Our Great Loop Adventure: 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

Before we left last July 14th, Several of our family and friends asked if we wanted a bon voyage party before leaving on the loop. We told everyone that we would have a grand celebration after we completed our loop adventure. The "Crossing Out Wake" party took place on July 24th at our home marina, Belle Maer Harbor. We held the festivities in one of the storage buildings. The marina provided tables for sitting and serving. We catered hot and cold appetizers to go along with the beverages. With the help of family and friends, we were all set up by four o'clock. We decorated with the loop map, our white and gold burgees and the state and province flags, which were on our boat. We were joined by our children, grandchildren, family and friends. We had a great three hours talking with everyone about our trip as well as catching up on other news. It was wonderful seeing everyone. We are glad to be safely home after an adventure we will never forget. This will conclude our Great Loop Adventure Blog. We hope everyone enjoyed following our journey on the blog almost as much as we enjoyed living the adventure.

Final words: 35,000 people run in the Boston Marathon each year. 10,000 people climb mountains over 12,000 feet high. 3,500 people hike the Appalachian Trail. Only 200 people complete the Great Loop each year. Yes, it is an adventure few people attempt and fewer people accomplish.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Announcement for all our blog followers: We have planned the "Crossing Our Wake" party on July 24th from 4-7pm at Belle Maer Harbor. We would love for you to join our celebration. Due to marina requirements, we will need you to RSVP by July 20th. Just email us at ssimion@comcast.net. We hope to see you there.

One of the events on Monday was a Wine and Appetizer Tasting held in the afternoon. There were wines from six local wineries. We sampled wines from all the wineries and selected 2 wines to purchase. That evening we went to dinner with Bob and Ivie. They completed the Great Loop several years ago and are on their second circumnavigation of the Great Lakes. Tuesday during the day there were seminars in the morning and afternoon. Tony attended the "Gadget Hour" where cruisers share things that make cruising easier or more enjoyable. Tony shared "the bollard catcher" and many attendees commented they were going to make their own "bollard catcher". Sharon attended the "Cooking while Cruising" seminar. That evening was the Commodore's Dinner which gave Tony another opportunity to wear his blue blazer and dress pants. It was only the second time he needed to wear a sport coat on the entire trip. After the dinner there were speeches and awards and dancing.The GLCC Rendezvous officially ended on Wednesday, July 16th at 9:00am. Many boats left in the morning and afternoon. We decided to stay one more day due to the windy conditions. the winds were out of the northwest which was the direction we were headed. We wanted Lake Erie to calm down before we ventured out. Other than doing laundry and taking a walk it was a very quiet day and evening. On Thursday, we pulled away from the dock at Leamington around 7:00am. The lake was fairly calm and the wind was light. We entered the Detroit River at 10:43 am. The current was against us at about a knot and a half, so we were going up the river at the breathtaking speed of 7.5 mph. We were going to spend the night at Milliken State Harbor in downtown Detroit. After they failed to answer several VHF hails and cell phone calls, we decided to go in and dock ourselves at 2:00pm. One of the other boaters there helped us dock. Tony went to the office and expressed his displeasure to the dock master. We did a light cleaning and had a very quiet evening. Friday, July 18th dawned with a beautiful blue sky. We left Detroit at 10:00am. The river had very light winds. We passed Belle Isle and then entered Lake St. Clair at 10:50am. Summer Recess officially crossed her wake at 1:20pm. Before entering Belle Mare Harbor, we dressed the ship with our flags. We entered the harbor and as we came down G and J wharf fairway, we could see that our family was there to welcome us complete with balloons and banners. Our daughter, Becky, with her two sons, Brendan and Jack, our son, Tony, his wife, Nichola, and their four children, Rosalia, Cecelia, Elianna, and Dominic, were all standing their cheering welcome back. We secured the boat and got off to warm hugs and kisses. Our son, Tony, gave his father, the gold burgee (symbol of our loop completion) and we put it on the bow flag staff. Lots of pictures were taken and we toasted our success with champagne and sparkling cider. It was truly a wonderful homecoming. After 303 days, approximately 5,450 miles, 129 cities/towns/villages, 18 states, and one province our "Great Loop Adventure" came to a close. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends at our "Crossing our Wake" Party on Thursday, July 24th at Belle Maer Harbor.