A Final Note…..

The boys arrived in Wrightsville, North Carolina, on Friday evening, April, 24, around 9pm.  They had driven through from Michigan all in one day.  What an adventure!   It was great to spend a weekend together on the boat.  We traveled about 40 miles on Saturday and Sunday, ending up in Beaufort, North Carolina.   The weather was perfect both days.   Frank Ladhe, our neighbor at Island Lake, moved the car for them each day so we didn’t have to deal with a rental on Monday to get the boys started back to Michigan.  We traveled through areas that were well developed, and also some wide open areas.   A military base was part of our second days travel.  This area at times is restricted for ‘live fire’ practice at times, but not while we were there.   They all got a taste for navigation, bridge openings, radio communications, boat traffic issues, and life on the water.   A great weekend, thanks for coming down guys!  

Frank and I continued on Monday the 27^th north up towards Norfolk.  The weather was so good, and the winds so low, that we covered a lot of extra distance on Tuesday.  The ICW is a narrow canal in places, but in northern North Carolina there are several large open areas to cross.  Many times the wind and waves make this difficult, but we really hit it right, nothing greater than a foot.  On Tuesday we covered just over 100 miles.  We arrived in Norfolk on Wednesday in the early afternoon, a full day ahead of schedule.  We spent the rest of the day and all day Thursday doing general maintenance and packing up things to head back to Michigan.   I had no idea how much “stuff” I had managed to pack away on the boat.   Thank goodness we had the truck.  We managed to fill up the entire 8 foot box before we were done.   We left for Michigan on Friday mid-morning and arrived back in Michigan on Saturday.   Frank dropped me off at son Mike’s and he headed on to Traverse City.  Marty will be coming down from work on Wednesday and catch up to me as I travel from family to family seeing all of the kids and grandkids.  We will get back to Traverse City on Sunday. 

Domestic Squall will be spending at least the next year in Norfolk at Atlantic Yacht Basin under cover in fresh water.   It is also with mixed emotions that she is also ‘For Sale’ with Virginia Yacht Brokers.  Marty may or may not retire in the next year or so, so continuation and completing the loop remains in doubt at this time.   I would again like to thank Bill, Fred, Shirley, Martha, Tom, Judy, and Frank for taking time to join in my adventure and their participation on the Great Loop.   It would have been impossible to do without them.   We will see what next year brings.  

Take care all,

Captain John, Domestic Squall    

Hello followers,

The weather is now cooperating and we are moving north easily now.   Frank and I spent a day in Charleston and took a tour around town.  Like a lot of these coastal towns along the Atlantic there are a lot of historic homes, old history of early American settlers along with their trials and tribulations in getting established, many European Countries fighting for control of the new lands, slavery, and of course, our own conflict, the Civil War. 

The stop at Myrtle Beach….2 days before the fire making National News….I was able to get together with my 3 granddaughters along with their Dad for dinner.   We were able to catch up on family news and views.   It is hard to believe my oldest grandchild will be graduating from High School in another year.   Morgan is looking forward to college, most likely in Charleston right now.   Cassie is in High School also, and slaving away at it…..typical freshman….doing well though.  Whitney is looking forward to going to Washington DC soon as part of a class trip.  We are all hoping to get together sometime this summer in Michigan.

Frank and I moved on to Southport and up to Wrightsville the last couple of days.  We allowed a couple of extra days for weather issues, but did not have any so arrived early.  My 3 sons are driving here today to ride on the boat for the weekend up to Beaufort, and on Monday will drive back to Michigan.  It will be so great to see them.  Probably a bit crazy to be driving over 800 miles, one way, but I am really looking forward to their arrival.  Once we get to Beaufort it is only about 200 ICW miles to Norfolk.  For those of you that have never heard of Wrightsville, it is near Wilmington, N.C.  The coordinates for it are:  N. 34  12.997, and W. 77  48.812.   The challenges along the way now are dealing with the inlets from the ocean.  With the tides there is always shoaling occurring and one needs to keep their eye on the depth sounder and stay between the markers. 

I thought after leaving Florida we might see a break from the miles and miles of high end houses and condos.   Georgia did have many miles of marsh grass, and into S. Carolina.  However, as we have moved further north, we are back into many areas that are extremely built up.  Any hump in the landscape greater than about 3 feet has a house or condo built on it.  They are also totally exposed to any wind or storm that comes along.  I have trouble understanding why people continue to build where they are basically just sitting ducks for the next storm.  I know, it’s the view, and the water, etc. but the costs are high. 

I believe this about covers the news for now.  The boat will remain in Norfolk for at least a year.  It will be listed with a broker while there.  I expect to return to Michigan the first week of May.  I hope you all have the snow all shoveled out so I can make it in!  Take care all.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Welcome to Beaufort all.

I did not plan on staying here long, as I wanted to get to Charleston the following day and then go get my new crew member, Frank Ladhe, in Suffolk, Virginia.  Typical of things lately the weather interfered again.   It was a no go to Charleston on Monday or Tuesday this week.   Lots of storms, tornado watches, high winds, rain, going on all over the southern states.   On Wednesday I rented a car and headed up to Suffolk to pick up Frank and returned on Thursday.   This gave the weather a chance to improve and today we managed to get to Charleston.   A good trip, no issues, and Frank had plenty of time to get acquainted with the boat.   Since neither of us has been here before we are staying at least until Sunday and will be tourists tomorrow.  

We are at mile 470 on the ICW.   I don’t know just where we will be for next weekend when my boys arrive, but sure am looking forward to seeing them.   Marty sent along some homemade cookies with Frank that are really great.   On Wednesday, we spent the evening and night with a cousin of Frank’s in Suffolk, Virginia.   Jeff is a Project Manager for building aircraft carriers.   The most recent project being the new nuclear carrier, the G. W. Bush.  It was a very interesting and enjoyable evening.  He is taking care of my truck until we get to Norfolk and put Domestic Squall under cover and for sale in 2-3 weeks.  We will then head back to Michigan.

Wish you all well, will hopefully have some good pictures and information on Charleston in a couple of days.  Have a good day!

