Post-Loop, What Next?

Upon arrival back in Stuart, FL, after eight and a half months on the go, we were bombarded with a whole host of varying emotions. First of all we were excited about having completed the Great Loop Cruise, and we wanted to celebrate that enormous accomplishment. So, we looked up and down the docks for other cruisers to share in our joy, but none of our fellow “Loopers” appeared to be here. No problem. We would just head up to Wahoo’s, our favorite watering hole at the foot of our dock. But we quickly discovered that Wahoo’s had gone bankrupt in our absence and was now closed. OK. How about moving our celebration to Splash, the marina’s poolside café? That turned out to be impossible as well, because they had just changed management and were closed during the transition. We finally ended up walking over to a place called Frank ‘n Steins on the other side of Dixie Highway for a couple of hotdogs and beers. Whoopee!

Our initial excitement quickly changed to post-Loop depression. We thought we would be relieved that our long journey was finally over, but just the opposite seemed to be the case. All of a sudden we were no longer taking part in a great life adventure, sharing both triumphs and challenges with our fellow cruisers. That was all over now, and we were right back where we had started last March, almost as if we had never left. In fact, we were even in the same boat slip.

However, some things at the marina had changed in our absence, and not for the better, which only added to our malaise. No more Happy Hours and nightly entertainment at Wahoo’s was just our first disappointment. Rules at the “Club” had also changed, now denying slip holders at the marina access to the on site exercise room. Plus, although we could still use the swimming pool, we now had to walk around to the front of the Club building and sign in each time, rather than entering the pool area via the dockside gate, as we had done in the past. Although in reality this turned out to be only a minor inconvenience, some boaters were so upset that they decided to take their business elsewhere and left.

But once we decided that the positives about this place still vastly outweighed the negatives, our entire outlook began to change. So what if we had to walk a few extra steps to enjoy a swim in a beautiful heated pool. That’s good exercise, right? And most other marinas in the area don’t even have a pool!

Then we found out about a website called “Blog2Print” which could take the narrative and photos from our blog and create a book. Now, whenever we want to refresh our memories about the various segments of our Great Loop cruise adventure, we just pick up our new illustrated book which details the entire experience.

So, leaving our post-Loop blues behind, we began to perk up again as the Christmas holidays approached, spending quality time with friends and family, including a fun week at Hilton Head Island, SC, with friends Art and Pat Fagan, as well as visits with Ken’s brother and sister-in-law at their home in Sebastian, FL.

After the holidays, we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were now settled in one place long enough to begin dealing with some maintenance issues which had been plaguing us for quite some time. First we wanted to find out what was wrong with our bow thruster, which had stopped functioning back in Venice on Florida’s west coast. So, after asking around for recommendations of good marine mechanics, we engaged the folks at Marine Max in Stuart, whose technicians quickly diagnosed the problem, replaced an ailing battery charger, and also took care of a few other nagging maintenance tasks which were beyond our own skill set.

Next on the agenda were our bicycles, which had finally succumbed to saltwater induced rust and corrosion after being strapped to our bow for the entire trip. So we took them to a local bike shop for a much needed tune-up, including two new bike chains and a new pedal. Then they were ready for action again.

Then we turned our attention to the Bimini top on our flying bridge, which was being held to the strataglass windows with safety pins because the stitching on the zippers had rotted away. Closer examination revealed that we really needed to have all of the seams re-stitched.

Luckily, there’s a boat canvas repair shop right next to our marina, so we took off the entire Bimini top, plus all of the side strataglass panels, and took them there for repair.

Unfortunately, after the first rain we discovered that the canvas guy had not waterproofed the seams after re-stitching them, which allowed raindrops to leak through the new stitching holes. So, he had to remove the top again, take it back to his shop, and apply liberal amounts of seam sealer before reinstalling it.

Before we knew it, December, January, and February had flown by, so with all pressing boat repairs now behind us, we decided to drive up to Columbia, SC, to check on our condo. Unlike the last time we were there back in October, this time nothing was amiss. In fact, our newly re-sided building looked pretty good.

So, after taking care of routine doctor/dentist check-ups, back to Stuart we went. Now it was mid-March, and our planned time “wintering in Florida” was almost at an end. Each time we visited Ken’s brother and sister-in-law, a cute arrangement of directional signposts just outside their front door seemed to challenge us with this question, “What next?”

Our original plan was to cruise to the Bahamas in April, hoping to visit Ken’s aunt and uncle at Great Harbor Cay in the Berry Islands. We also wanted to explore Florida’s St. Johns River (from Jacksonville to Sanford and back). And what about getting the bottom of the boat painted? It’s been almost three years since that was last done, and we needed to somehow fit that into our schedule.

As we mulled this over in our minds, our planned departure date drew closer and closer. Then Ken came down with a minor ailment, causing us to stay put a little longer. Next, we discovered that Ken’s aunt and uncle had gone home to St. Louis early this year and were not now in the Bahamas. Marine Max here in Stuart was also advertising a free haul out if we had them paint the bottom of our boat. So, guess what we decided to do?