Great Loop Preparations in High Gear

[Chinook]

We've set August 15 as our departure date for the drive east, and August 22 for leaving the dock at Grand Haven, Michigan to start our cruise around the Great Loop. We've been working for the past 3 months on getting the boat ready, and the pace of preparations seems to be accelerating. Since the boat will be our home for 13 months, we've given a lot of thought regarding how to make things as attractive, liveable, and convenient as possible. I installed a Scirocco fan in the cabin for cooling and ventilation. The cabin itself is undergoing a complete remodel, with new Corian galley counter top, stainless steel sink, rebuilt countertop dish storage rack, custom curved fiddle around the edge of the counter top, new edge sewn carpet, and new interior cushions. Sandy sewed up the cushion covers with a nice sunbrella fabric which compliments the counter top and carpet. The covers are currently at the Friendly Foam Shop in Seattle, where new high quality foam is being cut to fit and stuffed into them. Along with the seat cushions, we made new covers for the vee berth cushions, and will be getting firm foam for them, along with a high quality memory foam topper. We want that vee berth bed to be as comfortable as possible. I have removed all the old velcro for cushion attachment and, instead, have built mahogany ledgers to hold the cushions in place. They look really sharp, and match the other woodwork in the cabin. Next project will be to make mahogany frames around the window cutouts. I built a new cockpit table, complete with folding leaves, using edge glued strips of mahogany and black walnut. With gloss spar varnish and shiny flush mount table hinges, it looks great. I'm also building small wooden storage racks to take advantage of every location available. The boat is currently in Todd's BWY shop, hanging by its chain plates, awaiting a new, first time ever, epoxy seal coat and paint job for her bottom, as well as new lifelines. With the boat currently off the trailer, I will be doing a major restoration job on the trailer. I've stripped off the bunks, winch and tongue jack and today will tow it to an RV refinishing shop. I'll remove the lights and wiring, and have it sandblasted and painted with a hard, corrosion resistant gloss paint. Then I'll rewire it, install new LED lights, and recover the bunks with marine grade carpet. When it's done that old trailer (her name is Road Warrior) will be proud, shiny and way better than new. In addition to sewing up new cabin cushions, Sandy is also sewing up a shoe storage organizer, which will hang against the hull beneath the cabin table. Other sewing projects will include hanging organizers which will attach to the inner sides of the hull in the vee berth. She's sewing up a new cover for our steering booster seat, and will make a new sunbrella cover for our old, faded Life Sling. She's already completed a sunbrella bag which suspends from the bow pulpit railing and holds my trip line and buoy. I installed a second pair of fishing rod holders on the aft railings, since I find them incredibly handy for conveniently storing things. In addition to holding a trolling rod, I also use one to hold the shank of my rigged stern anchor (chain and rode store in a sunbrella bag which attaches to the stern railing). Another holds my folded up Magma barbque table. When needed, I use one to hold my stern tie line reel, or a fishing gaff. It gets tight back there, but by carrying things in those rod holders, it saves me from diving down into the king berth gear storage area for needed items. I've purchased and registered a Personal Locator beacon and, thanks to Sumner's encouragement, I've purchased and installed a new Standard Horizon GX2200 VHF radio with AIS receiver. It's happily talking with my Garmin, so I'll be able to see and talk with those large commercial vessels, including barge tow boats which we'll encounter on blind curves along the Tennessee, Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers. Our goal is to complete the major projects as early as possible, so that the final weeks prior to departure can be devoted to provisioning and stowage, as well as getting the house and yard prepped for a year in mothball status. Also, we need to have things in shape for one or two short shakedown cruises in June and July. I'll periodically post here with updates on trip preparations.

[Sumner]

Wow, a lot of mods. I'll bet the boat looks great. When do we see pictures although I look forward to seeing the boat in person and you guys again this fall. Of course but by that point the boat is going to have 1000-2000 more miles under her.

The Loop is going to be a great trip. Probably too much for me but maybe parts of it. I've been following the bread crumb trail you guys left for me in the Bahamas and look forward to more,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

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[ris]

We are tentatively planning to leave from Florida on the loop sometime around Feb. 2016. So I will be avidly following your preparations and your trip.

