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THE
GREAT LOOP 2005 From The Log
Of The WE BE BLEST III The Great Loop involves circumnavigating the eastern third of North America
via the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the New York and Canadian Heritage Canals, the Tenn-Tom
and Okeechobee Waterways, and the inland river system. GREAT LOOP 2005 FLOAT PLAN Our Great Loop Route: April
16-December 4 We cruised 5600 miles in 7 ½ months (232 days). · Leave North Fort Myers
on the Caloosahatchee River to Lake Ocheechobee to the Atlantic Ocean near Stuart, Florida.
· Up the Atlantic Intracoastal
to the Hudson River, to the Erie Canal in NY to the Oswego Canal into Lake Ontario. · Up Lake Ontario into Canada,
to the Trent-Severn Canal, thru Georgian Bay and thru the North Channel of Lake
Huron to Lake Michigan. · Down Lake Michigan to
Chicago. Down the Illinois River to the Mississippi River, to the Ohio River,
to the Tennessee River, to the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. · East at Mobile along the
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to Apalachicola, Florida. · Cruise south along the
west coast of Florida back to homeport in Old Bridge Village, North Fort Myers, Florida.
The log of the WE BE BLEST III for the 2005 Great Loop now begins |
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Captain Gene and 1st Mate Jan are outfitting, provisioning and packing the
WE BE BLEST III in preparation for her 5000 mile adventure cruising the GREAT Once again, the Mate will update our
website with entries from the ship’s log, stories from our travels and a few pictures. To follow our
adventures, access the website at www.home.earthlink.net/~kingboys/webeblest Peace, Capt. Gene and 1st Mate Jan Log 1 the Great Loop
4/15-4/17 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III
--- The nomads are
on the road again, or should I say on the water again. Gene and I have started
on our summer and fall travels. We started the Great FRIDAY 4/15
After years of thinking about doing the Great Loop, months of discussion, planning, and preparation and the last few
weeks of serious outfitting, provisioning, and packing of the WE BE BLEST III, we were finally able to change our departure
date from “April-ish,” to mid-April, to this week after Wednesday, to Friday -- maybe. On thing we learned from last year’s trip was NOT to have a schedule.
It is much too difficult to meet deadlines while traveling on a boat when weather and mechanical failures can enter
into the picture.
Mid-afternoon Friday, the Captain and Mate were scurrying around finishing the last of the packing and myriad of items
to “summerize” the house and close it up. The captain then informed
the Mate we needed to fuel up and pump out at the
We finished our tasks, ate supper on the boat, and slept in the v-berth. We
had begun -- even though we were still in our homeport and slip! SATURDAY 4/16
Up at 0630 well rested, eager and ready to resume the Great Loop. We began
it last year after purchasing the WE BE BLEST III, our 28’ Camano “pocket trawler.” As we brought her down the
0818 The house was “summarized” and the boat readied. It was time to cast off. With their cameras
clicking, we hugged our friends and waved good-bye. As we backed out of our slip,
the Captain declared, “Eighteen minutes late! Not too bad for the start
of an 8000 mile voyage!” Later in the day, our son Neal indicated we’ll
probably be able to make it up somewhere on the trip!
Although it was just past low tide, we were still able to motor out of our channel with about 3” to spare. After making a right into the main channel and fueling up at Ortona Lock
8’ lift up no
wait Tonight at supper, we toasted our upcoming adventure with
a bottle of 1705 mm
(mile marker) 78 Okeechobee Waterway -- tied to the dolphins east
of Moore Haven Lock. Traveled 57.9 miles today. SUNDAY 4/17
We hit the sack early last night and slept in today. The mate certainly
needed to catch up on some much-needed rest after so many
At 1128, mm 65, the Captain made the wise decision to take the protected
Mm 60.7 on the
From Clewiston, barrier islands protect the
Mm 39.1 ... Lock #4 Port Mayaca Lock, 1’ drop, hardly worth locking through!
