The End of Our Great Loop Trip
April 7, 2026
Back to the boat yesterday late afternoon; tiring day of travel. We spent a week at home base taking care of medical appointments, making sure our tenants were happy (always), catching up our daughters and their significant others. We all celebrated Brian’s mom’s 97th birthday. The time flew by; usually does when we cram so much into the short-time we are at home.
On board, Heidi was first priority; she was fed and taken for a walk. She did much better on the plane rides than she had with all the previous times. This time we kept the top portion of her carry case unzipped enough for her to poke her head out and for most of the day that’s what she did. Heidi attracted quite a bit of attention at the airports. She didn’t get all worked up as she has in the past; she was content enough to just watch what was happening around her.
After getting Heidi settled, we walked to the main road and attempted to cross over; no traffic lights, no pedestrian walkways & a steady flow of two-lane traffic each way – a tad precarious. We had dinner at Sa lute and the food was excellent! We almost didn’t go as we were tired, but the walk refreshed us and crossing the road gave our hearts a jump start. Glad we did. The staff was wonderful; Sa lute’s is definitely a popular restaurant with the locals.
This morning Lauren prepared oatmeal with bananas (from the freezer) and walnuts. Brian sent a message to Kevin, the office manager, to let us know when the courtesy car would be available as we need to provision. The courtesy car has a flat tire. If for some reason, the car will not be fixed by mid-afternoon, we will call for an uber. The worker bees should be finishing up on the windlass today; Heidi’s been monitoring their comings and goings. Brian cleaned the pre-filter for the water maker and ran it for a couple of hours. Hopefully, we will be able to be on our way tomorrow morning just before low tide so that as high tide is coming in, we can run with it down the river instead of against it. We are both looking forward to moving on.
Brian reading: Last Mile by David Baldacci
Lauren: Silas Marner by George Eliot
April 8, 2026
Yesterday we arrived back to the marina from grocery shopping just a few minutes before quitting time. On the way down to the dock, carting our groceries, we met up with the two guys that were working on our windlass. They said it was all put together and ready to go, though, they did not test it; hmmmm. Once all groceries were aboard, Brian checked to see if the windlass was working; nope! He immediately called the office, but no one answered; he then left a text for Kevin. While Lauren broke down the groceries, got everything put away and dinner started, Brian washed down the boat; it was filthy from the winds blowing the fine dirt from the boat yard. While dinner was cooking, Lauren went behind him and did all the wiping down with micro cloths.
First thing this morning, Kevin responded that someone would be there first thing to look at the windlass. The guy that came by discovered a loose wire. A quick fix. We left the dock just before 9am and headed out.
The winds picked up significantly during the day; in the 20’s gusting into the 30’s. For the most part, the boat handled the winds and waves; the tides were mostly against us all day. We were just itching to leave the boat yard and be on our way. Because of the high winds, there were hardly any boats on the water. We did get to watch 4 coast guard boats racing around; maybe training? Late morning another 4 boats whipped by us. We had no idea who they were. The boats were grey and filled with no less than 6 people per boat; they were dressed in camouflage. They were not dressed like ICE and they waved as they flew by. Other than those two sightings, it was a rather quiet day until a large sport fishing boat coming in the opposite direction waked us pretty hard. He was going so fast and got so close to us. Lauren went to the galley to make sure her crockpot full of marina sauce didn’t end up on the floor. Brian tried several times to hail Cracker (boat name), but no one responded. Most boaters are considerate, but some ….
We dropped anchor at 3:30 in Awendaw Creek. Winds are still whipping and at first, it was a bit rocky; winds were pushing the boat one way and the tide pushing it another. Heidi was not liking the boat movement. The winds will be settling down in a few hours making for a more comfortable night.
While anchoring, Brian noticed the chain brake was loose. There is no obvious way to repair it because the bolts are buried (hidden) and he couldn’t see how to get to them. So, maybe when we get to another boat yard, we can have that issue looked at. It’s always something! We watched several dolphins swimming near the boat. Next time we go into a marina, the boat will have to be washed again from the high winds slapping the waves up over sides; the boat looks and feels crusty.
