a short break and come home for about a week. On the Chesapeake, we hope to connect with my cousin Pam and an old friend and his wife who live outside Baltimore.

We will pick up the pace on the blogs from here on out, so stay tuned as we get back in sync on the boat.


Thanks for Reading!

Thursday, May 16: Visiting our Daughter - in - Law and Son and New Grandbaby

Date                            May 16, 2013

Day on the Cruise       Holding at 47

From:                          Home                                                                  

To:                              Ben & Amanda's House

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.1 SM

On Board

We have farmed the pets out for the weekend and are here at Ben and Amanda's and baby's house on the Alabama Gulf Coast. It is about a 3-1/2 hour drive from where we live. It took us almost 6 hours to get here after we were involved in a 4 vehicle wreck on I-85 going into Montgomery. We were the third car. We hit a car in front of us and another car hit us in the back after a guy stopped in front of us in a construction zone. It took over 2 hours for the State Troopers to investigate the wreck. We are both OK. We could drive the car, so we came on to see Ben and Amanda and the new baby.

South of Montgomery on I-65, we got into another massive traffic jam in a construction zone. This held us up for 20 minutes. I am now officially gun shy in construction zones.

Amanda is doing great. She is feeling better every day, and she is a great Mom. We saw Ben on FaceTime last night with the baby, and he is a very loving father.

So, we will be here for a few days and Nana will get lots of "cuddle time" and we both will get a good visit with Ben and Amanda before we go back to the boat.

We are still working on our next segment itinerary. We added a stop tonight to see my cousin John on the Sassafras River in Maryland. He has his boat at a marina there and we will spend a few days with him.

I hope we can maintain our return schedule for June 1, given the need to get the car repaired. We will see early next week.                    

Thanks for Reading!

Tuesday, May 14: Back in Alabama in the Springtime

Date                            May 14, 2013

Day on the Cruise       Holding at 47

From:                          At Home                                                                  

To:                              At Home

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.10 SM

On Board                   No One (We Hope)        

We are enjoying being back at home while the boat stays in Portsmouth. Driving 12 hours straight through to Alabama on Saturday was exhausting. Sunday, we pretty much vegetated and rested from the trip. It was great to get some space and to sit in comfortable furniture.

Thanks to wonderful neighbors, our house and plants came through our absence fine. It looks like we are not hurting for rain this year, as everything is very green and lush, and the water is up in the lake. Our wonderful neighbor Linda handled our mail for us, and  everything was organized and laid out on our kitchen table when we arrived home. We can't thank her enough for her kind assistance!

Yesterday I got a haircut from Rod, my Barber, and renewed my driver's license downtown. I saw the County Judge of Probate and the County Sheriff at the Courthouse and told them about our trip on the Loop. The Sheriff told me about his recent trip to Norfolk where he toured the Navy Facilities with a National Guard group. We both agreed that the Military presence in the area was very impressive. Rod told me that he had a relative in Norfolk that was a Barber, but that he had recently passed away.

Today I drove to Opelika for my lab work in preparation for a Doctor's appointment next week. We are busy ordering things to get to take back with us to the boat. Our portable GPS that we use in the car on trips stopped working on the way back from Portsmouth, so we ordered a new one. I also ordered a handheld VHF radio and a fitting for the deck holding tank pump out. Today I will order some summer clothes to use on the cruise.

We have started to work on our itinerary for the next segment. Our plan is to spend the first part of June on the Chesapeake Bay, then go to Cape May, then up to New York, then up the Hudson by the end of June. I will publish this itinerary in the next few days.

Thanks for Reading!

All Day in the Car on a Saturday

Date                            May 11, 2013

Day on the Cruise        47

From:                          Ocean Marine Yacht Center, Portsmouth, VA                                                                    

To:                              Ocean Marine Yacht Center, Portsmouth, VA     

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.1 SM

On Board                   Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

On the 47th day of the cruise, we were up at 5:00 A.M. and loaded the car for the trip home. We buttoned up the boat and cleaned things up and were away from the marina before 6:30.

