Hard to believe that Bob and I started our Great Loop trip a year ago today. Big events always have a time distortion—seems like yesterday/it was another lifetime ago. After a whirlwind few months of selling the house in St. Paul, finding a condo in Denver that will be our home, and retiring on 9/2/08, we started our trip of a lifetime on Friday, 9/5/08 in Lake Superior.
Here I am this morning watching our gold Looper burgee and sunrise over the Green Mountains in Vermont on Lake Champlain. It’s been an incredible year.
I asked Captain Bob to crunch some numbers to give you a rough outline of what we’ve done. My blog has been woefully inadequate in this department so here it is:
Total statute miles in 1 year: 5883
Gallons of diesel fuel used: 1462 for an average of 4.02 miles per gallon
Engine Hours: 795
Boat Travel Days: 131, avg of 45 miles, 6 hours per day
Nights in a Marina: 323
Locks: 37
Boat Parts Replaced: engine room blower, boat water pump, macerator,
impeller, inverter panel.
Some of these numbers surprise me as I thought that we travelled more days and anchored out more. We started to do our Favorites list (best beach-Clearwater; best place on the Loop-Bahamas; best anchorage-Statue of Liberty……) but then we would remember other great places and start again. It was a great way to revisit our trip and play “remember when….”
We have learned so much this year about ourselves, each other, what’s important and what’s not. We have learned to live LARGE in a very small boat. We remember the anticipation and anxiety before making a hard crossing but also the sense of accomplishment when we did it. It has made us stronger. We have appreciated the community of boaters that we’ve met along the way and shared so much with.
There is one more category. Regrets: none.
Here I am this morning watching our gold Looper burgee and sunrise over the Green Mountains in Vermont on Lake Champlain. It’s been an incredible year.
I asked Captain Bob to crunch some numbers to give you a rough outline of what we’ve done. My blog has been woefully inadequate in this department so here it is:
Total statute miles in 1 year: 5883
Gallons of diesel fuel used: 1462 for an average of 4.02 miles per gallon
Engine Hours: 795
Boat Travel Days: 131, avg of 45 miles, 6 hours per day
Nights in a Marina: 323
Locks: 37
Boat Parts Replaced: engine room blower, boat water pump, macerator,
impeller, inverter panel.
Some of these numbers surprise me as I thought that we travelled more days and anchored out more. We started to do our Favorites list (best beach-Clearwater; best place on the Loop-Bahamas; best anchorage-Statue of Liberty……) but then we would remember other great places and start again. It was a great way to revisit our trip and play “remember when….”
We have learned so much this year about ourselves, each other, what’s important and what’s not. We have learned to live LARGE in a very small boat. We remember the anticipation and anxiety before making a hard crossing but also the sense of accomplishment when we did it. It has made us stronger. We have appreciated the community of boaters that we’ve met along the way and shared so much with.
There is one more category. Regrets: none.