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Good afternoon all,

Domestic Squall is rapping things up in Savannah and will be headed on up towards Beaufort, and Charleston.   Tom and Judy will be headed back towards Michigan in the morning and I will be on my own for 2-3 days.  Frank Ladhe from Island Lake will be aboard soon.  

We have had some delays again this past week.  About the time we were ready to leave Jekyll Island the wind decided to show up in full force.   A few of the sail boaters along the dock were clocking winds in excess of 35mph and the waves out in the open stretches were really nasty.   It was much safer and pleasant on Jekyll Island so we stayed put for another 2 days there.   We did not get out of there until Wednesday morning and spent the night on the hook in a small creek named Cattlepen Creek.  Where they get the names for all of the little islands, canals, creeks, etc. that come and go from the ICW is beyond us.  It was a beautiful, quiet, peaceful location when we dropped the hook, at dinner, and watched the sun go down and the full moon come up.   About midnight the wind decided to come up and the tide was turning and the boat decided it wanted to move around a bit more than we anticipated.   First thing we noticed as we got out on deck was that the stern was now in the edge of the marsh grass.  The tide was high, so no bottom touching was going on, but it had to be close.   We fired up the diesels and relocated and reset the anchor and all was well for the rest of the night.  Of course, within an hour or so the wind died back also and dawn arrived as if nothing had ever happened.   We continued our journey on up to Savannah to the Isle of Hope Marina for a quiet 3 nights. 

Yesterday we rented a car and went back to Jacksonville to retrieve Tom and Judy’s car from the marina there.   Today was spent being tourists in Savannah.   They sure do have a lot more history than we do in Michigan, of course, they have about a 100 year plus head start on us also.   The downtown and historical areas have been extensively rebuilt and restored.   The down town area was not destroyed during the Civil War so much is still in very good condition dating back to the 1700’s.   A couple of fires did more damage than any military action over the years.   We took a historical tour of the entire area and then spent some time walking to additional sites.  This is another town I would highly recommend to anyone traveling in this direction, whether by boat or by land. 

I hope all is well with all of you, keep some fair weather coming.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

I realize it has been a week since I added anything to the blog, however, 5 of the 7 days were all spent in Jacksonville.   Martha and I arrived in Jacksonville last Sunday after a great week on the St. John’s River.   Monday was a get organized and boat cleaning day as a crew change was going to happen on Tuesday.   There was the usual laundry to do.  Washing the boat down because of salt water spray is a total pain to deal with.  Those of us used to being up north and in the fresh water have a real advantage that is for sure.  The UV works on the varnish also.   Tuesday morning I had rented a car and drove Martha to the Orlando airport for the trip back to Toronto.   It was great having her on board.   When I got back to the boat Tom and Judy from Island Lake were on board and getting familiar with all of the cubbie holes to store items.   We had planned on heading north on Wednesday morning, but Mother Nature intervened.   I have been commenting all along how dry Florida was….well now….when it rains here…it really rains.   Over the next 2 days Jacksonville received over 8 inches of rain.   Needless to say we just stayed put, played some dominos, cards, and venture out just a little to pick up items we thought we needed. 

Friday morning all was sunny and bright and all of us were anxious to get on the move. It was a great trip up to Fernandina Beech on Amelia Island.   We had to negotiate through almost 20 miles of downtown Jacksonville and all of the shipping and receiving docks before settling into the quiet of the ICW.   Fernandina Beech is a beautiful little community.   Amelia Island has been under the control of the Spanish, French, British, the Pirates, and of course, Americans.   What a gig saw puzzle of history.   There are several blocks right off the marina of prosperous downtown businesses of every description.   In the evening they closed off the street and live music from the 50-60’s with dancing in the streets was going on.   A great day, and a great stop.

Saturday was even better than Friday, and we thought it might be tough to beat all the goings on at Amelia Island.  A perfect day on the water.   We had to cross over a couple of major inlets from the Atlantic Ocean, one being the St. Mary’s River, where the nuclear subs come in and out.   The only one we saw was at a great distance half way into a huge barn.   The security was very obvious and one does not even think about approaching the secure areas.   We passed by Cumberland Island, once owned by the Carnegie family, and when she died gave it to the state with the understanding the horses there could run wild forever.   We saw several of them as we passed.   Arrival at Jekyll Island presented us with another beautiful, history filled location.   The island was owned and operated as a very rich private club resort for years starting back in the 1800’s.  It started as a hunting club, started with 13 members, and extended to 103 a bit later.  Very large, private  “cottages”, were built.   We took a historical tour today, Sunday, that was really interesting.   Several pictures will be on the blog soon.

The weather this afternoon is taking a turn for the worse.   It has been raining very hard during the last hour, complete with hail.  We had planned on moving on tomorrow, but will have to wait and see what this weather is going to do.   It is about 90 miles up to Savanah and the marinas are in very short supply so we will most likely find a good place to drop the anchor for the night.  That will no doubt put us out of communication for a couple of days.   Our GPS coordinates at the present time….N31  12.780, W81   25.359.  We will be spending some extra time in Savanah to take in the sights there. 

Hope all is well with all of you.   I hear the weather in Traverse City is starting to improve and spring is attempting to show some interest.   Take care everyone.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello followers,

It has been a busy week with lots of new sights and sounds.  On the way to the airport from St. Augustine we spent time at Cape Canaveral.  I was there with the family years ago but many new sights and experiences are available.   The Shuttle program is very interesting and many exhibits have been added depicting actual lift off and flight experiences.   I think I was born 50 years too soon.  What an experience it must be to fly in space.   Hopefully one of my kids or grandchildren can take a ride for me someday. 

Imax theater puts you right there with the astronauts and the activities they perform while cruising around our planet.  The achievements of the Hubble  Spacecraft and the pictures taken are remarkable.   This is a visit all of us should make.  Take your credit card however, it is not cheap, and for some of the activities you best sign up for days or weeks before your visit.  This is a very popular visitor site.

