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Snort, snort!

Better than cicadas which (so far) are staying in their lane in the trees.

450 miles to go to Mobile, AL down the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway

After 5 months, 2 weeks and 6 days – but who’s counting? – we’re back on B2. Another week…

Rah roh….trapped above Demopolis broken lock and Gulf. Left B2 in good hands with Lee Spry boatyard in Iuka,…

We’ll need a Crayola box of colored pins by the time we cross our wake – 2023 yellow and…

Muscles Shoals recording studio, Music jam, Model Trains, (un)Muted Helen Keller’s homestead…oh MY!

No crowding, everyone will get their chance…unless you’re boat #120+!

Graduated from customer to player. Taking copious notes on Great Loop segments, hosted Loop Crawls, passed Coast Guard Auxiliary…

Actual meaning of “Opa!” is more like “Oops!” after someone drops and breaks an object. As waiters piled plates…

Front row seats to ChattaJack: 31-mile Tennessee River Gorge paddle board and kayak race starting in downtown Chattanooga to…

Batting 500 today, Harriman was planned as an alcohol-free utopian experiment, a model industrial city while avoiding the vice-driven…

Sealed the deal for BEST EVER anchor!

Tellico Lake on the Little Tennessee River

Mike and Danielle, train friends now boat friends and microbrewery friends. I think we have too many hobbies.

Steve getting his train fix.

Arthur Murray watch out!

Darci’s cousin Cindy and husband Mike from Chattanooga, a.k.a. Uber drivers, personal shoppers, laundromat and Amazon package receivers.

Hales Bar Dam claim to fame is ranked one of the top haunted dams in US. Story goes War…

Looking over us as we gander up the Tennessee river

Leaving Decatur AL, had to pass under Norfolk Southern’s lift bridge over the Tennessee River. Wait for the train…

Never ending quest and quench

Huntsville, AL: Builder of NASA Mercury, Gemini, Saturn and Apollo space rockets, US Space & Rocket Center and epicenter…

Highest single lift east of the Rocky Mountains raising 94 feet. Major feat in architecture and locking through for…

Tall legged houses with surprisingly small insides according to Zello

Hunkered down inside with A/C on the Tennessee River

Party headquarters on the TN river

Can never get tired of these sunsets

Kentucky Lake quarry with Jan and Mark visiting us at Green Turtle Bay, Grand Rivers KY.

Divide and conquer the copious chores of boating. Steve-Engineer, Marine Mobile QSO and Captain. Darci — Provisioneer, Planner and…

Ew! Double eeww trying fried catfish and waking up to massive mayflies at E-Town dockside restaurant in Elizabethtown, IN.

18 days, 672 miles and 8 locks cruising upstream (5-6 knots) to Madison, IN and back (7-8 knots) down…

And new microbreweries to add to our blog www.judgebrewdy.com

Jeff, displaced San Franciscan now residing in Cincinnati, jumps into the fray.

“Jeffersonville, the sunny side of Louisville” as described by a local.

Built in 1906 and closed in 1976, Jailhouse Pizza was once the old Meade County Jail in Brandenburg, IN.

Nor safety switch to turn on 30 AMP. “Just plug her in. You’re in Indiana now”, claims Ralph. After…

Where Steve’s “new” phone was sent at Nu Plaza marina, Evansville, IN. Yes, we’re still with antique Androids.

Got invited into the Mt. Vernon Eagles Home for a beer after being sworn in and vouched by the…

Harbor host assured us plenty water depth–not! Kicking up mud, slowly backing into covered spot–boing! Hit the anchor light….

Never thought I’d be wowwed at the National Quilting Museum in Paducah, but I was!

The Ohio Valley Flood of 1937 was the greatest natural disaster in the history of the U.S. and drove…

Channel 16 VHF blasted hailstorm warnings way, way far away. Or so we thought as we scrambled to tie…

Second anchor ever – good to go! At the junction of Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Lucky for us the…

St. Louis riverside with barges bookending the Arch.