Stopping in Suffolk for breakfast biscuits and fuel, we drove to I-95 and headed South. This route took us through Fayetteville, NC, Florence, SC, Columbia, SC, then to Atlanta on I-20. We bypassed Atlanta on I-285, then hit I-85 South to Auburn/Opelika then North to our house. 

The entire trip took right at 12 hours with stops for fuel and lunch along the way. We encountered construction and wrecks in Columbia, SC and near Atlanta. Traffic was moderate to heavy on I-95 and I-20 until we were past Columbia. Columbia was a mess because of all the construction. I was surprised that there was so much traffic along the way on a Saturday.

It was good to see the "green green grass of home". In this case, the green grass and the green trees. Everything is very lush here right now. The lake looks to be full, and we will enjoy the break from cruising.

Stay tuned here on the blog for our daily adventures while we are home. (not as exciting as cruising, I am sure) We will be traveling to see the children and grandchildren, and we will have some family here on Memorial day weekend. While we will be stuck on 47 days on the cruise for a while, we will still be doing things. 

I am not quite yet counting down the days until we are back in Portsmouth, but I am sure it won't be long until I get the itch to get back on the big water. Coming up in June will be the Chesapeake, The Delaware, Cape May and the dreaded cruise out in the Atlantic up to New York. We hope to be at the Erie Canal by July 4, then to Toledo, OH by August 1. We are looking forward to seeing old friends and family in Virginia, Baltimore, and New Jersey.

Thanks for Reading!   

Friday, May 10: Back to Portsmouth

Date                            May 10, 2013

Day on the Cruise       46

From:                          Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA                                                                    

To:                              Ocean Marine Yacht Center, Portsmouth, VA    

Statute Miles               1.0

Time                           0.25 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,233.1 SM

On Board                   Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

We left Waterside about 9:30 and headed back to Ocean Marine where we will keep the boat for about a month while we return home to see our children and grandchildren. The migration of Looper boats out of the marina at Waterside started before dawn. We said goodbye to many new friends that we have made as they one-by-one guided their boats into the Elizabeth River and headed for points North. We should catch most of them in Michigan later in the Sumner.

Our friend from Richmond met us at Ocean Marine for lunch. Jack and I have known each other and worked together since Auburn back in the early 70's. I am a couple of years older than is he, and while I have already retired from the Company, Jack has a few more years to go. I am trying to convince him to hurry up and get into "the good life".

Jack and Chuck at the stern of "Blue Moon"

Jack and Chuck on the dock

Jack is finishing an assignment in our Cleveland office and will take on a new account out of our Charlotte office. He is excited about the new challenges that he is facing.

We missed seeing Beth, Jack's wife, who is helping her mother in Newnan, GA recover from a knee replacement. Hope to link back up with them both in Auburn this fall for a ball game.

We ate lunch at The Bier Garden in downtown Portsmouth, and we were able to sit outside on a beautiful day. The weather has finally turned warm, unlike earlier in the week, and last week.

After lunch, Jack took us to pick up our rental car for the trip home. We then drove over to Virginia Beach where we toured the Virginia Beach Convention Center that Jack had finished about five years ago. It is a very impressive facility. I had heard a lot about it, but never had seen it.

Traffic in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Portsmouth area is very challenging, especially on a Friday afternoon. We got back to the marina just before 6, and Jack headed back to Richmond. It was a great afternoon, and a great visit.

We ate dinner on the boat and packed up our things for an early morning departure on Saturday.

Thanks for Reading!