April 9, 2026
Anchor up just before 8:30 am; it held well during the night considering the winds didn’t abate for quite a while. Our travel for the day was unremarkable. We did see numerous dolphins and thousands of acres of marshes. We dropped anchor in Georgetown, SC about 1:30; short day. Got the dinghy down from the flydeck; so much easier now that we have an electric winch. Took the dinghy to the town dock and set about walking the downtown skipping the stores and took a long walk around the neighborhoods. We loved the tree-lined streets and the stately homes. Since we had skipped lunch, we decided to have a late lunch, early dinner in town. The restaurant we chose was average.
April 11, 2026
Yesterday we took Heidi for a dinghy ride and then for a long walk around the neighborhoods. The weather has been warming up, so it was a pleasant day to meander about. We checked out the Rice Museum. The museum features exhibits on the economic and cultural impact of the rice industry. The South Carolina Maritime Museum was fascinating. It has two floors of exhibits, model ships along with other paraphernalia relating the to the state’s nautical history. For dinner, we ate at 631 Franks on Front. Everything was delicious!
This morning after a hearty breakfast, Lauren spent quite a bit of time scouring the inside of the oven while Brian took care of billing and boat inventory. Late morning we went into town and checked out all of the stores and found a wonderful antique shop that was a warren of rooms and crammed with just about anything you could think of. Lunch was ice cream; finally, a place that served coffee ice cream for Lauren and Brian had a pineapple sundae. Back on board, Lauren used the aft deck to exercise. While lying on the floor, she noticed the ceiling of the aft deck was in need of a cleaning. So, after she finished working out, she spent an hour using Lysol wipes and cleaned every inch of the aft deck except for the floor; she even gave the deck chairs a good wiping down. Dinner was on board tonight and tomorrow we head out again.
Brian reading: Dark Tide by William Kennedy
April 12, 2026
Running lights were turned on about 6:30am; Brian worked on getting the anchor up and we were off about 6:40. The anchor and chain were muddy, but easily washed off.
We enjoyed our time at Georgetown, but it was time to move on. The sunrise was colorful. We were pleasantly surprised that for the first half our trip this morning, the Waccamaw River reminded us both of the Hudson River; it was a pleasant ride especially since we didn’t encounter nary a boat. We spotted numerous turtles sunning themselves. We also saw our first Swallow-tail Kite. It was moving too fast to get a decent picture. The second half of our route was totally the opposite of calm, leisurely and nature abound. Both sides of the river were crowded with mini-McMansions and their dock systems. Our heads felt like they were on swivels checking the properties out. The boat traffic significantly increased; it was constant for hours. We actually got yelled at to slow down which we thought was funny since we were being carried along by the current and with a hardly a ripple for a wake; we were actually traveling fairly slowly. All of the other water craft (PCWs, pontoon boats and various-sized pleasure boats) were constantly barreling by us sending up big wakes. We got rocked a lot this afternoon. All of the bridges today were tall, so no waiting on them to open. The last bridge we encountered, was a swing bridge and we had to wait about 10 minutes to open, so Lauren just put the gears in idle forward and we moseyed forward; the timing was perfect. We arrived at Harbourgate Marina just on the other side of the swing bridge and docked just before 3:00pm; a long day on the water. Lauren felt the landing wasn’t very smooth, but the dock hands laughed and said she did just fine.
We were put on the fuel dock since we are only spending one overnight. Brian decided it was a great time to fill our fuel tanks. He had a much easier time filling the aft tanks (first time on the whole trip) because the nozzle was smaller in diameter than then any others we’ve previously encountered. All of the diesel hoses we’ve used on our trip have been high-speed fillers. This marina’s diesel pump only pumped 8 gallons/minute which made for a slower fill, which was great as there were no issues filling the tanks. Our aft tanks have a quirky set up, the fuel constantly backs up as we fill the tanks. All we know is that it was almost a cause for celebration – kidding. This fuel dock seems to be a popular spot for the pleasure crafts as it was non-stop busy. After the tanks were topped off, Brian hosed down the boat; it was still crusty from several days ago and since we were anchoring for the last several days it was his first opportunity to clean her up.
