Gordon's Great Loop Adventure

Tuesday, July 30 2019 In case you think that boating is all about swanning about on the water, we spent some time on board today cleaning the boat.  We also had to remove all of the food that might go bad while the boat is being trucked to Chicago, and start securing everything in place. Leaving Salem for WIYY - Love the marriage savers! Maneuvering out of Salem Harbor, and into the narrow cove at WIYY, we very much appreciated the ability to communicate with the "marriage savers." Once Sunny Tug was pulled from the water it was time to take Caroline to Boston so she could continue her adventures from there.  It was great having her on board as crew, and I especially appreciate how flexible she was on this shakedown cruise.

Monday, July 29 2019 After a night that was surprisingly rocky for having been spent at the top of Gloucester Cove, we got underway to return to Salem.   We have been experiencing electrical problems.  One circuit that controls the air conditioning and the starter batteries for the engine is working.  The other circuit, that provides power to the "house" side (i.e. the 110 volt electrical outlets, refrigerator, microwave, etc.)  is not working. We picked up a mooring buoy outside of Winter Island Yacht Yard's cover and Peter raced out in a small Ranger Tug to have a quick look.  He was able to restore the power, but the underlying problem was not apparent. In case you are wondering why we did not just go into WIYY's cove, here is a view of the entrance to the cove a low water. We also needed to have the black water tank pumped out.  In an RV you just go to a dump station and let gravity do the work, but on a boat you have to either suction out the poop, or b

Sunday, July 28 2019 After entering Gloucester Bay we navigated to Enos Marine/Pier 7 at the very north end of Gloucester Bay. The owner was very nice and moved a very large (60'+) sailing vessel to make some more room for us to fit into a slip.   At this marina there was power, but no showers or other facilities. Some very kind boaters, who lived in town, gave us a lift into town and provided suggestions on places we might want to visit. Caroline went for a swim at a beach by a very nice hotel, while I repaired to the bar for a well deserved glass of wine.  Afterwards we did a quick tour of Gloucester, including a stop at the very moving Fishermens' Memorial. This is a memorial to fishermen who have been lost at sea. Psalm 107: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;   These see the works of the  Lord , and his wonders in the deep. This was a psalm that special meaning for me when it was said in chapel at school, along with s

Sunday, July 28 2019 We left our mooring buoy at Ipswich Bay Yacht Club and since this was a "shakedown cruise" I wanted to try every possible system on board so we decided to try out to anchor at a nice sandy beach across from the moorage field.   We motored out there and then tried to find a good spot to anchor that would not get us fouled on the mooring buoys that were already in place, and that would not have us hit other boats.   Caroline also wanted to try and go for a swim. After several attempts we did manage to get the anchor to hold, but the current was too strong for swimming and I was not happy with our position relative to other boats, so we raised the anchor, but we could say that we had successfully done our first anchoring, even if it was only for five minutes! First Raising of the Anchor on Sunny Tug The portion of the trip in the ocean, through Ipswich Bay, was very pleasant.  Caroline took the opportunity to pilot Sunny Tug for awhile.  Caroli

Saturday, July 27, 2019 After leaving the snug little harbor of Rockport we headed north, then west towards Essex Bay.   The idea was to go up the Essex River, but as we started up that way we came across a fisherman who warned us off of a sandbank that was ahead of us, and also a Harbor Master who told us that the river was long, winding, and shallow, even with our shallow draft of 2.5'.   I have current charts on board, but in this area the sand bars move frequently, and we decided it was just not worth it to continue. Plus, we still had not heard back from Essex marina, despite repeated attempts to telephone them, and we decided that a better alternative would be the Ipswich Bay Yacht Club, where we had been able to reserve a mooring ball for $40 for the night. There is a Garmin 5215 marine chart plotter/GPS on board, and I have the latest version of the electronic charts for the United States (and into the Great Lakes in Canada), but even with this it is a challenge to fi

Saturday, July 27, 2019 Our plan had been to leave Rockport and enter the Essex Bay and then go up the Essex River to the town of Essex.  The day started with the ever-energetic Caroline getting a picture of sunrise in the harbor. Sunrise in Rockport Harbor She then rented a bike and went to see a house made of paper (?!)    and then renting a kayak to get some fun pictures of Sunny Tug from the water. Caroline Kayaking Sunny Tug in Rockport - at the base of Motif #1 I went ashore to do some local exploring and then we were ready to set off for our next destination, the town of Essex.  We had tried to call for a reservation at Essex Marina.  The one employee we had talked with was not sure if they had room and said we had to talk with his boss.  We left messages but were not getting any responses, but thought we would try and see what happens.   The Ranger 29 is small enough that Marinas can usually fit you in, even if they are "full." Enroute to

Before we left for the shakedown cruise, we wanted to properly christen the boat for good luck and to officially establish her new name with Neptune, the god of the seas. Sunny Tug is named in honor of Diane's dog Sunny.   He (and Diane!) have been a dear friends for years, and I wanted to honor the love Sunny has shown, and the wonderful adventures we have shared together.   Diane came up with the idea of a "champagne bottle" filled with treats as a way Sunny could share in the christening ceremony.  He could happily tear into the "bottle" as I was cracking a bottle of champagne over the bow of the boat. Diane and Sunny are on the west coast, while Caroline and I were on the east coast (a three hour time difference).   In order to make this work, Diane conducted the ceremony at 5:30 am while we were conducting it at 8:30 am. Sunny was very happy with his treat filled champagne bottle, and Caroline skyped the event with Diane, using my laptop as the