After Marty’s departure back to the north country, too the wind and snow, slushy roads, winter clothing, and WORK!!!     Martha and I moved on up to Jacksonville and the St. John’s River.   The marina in downtown Jacksonville was the worst of the entire trip so far.  I will be sure to make a comment to the AGLCA group to avoid this stop.  The first 15 miles or so are dedicated to shipping and receiving and the area is very busy.  The Coast Guard is also very active in the area.  Once out of town, one has to go another 40 plus miles of what can be best described as a lake before it really becomes a river.  Remember that this river flows from south to north, and navigation for recreational craft can go 140 miles up river to Sanford, right next door to Orlando. 

The St. John’s River is a whole other world from the rest of Florida for the next 100 miles to Sanford.   Very peaceful, very relaxed, very laidback, and no feeling of the rat race of life along the east and west coastal areas I have been.   There are a few small towns, homes are much reduced in size and condos have largely disappeared.   As you can see from many of the photos wildlife is the main event.  Especially the alligators, and since I have few pictures of them totally out of the water from Lake Okechobee and other places, I put a lot in this section.   There are lots of Herons, Egrets, Osprey, and many other water birds also and one is always open to seeing something new and different.  As one heads south, up stream, the water becomes less and less salty.   Freshwater fish are abundant in the upper sections and lots of ‘Billy Bob’ bass boats are back in style. 

We reached Sanford yesterday and had dinner with Barry Troutman and his wife Toby.  Barry and I started kindergarten together back about 1950 or so.  It was a great evening and we had a good walking tour of downtown Sanford afterwards.   Today we began our retreat back to Jacksonville.  The marinas along the way are much smaller, but much more ‘homey’ and very friendly folks for story telling.  It is also very quiet, no city sounds in the background.  We even had a little rain this evening, brings out the spring smells of the countryside.   I don’t know if alligators, manatees, or snakes make much in the way of sounds, but rumor has it there are plenty of them all around. 

Once back in Jacksonville there will be some crew changes.   Martha will be headed back to Toronto on Tuesday and Tom and Judy from Island Lake will be coming aboard.  Martha has spent a lot of time piloting the boat and reading navigation charts and has really gotten the hang of it all.  Will miss her computer skills also.  I can still mess up with a computer in totally unheard of ways at times.   It will take a couple of days to shuffle everything around but will then get back in the ICW and continue the trek northward.   For those that really like to pinpoint our location, see who can figure out what lake we are on along the St. John’s River.   The coordinates are N29   22.816 and W81  37.677.   Will see who can plot out there.   OK….it is time to get this on the blog and call it an evening.  Hope all is well wherever you are.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Greetings from First Mate Marty!  I’ve just returned from my third stint on the Domestic Squall, and I’m back to a Michigan winter.  I met the captain in Orlando on March 6 and we spent a great weekend with my sister and hubby in Tampa before catching up with the trawler at Punta Gorda.  Sister-in-law Martha joined us, and we traveled through the Florida peninsula (across Lake Okeechobee) and up to St. Augustine before I jumped ship to return home. 

The trip was wonderful!  Captain John is an excellent sailor, and Martha and I each learned more about the boat and did some of the driving.  The female members of the crew rated the marinas we stayed in using several characteristics: the two most important were ease of deboarding (those with floating docks were best and Fort Myers was the worst); and hooks and shelves in shower rooms (you’d be surprised how important that was!). Some marinas had internet and cable available.  The marina on Sanibel Island had welcomed several small power boats of enthusiastic young people. The result was that we had to dock right in front of the Tiki Bar, and were serenaded late into the night.

Two interesting side trips were the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, and the Kennedy Space Center.  We also saw interesting wildlife. We would never see manatees, alligators, dolphins, and pelicans in Michigan, but think the water in the north, generally, is bluer and cleaner.  The dolphins were fun to watch, but they played right in front of the boat and dived just before we got there. We always thought we’d hit them! Although we never felt anything, we never saw them come up to either side or behind us!

I left John with a helpful sailor in Martha.  She’s good at staying between the green and red buoys, helping the captain with computer problems, and finding grocery stores when supplies are low.  I hope they have a great trip up the St. John’s River while we deal with another winter storm here!

Marty

Hello everyone,

Marty, Martha, and I have been moving north all week and have now settled in St. Augustine.  The temperatures have moderated down into the low 70’s, the sky has clouded up and the wind coming off of the Atlantic Ocean is very brisk.   We have traveled well over 300 miles since leaving Punta Gorda when they both came on board.  We will be renting a car tomorrow and go back south to Cape Kennedy and take Marty to the Orlando airport later in the afternoon.  The college crowd had rented all of the rental cars in the area and taxi fares outrageous so we are combining the trip to Orlando airport and Cape Kennedy all in one outing.

The east coast of Florida, at least so far, is just as built up with high end homes and condos as the west side.  The pictures I have been taking are all beginning to look alike in many ways so have not included any in this last blog.  The ICW has been fairly easy to navigate, well marked, and deep enough to not create any extra tension.  I think it is still early enough in the boating season to be ahead of a lot of extra boat traffic.   Judging by the number of boats we are seeing in marinas, in storage areas, docks along the waterways, etc. there must be times when it is very crowded.

Fred!!!!    Your “Operation Crab Pot” program with Pamela Anderson is a total failure.  In fact, there are now crab pots showing up in the channel of the ICW.   Although white is the favorite color for the markers, many are green, blue, or black and have the ability to hide until one is almost on top of them.  They are definitely the single biggest hazard while navigating the waterway.   If you are expecting any relief before you attempt the loop in a couple of years your relationship is going to have to improve.   Good Luck my friend!

On Tuesday Martha and I will continue up to Jacksonville and will spend some time on the St. John’s River.  It flows north, so will have to go south to go upstream, but understand it is a great side trip and represents a lot of “old” Florida.  After that it is just a few miles north to Georgia. 

Have a great day,

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

It has been quite a while since I have added a written blog.   Marty and Martha, are both on board now, and are working hard at getting some of my computer skills updated.  Marty brought a new computer, Michelle’s old laptop, which is faster and more up to date.  However, it does programs differently than the old one so the old dog here has to learn some new tricks.  Old dogs are slow learners it seems.  Old dogs are easily frustrated with new technology also.

