Want to get Loopy? First approach -



In 1995 Jim asked if I wanted to loop with him; well, I really had no idea what he was talking about and thought he was having a midlife crisis? I told him to lower his voice because we couldn't have sexy talk around the kids. After a blank stare and a deep breath, he explained that the Great Loop is 6,000 miles of connected waterways allowing boaters to travel the Intra-Coastal Waterway as north as Canada, through the Great Lakes, down to the Mississippi/Tennessee River, Gulf of Mexico, around Key West, to only return travel north back to Virginia. Jim explained the goal was to ‘cross your wake'. Bless his heart, the smile on his face was beautiful. I am pretty sure my response was I thought he had already crossed his wake and lost his mind. He was still smiling - I hadn’t said no.


Now, my Jim Beck is a patient man - this wasn’t the first time he had mentioned a boating adventure. When the kids were a little older, he asked me if I wanted to get loopy and sail around the islands. Almost positive, I asked him about installing a machine gun for pirates and hand grenades for rogue sharks or squid that were sure to pull us into the ocean and eat us alive. Doesn’t matter that my responses were senseless; he saw panic but kept smiling - I hadn't said no. Like all great captains, he decided to reevaluate his approach.


NOTE: Since we’ve been married, we have had lots of boats: fast/slow & power/sail. Our kids are natural waterbugs because of the creek and I have enjoyed ever second watching them grow up here. The creek is a magical little spot on Earth and I hold this community dear to my heart.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAYS 22-23 Cortlandt Yacht Club to Kingston, NY & Lighthouses

Image
Cortlandt Yacht Club (Montrose NY) to Kingston NY: 10.0 mph; 51 miles; 5:07 hours Traveling the Hudson River is peaceful and quiet. I wouldn’t compare it to the Cheasapeake because the ecosystems are completely opposite: saltwater vs freshwater. There is so much history here ... I’ll need to come back - bypassing New Jersey completely. Kingston, NY We docked at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and met some wonderful people. July 13th was Jim’s 55th birthday and the museum was closed! While we were exploring the area, I asked a group of people if anyone thought the museum would open for Jim - being that it's his birthday and the reason for this stop. A man named Jack Weeks said, "I have a key." Little did we know that Jack, a UVA-grad-retired-doctor, was the president of the museum. I was so grateful - this was Jim’s day - hell, it's Jim's YES YEAR. Once inside the museum, you could see the thoughtfulness everywhere: every age group had something to see and do. I
Read more

DAY 54: Put-In-Bay OH to Sugar Island, MI

Image
Jefferson Beach OH to Sugar Island MI (Grosse/Dearborn Michigan):  11.6 mph; 38.2 miles; 3:17 hours In this picture, Canada is on the right and USA on the left - pretty cool. Sugar Island: ANCHORAGE   Sugar Island is just past the entrance to the Detroit River, west of the shipping lanes, and off the Meso and Hickory Islands. It's a safe little anchorage with room for a few boats. If you decide to use this spot, be careful with the depths, slow and steady is the course. A colorfully off-centered local boated over in a skiff to tell us there was a barge upstream we could dock off - was that a hint? It sounded a little shady so we stayed put. After setting the hook, we attached the snubber and never budged.  Free Spirit is here with us but too far to go in the dinghy with the current.
Read more

DAYS 301-303: Deltaville to Tangier Island

Image
Deltaville to Middle of the Bay: 8.2 mph; 10.3 miles; 1:15 hours Middle of the Bay to Tangier Island: 8.5 mph; 17.7 miles; 2:05 hours LEVI BEFORE THE CROSSING We are traveling back across the Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island. This will be Levi’s first crossing - hope the kiddo can handle the ride … he had waffles, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. LEVI AFTER THE CROSSING He was just fine! Parks’ Marina: $30/night for boats under 30’ and $35/night for over 30’. Electric, water, shower/bathroom.  You have to call Mr Parks and hell direct you, with great detail, how to enter the harbor and 'stay off the beach'. The island is quiet in April and doesn’t really get going until May. Two of the three restaurants, and one of the two ice cream stands, will not open this year because of financial hardships caused by COVID.  There must have been an island meeting recently because there was a lot of local talk about redesigning the town to resemble ‘the old fishing village’ and tidying up the
Read more