April 13, 2026.
We left Harbourgate Marina just before 7:00am and headed out. About 9:15 we went hard aground at Shallot Inlet. We were smack dab in the middle of a marked channel and it wasn’t even low tide; we had about 2 hours before the tide reached its lowest point. We played around with trying to back the boat off the bottom and turning the wheel one way and then another. We seemed to be stuck hard. Brian called Sea Tow, gave them the pertinent information and were told someone would be there in about 40 minutes. A couple of small pleasure craft flew by and with Lauren still working on trying to get unstuck, the wakes of the boats helped free us – whew! Brian called Sea Tow to let the captain know we were free. Lauren talked to the captain for a few minutes because she was concerned going forward as the next several miles were rather shallow. The captain told her which nuns to stay close to and where to stay away from. She thanked him and asked if she could call him direct if she hit bottom again as we now had his direct line. He said “Absolutely and good luck!” About an hour later we noticed a sailboat being towed or trying to be towed after going aground near a dredging area. We again, hit bottom just before the dredger, but this time got off right away. Brian called the dredger and the captain told us exactly how to navigate the area he was working in; it was a bit tricky and nerve-wracking, but we got through it and continued on. Lauren was wound a bit tight as we would still be traveling in very shallow areas. Thankfully, the rest of the day went smoothly. Along the way, we saw a couple of immature bald eagles and several vultures. We picked up a mooring ball at Carolina Beach. Requested a slip at the marina, but they were fully booked and we were told that no one was leaving, at least today. Brian asked for a slip if something opened up.
April 14, 2025
Early morning, Brian was on the front deck enjoying his tea and looking about when he noticed the two bolts that Safe Harbor Boat Yard had installed were sticking up; apparently, they were not put in properly. A few days ago, Brian sent Kevin, the manager at Safe Harbor Boat Yard a letter disputing numerous charges. This morning, he discovered that Kevin went ahead and charged our card for the disputed amount. Brian called the credit card company and filed a complaint. We don’t mind paying for work properly completed, but we do mind paying unnecessary hidden charges.
Late morning we got the dinghy down and Brian took Heidi out for a ride and found a place to do her business. While he was gone, Lauren watched pelicans dive bombing for food; they must have a really hard head. After returning to the boat, Heidi stayed on board while Lauren joined Brian for a ride to the dinghy dock. Unless you really, really like the beach and fishing, Lauren didn’t see what the draw was. It’s always great checking out places we’ve never been, though. We think this is more of a vacation destination. After walking the boardwalk, we walked to a grocery store and picked up a few items. On the way back to the dinghy, we stopped for a lunch; it was okay. Back on board, Lauren took care of the groceries and Brian corresponded with a tenant regarding an issue. He also put seizing wire on the dinghy lifting straps as one strap had come completely disengaged from shackle.
Aril 16, 2026
Yesterday was a really short travel day; 2 hours. We anchored at Wrightsville Beach. There were 4 other boats already in the anchorage one of them being Kivala from Canada. Two days ago, when we grazed bottom near a dredger, Sea Tow was helping Kivala off the bottom; his sailboat was hard aground. We think he is single-handling the boat.
This morning we left Wrightsville Beach anchorage about 6:30am as we wanted to time our arrival for the opening of the Wrightsville Beach Bridge. When we rounded the corner onto the main channel, there were four other boats also waiting for the opening. The bridge opened on the hour. Our trip for the rest of the day was uneventful. We dropped anchor at 12:30 pm at Mile Hammock Bay. The marines use this bay for practice exercises. We were lucky to see a few dinghies full of marines practicing maneuvers in the water. We were kindly asked not to move the boat for an hour. That was fine with us as the winds had significantly increased and it was rather chilly. Lauren was hoping to see helicopters with the marines jumping into the water and then being retrieved.
