Preparations continue

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Phil has been researching, ordering parts and installing various necessities. Some quite complicated involving batteries,AC/DC, inverters, watts, volts and stuff. 

Other projects not so complicated, like the slats on the swim ladder. A few more coats of varnish was added to each step.

Also checking the length of chain. We were told we had 200 feet, but always best to check.  He marked the chain at 50,75,100,125,150,175 for easy knowledge of its length when deploying into anchorage sites.

The wash down faucet was replaced and now working quite well. Having this feature is really quite nice.

Out with the old and nonfunctional electronics ..

And in with the new..

The floor boards have been moved for access to the bilge. 

Projects from the top to her bottom.

Goose Pond Colony Marina/ Campground in Scottsboro Alabama on the Tennessee River

Knot Yet has been here at Goose Pond for six month. The first two months she was hauled out and stored undercover, she had her "blisters" fixed and her bottom painted. Joe King, at Anglers Marine, was extremely fair and knowledgeable. His team did a great job and by May she was ready for us to live aboard once again. There is a campground on the property and it too was quite convenient and it has some really scenic spots along the water.. Nestled between the campground and marina is a golf course. What more could we ask for.. Just perfect.

There are many amenities here. A top notch marine repair, fuel dock, 

Boat storage

Haul out service, bath house, laundry, courtesy van, pool, restaurant , bait shop & snack shack, golf, camping and covered slips

Oh my, at first I didn't think much about the covered slips.. We have never had them before.. But what a difference!!! Almost 15 degrees cooler under their shade. And the heat of summer was much easier to endure. Protection from the rain was also nice with all the outside projects Phil had to do.

Oh yes, there's also an amphitheater and walking trail, cottages and small lodge.

Safety First✔️

United States Coast Guard vessel safety check (VSC). Always good to know that we comply with all the rules and regulations for our own safety and to avoid any fines that might follow if we aren't in compliance. 

Yesterday we invited the Coast Guard on board to find out what is needed before we "set sail" . It was an easy yet informative visit. Only one adjustment was needed and we passed with flying colors.. 

Even Buster showed off his new life jacket🐾⚓️

A quick trip to Atlanta to visit Mom and see old friends from Peachtree High School class of 72

This past Thursday I drove to Atlanta to visit my Mom, who recently moved there. Mom now lives in an Independant/Assisted Living Community near my two brothers in Duluth. She has been wonderful, upbeat and most gracious with this big change in her life. I always love seeing her

Her new place looks wonderful.

Kind of like a mini mirror of her old home... Just scaled down

She is meeting many of the other residence and playing a lot of Bridge..

She gave up golf when she moved up here... But she has now picked up her old ping pong paddles.. She once was a "Slamin' player" I'm sure her skills will return with practice.

Lucky me..this weekend happened to also be a quick impromptu gathering of old friends from my old high school... Peachtree class of 1972 from Dunwoody Ga... It was a small group but an awesome evening!! 

Let me again say THANK YOU to David Cook, Tom And Dana Marshall, Ellen Vaughan, and Bev VanFleet for doing their best to pull this off!!!! Great job😀📚

❤️Also thanks to Meredith Mask for bringing her yearbooks and other P'tree memories and various items of our days on campus.

Now I'm newly connected with more of my ol' friends from yesteryear and will learn more thru Facebook until we meet up again.

I am so lucky I was able have such a great visit in Atlanta... It's been too many years💗👭📚🍎

Count down to cruising

In little over a month we begin traveling on Knot Yet. Initially, we head north for two weeks to Chattanooga then we will turn around and head south to the Florida Keys. There is much to do in preparation, engine stuff , canvas and isinglass, lines, GPS, radar and on and on. Phil has been busy.

I've been reading the many blogs of those who have gone before us. Learning and studying charts and Active Captain. 

New equipment to be installed.

Bollard loop.. This should be helpful in the locks.. Thanks to Bert from "Cutie Girl"

Buster has his "tinkle turf" .. Yet we haven't seen him use it .. We are hopeful that he catches on what it's for... His relief !!

From a blank slate ..

To our new name -- KNOT YET

RADAR..?Out with the old.. And not working very well

To - in with the new -and user friendly and more compatible with our GPS..

Busters week at the Doggie Spa and Daycare

July 19th was our 40th wedding Anniversary . We happen to be in Panama City Beach with my sister and two brothers and spouses. Mom had asked us to return to her home , select what we wanted and to donate or toss what was left and get her house ready to put on the market.. We did this task in record time and with love and empathy to each other and her cherished belongings . Her house is now listed and hopefully sells quickly.. 

