I did not want Mike to teach me the ropes...pun intended!
We had had a few run ins on tying up to the dock and me driving in the past. So needless to say I did not want him teaching me about this boat. He would get frustrated and I would get discouraged. Enter Captain Chris.
We hired Captain Chris as our boat trainer for four days in July. We covered markers, signals, reading charts and electronic navigation. We spent nearly a whole day in the engine room. I learned about impellers and hoses. How to read oil sticks and gauges. I drove and docked. I still need a lot more practice in docking, but I think in case of an emergency I can get us to help! I'm feeling more comfortable and I think Mike even learned a thing or two!
I was starting to get more excited about the trip. I read two books written by two couples who had done the Loop, while Mike looked for boats on line.
In March we went to Ft. Lauderdale and met with a boat broker we had met at the seminar. We had narrowed the search down to six boats we found on line. We did not know exactly what we wanted, so we picked several different kinds of boats to help us with that decision.
We did make a list of the priorities we were searching for.
1. Speed- most trawlers just go 7-10 knots, we wanted the option of going faster in case of bad weather or an emergency.
2. Fly Bridge
3. 2 Engines
4. Up galley
We did not find our boat on that trip, but we did learn a lot more of what we needed vs. wanted. Back to the internet. We had been told it could take up to two years to find the boat that was right for us. But Mike had other plans. We did not have two years, he wanted to leave next January of 2016!
He had seen a boat in Orange Beach Alabama on line, and now that we knew more of what we wanted, that one was looking more promising. It was a 48 foot Offshore semi displacement trawler. That meant it could go faster and was about the right length. The pictures looked pretty good on line, but pictures can be deceiving, so in June we made plans to go see it. Thinking we might need another set of eyes and unbiased opinion, we took another Captain friend; Casey, the husband of my friend Bonnee.
The owners had completed the Loop in October, so it was low enough to go under the many bridges we would find on the Loop. It was totally re-fitted in 2012, meaning all new electronics, the sofas had been re-covered, the engines had been gone through. The electrical system was totally redone, with updated televisions and satellite TV's and back-up systems. Keeping a boat up is an ongoing battle, "Salt water is hell on everything" we knew we would have to update some systems on any boat we choose.
We went home, made pros and cons lists comparing another boat, but the Offshore won out. So after a little negotiating, on June 10th we had found our Rowe Boat!
Mike has been wanting to do this for a couple of years now. His one main obstacle...me! I did not know much about boats. They are quite intimidating and I'm still learning ropes are called lines, left is port, right is starboard and many more nautical terms. AND more importantly; spending a whole year with the same person confined on a floating two room house seemed pretty daunting to me!
He persuaded me to go to a Looper seminar this January. We met others like us still in the thinking and planning stages. There were also a few who had already completed the Loop. A lot of them had the same questions and apprehensions we had. About the closeness thing, it's just like at home, you each go to your own space and cool off. Most of the finished Loopers said the trip actually brought them closer; because you had to trust and depend on each other to get the job done. The one thing they all agreed on; just do it! If you wait until you think you are ready, you will never start. I was beginning to warm to the idea after this seminar, but still needed more convincing.
One of the speakers was Chris Caldwell and his wife Elise. They lived on a boat for 19 years and just recently bought their first house. They started a boat training business and had a lot of good, practical ideas I could understand. More on Captain Chris later.
Fun Fact: less people do the Loop in a year than climb Mt. Everest!
We will be in very exclusive company.
If you are reading this, then you know Mike and I are taking the plunge again...
no not that one. In mid January 2016, we are planning to set out on a 5,000 mile year long boating adventure called America's Great Loop. We will basically circumnavigate the eastern part of the US.
We will leave our home port in St. Pete Beach and either travel through Lake Okeechobee (the "Ditch") or down to the Keys and over to the Bahamas for a few weeks. Then cruise up the eastern seaboard through the Inner Coastal Waterway to the Chesapeake, and into the Hudson. Then the Erie and Oswego Canals into Canada and cruise the Trent Severn Waterway. Back into the US via Lake Michigan, the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Then the Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile and finally cross the Gulf back home to St. Pete Beach.
We plan to take a year, but one thing we were told was take one day at a time, be flexible. We will go through over 150 locks, take lots of side trips and meet lots of new friends. We already have 5 couples who plan to cruise a segment of the trip with us.
We hope you will follow us on this once in a life time adventure!
leannmikerowe@gmail.com
To learn more about America's Great Loop check out this link.
www.greatloop.org
