Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Thursday, October 29 – Friday 30th, 2009.
Soon after we finally cast off from Joe Wheeler Marina, the sky opened up and the rain started. Because of our late departure, we were in the third group of Loopers to lock through Wheeler and Wilson locks. Somewhere along the way we realized that our radar wasn’t working and the steady drip, drip on our heads reminded us that we should have refreshed the waterproofing on our Bimini before we started. Pretty soon we were thoroughly damp and a little chilly, but as we’ve said before, “Just being on the water makes everything OK.” By 4:15 p.m., we were safely tied up at Aqua Harbor Marina with our Looper friends the Levines and Woody and Ellen Sutton. (Woody and Ellen had also been in on the “Susan surprise,” joining her for dinner before the award.) Aqua is located at the head of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Thursday night we all piled into the courtesy van and celebrated with a fabulous dinner at Jimmy T’s Restaurant/Bar.

A lousy weather forecast of high winds and rain kept us safely tied up on Friday. I slept soundly until 9:45 a.m. Guess I was tired. Bob has dismantled the toasted radar and has sent it back for repairs. We really do need it before we get to the Gulf! Our fingers are crossed that they can fix it quickly. We’ve lost our “boating eyes.” Thank goodness we can follow the Levines on Sandpiper. Thursday night the Levines invited us and the Suttons over to their boat for a "snacky" supper. We all brought something to eat, sipped some wine, and planned future trips -- all while the rain poured bucketfuls. A day in the rain with Looper friends is a pretty good day! It's good to be cruising again.