During this time Buster was in "lock up". He was one very excited little pup when we came to pick him up

America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA)

Today we joined the "loopers"! We realize that they are a vast group of folks who have taken this journey before us and we can learn a lot from them. We love to hear the stories. Granted, we are only doing the southern third.. But who knows, we may complete the whole loop one day.. It certainly appeals to us.

The circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water is known as The Great Loop. Also referred to as the Great Circle Route,^[1][2] the trip varies from 5,000 to 7,500 miles (8,000 to 12,100 km) depending on the options used. The boats used range from personal watercraft (jet-skis) to 60-foot (18 m) yachts. Both sailboats and powerboats are used but the most common boats are 34–45-foot (10–14 m) recreational trawlers. The main factors that govern the size of the boat are the limited draft (5 feet (1.5 m)) in some locations on the loop and the height of one bridge (19 feet (5.8 m)) in Chicago. People traveling The Great Loop are known as "loopers." The number of people attempting this voyage is growing with the baby boomers reaching retirement age. In 2007, more than 150 boat owners notified America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association that they were planning to attempt the loop in the coming season.

Our journey will begin up the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. We will head south and west to the Tenn-Tom waterway. There we turn south to Mobile, AL into the salt waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Following the ICW intracoastal waterway, we will make our way down to the clear blue waters of the Florida Keys.

RoutesEdit

Most Great Loop cruisers travel the Loop counterclockwise, taking advantage of the downstream currents on the Illinois River, Mississippi River, Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River to Mobile, Alabama.^[3] To avoid summer hurricanes and winter ice, most Loopers head north in the spring, spend the summer in the Great Lakes region, and head south on the rivers in the fall, arriving in Florida after the beginning of November.^{[citation needed]}

Starting on the east coast of Florida at Stuart the route heads north on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Chesapeake Bay offers many different locations to visit and some loopers go 95 miles (153 km) up the Potomac to Washington. At the north end of Chesapeake Bay the Chesapeake & Delaware Canalconnects to Delaware Bay. The Intracoastal Waterway resumes at Cape May and ends at Manasquan, New Jersey.

There is a 30-mile (48 km) stretch of open Atlantic Ocean to New York harbor. From this point a few loopers continue up the coast, around the Gaspé Peninsula and up the St Lawrence River to Lake Ontario. This adds about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the loop. Most loopers go up the Hudson River to Waterford and then take the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario or Lake Erie or the Champlain Canal to the St. Lawrence. Canada's Rideau Canal, built in 1832 from Ottawa to Kingston, is frequently chosen. Most loopers will take the Trent Canal from Trenton, Ontario to Port Severn on Georgian Bay. The North Channel is one of the highlights of the loop. This is the most northerly point on the loop and has the shortest season, just 8 weeks of good warm weather from July 1 to August 30.

Lake Michigan is next with most loopers taking the east side of the lake to Chicago. From here it is down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, up the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, then down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile. The route then joins the Intracoastal Waterway going east to Carrabelle, Florida. The ICW now extends to Fort Myers where loopers can cruise the Okeechobee Waterway to Stuart on the east coast of Florida or turn south to the Keys rounding the southern tip of Florida, returning north to Stuart.

Looper cultureEdit

Many loopers retire, sell everything, and live on their boats. Some complete the loop every year with the record being nine complete Great Loops.^{[citation needed]} Many spend the winters in the Bahamas on their boats.^{[citation needed]} Other loopers complete the loop in stages, storing the boat at various locations while they return to work.^{[citation needed]} A few take their children and home-school them on the route.^{[citation needed]} Loopers who are members of the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) meet two times a year in different locations along the Great Loop. The first reunion is on the east coast in the spring, and has been in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Norfolk over the past several years. The second reunion is traditionally in October at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. This is a very popular one. The reunions and rendezvous are organized by AGLCA. The reunions are designed to allow mixing and mingling with old friends and new members, sharing stories and tips, also include general lessons on safety, vessel safety checks and other valuable cruising information. One highlight of the events is the Looper Crawl.

The America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association assists Great Loop cruisers with various needs such as safety, sharing navigational and cruising information, and networking among loopers. The networking through the daily e-mail blast provides updates and local advice. The boaters can broadcast information requests for anything such as docking, anchoring, water depth, hazards, repairs, fuel prices or dinner reservations.

Another source of useful information is Capt. John's site with many pictures, route options, and an interactive planning map, five time Looper Capt John, gives you boat restrictions, fuel requirements and frugal options for cruising America's Great Loop.

Sums us up to a tea.. Or boat drink.