Domestic Squall spent 8 nights in Punta Gorda, so no one has missed out on a lot of travel.  While the boat was there, the Captain was out and about a lot.  The first evening I spent with a HS friend that I had not seen in well over 20 years, and the following day the two of us met up with another HS buddy.  We met and ate lunch in Sarasota and spent the afternoon getting caught up on all of our families, lives, and happenings.  It was a great afternoon and promised to not wait so long for another opportunity.   Jack and Barry did not know they both lived in Florida within a 100 miles of each other until recently.  Again, a great day!

The following day I picked Marty up in Orlando and we spent the weekend with her sister and hub in Tampa.  We did a lot of card playing, as usual, and went out to dinner one evening where their son is a chef.  It was one of those kind of restaurants where 10-12 people sit around three sides of a cooktop and the chef prepares the entire meal and entertains you at the same time.   A lot of fun and good food.   Their daughter and hub who are expecting a son soon were also present.  A great weekend get together.

Fred, the fellow from Canada that has been with me for about 6 weeks, has returned to Toronto.   I took him to the Orlando airport when I picked up Marty.  His wife, Shirley, had spent a week with us earlier.  They have a trawler in Georgian Bay similar to mine and are anxious to get back on the water….if it ever thaws out up there….and enjoy traveling the area.   Fred is not so sure the Great Loop is the goal at this point after his wife retires.  It was great having him on board and will miss is navigation and computer skills.  Thanks again Fred for joining me in this adventure.

The Space Shuttle launch scheduled for last week was a major goal to observe.   Marty and I thought we had it all figured out since Martha was arriving at the Orlando airport about an hour and half before the planned launch.   Well….that kind of went down with mechanical problems.  It then becomes a guessing game as to when to rent a car for the drive over for a ‘possible launch’ date.   Unfortunately things didn’t fall right and we had to keep moving.   We went from Punta Gorda to Fort Myers, and then had to pretty much commit to the 3 days to cross Florida and Lake Okechobee.   We crossed the Lake today, but are in no mans land on a Sunday and no rental cars available.   We stood in a parking lot here this evening and even though we are about 120 miles from the launch site, were able to see the bright streak in the sky as it went up.  It was impressive, but really wanted to be right there.  Will have to keep it on that ‘Bucket List’ of things to do.   

The timing was perfect in Fort Myers to meet up with DeLong’s and Groesser’s from our home back on Island Lake.   After a couple of phone connections we all got together for a hot dog roast with them.  Florida seems to be the place to escape to for Island Lake folks.  The Jenkin’s and Jankowski’s are also in Florida keeping warm.  We hear there has been some thawing and rain back home, but that it has also refrozen and added snow has fallen to make things somewhat miserable from time to time.  It has been almost hot here the last few days, well into the 80’s in the afternoons.  The scenery here is still lots of large, well kept homes and condos along the shore lines.  There are lots of boats on the water and along the docks and marinas.  The economic problems of our country are not evident in a lot of areas down here.

Tomorrow we will be on the east coast of Florida at Stuart, and for the first time in a long time the boat will turn and head north.  The charts tell me it is 985 miles to Norfolk.  That is the goal for this section of the loop this year.   I expect to be there in early May, but there is no real tight schedule to follow at this point.   The coordinates for my present location are N27  00.559 and W.80  28.038.   There are boats from Glen Arbor, Sault Ste. Marie, and Portage, Indiana in this marina with us tonight.   John Melvin and his boat Legacy from TC are in Fort Myers just behind us.  I had a VHF call from a boat passing me today going west who hailed from Charlevoix.   It truly is a small world at times.

Hope all is well wherever you are, take care all.

Captain John,   Domestic Squall

Hello all....

It has been a busy week.  I have also tried to add this blog on 3 other occassions with no success.   Fred, his wife, and I spent 3 days in St. Pete.  All of the area down to here from Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, is very developed with a lot of high end  homes and condominiums.  Lots of beautiful water, beaches, sand, and weather.  While Fred and Shirley checked out some of the sights of St. Pete I went over to Lakeland and visited my brother and wife who spend their winters in Florida.  We went to a Tiger/Mets baseball game and had a great visit. 

Shirley had to go back to work in Toronto and enjoy the rest of whatever winter is left.  Fred won't be too far behind as he has about a week left of his loop adventure before Marty arrives for almost 3 weeks.  It has been great having him aboard and has been a great help navigating down the last section of the rivers and across the panhandle of Florida and down the west coast.  After leaving St. Pete we headed on down to Venice and Porta Gunta.  These are boat great stops along the loop.  I had a great day with 2 high school friends.  We had not been together for over 25 years.  I will be getting some additional pics on line soon. 

The boat will probably stay at Porta Gunta for a week as I will be visiting relatives with Marty in Tampa for the weekend and will need time to get back and forth also.  The NASA  Shuttle launch has been moved up to Mar. 11 at 9:15pm so when Marty and I pick up her brothers wife from Toronto we will get over and watch it.  Word has it that night launches are the greatest to observe.  It will be a long day but should be well worth it.   There seems to be much to do and see now. 

There are still a lot of Dolphins chasing our boat all the time, and Ospreys are beginning to sit on their nests.  Temperatures are moving up into the 80's this week so it is feeling a lot like summer.  Hope all is well for all of you whereever you are. 

Have a great day, Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

The trip to Tarpon Springs, the last leg out in the open Gulf, was not without its share of excitement.  Fred's wife, Shirley, joined us in Crystal River Monday evening and will spend a week on board.  It is a fairly long run Crystal River to Tarpon Springs, and to make it more difficult the tides would not be high enough for us to clear Shell Island at the mouth of the Crystal River until noon.  Thank goodness we had the wind behind us once out on the  Gulf which added a knot of speed for the afternoon.  We just made it to the mouth of the channel into here as the sun set.  We had about 20 minutes where it was too dark to see the markers but Shirley had the 2,000,000 watt light going and kept all the markers visible for Fred and I to get to the marina and tied up.  I really don't like the night running, but thank goodness we were not out on the Gulf after dark as it is a total mine field of crab pots out there. 

