Memsahib's Voyage

We’re home.  Pulled into our slip at Guilford Yacht Club today 350 days and 5,750 miles after we left.

So what’s the Loop about other than miles and days, and canals and rivers, storms and sunsets, and of course, Loopers?  For me it’s the profusion compared to normal life of those moments when you experience euphoria:  “A feeling of exceptional happiness and well-being.”

We all have such moments.  They could be brought on by the birth of a child, catching one just right and pumping it 300 yards right down the middle, or just sitting by the fire contemplating your incredible luck in being born an American.  I think the people I’ve known who are truly living are simply trying to maximize moments of euphoria through sports or a job they love or family or church or whatever.

If you like the water, boats, history and our wonderful country and it’s equally wonderful neighbor Canada, the Great Loop is a euphoria factory.  Euphoria lies around every bend, across every bay and at every dock where the Looper flag flies.  There were simply hundreds of times during our trip that I just FELT SO GOOD about what John and I were doing.

Here are a few euphoria-producing moments that come to mind right now, but every time I look at the Voyage map, I am flooded with so many more:

–  Swimming with Bjorn in a perfect lake in a perfect anchorage on a perfect day in the Stony Lakes region of Canada prior to a martini and steaks on the barbecue.

–  Dinner with John and Molly at a classic Chicago steakhouse after a beautiful day doing the sites in one of America’s great cities. It was so good to be a family again.

–   The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers – Memsahib cleaving the same waters as my boyhood heroes Lewis and Clark.

–   Cold as could be, but motoring through the Tennessee Gorge at the absolute peak of the fall colors with my great friend Eric Brazil.

–   Seeing all the Loopers in the Tiki hut at Green Turtle Bay after our tough Gulf crossing and being handed the by-now-famous Next to Me Bloody Mary.

–   Skimming over the waves, rays and turtles on a seaplane to the Dry Tortugas.

–   Anne Marie Sales was John’s nanny as an infant and little boy.  Seeing her little three-year-old girl “driving” Memsahib just as John drove Memsahib at the same age was a special moment.

–   Belting out “Moon River” ON the real Moon River.

–   Motoring up the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers into the heart of Michener Country.  When I read “Chesapeake” 35 years ago, I said, “I’ve got to go there.”  And I did.

–    Taking a picture of John holding the Gold Looper flag in front of the Statue of Liberty.  I could barely push the button.

That’s the end of the voyage and the end of this blog, although we will be adding pictures of the first two months of the trip before the blog began.

More practical thoughts on the Loop, future cruising tales and boatbuilding yarns will move to http://www.greatloopcoda.com.

Memsahib crossed her wake yesterday at the Statue of Liberty, the start and finish for us lucky New England Loopers.

It was a great moment during a hard 13-hour, 95-mile push from Manasquan, NJ to Norwalk, CT with Tropical Storm Andrea chasing us into Norwalk Cove Marina last night.

Thanks to Memsahib, a good old 52-year-old wooden boat who kept us safe and secure the whole way.  And thanks to my crew — Molly, Fredi, Bjorn, Pat, Ray, Eric, Sparta and most of all John — my son, my friend and the best crewman I will ever have.

The Loop is done, but the Voyage continues, arriving at our home port of Guilford Yacht Club Sunday afternoon — Andrea permitting.

The best Looper crew ever.

For one nanosecond, this guy was the happiest person in the world.

It’s official — we’re gold loopers!

We’re about 45 miles south of New York on the Manasquan River in New Jersey, so tomorrow should mark the Loop completion, and Sunday the end of the Voyage.

A long but uneventful trip on the ocean today from Atlantic City.

I was only looking at Atlantic City as a stop to endure, not enjoy, waiting for good weather, but it turned out to be a pleasant visit.  John and I took one of the very efficient jitney buses over to the Boardwalk and I was really impressed.  It has been cleaned up (I guess due to the casinos) with top-flight retail stores, great beach access, food other than Nathan’s hot dogs — and mini-golf, where I beat John once again!!

But the highlight was a jackpot playing video poker last night at the Golden Nugget.  I was playing deuces wild, had three twos, drew two more for FIVE of a kind!  Bells rang and music played and my fellow players turned their walkers and wheelchairs to congratulate me.  One fellow even gave me a tip of his oxygen mask.

Nothing like a free stay in a fancy marina.

On the Board Walk at Atlantic City.

The beach at Atlantic City has always been magnificent. The big building is the Miss America venue.

Atlantic City fades into the morning mist

We’re in Atlantic City at the Golden Nugget Casino, waiting for a break in the continuing line of fronts that has made getting north a challenge for the Looper Fleet.

We did have two great days getting up the end of Chesapeake Bay and down Delaware Bay to Cape May.  I was really wistful passing by so many great places on the way north — Baltimore, Chester, the Sassafras River, etc — but John’s college orientation looms large as a hard date for the end of the Voyage.  We were so glad that Delaware Bay wasn’t acting up.  It’s a nasty piece of water full of giant ships, shallow waters and no ports.  We actually enjoyed our last night on the Delaware a lot at anchor in the marshes of the Cohansey River, just about the only refuge on the entire bay.

Reprovisioned in Cape May at the very friendly, fancy and not-too-expensive South Jersey Marina, a sportsfishing kind of place that is trying its best to attract Loopers, since fuel costs have really been tough on the fleet of 50 gallon-per-hour hotshot fishing boats.  Then with strong winds approaching we decided to try the protected New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway up to Atlantic City.

Got through, but should have done house tours in Cape May.  Years of neglect and Superstorm Sandy have made the ICW nearly impassable.  We ran aground twice (no damage, it’s all mud) and plowed a furrow through the bottom twice.  It was scenic, but the white knuckles stress of no water beneath the keel was just not worth it.  I was surprised at the degree of development — wherever there was a break in the marsh grass, there were thousands of summer houses “down the shore” and hundreds of speedboats waking the crap out of us.

John is warming to the thought of being back in the New York area, even at the cost of going back to school.  Last night we ate at the Chart House at the casino — sleek  surroundings, wonderful, sophisticated food, great views and a hostess who could have been Derek Jeter’s girlfriend.

“But John,” I said, contemplating the bill.  “Don’t you remember that famous catfish restaurant that we went to in Mississippi?”

“Yes, plastic tables, plastic forks, catfish or pork chops, banana pudding for dessert.”

“Ah, but the catfish…”

“Greasy, salty and tasteless like all catfish.”

He has a point.

(Looks like Thursday for our Loop completion, but no promises.)

Delaware Bay Pastoral

Delaware Bay boating — we waved, but I’m not sure he saw us.

Cohansey River anchorage — our last

And the winner of tallest marsh grass on the whole trip goes to…New Jersey!!

Houses “Down the Shore”

After the trip we had, I was actually glad to see tawdry old Atlantic City.

Memsahib in her berth at the Golden Nugget Casino — nice to have all the casino amenities right across the street.