Just Relax on The Great Loop

27/07/2024

I pulled out of the slip in Northport and docked the boat at Beaver Island thanks to Mike’s great instruction.

26/07/2024

Joe caught this clip on a Charlevoix Live Cam.

26/07/2024

Day 9: July 23rd we had a rainy day but no waves to travel to Charlevoix. We anchored in Oyster Bay and spent the afternoon organizing. Unfortunately it rained all day so we did not dinghy into town or around the lake as we had planned. Will have to come back as it is a really cute spot and would love to spend some time exploring.

24/07/2024

Mackinaw Island: Sailors celebrating a successful race.

24/07/2024

24/07/2024

Day 8: Mackinaw City:
What a fun day! Nothing beats that first view of the Mighty Mac as you approach and getting closer to the bridge we were in awe that we will be taking our own boat under it. We saw tons of sailboats in the Port Huron to Mackinaw race as we left Cheboygan on beautiful flat waters. It was a short trip so we had plenty of time to get the dinghy out and head over to Mackinaw Island to see the sailors celebrating on the docks and check out the bridge up close. Walked around town later and bought some fudge.

22/07/2024

Why a schedule is difficult. This should have been a No- Go day.

22/07/2024

Lake Huron is beautiful!

22/07/2024

Lake Huron: Port Huron to Cheboygan
We found we like getting up early so we arrive in town before things shut down. We travel slow- which is sometimes annoying for Mike but we get to see a lot more and save $ on fuel. Working on our Go-No Go parameters( will post video in another post). We had 3 visits this past week- all very fun. We still can’t believe we are doing The Great Loop.

18/07/2024

Most have already seen Joe's drone video on my personal page. Want everything regarding our trip in one spot so reposting here.

Friends Mike & Mary departing from their home marina on 7-15-2024 to start their journey on the great loop!

18/07/2024

I was told Looper midnight is around 9pm. Naw- that can’t be true. Haha- boy were we wrong. We are exhausted and ready for bed by 9pm. Mike is in bed and just missed this beautiful sunset.

16/07/2024

What a whirlwind week! Between getting the boat & house ready and seeing family and friends we were exhausted at the end of our first day on the Loop- but HAPPY! Many people ask what are we most nervous about- that is simple- we will miss our family and friends and pray that many will visit us and the new friends we meet along the way will help fill the void so we don’t become homesick. As we pulled out in a misty rain to the river, Mike honked the horn and it just squeeked. Something is going to break along the way✅ By 9am he had it fixed and the rain had stopped.

19/06/2024

This past weekend we began to get a little nervous. How will we ever get everything done?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncdsj6UIE3A

03/06/2024

We started the weekend on a crazy 😮 note. Getting the 🏠house, the 🚤boat and our rental business all squared away amidst lots of big family events is a balancing act. So many things to do and our shove off date📅 is quickly approaching. My health issues are flaring🔥 due to stress and Mike found OIL in the bilge. Ugh- can't we catch a break?! We still haven't recovered from our chain mistake from last week (realized we were not specific enough when we ordered our chain and the link length was too large) and the leaky window situation is not completely resolved.

I took a nap to reduce the stress and Mike found the cause of the oil and it was a simple fix- YAY! Then good things started to happen🌈☀️ We got connected on Nebo, had dinner with friends and Sunday morning while watching the river from our boat Mike said, "Hey, there's a trawler coming up the river." Since we don't see a lot of trawlers where we boat, we decided to pull up Nebo and sure enough Boomerang, a Gold Looper (someone who has completed the Loop), was going by our boat club. I got on the radio and hailed them. How exciting!!!💥 We were talking to our first AGLCA member via radio after spotting them on Nebo. I know this sounds crazy, but I was so excited I couldn't even speak straight- I'm sure they thought I was nuts. We went out for a short cruise up the river and watched the Detroit Grand Prix🏎 . The Scott Fountain on Belle Isle was even turned on (it usually is off when we go by). Detroit really is beautiful. We finished the day by viewing our tracks on Nebo for the first time and were happy that the app is available. Praying the next week is a little less stressful but know that along with every challenge comes many exciting opportunities.

27/05/2024

Everyone has to start somewhere. Today I made our first video using InShot video editor and uploaded it to YouTube. Both are firsts.

This was our first attempt at making a video. Lots of mistakes but you get the idea. Unfortunately we did not take pictures of all the mechanical work Mike ...

24/05/2024

After we had things running well, it was time to share our new love with our family and friends. We had fun showing off Downtown Detroit and anchoring at Belle Isle Beach whenever we got a chance.

24/05/2024

We purchased a dinghy from Dustin at Bourbon City Yacht Tenders and were pleased with both the helpful service and the price. Then we got busy and put the name on the boat. It was originally Clear Your Mind.

24/05/2024

After attending the 2022 AGLCA Rendezvous in Paris Landing, Tennesee we knew we had made the right decision. A room full of people with the same passions 🚤as we have and all so friendly that we felt like we had known many for years not just days. We agreed this adventure might be even better than we expected💙. Next step- buy a larger boat so we have space (to keep our marriage healthy🤣). We found her in Sandusky, Ohio so 2 hours there and 2 hours back all winter to do some initial work became Mike's regular routine. In April 2023 we brought her back to our home port- Great Lakes Steel Boat Club. During the summer of 2023 we cruised Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie to get to know her. We LOVE our boat- Just Relax.

24/05/2024

Welcome! We created this page to document our travels on the Great Loop for our own use. Many asked us to share our journey so we invite anyone who is interested to follow along. Hope you enjoy the adventure! Want to see where we are right now?