The Manatees at Crystal River is why one goes there.  The fellow that took us to see them, since my dingy motor is on the fritz, was a local fellow that really knew the issues.  There was a hugh storm surge that came in there in 1993.  It brought in so much salt water that it killed all of the local vegetation in the river.  That was the food supply for the Manatees.  Up until that time there was lots for them to eat, and plenty of fresh water to keep the food chain pretty well balanced.  Well, that has all changed.  A combination of the hugh kill off of the water vegetation, reduced rainfall and too much drainage for homes, added construction around the entire area of homes and condos...fertilizers, chemicals, etc. the over population of Manatees through protection etc. has turned the bottom into almost a desert.  There is almost nothing in there any more to feed the Manatees, so they go out into the Gulf to eat when they can and when the water temp. is ok.  They really don't like water temps below 72 degrees.  Anyhow, he did not paint a real good picture for their future.  It is really exploited by tourists also.

Our trip to Tarpon Springs was not without some added thrills.  We wanted to have a pump out at the fuel dock before we left.   We did, but not before I moved a lot of silt with the keel and props to get up to it.  Then as we left the dock, not 500 yards off in 7 feet of water, we did hit something and it was caught on the rudder for a short time.  No damage as far as we know, everything is working well at least.  We barely crawled over the Shell Island Reef and got out into the Gulf.....where the water is deep...all of 10 to 15 feet most of the time and on down here.   A bit nerve racking for a while, but it is past.

We will be here for another night and then on to Clearwater and then St. Pete.  Shirley flies back on Sunday and Marty comes next Friday.  We should be down to Fort Myers by then, or close to it.  Will be great to have her aboard.  She has had all of the TC snow she wants for now. 

Have a great day everyone, will keep in touch.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

Domestic Squall is safely tied up to the dock here in Steinhatchee.  The trip took just 10 hours, better than expected.  Wave were 2 foot or less until around 10am, then the 2-4's kind of took over and for 3-4  hours were much closer to 4, and maybe a 5 here and there.  All were on the bow and the boat handled them well.  After 2 this afternoon the waves started to lay down and there weren't even any white caps to deal with the last couple of hours.  That was good, as all of a sudden we were in crab pot heaven, 100's of them to deal with.  Most have a small white marker....good if there are no whitecaps.  They string them out in long rows, maybe 200 feet apart. 

Our exact coordinates here are N29  40.245 and W83  23.332 for those that like to plot along.  We will stay put for a couple of days at least....weather is not looking great and we are tired.  Hope all is well with you. 

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

The time has arrived.  It is time to make the run across the open Gulf from here to Steinhatchee.  We will be leaving at first light in the morning.  Tomorrow is the only real window until the weekend.  It is about 90 miles across and at 7.5-8.0 knots will take most of the daylight hours.  We are a little anxious but that is the adventure of it all.  There will be 2 other times out in the open Gulf, from Steinhatchee to Crystal River, and from Crystal River to Tarpon Springs.  Those trips are only about 60 miles each so time is not as critical. 

The last group of photos closes out the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway section which runs for us back to Mobile.  The waters are much cleaner than the rivers, and the sand is white along the shore.  We are seeing leftover damage still from the hurricanes of a couple of years ago.  Obviously there were several places where insurance did not cover the damage and people just walked away from it.  We have had a lot of dolphins along the way.  They seem to just show up, and then dissappear just as quick.  I keep expecting to hit them as they swim very very close to the boat and switch sides easily.  They just seem to like to play along. 

I guess that about covers things for now.   Will be in touch when we get to the other side.  Hope all is well for all of you. 

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

The latest photos are all from here in Pensacola.  I spent a very enjoyable 5 hours at the National Naval Aviation Museum.  I started around on my own, but a few minutes in I heard a fellow talking to a small group of visitors so joined in.  I didn't know it at the time but it was a private group from Minnisota and the leader was a "Top Gun" pilot during the Vietnam War.  This fellow knew tons of information on every plane in the place and had stories about everyone of them.  Very very interesting.  As it went along and in conversation the 'Great Loop' was brought up.  Well, this fellow did it a couple of year ago, and is planning on doing it again next year.  He is trying to figure out how to do it again as his wife is refusing to go the second time around.  After that I was part of the group no problems.  A good group of people and an enjoyable afternoon.

It rained today so we stayed an extra day.  Fred had missed out yesterday at the Museum as he did not feel good.  He went today.  I ventured out around town walking for a couple of hours.  Lots of things to see.  A good ice cream store is close by also.  This is not the busy time of year so had a lot of places pretty much to myself.  We will be out of here in the morning and heading on eastward. 

We are enjoying the warmer weather and spring like conditions.  Have a great day everyone.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

The trip down river to Mobile from Demopolis provided its own different kinds of excitement.  We had stayed in Demopolis one extra day to start with due to weather.  Little did we know that we would be spending another day there trying to get a fuel line situation ironed out.  Another  boater, and older man on his own on a 40 foot sail boat asked to follow along.  No problem, or at least that is what we thought at the time.  The next morning we started out early, as it was a 70 mile run to a good anchorage, a long day.  The sail boat blew its engine up with about 5 miles to go.  He was totally helpless drifting down the river.  We managed to get a line attached and we towed him on down to the anchorage, off the river a little, safe and sound.  Remember this is southern Alabama and we are really, really out in the boonies.  No phones work at all.  The next morning we agree to take him on my boat on down 30 miles to Bobby’s Fish Camp and hope he can arrange for help.  A mechanic came drove down the 100 miles or so, picked him up, and back to his boat.  The old fellow spent 2 more nights on the boat by himself before he got towed all the way back up river to Demopolis where a new engine will be installed.  Never a dull moment on Domestic Squall.

The river, still very dirty and full of trees, need to be watched constantly.  We had some very cold nights, in the 20’s, which according to locals are very unusual.  The generator worked hard keeping us warm when needed.  The river in Alabama, especially below where the Tenn-Tom was excavated in the 80’s, has a lot of erosion along the banks.  The rivers above that I have traveled have a lot of stone to protect the banks.  Not so here.  Conservation of the soil is not a high priority in Alabama. 