Thursday, July 25 2019 This was a busy day of shopping and preparing for the shakedown cruise.  The idea of the shakedown cruise is to try every system on board and see what needs fixing or upgrading. Although I had got basics ready for Caroline coming on board (i.e. bedding for the quarter berth, etc.) there was still more to be bought so a trip to West Marine, Whole Foods, and Bed Bath and Beyond was called for.   Perhaps the very large Nissan Armada SUV might be useful after all. I am also learning to use Amazon Lockers.  These can be a great help as they are a place to receive packages, but you must pick them up within three days of delivery.  Here I am picking up some wireless headsets that Loopers call "marriage savers" since they avoid the need to (usually not successfully) shout at each other over the noise of the diesel engine. It was an exhausting, and expensive, day but by the end of it all we had acquired what we thought we would need for the next few

Wednesday, July 24 2019 I spent my first night on board last night and things went quite well.   I had a shower on board this morning.  The hot water tank only holds six gallons, but I found this to be more than enough.  The shower head is set up so that you have to squeeze the handle to have the water flow, which helps conserve water, but I certainly did not feel deprived. I had been put on the end dock, so getting away was quite easy and I was feeling pretty pleased with myself as I left the harbor.  Peter had asked that I test out the top speed of the boat to ensure that she can reach her rated engine capacity of 4,000 RPMs (Revolutions Per Minute).    I started to increase speed as I left the harbor, and was probably moving along at about 10 knots when the Harbor Master's launch approached me with a blue light flashing and sounded his siren!  Yikes! I did not realize how far out the No Wake Zone extended, and the Garmin Charts did not show this.  Of course, after years in

Tuesday, July 23 2019 Today was the big day!  Sunny Tug was officially, and successfully launched at 3:00 pm.  The crew at Winter Island Yacht Yard had spent a very busy morning and early afternoon fixing yesterday's engine and other problems and getting her ready for her inaugural trip to Hawthorne Cove Marina. Wagner gave an orientation to the boat.  Basically, we went over materials covered in two days for new owners when the take possession of their boats, in a couple of hours.  I took notes, and have chartered a Ranger 29 Tug before but it is still a bit overwhelming. In the late afternoon Wagner and I drove Sunny Tug the short distance from Winter Island Yacht Yard to Hawthorne Cove Marina.  Originally, Peter had set me up with Pickering Wharf Marina, which is right next door to the hotel I had stayed at.  I walked by there and found it to be quite noisy, so decided I would prefer to be at Hawthorne Cove.  This turned out to be a good choice as it has a laundry ve

Monday, July 22 2019 I arrived at Winter Island Yacht Yard at 9:30 am, ready for an orientation to the boat and anticipating launching in the early afternoon for a short trip to Hawthorne Cove Marina. As I walked up to the boat it was marvelous to see her new name in gold letters on the bow. That was probably the high point of the day.   The diesel heater was still being installed, and changes were being made to the generator (albeit to help make changing the oil easier).  Also, the generator cover is going to be a bear to take off to check the oil,which needs to be done regularly.  Not really the site I wanted to see when I came on board!  :( Also, the wrong MMSI (ID number) had been programmed into the radio.  High tide was around 4:00 pm.  We finally launched around 6:30 pm, only to then find that the engine would not start.   A marine diesel engine is water cooled, so it cannot be started on land.   Also, a pipe broke on the water system. 7:30 pm - SunnyTug is

Saturday, July 20 2019 Today was a long day of travel.  I was up at 3:00 and on board an Uber at 4:00 am for the first flight (leaving at 6:30 am) from San Jose to San Diego.   During the short layover I was able to buy a sandwich for the next flight, to Boston, which was a good thing as there are few food choices on board. I arrived in Boston to find a temperature of 100 degrees, though it felt worse due to the humidity.  Didn't really affect me since I was going from air conditioned building, to air conditioned bus, and then on to the rental car.  However, we did have to stand outdoors in a long line for the Enterprise car rental.  Enterprise is a favorite among Loopers, since they offer a 10% discount.   Supposedly this discount is only in states where the Loop passes through (of which Massachusetts is not one), but they have included that state in the discount program. It was a bit of bedlam in the car assignment area.  I was assigned to one car, only to find that the car

It has been a wonderful, but hectic week.  After retiring from work on Friday, I had a wonderful party on Saturday (thanks to dear friends who organized that) and then an another informal gathering with friends from work on Tuesday. It is strange to be packing up to be away from home for a year.   I always have the option to come back and spend some time at home if I want to, but the initial plan is not to do that unless necessary.  I have the advantage of being able to keep my place.  Other Loopers talk about the hectic few weeks before moving aboard where they are moving things to storage, selling cars, and cleaning out their home.  Thanks again to good friends, I have had a good week of "de-cluttering." Some of the things that have made their way to Goodwill or recycling, or garbage, have been around for over 30 years! Packing has been an interesting exercise.   Some things I want on board are sentimental, while others (like clothing) are more practical.  Here is wha

America's Great Loop is a journey of about 6,000 miles that passes through 17 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. There are a variety of options to complete the journey, and most people take about a year to do it. The concept is to do the journey so that you are in different areas at the best time of year for that area.   For instance, to be in Florida for the winter and to leave there before the heat of summer hits.   During the summer you will be in the Great Lakes.  Since this is a Loop you can start anywhere.    The map below is a rough guide to the seasons for travelling through each area. Most of the people doing the Loop are retired couples.   They are typically doing it in 35' to 40' boats.  My journey will be a little different.  Although I really want friends to join me; I know from the research that not many will be able to, so I have chosen a smaller boat, a Ranger 29 Tug, to do the Loop in so I can handle it by myself. There are several c