Our boat is doing a bit of swinging because of the winds. Recently, another boater had given us a tour of their boat and was telling us about LED lights that they installed in closets. These lights are charged with a USB connection. There is a sticky magnetic back plate that the light attaches to. Brian ordered the lights, got them charged and installed. He placed a couple in the fridge units, one in the hanging locker, one in the and in the cabinets under and beside the galley sink. When the doors are opened, the lights automatically come on and when the doors are closed, it takes a few seconds for them to shut off. We wish we had heard about these sooner. Lauren was getting really tired of constantly having to use a flashlight to find things. Even in the fridges where she keeps everything in a particular order, she still needed a flashlight to actually see anything beyond the first row of food items. This also keeps both hands free to move items around instead of holding a flashlight in one hand or the mouth and rummaging around.
Brian reading: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Lauren reading: Assegai by Wilbur Smith
Apri 19, 2026
On the 17th, we pulled anchor and traveled six miles to Beaufort, NC. There were quite a few boats already in the anchorage. We tried three times to set the anchor; it just would not grab the bottom. We moved to another spot and the anchor grabbed on the first try. That afternoon we took down the dinghy and Brian took Heidi on land and he disposed of a bag of garbage. Early evening we walked the town. Yesterday we spent a good deal of time in town checking out the shops and walking a few side streets.
Lauren counted 20 boats in the anchorage.
This morning after returning from taking Heidi out for a lengthy walk, we met Donna and Jerry on Bluejacket at the dock. We chatted for quite a while. Tomorrow, we finish our Loop in Oriental and Oriental is Donna and Jerry’s home base. At the moment, we just finished hoisting the dinghy back up on the fly bridge as we will not be getting off the boat for the rest of the day. Lauren tackled a deep cleaning of the bedroom, head and nav station. Brian contacted two couples in Oriental. One couple lives down the road from Sailcraft Service where we will be tomorrow. When we first bought Heidi-Ho and prepping her for our Loop journey, they would walk by a couple times a week and chat with us. The other couple is the broker who we worked with when purchasing the boat. We will also be seeing Bob and Julie (previous owners) and their dog, Charlie. It will be great to touch base with everyone.
April 20, 2026
Last night there was a great sunset. Lauren counted 20 boats in the anchorage.
Pulled anchor in Beaufort and it came up without the usual mud or grass, but a huge knot of shredded rubber. It was a beautiful sunny, cool day on the water. Heidi was on watch duty for most of the day which is unusual for her.
Arrived and tied off to the dock at Sailcraft Services at 1:40pm. Mark, who had installed our water maker is still here. He was going to leave last October and head south. He said his boat was taking on water, so he turned around and is back working for Sailcraft. Can’t believe it’s been a year since we started our journey from here.
Mike, the owner and two worker bees came on board right away to check on our chain brake issue. Looks like they may not be able to get to the chain brake this week. Hopefully, they will be able to fit us in.
April 21, 2026
Yesterday, we officially finished our journey on the Loop. Neither one of us felt like celebrating. Lauren wasn’t feeling great and we both felt blah. Sailcraft wouldn’t be able to fit us in until the third week of May, so we left about 8:30 this morning and headed to New Bern. It was a bit rough on the Neuse River so we turned on the Seakeeper. Heidi was not at all liking it. The Neuse River is North Carolina’s longest river; approximately 275 miles. After about two hours, the water and winds settled down. We arrived at New Bern Grand Marina. The first slip we were directed to, was a really tight fit. So tight, that we were wedged against the dock and piling. While waiting on a new slip that was slightly wider, the dock hands complimented Lauren on her docking skills. Why is it when she feels she does a lousy job handling the boat when docking, is when she gets complimented? She backed out of that slip (she knew she did a great job with that) and headed down another fairway to a different slip. This time she backed the boat in and again she felt she did a great job; everything went smoothly. Neither one of the dock hands said anything – lol.
One of the dock hands took our picture of us holding our original Looper flag and our new Golden Looper flag. Brian posted the picture on AGLCA forum. We will stay here a week and celebrate with a few friends we’ve met along the way.
We Hope all is well and stay safe out there
THE END!!