Mobile is a very busy shipping port.  Lots of activity and construction going on also.  Every kind of product was being handled.  Several different kinds of boats are being used or worked on, in and out of the water.  Check out the pictures to give you an idea of the variety.  We spent 2 nights in Mobile and spent some time with John and Mary Melvin, fellow loopers from Traverse City.  Good to see friends from home.  The weather report for this week was not the best and we had a good opening on Monday to get across Mobile Bay and into the ICW.   Except for the shipping channels, Mobile Bay is very shallow, 7-9 feet deep in 90% of it.   It is well over 20 miles long so wind and waves can make it tricky.  There were shrimp boats along the way, along with several lines of crab pots. 

What a change after entering the ICW.   There is BLUE water in this part of the world!   The first I have seen since Lake Michigan.  What a pleasant thing to see, along with a lot of white sandy beeches.  Other new things along the way….dolphins like to play along and actually dive right under the boat.  My pics of dolphins are not good at all….but will keep trying.  We now have Brown Pelicans all over the place.  They are not great at flying, but are good fishermen.  There are lots of them.  Lots of development along the ICW….individual homes, condos, etc.  A lot are for sale also, and some developments have been started, then abandoned.  The economy is struggling here also. 

We arrived here in Pensacola yesterday.  Our exact location for those of you that keep close tabs on our location….we are at N 30  24.231 and W 87  12.819.   Storms are due in on Wednesday so we may spend another day.  There are lots of neat things to see and do here.  Will fill you in on that later.   Hope all is well for all of you. 

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

After a 3 month layover in Columbus, Mississippi, the loop adventure continues on.  Fred, a fellow AGLCA member and experienced boater from Canada, and I are headed on down towards the Gulf.  We arrived here in Demopolis yesterday after a 2 day run from Columbus.  It is raining today so we decided to stay put until tomorrow.  Temps both days have been in the low 60's during the day.  I don't think it will make it today.  It does cool off at night, even had some ice on the flybridge when we left our anchorage Sunday morning. 

Not much about the rivers has changed.  The Tenn-Tom is described by many as "The Big Ditch" and that is a good description.  It still is very dirty water, lots of erosion along the banks, and I still wonder why these folks like to build homes along it.  We officially leave the Tenn-Tom when we leave here and enter the Black Warrior River.  A couple of readers have asked for a latitude/longitude position.  Today it is N32 31.615, W 87 50.357.  That should get you with a couple of feet of where I am sitting.  There has been very little traffic on the water so far....only 2 barges in 2 days, and one of those was a single unit.  There were maybe a half dozen early fishermen out testing the waters.  Actually we have seen more hunters than fishermen.  Deer season ended on Saturday, and they are allowed to chase deer with dogs down here.  We saw some rabbit hunters on Sunday....lots of hound dogs.

We are at mile marker 216....which basically means that is how much further it is to Mobile.  That is a 4 day trip for us.  Only 1 marina between here and there so will spend the first and third nights on the hook along the way.  Will start out again in the morning.  Boat has been performing well so far.  Has new impellors in the water pumps and a new VHF radio at the lower helm that we installed on Friday.  That went well.  I guess this catches you all up with the trip for now.  Will get back to you all when we get to Mobile.

Have a good week....

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

After an almost 3 month stay back in northern Michigan it is time to continue on.  Deer season, Thanksgiving, and Christmas passed quickly and we have had an abundance of snow right from the time I got here.  Check out the pics to get an idea of what is here if you live somewhere else.  If all goes as planned I will be back to the boat by Thursday and underway next Sunday.  Looking forward to being back on the water and enjoying some warmer temps. 

Will stay in touch, hope all is well whereever you are.

Captain John

Hello all,

Domestic Squall is at rest in Columbus, Mississippi.  The crew is back home in Michigan.  After spending a week on the hard above Chattanooga it was decided to not make the final push all the way to Mobile.  The boat will also be much better off in fresh water for a couple of months than if left in salt water.  We pushed the daily distances back down the Tennessee River to the beginning of the Tenn/Tom and turned south and got half way down to Demopolis.  The boat performed perfectly for the last 7 days of our adventure.  We are about 300 river miles north of Mobile, but far enough south to not have to worry about freezing temps doing any damage to anything.  The boat is in a covered slip and has a small heater to keep her warm when needed.  Expectations are to go back in late January and continue on to Florida for the rest of our winter and then up the east coast. 

Eastern Tennessee is definitely prettier than the western end as far as topography is concerned.  Believe it or not there was still very little color when we left last Friday.  The temps had cooled off to the 60-70's during the day....finally!   We even had a little frost the last 2 mornings, and the southerners were really really complaining about the cold!   It felt great to us!   They say in Columbus they sometimes see snow flakes about twice each winter, and never last more than a few hours.  It is very rare for the temps to stay below freezing all day.  The marina has not seen ice since 1983. 

It was great to stop in Kalamazoo and see the family.  Mike and his crew came over from Chelsea, and Michelle down from Coral to give me a ride back to her place.  Marty met me in Coral.  JR was excited when I got home.  Looks like fall has totally arrived here, and feels like it too. 

This will complete the blog entries for the time being.  Thank you all for your support and comments along the way. 

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Greetings again from the unwilling residents of Island Cove Marina and Resort.  The repairs on the trawler will include replacing the collar on the propeller shaft from the port engine. Shaft vibration over the years allowed the inside of the collar to wear, the bolts to break, and the shaft became disconnected from the transmission. No reverse or forward gear – oops! Fixing this requires moving the engine and while this is being done, the ‘stuffing’ around the shaft will be checked (since this can only be done on dry dock, the starboard engine will be checked while it’s out also). After all this is done, the boat must be back in the water 24 hours to allow the hull to regain its “water shape” before alignment can be checked.  John and Bill are hoping to be able to leave on Saturday, but not counting on it.

Meanwhile we participated today in “enforced tourism”.  We rented a car, and since we’ve had 3 full days in Chattanooga, decided to drive the other direction today.  We drove to Cleveland, and while looking for Cherokee Chiefdom (see picture – artist Peter Toth carved Native American art in every state, creating the Trail of the Whispering Giants) we came upon the Cleveland Apple Festival, where we enjoyed apple desserts and southern hospitality.

I’m back in Michigan tomorrow.  The ‘Squall Crew will see how far they can get toward Mobile Bay before leaving the boat and heading north.