Thursday, May 9: Looper Midnight Descends on the Rendezvous

Date                            May 9, 2013

Day on the Cruise       45

From:                          Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA                                                                    

To:                              Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA    

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,232.1 SM

On Board                   Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

"Looper Midnight" is traditionally 9:00 PM, and midnight descended over the Rendezvous, as today ended the Festivities. We attended the final sessions then the dinner that capped off the entire week. Most people are making plans to take off from the Marina early Friday morning. There is a continuation of a sort this weekend about 50 miles North up the Chesapeake at Dozier's Regatta Pointe Marina in Deltaville, VA. They have a Looper's special that has attracted a lot of boats. We will go across the harbor on Friday and leave our boat as we head home for a while. We are looking forward to meeting a friend from Richmond for lunch in Portsmouth on Friday.

The thruster mechanic came back and installed the new battery switch while we were at the morning Rendezvous sessions. The thruster powers up at both control panels and seems to work fine, so I hope it is fixed.

We enjoyed our time at the Rendezvous with mixed feelings. Being sick and missing a whole day of sessions was not what I had planned. Having to deal with two critical boat problems for a whole other day was also not on the agenda. We met a bunch of new people and enjoyed getting to know everybody, but in the end, I am not sure that we got what we wanted out of the event. Time and tide will tell the tale on this.

Waterside Marina was a nice setting but they did pack the boats into the place. Every nook and cranny was filled with boats. I really did not like this. It was just very crowded. Power cords were strewn everywhere where we were. Water hoses were run down the docks on other people's hose bibs. Close quarters existed with boats tied bow -in and stern-in. We were a long way from the bath house. With our plumbing problem, we used the bath house more than we normally would. The bath houses were in a mostly vacant waterside mall and were small and minimal.

The Harbor Walk was very nice and the park-like atmosphere was great to walk Maggie right there at the marina. The Waterside Mall with so many vacant store fronts was a downer, but this is a sign of the times in a big city.

Maybe it is just time to move on. We have been in one place now for 6 days, and we are now used to moving frequently.

Thanks for Reading!

One Stinking Switch and One Stinking Mess

Date                            May 8, 2013

Day on the Cruise       44

From:                          Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA                                                                    

To:                              Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA    

Statute Miles               0.0

Time                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles       1,232.1 SM

On Board                   Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

I felt much better today!

Today was a day about repairs. Ugly repairs! The thruster mechanic showed up at 9:00. Very knowledgeable and went right to work. Of course he didn't know the boat, so he set about tracing the wires and checking voltage, etc. on all the wires to and from the thruster. He had to open up consoles and hatches to find the wiring. The thruster itself is under the bed in the forward stateroom, so we had to move the mattress.

When he opened the floor hatch next to the lower station, the bilge had a good amount of "stinky" water, and that is putting it mildly. This area is right in front of the holding tank. We had noticed an odor, but knew that the holding tank was about full. Another problem! I was afraid that the holding tank was leaking, and the tank is located under the floor, practically inaccessible. Called back to Ocean Marine, and no one was available until Thursday. OK, get someone here then.

The thruster guy took 2 hours chasing wires and finally found a bad battery switch. It was corroded. Jiggling it resolved the problem momentarily but he could not guarantee the long term fix without changing out the switch. He had to go get a new switch. Later they called to say it would be Thursday before they got a switch.

Oh, and there is a Rendezvous we are supposed to be attending! Susan and I wound up staying on the boat until the mechanic left, then joined the group lunch. We had missed the morning sessions that were heavy on Canada where we aren't going to anyway.

After lunch, I decided I would bail out the stinky water which was a real stinking mess. Putting on rubber gloves, I removed buckets of water from the bilge. This was an really pleasant task, believe me, especially since I had been sick the day before. I then flushed the bilge with fresh water from our garden hose, and the odor was gone. I was almost gone also! Yeech!

Later in the afternoon, the odor returned, and an inspection revealed more stinky water. Houston, we have a problem! A stinking problem!

I made a decision and shut down the head. We had to go on a five minute walk to the marina bath house. I was making the walk about 4:30 when I ran into a marine repair man who was working on other boats here. Please Sir, do you work on heads and holding tanks? Yes I do, and I will be over to see you when I finish this other boat. Cha Ching!