Mm 36 ... 1636 ... anchored off the St. Lucie Canal. A cloudy, cool day. Sunny as we anchored. Traveled 52 miles
today.
*** LOG 2 4/18-4/21 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III, Okeechobee mud, new holes in the boat, our mooring ball dilemma, and our dog and pony show with the dink
and circus bear bikes. Check out all our fun on the Okeechobee Waterway and at Stuart. MONDAY, 4/18
Continued down the St. Lucie Canal. The Mate washed the cockpit while
underway using the freshwater shower located there. She wanted to keep the mud
and dirt from tracking into the cabin. “We may have a dirty boat, but at
least we have a clean cockpit."
Later, tied at the Army Corps Campground and Marina at St. Lucie Lock, we were considering taking a slip to wash to
Okeechobee mud off the boat. Campground rules:
no washing of boats or vehicles. Thus, we continued thru St. Lucie Lock
(#5) at mm 15.0, a 13' drop, with five boats including a 49' Sea Ray and a 72' custom boat.
Motored thru the St. Lucie Canal to Traveled 27 miles today. TUESDAY, 4/19
Motored back to Rhumb Line’s dock with enough time to wash the Okeechobee mud off the WE BE BLEST before the canvas makers arrived at 0900. Two hours later,
we now have about 45 new HOLES in the boat -- from the window covering snaps. Our
price for privacy and sun protection!
Restocking us with Camano brochures and information to pass out along our trip, Carol and Dick bid us bon voyage and
we headed to the Southpoint Anchorage, a mooring field owned and operated by the city of
We had used a mooring ball only once before -- in the Sea Ray on
We checked out Chapman’s Piloting, the “Bible” on seamanship -- to no avail. It had zero information on the procedure itself. On top of
that, the office would not respond to our many calls when we tried to hail them. “Probably
out to lunch,” the Mate figured.
Another boater suggested snagging it from the stern, (which we already had decided was the only thing we could do)
and walking the line up to the bow. At that point, the
So --- after a half hour or more of discussing, questioning, researching and wondering how to best snag that darn mooring
ball -- the mate stood on the swim platform, grabbed the ball with the boat hook, stuffed the line through the eye on top,
the captain walked it to the bow, and viola! We were secure. 2 minutes flat! We laughed and laughed! Ah yes, life is good!
The WE BE BLEST stayed at the anchorage until Thursday. We spent time
familiarizing ourselves with our charts and guide books, enjoyed their showers, began detailing the boat, rode our “circus
bear” folding bikes to town to reprovision, and used the marina’s Internet line to research image stabilizing
binoculars. Of course, anytime we went to shore was in the dinghy.
Our first dink trip was a kick! Loaded down with 2 folding bikes, 2 helmets,
2 backpacks, 2 life vests, 2 oars, and 2 bags of garbage, there was barely room for the Mate to squeeze into the dink. We headed to the dinghy dock when the Mate remembered the grocery list she left on
the boat – so … back to the WE BE BLEST we motored. List in hand, off again.
As the captain unloaded the bikes onto the dinghy dock, he noticed one had a flat and the tire pump was back on the
boat! Not a good day! While the
Mate signed up for our mooring, the Captain headed back, yet again to the boat for the tire pump and the forgotten
bike lock and cable. We’ll get our act together yet!
Once again on the dinghy dock, the Captain, with some difficulty, was finally able to pump up the tire. We crossed our fingers it would hold air. We headed to Boat
U.S. and hoped they would have a tire similar to ours, anticipating a swap since these were brand new bikes and this was the
first time we used them.
The tire held air -- but only ¾ of the way -- so we walked the last few blocks.
And -- no 20” tires in the store! However, a bike shop was near,
so the Captain took the bum tire and pedaled himself to get it fixed. Meanwhile
the Mate studied image stabilizing binocs in the Boat U.S. Catalog. Soon the
Captain returned and with a new tube pumped up, we were good to go and finish our reprovisioning. Mm9 ICW
8.6 miles traveled today. WEDNESDAY, 4/20
Today we began the detailing of the boat. We came up with a good procedure.