After 246 days (but who’s counting?!), we’re back on the Great Loop trail. As honorary citizens of Portage des…

Ken & Cheryl Pfeiffer, Gold Loopers, rescued us in November 2022 as we limped into Grafton marina on 1…

Gas run up to St. Charles – all aboard!

Atáscate Que Hay Lodo! (When in the mud, get stuck!)

No end to entertainment at Sioux Harbor marina. Ron is the Master Excavator

Art Foundry, St. Charles, MO

Best thing since sliced cheese.  Seamstress Sharon masterfully MacGyver’s a magnetic bug barrier.

Greeted by birds nest nestled on the sundeck rolled entrance door–flown & now flung!  Steve’s to-do’s list goes up…

A break from one recreational vessel to another.

St. Louis Schnuck’s grocery A.I. “Tally”, not to be confused with Tali. (Click on video below)

Looks like Tiki bars can be anywhere, including on the Mississippi River at Portage des Sioux. Enjoying lunch with…

Arrived back in Missouri after a 5 am flight from SFO. Friends welcomed us with a wonderful dinner. Barry…

The starboard engine had the trouble, but we pulled the port head just to check it out. Some of…

Barry found that the engine’s cooling system was not in good shape. Oil cooler and intercooler (part of the…

The short block was placed back in the boat today. The rest of the engine will follow. Yee Hah!…

Bought the map and pushpins. 2022 was the green year.Wintering back home in San Francisco Bay area. Heading to…

Even though Barry said he could get us going by the end of the month, we decided to put…

Barry got the engine totally apart and brought the block to the machine shop. We got great news today…

The next morning Barry returned and continued taking the engine apart with. He wanted it out of the boat….

We took the boat 5 miles south from Grafton to a marina in Portage des Sioux that was a…

36 hours later with laundry done and reprovisioned, we left Grafton Harbor for Sioux Harbor just a couple blocks…

Optimistic boat found in Grafton marina

“Friends, like flowers, give pleasure just by being.” As we safely pulled into Grafton Harbor on 1 engine, Susan…

We had been nervous about our first anchor, but needed to do it because we only had one engine…

Logsdon Tug Service in Beardstown was kind enough to let us tie up to their barge when we lost…

Had a beautiful cruise south from Tall Timbers marina. Admiring the stilt houses. All of the sudden, the starboard…

True story. And they both have trains hanging from the front porch. Interestingly, the son got the engine and…

A three-wide barge pulled in behind us at Peoria Lock. It kept creeping towards us until we could almost…

President Roosevelt called Grandview Dr in Peoria Heights the most beautiful street in America. The views, and homes, are…

Cat(erpillar) museum in Peoria where men are always boys playing with erector sets X 100000000000

Accepting all commentary that starts with “F” (and doesn’t end with “k”)

Hunkered down in Peoria waiting for a weather window.

Karaoke initiation at IL Valley Yacht Club, Peoria

Breathtaking foliage to counter holding my breath when passing barges.

Chicago river with 17 bridges

Plop down on that toilet seat – even if you are just testing the fit – and it is…

Hit an unseasonable cold spell in Ottawa – is that freaking snow?!!! Fortunately, we were at a wonderful marina,…

If you were a dentist, wouldn’t you want to share a front door with a cupcake shop? Found in…

Chicago’s Columbia Yacht Club facility is a former Canadian ice cutting ferry. They have a ham (amateur) radio club…

Needed a dock cart to haul our marina deliveries while in CA. Should have ordered an electric blanket.

🎵 . . . at least I’m enjoying the ride . . . (found in New Buffalo, MI)

Just in time for the holidays

“Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies… Rivers and seas boiling… Dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”…

Found in South Haven

another grave mistake

A Charlevoix, MI boater went out in bad weather and did not make it all the way back to…

not kidding around in Charlevoix, MI

Found in Charlevoix, MI

No garish garlands allowed in Charlevoix, MI

…actually 8 miles and in 20+ mph headwinds. Time to consider an intervention or buying electric bikes.

