Celebrating with Loopers 6-30-09

On 6-29 at 8pm, there was a rap on our hull and we were overjoyed to see Loopers, Linda and Jack from Cynthia Faye. They were in the first group of Loopers that we met in the fall of ’08, we traveled the rivers together and we have not seen them since Black Dog Marina in Mobile AL. We hugged and played catch-up and agreed to journey together early on 6/29 down Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ. It certainly was like ol’ times on the Mississippi as we got a boost from the current and were doing a top speed of 13.2 mph—very fast for little trawlers.

It only got better on 6/30 when Loopers, Peg and Dave from Sea Ya and Bill from Tortuga also pulled into Utsch’s Marina. We have traveled back from the Bahamas with them as well as parts of the ICW so it was like homecoming day for us with so many ACLCA burgees. We had a wonderful celebration reunion dinner at Lobster House.

All good things come to an end and we sadly bid farewell to them as they left on 7/1 to continue on the voyage which will lead to the end of their loops. We will continue to slow-poke our way up the east coast in a few days and have mixed emotions—we are at the end of the line of Loopers traveling north so will not see many more, but are happy that we could reconnect and celebrate our Loop closure with them.

Baby Grand Comes Home Again 6-28-09

Bob and I were giddy and elated when we crossed our wake yesterday. As we were coming up the Bohemia River on the Chesapeake, there was a sailboat race and it seemed to be a fitting moment as we crossed our finish line. We tried to snap a good picture but got so waked by speedboats that the picture is a little topsy-turvy and we do look a little goofy. We anchored in Veazey Cove for lunch and Bob proudly put up our gold AGLCA burgee. We celebrated that night with champagne and decadent cheesecake and watched Bob’s movie of our trip—so many miles, so many memories in this nautical year without winter.

Our celebration continued on Sunday with a visit by Phil and Nancy, former owners of Baby Grand. They have been following our journey and living it vicariously as they have done the ICW down to FL and cruised the Chesapeake for years. Phil and Nancy are such special people and have always been so available to answer our myriad of questions about our shared boat. They lovingly cared for this boat for 13 years and our mantra has always been—“Let’s keep it up like Phil and Nancy did.” We had a veritable love fest with each of us describing the specialness of this grand little boat. Anyone overhearing us would think that we were all proud parents of a special child.

Living small has its unique challenges and satisfactions. We laughed at the acrobatics needed to handle the small, floor level fridge. I do this little song and dance to the tune of Let's Get Down Tonight ….”put a little in…. take a little out….close the door real quick….close the door real quick.” The interior of Baby Grand is a cozy teak cocoon which Nancy and I both decorated similarly with beige and blue. As she and Phil stepped inside, they teared up, hugged each other and felt right at home. So many memories for them from their initial boat delivery trip without a boat hook to moor, celebrating the end of that long exhausting day with pb&j sandwiches and sparkling apple juice, Phil proposing to Nancy in 1992 on Baby Grand right here in the C&D Canal and their love story continues.

We have so much in common with both Admirals being unflappable, positive, participatory, able to ask for boating help, intuitive types and the Captains, knowledgeable, analytical, mechanically inclined, considerate, low maintenance types. We raised our glasses of sparkling apple juice to toast Baby Grand and the Admirals and Captains who have loved her.

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