We did it! Catan crossed our own wake in Gananoque, Ontario on May 27 after a smooth trip across Lake Ontario. We were greeted by good friends, Keith & Bev Lawson and enjoyed champagne after we hoisted our Gold Looper burgee! What an adventure this has been and so many interesting things have happened to Catan (and us) since our departure over 10 months ago. Below, Catan is seen crossing our wake and entering the Gananoque Marina!
Catan has transited 15 U.S. states, ascended and descended 841 feet by passing through 140 locks. Along the way Catan passed under approximately 600 bridges, the tightest fit was 19’1” just south of Chicago.
Catan’s diesel engines have run flawlessly for 650 hours each, taking us the approximate 5,500 miles around the loop. Catan’s oil and oil filters were changed three times, primary fuel filters twice and the secondary fuel filters once. We have used the generator without problem for 40 hours. Our solar panels have also been great, we can sit on the hook all day and the solar panels will replenish the power used all night and have the batteries topped up to 100% by midday, assuming a semi-sunny day. Eric has had to swap out the (under warranty) battery isolator on two occasions, but the third version is working fine. The dinghy has not been used much, but has worked when called upon (mind you the 5-hp propane engine needed some McGyver tender loving care in Vero Beach). We purchased a low-end Samsung tablet and installed a set of hydrographic charts on it (C-Map) different from the chart plotter up on the flybridge. Wow, this proved to be a game changer, we now had redundant charts to cross reference and compare navigation information. The C-Map tablet provides additional tool functionality that our older chart plotter does not. Perhaps most importantly I could down load the entire Active Captain database onto the C-Map tablet, allowing us to interrogate and plan anchorages (and marinas) on the fly in the absence of internet connectivity.
On the more manual side of things, while Alison was helping Jill with the new baby, I washed, cleaned and waxed the topside of the boat whilst in Victoria Harbor, Georgian Bay (I had done the hull previously in the spring while Catan was on the hard). During our extended stay in Little Current, I extended the height of our epoxy coating up the hull line to 4 inches above the water line, as well as, identified a leak in the fresh water supply line from the stern tanks and replaced it. In Demopolis Alabama, I sanded and painted the boat window frames white. Alison and I sanded and varnished the starboard entry door, while we were in Fort Myers. Just prior to us heading home from our month long stay in Titusville, we hired a diver to clean of Catan’s hull. Actually Catan’s new paint job completed in the spring of 2016 worked great, and the only barnacles were on the running gear and thru hulls. For a paltry $25.00, the diver scraped off the props, shafts, thruster and other miscellaneous hull hardware. Low and behold out stern thruster worked again, as well as, our speed knot meter, much to our relief. Now that we will be steadily on the move north, there should no further growth of barnacles below the water line. With the help of others, Eric resolved an engine overheating issue in Sylvan Beach, where we eventually determined the engine was fine, but it was a small obscure burnt fuse at the pilot station that result in false engine temperature readings. As we conclude our trip neither of our two thrusters is working, but Alison can make Catan dance with just our twin diesels. Some miscellaneous notes, Eric successfully went into the water to tend to “bellow the waterline issues” on three occasions. Not to be outdone, Beau also had a few “bellow the waterline issues”, Beau was so intend in playing on the dock with Eric, he failed to notice the edge of the dock and fell in twice.
On numerous occasions, technicians and seasoned boat owners have remarked at what an impressive and solid boat Catan is despite her 30 years of age. Alison and I are amazed at how frequently Catan is the subject of much positive attention and remarks to the effect of how fortunate we are to have “found such a good boat for first time buyers”…and she is a keeper!
Some interesting things have happened to us, since our departure 10 months ago, as well. Oh my, where to start? We are very comfortable living in a relatively small space. We are happy to do dishes every day and go to the laundromat once a week. It seems that we socialize more, given that everyone we meet on the loop is roughly in the same age/lifestyle/boating paradigm as us, consequently friendships blossom quickly and our sense is that they will be enduring.
We have learned this boating live-board lifestyle is sustainable. Of course we miss friends and family, but in truth we 'facetime' message our children more frequently now than in the past. All of our kids have told us how they enjoy telling their friends about our adventures. As for our grandchildren, they are still young and perhaps for the time being anyways, we hope quality time with their “eccentric grandparents” will suffice and provide strong connections and memories. That said as required, we are always ready to jump on a plane and come home to attend important matters.
All of our close friends stay in touch, call us in order to get the latest updates or ask questions about our blog. Our “Settlers on Catan” blog has proven to be a wonderful means to capture all of our experiences and memories throughout our looping adventures. Looping is proving to be also financially sustainable. Not to forget Beau, he is happy and is the first one up in the fly bridge looking out his window once we start up Catan’s engines. Speaking of friends, we can truly say that it is the people we have met along this journey that have made it so special. For the past month, we have been travelling with Dave & Mona aboard 'Mad Hatteras'. They are a lovely couple from upstate NY who winter south and bring their boat up to Alexandria Bay, NY for the summer. We enjoyed a number of meals out with them, many 'docktails' and lots of conversation. We enjoyed a visit to Cohoes Falls (they had a car throughout out time together), and Dave was instrumental in assisting Eric to resolve our engine issue during our time on the Erie Canal. We will be friends for a long time, and look forward to connecting with them later this summer.
And then there is us. Our one year adventure has revealed much about and unto us. We enjoy that there are no two days the same when we are underway, but at the same time, we can drop the anchor in a remote bay and do nothing for days at a time. We have both shown the flexibility of mind and spirit to embrace a new lifestyle, learn all manner of new things and confront real challenges. Boating can be hard work, but at the same time provides a distinct kind of freedom. Physically in the course of a normal boating day, typically we will have both climbed 250 steps running up and down from the fly bridge, consequently getting exercise and managing our weight have been non-issues. From a relationship perspective, being sequestered away from all old routines and habits has provided a new fresh perspective to appreciate one another: we communicate better, we understand one another better, we consult and make decisions better, we encounter new shared experiences daily, we smile more...we live life more.
Apart from raising our children, we mutually feel this has been the single most exciting and challenging adventure and accomplishment we have undertaken as a couple. Our relationship has never been stronger. Equally, our love and respect for one another has never been more absolute. So what does the future hold for us? Since we have gone through all this time and trouble to conquer the loop, we anticipate a victory lap is in order. With our recent gains of looping experience, knowledge and wisdom, we hope to have a comparative easy second time around the loop, starting in the spring of 2018. Stay tuned!