1. Wash with boat wash and rinse.
Not dish soap, not good for the finish on the boat.
2. Use Barkeeper’s Friend (a nonabrasive powder) to remove any hard
water spots, black
streaks, marks, etc. A little goes a long way. Gentle rubbing.
3. Spray with a real dilute solution of vinegar (2T/2 cups) and wipe dry.
This removes any hard water spots.
4. Polish with Meguiar’s #45 Boat/RV Polish
5. Wax with Meguiar’s #63
Flagship Premium Marine Wax
6. Use Meguiar’s All Metal Polish for all bright work.
Did a great job cleaning and shining the stainless railing. We will watch and see how this holds up in the sun and weather.
After working hard on the boat’s detailing, we cleaned up and treated ourselves to margueritas (2 for 1) and
a great Mexican dinner at Dos Amigos Baja Cafe, a block from the THURSDAY, 4/21
Today we moved to the anchorage between Marina Cay and Pirate’s Cove Marina in Manatee Pocket, a whole 9
miles away from Southpoint. We saw our first glimpse of the Mm1 ICW
9.4 miles traveled today. * * *
LOG 3 4/22-4/24 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III, Ahoy, Captain. Submarine ahead!
Bus rides, biking and beaches. Super Gene rides again. This time on the boat.
Space shuttles and manatees. FRIDAY, 4/22
Anchor up 0750, heading to
Mm975 off Hutchinson Island Nuclear Plant we spotted our first submarine -- totally above water. A barge was hauling it, probably coming down from
1300 Took a slip at Vero Beach Marina and discovered that our General
Delivery,
We met Joan and Robin, from
Mm952 AICW
Traveled 38 miles today. SATURDAY, 4/23
We rode our circus bear bikes to the beach and Jan stayed at the Boardwalk getting her “ocean fix” watching
and listening to the surf. In the meantime, Gene hopped on the bus to the post
office. Hooray! Our chip
-- not our ship -- came in. Although now our ship can go out complete with
We fueled up at the marina and cast off at 1250 continuing to motor up the AICW to mm925 south of
It was quite breezy and the waters choppy as we motored during the day and after we anchored. By late evening it began to calm down and we had a beautiful full moon dancing and reflecting on the tips
of the waves. A gentle lap-lap-lap on the hull lulled us to sleep -- although
early in the morning, as the wind picked up, we rocked and rolled to the slap-slap-slap
of the waves.
Mm 925 AICW Traveled
27 miles today. SUNDAY, 4/24
Our second Sunday at anchor. Once again we “had Church,” reading
and discussing the Scriptures designated for today’s Mass and using a daily meditation book for our homily.
Anchor up at 0915. Last evening’s gentle rain washed most of the
salt off the boat. But today it’s very windy and the water choppy. The waves are constantly splashing up on the bow and windshield. Occasionally the wind sprays salt water at us up on the flybridge.
It’s sunny but cool.
It’s so cool, the Captain even put on his “Super Gene” sweatshirt from WPL (Wisconsin Power and Light,
now Alliant Energy). This came from a humorous video created for a WPL conference
on “Delivering the Difference,” when Gene was in charge of power production.
A lightning storm shuts down all power to several major cities and -- Oh no! -- the major shopping mall as well
Horrors!
Super Gene hops on his exercise bike equipped with a power cord connected from the bike to the generating station. Riding at super top speed, he restores all power and saves the day -- Delivering the
Difference! His sweatshirt reads: “Super
Gene’s my name. Power is my game.”
What a family treasure for our granddaughters to enjoy. This is what Gramps
did at work!
Near Titusville, mm 878, we motored past the Kennedy Space Center and off in the distance saw the Vertical Assembly
Building, the two launch pads and the shuttle due to take off around May 22. On
our TO DO list is to come here by boat and watch a launch. We’re too early
this time and can’t really wait for the May launch, so we’ll have to catch it another time.