He came. He looked. He said he saw the problem. The macerator pump which is used to pump the sewage overboard out in the ocean and which we have never used, was leaking at the seals. Makes sense. There is never any water run through the pump, so the seals dry out! Seals become hard and they crack and they leak. The pump is directly connected to the holding tank by a hose. What was in the holding tank was leaking from the pump.

In short order he removed the pump and capped the pipe coming out of the holding tank with zip lock bags held on with hose clamps. This would hold until he could put in a new pump next week. He also found that the vent was stopped up and it was making it increasingly hard to pump out the tank. He will install a new vent filter next week also.

But we weren't finished. We had to clean up stinky water from the bilge once more. Same song, second verse. Bail it out, flush out the bilge with a garden hose, bail again, clean and rinse, disinfect. Yeech! This time the marine tech did the work.

All this stinky stuff got done after 6:00. We missed our dinner date with friends and ate corned beef sandwiches on board.

At least the odor is gone.

Are we here to attend a Rendezvous or to get sick and deal with stinking messes???

Thanks for Reading.

Under the Weather

Date:                                  May 7, 2013

Days on the Cruise:             43

From:                                Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

To:                                    Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

Statute Miles:                    0.0

Time:                                0.0 Hours

Cumulative Miles:             1,232.1

On Board:                         Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Not much to talk about today. I was under the weather with a stomach bug and sat today out on the boat. I feel better tonight. 

Susan attended the presentations and demonstrations. We will rely on her new found knowledge to get us from Norfolk to the end of The Erie Canal.

I will be back on board tomorrow. Sorry for the abbreviated post.

Thanks for Reading!

The Rendezvous Starts

Date:                                  May 6, 2013

Days on the Cruise:             42

From:                                Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

To:                                    Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

Statute Miles:                    0.0

Time:                                0.0 Hours

Cumulative Miles:             1,232.1

On Board:                         Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

We are in Norfolk to attend the America's Great Loop Cruising Association Spring Rendezvous. The events started at 2:30 with check-in and registration. Before check-in, we walked around the Norfolk area North of the Waterside Complex. This took us into the Freemason Historic District and the area around the USS Wisconsin, a battleship that is on display in the museum area. We ate lunch downtown, then walked along Harbor Walk past the battleship and to a beautiful Japanese Garden called Pagoda Park. 

The bow of the USS Wisconsin

USS Wisconsin

Wisconsin Square

"The Lone Sailor" Monument

"

Entrance to Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

Beautiful flame azaleas in Pagoda Park

The "Admiral" in Pagoda Park

Pagoda Park

The town houses and condos in the Freemason area are well done and are built in a beautiful setting along old city streets. We walked up town to a 7-Eleven to get some bread and milk, then we headed back to the boat. 

Beautiful Residential Street in Norfolk

Norfolk is filled with various painted mermaids. It must be the Mermaid City!

Battleship gun between condo buildings

Big Navy Hospital Complex across the harbor in Portsmouth

Check-in and dinner were fine. We picked up our "Goodie Bags" which are filled with trinkets and information. We participated in current looper introductions and told the group about ourselves and where we are on the Loop experience. There are a lot of people here-at least as many as were at the Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama last year.

At dinner, there were more introductions of "Gold" Loopers who are those people that have completed the Loop and who have earned the Gold Looper flag. Barbara and Craig from "Blue Heron", whom we have traveled with on this trip received their Gold Looper designation, as they crossed their wake here in Norfolk last week.

Maggie has made a few friends here at Waterside. Many Loopers who have their boats here also have dogs. One dog that Maggie has interacted with is a 4 year old Golden named Sampson. He is from Austin, TX and looks very much like Ben and Amanda's Golden Sadie.

Tomorrow starts the presentations and the demonstrations. I have lined up a mechanic from Ocean Marine Yacht Center to come look at our bow thruster on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for Reading!