First Mate, Marty

Hi all!  I joined the guys (Captain John and First Officer Bill) in Chattanooga on Sunday night. Since we had a car for Monday, we were the typical tourists – rode the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain, saw the Battlefields of Chattanooga diorama and walked around Point Park. The effect of the geography of the area is evident in the history of the area – it played a big part in the battles here.

We then drove to Rock City. After exploring really interesting rock formations, we went to Ruby Falls and hiked through the caves.  More geography and history!

On Tuesday, we walked around downtown Chattanooga, including spending about 6 hours at the very interesting Tennessee Aquarium (see pictures in Chattanooga Photo Album). It was pretty hot everyday, so we waited until evening to walk the longest pedestrian bridge over a river in the world.  Chattanooga has done remarkable things to make the downtown river area an attractive place to be.

On Wednesday we cruised up river aways and were surprised to find a 17 ft. high bridge (we’re about 20 feet above the water line) blocking our way into the marina we wanted. After backtracking a bit, we stayed at Island Cove Marina and Resort, which has wonderful showers, laundry facilities, and a restaurant. Luckily, it is also a full service marina, which means mechanics, storage, sales, etc., because when we got ready to go back downstream this morning, our port engine would not engage the new transmission put in last month.  Hmmm.

It was not a broken drive shaft, as first thought (would have taken 7-10 days to get a new one made), but the result is that I am now sitting in the penthouse – we’re in dry dock, and can get in and out of the boat by means of a moveable stairway (like used for airplanes in small airports). Our new definition of BOAT is: Break Out Another Thousand.

I fly back to Michigan on Monday, but the guys will have to make a decision about the next steps.  John (a little discouraged) has always maintained that the worst thing to have on a boat is a schedule, but now is worried about getting all the way to Mobile Bay in time to get back to Michigan by hunting season.

The guys are scrubbing algae off the bottom of the boat.  I know better than to get in their way – I may have to help!

Hope all is well with everyone!

First Mate, Marty

Good evening all....

Well now, it took almost as many days to get the pictures of this section of the trip on the web site as it took to do it.  Bill and I arrived in Chattanooga on Sat. afternoon and Marty was not due in until Sunday evening so I started working with the pictures.   Again...I managed to jam things up, and I must have done a dandy job of it as it took Marty 3 days after she arrived and e-mails back and forth with the website people to get things straightened out.  Anyhow, all things are working now. 

The 3 of us did Chattanooga on Monday and Tuesday and have actually moved upstream a little further at the moment.  We turn around tomorrow and head back downriver as we have gone up as far as we are interested in going. Actually we will be back in Chattanooga for tomorrow night and move on down from there.  Marty flies back on Monday and I have lined up a car further downstream to do that.  It will be all backtracking for Bill and I until we get back to where the Tenn-Tom splits off and we head south towards Mobile.  Hard to believe this first stretch is about over.

The pictures pretty much tell the story of the Tennessee River up to Chattanooga.  It has been much more interesting than the Cumberland River.  The scenery is much more beautiful.  Eastern Tennessee is much more interesting than the western end of the state also.  The water levels in the river as we moved up through the dams and locks do not vary near as much as further down stream.  This has allowed for homes to be more like the lake front homes we are familiar with in Michigan and other areas.  The water is cleaner, but I am still much more impressed with northern Michigan than any other place we have seen so far.  

The pictures of the Wilson Lock, which is the 3rd largest for lift in the US., hopefully will give you a good idea of its size.  At one time it was the biggest.  It really was like going into a cave.  Bill and I will be going back down through it on the trip back down river later next week.  It is about 250 water miles to where we hit the Tenn-Tom,  and another 200 plus down to Demopolis, Alabama.  That is where we can not go south of before Nov. 1st.   It looks at least we are pretty close to being on schedule for that time frame.  There is only 1 marina between Demopolis and Mobile, another run of just over 200 miles.  Looks like a couple of nights on the hook are coming up. 

The NASA Space Center at Huntsville is a must stop for any of you that have not been there.  Too visualize those 3 fellows in that small capsule all the way to the moon and back must have been a real treat!   True adventurers that is for sure.  The guide that Bill cornered was very well educated and informed about spacecraft.  A very very interesting person to chat with, although Bill kept her going for a long time.  He likes to know all of the details.  I was also impressed with my brother's company being recognized and the exhibit that went with it.  The guide knew a lot of info about ILC also and some of the controversy involving competitive bids for the products.  A very good day.

Since we have already been through Chattanooga and have another good set of pics we will be working on those before Marty leaves.  Hopefully you will get another set in a couple of days.  Wish you all well wherever you are.  Take care.

Captain John, Domestic Squall 

Hello all,

I need to type faster and say less.  I had a blog all written and did not finish it in time and lost it.  Hopefully Marty or Michelle can figure out how to extend this a little.  I have had difficulty with the Altell connections the last 4 days because of weak signals, or none most of the time.  I suspect this will continue as I move south and into less populated areas.

We have traveled the 200 plus miles down, actually up, the Tennessee river to where it connects with the Tenn/Tom.  We will turn east and continue on the Tennessee River up to Chatanooga for the next couple of weeks.  Marty will be joining us there and there are lots of things to see and places to visit along the way.  Looking forward to her arrival. 

The last 5 days, from GTB to here, has allowed us to travel the whole length of Kentucky Lake, visit Shiloh for a day, and see several other Civil War sites along the way.  The size of Shiloh, the number of men involved, over 100,000, and the number killed or wounded, over 23,000, during a 2 day period of time is staggering.  I am also amazed at the details of all movements, conflicts, right down to the half hour of the events that occurred that have been kept over the years.  The amount of History is huge in this part of the country, and very important to the people that live here.

The water volume and levels of these to big lakes, Barkley on the Cumberland and Kentucky on the Tennessee is big also.  The Army Corp of Engineers lowers the "pool" 4-5 feet for the winter of the entire system so it can absorb the winter and spring runoff and rains.  If you have noticed the pictures of the height of the levies, the height of foundations and basements of the houses, the levels the water gets too in times of excess is staggering also.  We are talking about lakes that approach 200 miles in length and 2-4 miles of width.  In addition you have another group of locks and dams further up that have similar water level issues.  Tomorrow we will go through the highest lock on the Tennessee river....a lift of 93 feet!   It will be like going into a cave.  The trip now will be all up the Tennessee and we will have to backtrack all the way back also.  We are still 200 miles plus from Chatanooga...water miles.  We could continue on up as far as Knoxville.