North of Titusville, we entered the
Speaking of manatees ... The Captain decided we should try to talk the Fish and Wildlife Commission into breeding the
east coast manatees with the west coast manatees. The reason is that they are
quicker on the east coast, which was made obvious by the fact that the manatee ICW speed zone on this side of the state is
35 mph vs. 25 mph on our side. Although they appear to move slower at night because
the manatee zone speed limit drops to 25 mph then. ... Thus say-eth the Captain!
At 1700 we anchored at mm 863 off the channel in Mosquito Lagoon in a 10’ hole, one of the few spots over 4’
deep. The wind finally died down and the Captain was even able to grill our pork
loin for supper. This was our longest day motoring thus far -- 62.7 miles. *** LOG 4 4/25-4/29 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III, We missed our turn
north of
Submarines and busses. We see
all kinds of vehicles on the water.... Our first anchoring
in Atlantic tidal current was interesting to say the least.... What do generators, lighthouses, alligators,
crocodiles, and pale ale all have in common? Look for them in
St. Augustine MONDAY, 4/25
Anchor up at 0825. Yesterday we encountered our worst wakes from passing
boats. Pictures and bottles were flying.
Late evening, at anchor in Mosquito Lagoon, we really rocked and rolled. Books,
dishes, pictures, wastebaskets and even the vacuum all tumbled about on the floor. The
Captain surmised it might have been a tugboat passing by us.
The AICW narrows considerably heading north toward
1100 mm 147 Opps! We missed
our turn north of
1230 Near
Later in the afternoon, we passed under a unique
1600 mm793 Our first anchoring
in Atlantic tidal current was interesting to say the least. We dropped our bow
anchor just off the channel and then put out a stern anchor. About the time we
were ready to hit the sack, not only had the current reversed direction, but the boat as well, because the stern anchor was
dragging.
The Captain thought and thought about the situation, standing in the cockpit, pacing in the cabin, checking tide tables
-- back and forth. He was concerned the stern anchor would foul the bow anchor
as it dragged past the chain, so he hauled it in. With only one anchor, there
was a chance we'd drift too close to shore and end aground when the tide started receding.
Decision made, the Captain set his alarm for 0100, which was approximately slack before ebb tide. By then the wind had pushed us toward our bow anchor and deeper water.
Things looked good. He set his alarm for 2 hours later. At that time the current had reversed and all was OK. Back
to sleep again, til morning. Anchoring in the tidal currents will be a challenge.
LESSON: With a good set with the bow anchor and with no concerns about
depth with swing -- use only one anchor or use a Bahamian mooring with stern
anchor tied to the bow or the chain. Mm 796
66.3 miles today. Our longest
yet. TUESDAY- FRIDAY, 4/26-4/29
Anchor up 0800. Heading to
1020 Docked at
In the meantime, we played tourist and began to do St. Augustine -- the
Trolley train, Alligator Farm, Lighthouse,
Then we walked to the St. Augustine Lighthouse that is the nation’s oldest working lighthouse. After climbing 219 steps to the top, we had a breathtaking view of the city and coastline. Each lighthouse has its own distinct markings to distinguish one from another by day and a unique light
pattern at night.
Wednesday when we returned to the boat after touring, we were greeted by Lloyd Clarke, a recent transplant to the area. He saw our Camano in the marina and was waiting for our return. Lloyd previously owned a sailboat, but loves the Camano. He
has researched it and was taken on a 5 hour cruise on one in
Having discovered their excellent beer (the Pale Ale) we returned the next day to celebrate the beginning of self-publishing
Jan’s book with stories from our two lengthy trips in the travel trailer. It’s
called TRAVELING WITH THE LORD: An Emmaus Journey to the
We returned again on Friday to toast the good news that Westerbeke will be replacing our current 3.8KW generator with
a 5KW model. Evidently they do not make the smaller one anymore and will install
the larger one -- “a real generator instead of a tourist model.” The
Captain did his measuring and thought it would fit in the engine compartment. Although
later tonight he wondered about actually getting the generator into the compartment, and is not sure that can be done. He’ll do some more measuring tomorrow and check out the feasibility of putting
it in the lazarette.
