THE GREAT LOOP

Recognizing the importance of boating safety, part of our Great Loop preparation included becoming members of the Power Squadron and completing several of their courses: Boat Smart, Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, and Weather.  We learned even more as we taught Cruise Planning. 

Comfort was our second key consideration.  Boaters take from four months to well over a year to cruise the Great Loop.  Planning on living aboard for an extended time, we searched for a more comfortable boat than our 27’ Sea Ray.  Our requirements included trawler economy, diesel engine, flybridge, length around 30’, and a cruising speed greater than 8 mph if conditions warranted.  The 28’ Camano Troll, a pocket trawler, met them all.  We followed new and used Camanos on yachtworld.com for over two years, eventually purchased our 2002 demo boat in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and had it hauled to Stillwater, Minnesota in March of 2004.

LET THE OUTFITTING BEGIN

A month later Gene and I arrived at Sunnyside Marina in Stillwater where the WE BE BLEST III was waiting for us in the parking lot “on the hard,” supported by cribbing blocks and jack stands.  Excitedly we climbed aboard, checked her out, and then eagerly toasted our new boat and her upcoming adventures. 

We spent weeks outfitting our trawler for the Great Loop.  While I worked on the galley, v-berth, and salon, Gene installed an anchor wash-down system, inverter, new electronics, and speakers.  He spent hours studying and learning the boat’s systems, chasing wires and hoses.  The marina service department installed a generator.  We ordered a flybridge helm cover, biminis, and a fresh coat of bottom paint.

A big task was finding the right size bins for all the stuff -- spare parts, tools, fasteners, plumbing, electrical, cleaning supplies, bungees, adhesives, aerosols, charts, laundry, shoes, plus innumerable other items.  Whew!  Most of the bins had to fit in specific areas of the roomy, yet partitioned engine compartment and the lazarette -- our “basement” under the aft cockpit.  Gene remarked we must have just about every conceivable size and shape bin ever made!  Well, almost!

WE SPLASHED HER!

On Wednesday, May 19, 2004, the marina’s huge travel lift carefully cradled the WE BE BLEST III in two slings, picked her up, slowly rolled to the water’s edge, gently lowered her twenty feet to the St.Croix River below, and splashed her at 11:30 in the morning.  What an exciting moment!  Best of all, although she rode low in the water, our boat still floated, even with all the “stuff” we had piled onboard!

A special guest on our maiden voyage was the Volvo service technician who spent several hours with Gene completing the new engine certification, giving him instructions on operation and maintenance.  Later in the day, we made yet another of our innumerable trips to Boat US and picked up more electronics, a dinghy motor, endless fittings, and other good “boat stuff.”  Credit card meltdown continued.  Before our purchases, we frequently used the line we heard at a Camano owner’s rendezvous a month before, “That’s OK, honey, it’s for the boat!” 

One rainy evening, we spied a rainbow ending in the middle of the river about a quarter mile from our slip.  We had never been so close to a rainbow.  The colors were exceptionally vivid -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Stepping ashore to capture this Kodak moment, I noticed the vibrant colors painted across the sky ended directly above the WE BE BLEST III.  We were the pot of gold under a double rainbow!  We smiled, basking in God’s blessings.

THE MINI BLEST’S MAIDEN VOYAGE

            The MINI BLEST is our small, 3-person, 7.5’ Livingston fiberglass dinghy with a 3.3 hp Mercury engine.  Decked out with a fresh coat of protectant and new registration numbers, we prepared for her maiden voyage.  The Captain started the engine, put it in gear, and we motored forward.  Suddenly remembering, I called out, “We forgot the oars!”  Gene grabbed the dock and then hesitated, questioning, “Do we really need the oars?  We’re not going far, just around the river by the marina.”  With my urging, he reluctantly retrieved them. 

            We dinked past Stillwater’s busy waterfront.  The water was high and the current swift from recent storms.  While heading back, I instinctively shouted, “Log!  Log!”  However, before Gene could stop the engine, the floating debris collided with the motor and snapped the propeller shear pin.  We were dead in the water.... Ah ha!  But we have oars!  Grasping the handles, the Captain rowed back to the marina. 

            First dink lesson learned: Always take oars with you ... No Exceptions.  Carry an extra shear pin as well.  Dink lesson two: Take a raincoat.  Water always splashes over the bow.  The Mate came back dripping!

FINALLY … READY TO CRUISE

Following a family gathering in Nashville, we returned to the WE BE BLEST III in late June.  Musical Stuff began.  We hauled a multitude of equipment, gear, and provisions from the van down to the boat.  Then to lighten the load, we lugged a number of items we did not need on the boat back up to the van.  Thank goodness for the two-wheeled dock carts.  After our final provisioning and stowing of supplies, at last we were ready.  My cousins picked up our van and, watching our vehicle leave the marina, we realized we were now without wheels for the first time in years.  We were about to begin this trip for real. 

Finally, after weeks and months of preparation and outfitting, we departed Sunnyside Marina in Stillwater, Minnesota the next morning on July 1, 2004 and headed down the St. Croix River.  Our goal: to do the Great Loop – circumnavigate the eastern third of North America. 

After all the rains, our first day of cruising was beautiful.  Two boys riding tandem on a jet ski jumped back and forth across our wake, sporting enormous grins as they sailed high in the air.

Early that afternoon at Prescott, Wisconsin, we motored under the lift bridge and into the mighty Mississippi River.  The confluence of these two rivers is quite striking as the clear St. Croix water mixes with the muddy ol’ Miss.  We saw boils of sparkling water surrounded by dark swirling patches as the currents met.  Looking downstream, we spotted clear water on the Wisconsin side of the channel while muddy water flowed on the Minnesota side.  Soon it all blended into one uniform color.  On a previous trip we motored farther north, past the Twin Cities, to the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota Rivers.  Surprisingly, the Minnesota River brought in most of the mud -- the Mississippi was the clearer stream.

This day included many firsts for the WE BE BLEST III as we traveled 56 river miles, even visiting with friends along the way.  We finally began the trip down the St. Croix River.  This was our first day on the Mississippi River, first lock, first guests, first time anchoring, and first use of the cockpit shower – what sheer delight after a hot, sweaty day.  We toasted the WE BE BLEST III.  What a great start to the Great Loop!

Read the complete logs from the Great Loop.  Click on the links below.

Click on Captain Gene & 1^st Mate Jan link to read about our early boating experiences as River Rats.