Stayed in St. Ignace waiting for a weather window without gale winds and 4′ swells. Left at the crack…

Upper Peninsula Michigan Les Cheneaux Islands answer to Southern Florida Intercoastal ‘hood

Back in the US of A – Drummond Island. See you in Canada next year(ish).

We started our loop in Killarney, ON, so we missed the Trent-Severn’s BUtter Tart Trail. But fortune was smiling…

…down by the sea (at Gore Bay). Boardwalk and Noble Nature trails.

Dinghy across for dinner reservations.

Testing our biking capabilities (and patience) as Darci’s 20″ wheels trumps Steve’s 15″ wussy wheels.

Killarney in Georgian Bay is where we will cross our wake…one day.

Cream ale and oysters. Big Willy’s Bait Shop, Killarney

Super friendly harbor master overseeing grounds with modern conference center. 2KM walk to town with grocery, Liquor Control Board…

Shouted my brother hidden behind treelined patio. Ding….ding…ding. Varoom starts up the good humor truck. “Don’t go! My mom…

Passed Customs with a little white lie about a lot of white wine. North Channel cruising.

This community garden rivals San Francisco Golden Gate Park botanical gardens. Population 876,063.

Because how can you throw axes without an adult beverage?

Not to be confused with the other “red” Golden Gate Bridge. Mackinaw bridge connecting northern to upper peninsula Michigan…

Ironworkers Festival in Mackinaw City, MI featuring throwing darts with daggered 5 lb wrenches, speed wire rebar knot tying…

There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships,…

Not to be confused with all the sunrises and sunsets

Building Great Loop microbrewery repertoire

…Cheshire Cat. Mushroom houses in Charlevoix, MI.

Great street name in Charlevoix

…entering Charlevoix, MI. Wait for it. Gusty winds, 80′ Cherry Bomb obstacle departs, deck hands tied up. Whew! Another…

Harrowing narrowing docking at Leland Harbor, MI, a historic fishtown. Stern thrusters and 3 helpful dockhands earned their keep.

Going full circle. Woke up to the surveyor tapping sound on a boat for sale hull in Onekama Marine…

42 days since officially taking ownership, Steve takes the wheel under gentle guidance by dockhand expert.  Three times a…

Couch legs crossed over to engine hatch access. Mr. MacGyver sawed off 4″ back-end piece, fortified with re-purposed chart…

Onekama, where we spent about half of May and all of July, is not a big town. But it…

July was a busy month as we raced to complete boat upgrades. One thing that kept me going was…

Two shifts from “working for the man” to not. I no longer set my alarm and I make our…

We’re on a first name basis with every hardware store, breakfast cafe and microbrewery within 100 miles. I’m smitten…

Steve and his “fix it” shelf.  Darci having organization orgasms–“If I were aluminum foil, where would I live?”  Great…

Staging for home goods travel cross country in 1-way rental car.  Precious prized picks–Irving street olive oil, an addicts…

Looper conventional wisdom says you’ll do what you do at home, don’t expect to do start new habits. I…

Cousin Curtis back in the ‘hood at Onekama Block Party.

Boat side, Onekama Marine marina. Check out the video we took also

Nice try, Scottville Clown Band at Bear Lake Days.

Every morning we start our day with coffee and Wordle.  Our first word attempt relates to the day at…

Balclutha San Francisco Maritime, Balclutha Corte Madera, Balclutha Too. (OK, a little out of control on the swag, but…

Taste testing local breakfast cafés, overheard a locals response to “White, wheat, rye, English muffin or biscuit?” from the…

Hulled out Easy Bake Oven and go-nowhere senseless fan, channeled my inner Julia Child and replaced with 21st century…

An empty boat with tucked away products all screaming “Pick me!  Pick me!” 

Packed a rental car with a bunch of stuff for the boat. Even had to squeeze in a ladder…

Two years of scouring boats for sale from typical and skeptical sources, vetting hundreds that made our rolling excel…