We moved to a new slip for the weekend and will do more touring as we wait. *** LOG 5 4/30-5/1 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III, Opps! A premature celebration.
Read the next installment in the Westerbeke 3.8 Saga. Touring the fort ... toasting
a great man ... all in SATURDAY, 4/30
Opps! I guess our celebration last night was a bit premature. As I was reading the log to the Captain before I posted it on the website, something
I read clicked in his mind, and that is when he wondered if it would actually fit through the access hatch to the engine compartment. This morning he measured, measured, studied, and remeasured and unfortunately, it
will not fit down through the hatch. There is enough room for it down below.
It just cannot get there. Soo ...
Plan B ... Check the lazarette. Not enough room there either. The generator is too tall.
Now our options are twofold. 1.
Take a rebuilt generator like we now have. With their apparent history,
this one could be likely to fail as well. 2. Talk with Westerbeke and see if
they will give us our money back including installation and we will go away happy. Stay
tuned for the next installment of the Westerbeke 3.8 Saga.
We rode our bikes to the library, using their computers to research generators (Gene) and cover/interior templates
for her book (Jan). Then we spent the afternoon touring the fort, Castillo de
The fort was built out of coquina, a stone comprised of compressed seashells.
When the British were laying siege on the Spanish fort and attacking with their cannon, the cannon balls would often
stick into the walls, or merely bounce off. The Spanish soldiers then waited
until evening, gathered the cannon balls to use against the British the next day, and then repainted the outside walls white
with red trim. Each day the British awoke to a brand new fort. It was demoralizing to them, thinking their weapons did no damage to the walls. Eventually they gave up.
While wandering around in the
We attended Mass in the cathedral ... a time of prayer and song. How good
to receive communion again. We miss that with church on the boat. In the Gospel from John 14 Jesus tells us, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” How appropriate for today’s events. Now
Marsha, Jan’s brother Dennis, his wife Candy, Gene and I may be orphans, but we’re not alone. These words bring us reassurance and hope. May each of you
reading this log also feel His comfort and presence whenever you feel alone or betrayed, abandoned or broken SUNDAY, 5/1
Today we slept in. What a relaxing morning. Spent the afternoon working on the computers. About 1600 Lloyd
and Pat knocked on our boat. “Lloyd’s back! That’s a good enough reason to celebrate,” the Captain remarked. So off we trotted across the street to our favorite brew pub and chatted about generators, boats, books,
kids and life. Being stuck in
Tomorrow we talk to Westerbeke! *** LOG 6 5/2-6/6 Greetings from the WE BE BLEST III, Waiting on Westerbeke still. Learn about Flagler's legacy. Beach day, rainy days, biking
around MONDAY, 5/2
We’re waiting to hear from Westerbeke. The Captain asked to get
our money back including installation costs as our first choice. He faxed them
a copy of the original bill with installation costs. Our second choice is to
take their rebuilt 3.8.
We rode our bikes to West Marine to pick up the 9# Delta anchor we ordered. Upon
Lloyd’s recommendation, we’ll try this as our second anchor instead of the Fortress we’ve been using. It will hold well in grassy bottoms which our main Bruce anchor will not. We also purchased 10’ of chain to add to the Delta. The
nine pounds is undersized for our boat, but should be sufficient as a secondary anchor.
We’re hoping this combination will give us better holding power in tidal currents.
Coming back from West Marine our backpacks were loaded down and so were our circus bear bikes. At Home Depot we bought some adhesive for our port light screens.
(We lost one and will be “gluing them in” for safekeeping.) We
also picked up a piece of clear vinyl step protector with “teeth” on the backside.
