We awoke to the sound of the waves slapping against the bow of the boat. We realized that
this sound would
soon just be a memory in our minds. From the sound of the water
lapping against the bow of the boat
we knew it was a windy day!
We were watching the forecast and at this point the weather forecast for the day
of the scheduled
inspections looked good. We hoped the forecast wouldn't change.
The photo below shows the barnacles on the dock post, which become visible when
the tide is low. The surface of the docks are
made of cement but the cement is on floats
to enable the dock to move up and down with the fluctuating tide.
It was a beautiful morning. Three good things happened: the free washer was
available for doing a load of laundry, happily a shower stall was available to take a shower and
no one was waiting for the
shower stall when I got out. The day was off to a good start!
Since Seaquest was sold, (if the final inspections go well) we could count the
number of days
until we
would be home.
When we left Ft. Myers by boat, we left our vehicle in the marina parking lot in Ft. Myers.
When we got to Brunswick,
Georgia we wanted to retrieve our vehicle and get it to Brunswick.
We considered doing a one-way rental back to Ft. Myers but the rental drop off fee was crazy so
we did a round trip
rental and merely followed each other back to Brunswick, to save about $300!
The new owners were coming in a few days for the final inspections of Seaquest, a sea trial
and
an engine survey would need to be performed. If this all goes well we will sign the final
papers
and turn the key to
Seaquest over to them.
Buying/selling a boat is much like buying or
selling a house. You sign a purchase agreement, do
the inspections, do lien searches
to assure a good title and schedule the closing.
We started to box up our belonging to get ready to clear out Seaquest.
Surprising how much stuff we had on that boat!
We rented a small U-Haul trailer to take our things home. It was nice that we could
have the trailer for six days so we started loading it. It was also nice that we were
allowed to drop the trailer
off right in Worthington.
Once most of our things were off the boat and loaded in the trailer we could do
the final
cleaning and
prepare Seaquest for the new owners, Mike and Yadira.
All the while we
were hoping that the surveys would go well.
We woke early, the day we were waiting for had arrived and it was a
beautiful sunny, calm day!
Mike, Yadira
and our boat broker arrived on time and they came aboard. We
disconnected the electric lines and the
dock lines and took Seaquest out for the sea trial.
A sea
trial consists of taking the boat out for a trial run to see how the electronics and the
other systems performed, how the boat handles at idle, cruising speed and full throttle.
The full throttle
portion lasted about 15 minutes. Seaquest had not run at full throttle
for that
long since we owned the boat.
She passed with flying colors.
The engine inspection takes place during the sea trial. The engine
is inspected for unusual vibrations, operating temperatures, electrical voltage outputs
and
general visual inspections during operations. Again she passed with flying colors.
After the sea trial, Seaquest had to be hauled out of the water for the haul inspection
and
to inspect the rudder, shaft and propeller.
Again, everything looked good.
The photo below shows Seaquest being lifted out of the water.
Below: Seaquest is on the hard with the new owners and our broker looking it over!
The surveys went well and the sale was final! It was a different feeling to
walk away
from Seaquest, knowing she was no longer
ours!
Our Canadian friends, Mike and Tammi, were at a nearby campground with their camper,
for one more
night before they
started their way back to Canada. It was also
Tammi's
birthday so we had
much to celebrate and be thankful for.
Since we were homeless, we stayed overnight on No Snow, sister Cheryl and
Cal's boat,
and the next day we
started our trip to Minnesota.
It was a beautiful morning, 72 degrees with light winds and the water was like a mirror.
The
feeling that we should travel on the water on such a nice day, seemed real yet, even
though the
sale of
Seaquest
was finalized.
It was bitter/sweet to think that there would not be
any more
travel
days!
We had
owned Seaquest for over two years and living on her had been
a way
of life
that we
really enjoyed.
We had found a home away from home.
We had purchased the boat for the purpose of doing America's Great
Loop and
ended up keeping her
longer so we could live on her for another winter in Florida.
As we traveled home we couldn't help but think how the traffic on the highway
was crazy at times!
Being on the water seemed safer!
Seeing the St. Louis Gateway Arch was much different by car than when we
drove right past it on the waterway!
The photo below was taken in September of 2017, as we passed by the St. Louis Arch
which is on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Doing America's Great Loop was an adventure that we will never forget.
We crossed paths with strangers who soon became friends.
The people we met will remain special to us,
because we share a common bond with them.
Our journey is now complete. Many people have asked if we'll miss the boat.
Miss the boat? Well, let's see - hauling the laundry down to the marina washer and
dryer,
hoping one is available and that it works; walking or riding our bikes to the
grocery store and hauling the
groceries back to the boat and wondering if it will
all fit in the small refrigerator;
worrying about whether or not we were going
to run aground; wondering about
the weather, the tides and the currents; walking
to the showers hoping one
is available. No, I won't miss a lot of that.
However, that is not what the boat really was. The boat was picking blueberries
and catching fish in Canada and having a fish fry right on the boat, with
buddy boats. It was watching some of the most gorgeous sunsets of
our lives. It was traveling to a new port and finding out that a local festival was
taking place and we were there for it. It was sharing a potentially difficult water night
crossing on the Gulf of Mexico with a few other boats, making it across safely and
celebrating with them
at dinner that night. Our time on the boat was one of discovery,
of new places and
new friends, new foods and new ideas. We have seen so much
on the boat that we
would have missed on land. Seeing eagles and seagulls swoop
down and get a fish.
To see dolphins swim along side of our boat was more exciting
than I could have
even imagined! We've learned to get along with less, for example,
use one paper
towel instead of two, if possible! Be conservative with the water
because the
water tank holds only 120 gallon! We saw the world with
a new perspective and
appreciation.
We are now home and we have renewed appreciation for our home!
The appliances seem
so large! The microwave and refrigerator are huge! The washer
and dryer
are available anytime, are conveniently located and you don't need quarters!
Thanks to our family and friends who took the time to read our blog!
Your encouragement and response has been greatly appreciated!
From the Captain:
Cruising the Great Loop was a journey that we will never forget.
We have had the adventure of living on the boat for almost 24 months,
have
traveled
over 8,000 miles touring three countries; US, Canada
and the Bahamas.
During this time we have collected 235 boat cards
from other boaters that are
doing or have completed the Great Loop.
The Great Loop is a high adventure, low risk activity:
compare it to:
~26,411 runners finished the Boston Marathon (2017)
~1,110 people completed the Appalachian Trail (2016)
~About 600 people climbed Mt. Everest (2016)
~215 swimmers crossed the English Channel (2017)
In comparison fewer than 100 boats annually complete the Great Loop.
There were 149 in the year we completed it~ it was the most ever.
We will cherish the experiences for the rest of our lives and we are
grateful for having had the opportunity to do this trip.
This is our final blog entry.
We sincerely thank you each of you who have kept up with us, by reading our blog
as we traveled American's Great Loop!
Bon Voyage!
Your friends, Bruce and Bev
M/V Seaquest