All is well with the boat at the present time.  Behaving perfectly.  Will knock on wood so I don't get into trouble quickly!!   The weather for the first time is below 80-85.  I have been out 40 days, and still have only 2 with rain.  At some point it will even up.

Time to quit for now.  Should have a lot to take pictures of as we head up river.  Supposed to be the prettiest section of this trip.  Have a great day everyone.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Good morning to all,

Bill and I have started up the Tennessee River from GTB.  I tried to get this note on yesterday but I was interrupted twice and went over the time limit I have to submit one, which cancelled it out.  I either have to do shorter blogs or type faster.  Will try to go with the first choice.

I mentioned several things about Nashville in the last issue, but did not have all of the pics yet.  There are lots of things to see and do in Nashville and would recommend it as a stop for anyone traveling through someday.  They have done a great job of cleaning up their waterfront and downtown area and have made a great effort to please the tourist.  There efforts to connect to the past are extensive and be ready to walk a lot, although there is a good transit system in place. 

The Partheon is a must see.  It is within 1/16 of an inch of the exact scale of the original, including the statue inside.  The doors are impressive, and the construction.  Check out the pics to see the details.  Nashville has 17 colleges and universities in town.  The Babtists have their headquarters there, although the building didn't impress me much.  Vanderbilt is here also. 

A friend of Bills from many years ago visited one evening.  He has traveled extensively in Europe and had a lot of stories.  He did mention however that the K-12 schools in Tennessee spend the second to last of all states on general education, and the sysem in general is terrible.  Anyone who can afford it send their kids to private schools.  Kind of a no win situation.

Travel along the Cumberland River finds few homes, but the ones you do see are right on the edge.  I hope the occupants don't sleepwalk or step out the wrong door.  As you can see in the pics one has to make sure the house is above flood stage.  Field crops are in tough shape.  Corn is fried to a crisp.  I had only one poor shot of tobacco but included it.  Livestock are few and far between also.  We had a few nights at anchor and had beautiful locations.  I have to watch for shallow water as the Army Corp of Engineers has lowered the water level to 'winter pool' so the lakes can hold the winter and spring run-off.  That makes for skinny water in alot of places.  Goal is to stay between the red and green.

We traveled about 40 miles in Kentucky Lake yesterday, that is the first section of the Tennessee River above Kentucky Lock.  It is a huge lake, and it will take another 40-50 miles before it starts to look like a river.  Water is warm, and we are still without rain and lots of sun.  Temps in the 80's every day.  A lot hotter than I like it. 

Time to sign of for now, hope all is well whereever you all are. 

Have a great day! 

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

Bill and I got back underway last Friday afternoon.  The new transmission is working very well and we arrived in Nashville Monday afternoon.  We could have been here on Sunday but there was a Titan home football game and no river or marina locations were available.  We spent 2 nights instead of one on a free city dock in Clarksville.  A good sized town with lots of history and plenty of places to visit so it was not bad. 

The Cumberland River actually is a pretty lazy river and at times, for the first time on the trip, became a little boring at times.  The banks are not as well covered with rock, etc. and there seems to be more erosion.  It is easy to understand the large amount of silt that gets into the river system.  During high water it must be a real torent.  Almost every town on the water has a lot of levee or wall protection for the high water events.  They also have a lot of history of it also. 

We have been here in Nashville for 2 days and will start back downriver soon.  Nashville is a must visit stop for anyone traveling this direction, either by land or water.  The southern states seem to relish in the past and dedicate a lot of time, effort, and dollars to keep it going.  Country music of course is the big item here, and one cannot walk the streets without hearing a lot of it.  Lots of clubs have live music every day of the week and there is no cover charge or anything to stop in and listen. 

We visited the State Capital building, fantastic grounds and lots of monuments and history.  They also have here an exact...to the 1/16 of an inch....replica  of the Partheon.   Very impressive.  Even the doors into the place.   5 tons each, and when put in, they put ice under them to let them settle into the hinge plates slowly so they could pin them.  A small child can open and close them they are so well balanced. 

It will take us a couple of days to get back to GTB and then into the Tennessee River.  Many of our fellow loopers are still hung up in the Illinois River.  The Coast Guard has closed it to recreational traffic for the time being.  Lots of trees in the locks and some damage there also.  May be another week or so before they get on down the river.

Take care all, hope all is well whereever you are.

Captain John, Domestic Squall

Hello all,

The new transmission is here and is installed, but not alligned up yet.  Some serious modifications had to be made as the engine had to be lowered 2 inches to accomadate the new unit.  We were supposed to be out of here by Wednesday, thought yesterday we make it out on Friday, now later.  It is after noon and have not seen the fellows yet today.  Not a whole lot I can do about it for he most part.  They work when here, and know what they are doing.  Will go check on them soon after lunch.

Not a lot of other news.  Fellow loopers from TC, John and Mary Melvin were here for 3 days.  It was good to see someone from home and share problems with.  John had his props exchanged out as he had some vibration and seal issues.  That was quite a job also.  We borrowed the courtsey car and went shopping, the boat has plenty of groceries to get up to Nashville.  It is a 3 day run up there, stay a couple of days, then back here for one day and on to the Tennessee River.

The marina is correctly named.  Lots of turtles around.  The area itself is very dry.  Severe storms and winds went through last Sunday, had no power here for 2 days, and some still do not have power.   My generator kept their ice cream freezer and ice freezer going.  No shortage of things happening.  Several loopers are hung up in the upper Illinois river due to the 7 plus inches of rain in Chicago last weekend.  All the water is coming down towards the Mississippi which will add to their troubles.  I had skinny water, they have lots of water...plus all of the trash the river picks up.  They may get here when I get back from Nashville in a week or so. 

No more news to tell at the moment.  Getting anxious to get on the move.  The transmission issue kind of throws cold water on the excitement of the trip, but will get on with life and live with it.  Hope all is well at Island lake. 

Take care...Captain John, Domestic Squall