[Gazmn]

Pictures of everything when you can Mike. Nice & clear so I can copy
- They're worth a thousand words each

[Chinook]

I'll get some pictures up in a couple of weeks, after I get the boat back from Todd. I just dropped the trailer off at the sandblast/paint shop. The guy there did a test shot with the sand, to see how easily the old paint came off. Not surprisingly, it came off incredibly easy. It's pretty neat seeing that ugly old black and rust surface down to gleaming metal. I think it will paint up nicely. And hello Ris. Where in Florida will you be departing from? We will likely on the water on a more or less overlapping track in February, 2016. We tentatively plan to be on the west coast of Florida in November and early December, with a side trip out to the Dry Tortugas in mid December, if time and conditions permit. We want to be in Miami by December 21 so we can fly home for the Christmas holidays. In early January we'll cross over to Bimini and then head for Andros Island, where we want to poke around for a couple of weeks. We'll head back up to the Berrys and then across the Abaco Bight and through the Abacos, then returning to Florida via St. Lucia Inlet around the first of March. We'll then start working our way up the ICW, with perhaps a week long explore of the St. Johns River. I'll be posting on our webpage as we go, so you can keep track of us. It wouldn't surprise me if we crossed wakes somewhere along the way, because that's what seems to happen on the ICW.

[bahama bound]

We have a place here on the water with a floating dock ,would love to meet up !

[Chinook]

Likewise. I'm hoping we'll be able to meet up with a good number of frequenters to this site. We should be fairly easy to track, and will look forward to meeting folks face to face, whom we only know now from postings.

[jbcasale]

Chinook,

Like many here, I am living vicariously through you. Please keep us up to date on your progress. Also, I am trying to equip my boat for longer cruising so any pics and descriptions of your mods are appreciated.

I will have relocated back to Jacksonville, Florida by the time you make it back to the states so please add me to your contact list. I live 0.5 miles from the ICW so if you need any logistical support or local info please do not hesitate to ask.

I would highly recommend taking a detour up the St. Johns River. The downtown area is very welcoming to cruisers and the sailing on the river is phenomenal. If the timing works out perhaps my family and I can join you for a few days.

I had the opportunity to train on Andros island while I was in the Navy. Andros Island is beautiful and the reef / Tongue of the Ocean are beautiful dive spots.

Enjoy your trip. Stay safe and keep us posted!

John
2000
Atlantic Beach, Florida (temporarily land locked in Lansdale, PA)

[b i l l]

I live on Black Warrior river and would like to meet up with you all either here or on Tenntom ww.

[Chinook]

Hi Bill,

We'd love to meet up with you. We hope to be going down the Black Warrior around mid to late October of this year. You should be able to follow progress on our website.

[Tomfoolery]

If you're passing through either Lake Ontario or the Erie Canal in the Rochester area, let me know. I'm close to the lake, and closer to the canal, and can help with travel or local knowledge or whatever.

[Chinook]

Hi Tom,
-
Thanks for the offer. However, we're planning on taking the northern option, Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence, then Rideaux Canal to Kingston on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, and then around to Trenton and the start of the Trenton-Severn Canal route to Lake Huron. We don't plan on taking the Erie Canal route, so we're not likely to hook up, unless you'd like to cross over and meet up somewhere on the north shore.

[Captain Jim]

Hello Chinook,

The Champlain Canal is in our back yard, just north of lock 6. If we can be of assistance to folks, just let us know. If needed you can tie up and get resupplied! We sail most days on Lake George. Hopefully we will meet you and Sandy as you tour our area on your Great Loop travels.

Fair winds,

Jim

[Chinook]

Hi Jim,

Hope we can meet up with you when we get around to your neighborhood. Our boat was at Lake George once before, in the fall of 2003, when we were trailering around and sailing all over the country for a year when I first retired. We were on our way to Lake Champlain, and after a long days drive, we were looking for a state park to stop at for the night. Tow vehicle was an extended cab pickup with full sized camper on it. With the Mac in tow, that rig was not exactly what you'd call maneuverable in tight quarters. I spotted a state park on the southwest shore of Lake George and headed for it. It was located in heavy forest, on a fairly steep slope between the highway and the lake. As soon as I turned down into the entrance I suspected that I'd made a big mistake. The paved road through the campground was single lane, extremely twisty, and lined with dense trees. Campsites were impossibly small for our rig, and I seriously doubted that I could ever turn around, once in there. Sandy got out and walked along side, to make sure I didn't sideswipe a rock, tree trunk or limb as I negotiated the tight, switchbacking turns. We kept going until we were at the bottom of the campground, all the way down to the lake shore. Amazingly, down there were a couple of vacant campsites, one of which was big and flat enough for us to park in. I wasn't sure I'd be able to drive back out of there but we were glad we'd made it in. We walked down to the shore that evening and listened to the loons calling. Were they saying something to me? Needless to say, we got out just fine, but I'd not recommend anyone try towing a 26 foot sailboat down into that state park.

[dlandersson]

If you get lost/turned around/whatever, we on the south end of Lake Michigan are ready.