Spring is a transition time for the world, and doubly so for me this year. In fact, the past nine months have been a series of transitions...from dirt to boat, then back to dirt, repeat. ("Dirt" is the word many boaters use for land; i.e., "my dirt home.") Unless you've lived long-term on a moving … Continue reading Transition Time (Again)
Many Moons is hanging out for awhile at an "island" which isn't quite that, just 56 miles south of Annapolis on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, at the mouth of the Patuxent River. Solomons claims the designation of "island" because a 20-foot-wide waterway (more like a ditch) separates it from the mainland. Never … Continue reading To Solomons Island & State #14
And he-e-r-e we go, up the big bay! It's hard to believe we are here already, but our bodies confirm it. They feel it. Cruising in rough waters takes a physical toll, even if it stops short of an up-chuck. Not all of the 74 miles we put under the hull today were like that, … Continue reading Into the Chesapeake
How strange to travel by boat from a remote swamp to a "concrete jungle" in the same day. It's quite the transition, from the narrow canal of The Great Dismal Swamp to the wide, industry-lined waterways of Hampton Roads (Norfolk/Portsmouth/etc.). One of the memorable days as we enter our 9th month on The Great Loop! … Continue reading From Swamp to “Jungle”
We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...Nordic Tug in … Continue reading Great Dismal Swamp
This is what I hoped for from The Great Loop -- far from big marinas, mixing it up with the locals. Our home for two nights was this city of 19,000 on the shores of the Pasquotank River, just north of the Albemarle Sound and near the entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp. The city … Continue reading Elizabeth City
Are we ever glad to be tied up tonight to a tiny pier in Elizabeth City at the entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp. We should celebrate this milestone, but we're too tired after 10 hours under way. Only two day cruises during Many Moons' eight-month journey were longer than this one, and not by … Continue reading 85 Miles. Whew.
We're recovering from a rough ride today, gratefully anchored in calm waters (though a cold wind is whipping) in Upper Dowry Creek of North Carolina, about 50 miles from the Albermarle Sound crossing. Today was good training for that crossing, which is known to get rough. But then, we started this journey in Lake Superior. … Continue reading A Dramamine Day
It's a tale of two Beaufort's. Ten days ago, we were in Beaufort ("BEW-fert"), South Carolina. Tonight, we are in Beaufort ("BOW-fert") North Carolina. Once you get the pronunciation right, it's easier to keep them straight. This one, in North Carolina, also calls itself "Beaufort-by-the-Sea." It is, in fact, closer to the sea than the … Continue reading The Other Beaufort
Sitting at a gusty but private anchorage tonight near the town of Swansboro, N.C., it all seems so improbable. On July 30 last year, the Mainship Many Moons left Keweenaw Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to start The Great Loop, not knowing how far we would get. Along the way, we've learned that we are … Continue reading 4,000 Miles and Still Going…
For Many Moons 