We’ll try it under a throw rug to see if it will stop the rug from sliding on the carpet. (It works so-so. We need better and bigger “teeth.”)
Jan popped into Staples for a Photoshop program to edit pictures for the book she’s publishing. The grocery store was our last stop. Now our backpacks were
loaded to capacity; the Captain secured the anchor and chain (about 30# worth) on his bike rack; and we headed to the boat. This was good weight bearing exercise today!
After stowing all the provisions and supplies, we biked back to the San Sebastian Winery for the tour and tasting. They have a wonderful cream sherry and a Blanc du Bois -- our namesake -- so of course
we brought one of each back to the boat. TUESDAY, 5/3
Still waiting to hear from Westerbeke. Is there a pattern here? Big wheels move slowly.
Today is such a beautiful day we scrapped doing laundry until evening, packed a picnic lunch and rode our bikes across
the
However, the tide was coming in so we turned back early, since we were concerned our hard sand would be under water
for the return trip. Next time we’ll bike to the inlet. After all, we can’t do everything the first time we’re in an area. We always say, “Gotta save something for next time!”
Jan did pick up two “Treasures from the Sea.” The first was
a small square shell with two holes -- it appears to be an antique button, beaten by the surf -- and a tiny black heart shaped
shell. WEDNESDAY, 5/4
Still waiting to hear from Westerbeke. The company powers to be were discussing it.
The Captain called a couple times each day -- and let them know we are sitting here waiting and racking up marina charges.
A rainy day. We toured
During the time when the average daily wage was $1/day, the rooms rented out for $5-$90/day; but payment was expected
up front for the entire season (Jan - Mar). It did not matter if you wanted one
day or all three months. You paid for the season.
Flagler built three hotels and a couple churches in
After leaving the College, we toured Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church. Flagler
built this church in one year as a memorial to his daughter who died when giving birth to a child. Filled with beautiful hand carved mahogany pews and African mosaic tile
floors, it was patterned after St. Mark’s in
We discussed leaving the next day and heading North, but decided to wait one more day since tomorrow’s forecast
called for heavy rain. The Captain wasn’t ready to leave St. Augustine
just yet ... It’s a great place to visit ... including A1A ... Each day we’d walk across the street for happy
hour celebrating or toasting one thing or another. “My, that’s good
beer!” THURSDAY, 5/5
Today was really a rainy day. We bundled up in raincoats and rain
pants and set out for the library again to use their computers. Back to West
Marine and a last stop at Winn-Dixie. This time our backpacks were heavily filled
to just about bursting. The Mate could hardly pick them up. However, on our backs, it was easier to carry the weight. Our
rear bike racks were filled as well.
The rain stopped just before we arrived back at the boat. At one corner,
the Mate was totally drenched from head to foot on her right side from a rogue wave that washed up on her by a car turning
a corner. That must have been comical to watch.
The Captain got a few drops on his foot. Awww! Too bad! We called Lloyd and he met us later at A1A for a
brew and good byes. Perhaps if he gets a Camano we can cruise the
No news from Westerbeke, but the Captain did get the name of the contact person at corporate headquarters. We’ll try him tomorrow. FRIDAY, 5/6
Cast off 0830.
The Captain called Westerbeke’s corporate headquarters. “Perhaps
the 5.0 will fit if we take it apart a bit,” we were told. That might work,
since the problem was getting it through the access hatch, not fitting it in place.
We now have the contact for the next region (after we leave
1250 mm740 The able mate
with her “keen eyes” (NOT!) ... But thanks to our new Fuginon Image Stabilizing Binoculars was able to spot the
narrow entrance to Sisters Creek as we crossed the wide
It was a cold and windy day today. Once again we bundled up with extra
layers and even shoes and long pants for the Captain. As he called for fuel at
Tomorrow we leave Mm 721
Amelia Island Yacht Basin 66.6 miles
traveled ***
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