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Day One of The Great Loop.



At long last, we are on our way!  Originally, this great adventure was to start on 10/05/2019.  A month beforehand, the boat was pulled out of the water for maintenance.  The boat hauler made a mistake and ended up bending the props.  EEK! Pretty important, props.  They are also pretty heavy and really large.  So Todd sent them off as stowaways on a semi to be repaired downstate.  In the meantime, it was also discovered that someone may or may not have flushed marbles down the toilet at some unknown point in time.  The toilet on our boat runs via vacuum and pistons (don't think about it too much - it's gross).  ANYWAY, when there are marbles in there, vacuums don't seal and pistons can't move.   Also pretty important?  Toilets.  Especially when you're heading off on an 8 month excursion.  Et voila - our new departure date was 10/10.  Well, wouldn't you know it, but we have had the most bizarre and tenacious winds here in Northern Michigan.  There was no way we were going to subject ourselves to crashing waves as we crossed that wicked Lake Michigan to get to Chicago.  So here we are today, 10/18/19.  I think folks started to doubt if we would ever leave.  I certainly doubted that the wind would ever stop blowing.  It really seemed like a lot longer of a delay as it was several versions of "I'll leave tomorrow and you can drive with kids and meet me in Chicago", or "I'll leave in two days and you can drive with kids to Muskegon".  And that's the plan.  And it starts today!

Endurance leaving Harbor West before dawn.
Our handsome Captain.  💖
Surprisingly, the boat is NOT packed to the gills.  Yet.  With the weather delays, I've been doing some last-minute "one-click" shopping.  I have read that many others who have done "The Loop" have regretted taking too many clothes, too much food.  So I really have attempted to keep it simple.  As we will be homeschooling the Littles on this adventure, most of my over-packing is in the form of books and craft supplies.  I wasn't willing to give up my herb garden either; I ripped the plants out of the garden and transplanted into pots that are somewhat stylish but that I was also willing to ditch along the way should the plants not thrive.   I have to give a shout-out to Todd;  I'm really proud of how he streamlined all of his tools and such;  super handy that he can make repairs on the fly, but glad we don't have quite so many tools on board now.  


I've got to go finish packing and get ready to meet the love of my life tomorrow - thanks for reading!  Let us know of adventures you've undertaken in the comments below!
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Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 18, 2019 at 6:21 AM

    Thinking of you guys...keep us posted and safe sailing...hugs my friends

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 22, 2019 at 5:30 AM

    Such an amazing adventure, love to hear so much more from you all! Keep the pictures coming. BTW, you have the dogs too right? How do they do their business? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JannaOctober 29, 2019 at 3:02 AM

      Hi! We will typically be "somewhere" inside four or five hours, so the dogs don't have to hold it together that long. They are typically the last ones on the boat and the first ones off when we do get to land. When we get to the ocean we might have to add one of those "grass pads" on the back. Getting them (and the kids!) enough exercise is typically our main focus. A tired dog is a good dog!

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