Checking Out Norfolk on a Sunday

Date:                                  May 5, 2013

Days on the Cruise:             41

From:                                Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

To:                                    Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA

Statute Miles:                    0.0

Time:                                0.0 Hours

Cumulative Miles:             1,232.1

On Board:                         Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut


It was still cold on Sunday...and very gray. We walked around Norfolk during the afternoon and checked out the area within about 8-10 blocks of the Marina. There was a festival at the Harbor Walk, but it looked like the weather may have muted the final day's attendance. 

"Blue Moon" in the Marina

"Blue Moon" in the Marina

Susan looking for the bath house at the Marina

Harbor Walk next to the Marina

A beautiful sailboat at the Marina

Public area and official dog walking area at the Marina

Public area at the Marina

Up town, like you might expect on a Sunday in a big city, there were not a whole lot of people. We found a big urban mall called the McArthur Center which reminds us of Lennox Mall in Atlanta. We also saw the excellent public transportation system in action downtown in front of the Mall in the form of light rail. Very quiet and right where you need it. 

Street Scene in Downtown Norfolk

A pocket park called "The Plot". This park is totally "Green" in that it is made entirely out of recycled materials and plantings

"The Plot"

"The Plot"

"The Plot"

Street Scene in Norfolk

The battleship USS Wisconsin trying to sail through Plume Street in Norfolk

Another pocket park in downtown

Still another pocket park in downtown Norfolk

On the back side of the Mall, we found the McArthur Visitor's Center and Museum dedicated to General Douglas McArthur. He and his wife are interred in a rotunda in the Museum. McArthur chose Norfolk for his final resting place because of his mother's ties to the City. She was from Norfolk.

The visitor's center has some interesting exhibits surrounding the U.S. Army's Rainbow Division and their battles in WW I. It has some artifacts from McArthur's career. The Museum, in a separate building, contains seven or eight big exhibit areas, and chronicles his life from birth to death. McArthur was once Commandant at West Point where he penned the motto "Duty, Honor, Country". It was interesting to learn about McArthur's demise and his removal from the Army by President Harry S. Truman, basically for insubordination.

The museum and the visitor's center are interesting for their origin and their continued presence. The facilities and the displays were given and are supported by the private McArthur Foundation. There is also private support from Korean entities such as Hyundai and Kia. Some friends speculated that this memorial to McArthur might not have been so popular with many people, and the Foundation has unilaterally kept McArthur and his accomplishments in the public light.

The McArthur Museum and Visitor's Center

We noticed in walking through the downtown area that there is what I call a "Cleveland Effect" on some of the streets here. In Cleveland, OH, which is right on the shores of Lake Erie, in the winter, the wind picks up speed as it blows down the streets between the tall buildings. It can lower the temperature considerably through wind chill and make it even more brutal to walk the streets. We saw this yesterday in Norfolk. The wind speed increased on streets where there are tall buildings that make a canyon like effect. It was brutally cold for May in Norfolk!

Several of us got together for drinks on "How Lucky Again" and we all stayed until almost 10:00. We got to know Steve and Meredith from "Free at Last", Bob and Monique from "Q's Cabin", and Joe from "Knot So Fast". Joe has a home on Smith Lake and also one in Birmingham. His builder is the father of the builder of our first home at the Lake. 

Monique and Bob are from the beautiful Anna Marie Island near Bradenton and Sarasota. Their big Sea Ray is a replacement for a mountain cabin that Bob was going to get for Monique. They went to the sea instead!

Meredith and Steve are from Long Beach, CA. They bought their boat in Homestead, FL, and are doing the Loop. The diverse backgrounds of Loopers is one of the things that makes this trip interesting!

As the show here starts on Monday, some of the late comers are now here. We saw Ozell and Maryanne on "Freya, whom we were docked next to at Oriental. We also saw "Lightfoot" here in the Marina.

"How Lucky Again", "Knot So Fast", "Free at Last" and "Blue Heron" are all on this row at Waterside

Thanks for Reading!