Commuter Cruiser

Life after The Loop is a blank page ... awaiting us to decide on our next adventures.... what now?

And suddenly ... it's all over. All the frivolity of crossing our wake and becoming Gold Loopers ... what does the next day bring?

Full of anticipation and excitement starting our Great Loop, we had no idea what surprises lay in store!  Now as Gold Loopers, we wouldn't trade the last 12 months for anything, but that doesn't mean there weren't some unexpected lessons along the way!  

Now that our Great Loop is finished, would we have chosen a different boat? Comparing the 20 boat considerations we thought we needed to what experience says we actually used.

Our perfect for us Great Loop boat is for sale. We have decided to pursue other adventures after cruising close to 30,000 miles: 5,200 miles on our Mariner trawler on The Great Loop. Mariner trawlers are attractive and well-built - with the economy of the single reliable Cummins diesel engine, protected side decks, covered cockpit, teak interior and thoughtful spacious interior layout – including master and bunk bedrooms, plus lots of new additions, including a top of the line 2018 Vacu-Flush head, custom 36 gallon holding tank and new bottom paint October 2018.

I anticipated that Great Loop articles would have received the bulk of Commuter Cruiser visitors, but nothing ever turns out as it seems!  So here, starting from #10 to #1 are the Top 10 visited articles for 2018!

Optimystique crossed her wake after spending the last 330 days enjoying this 5200 mile geography lesson called The Great Loop. 118 travel days, hundreds...

Decision time ... will you do the 170 mile overnight passage from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs ... OR will you dare explore Florida's Forgotten Coast. We chose to explore the Forgotten Coast! Here's our route, miles & specifics.

Don't assume you won't need heat living aboard a boat ... even Florida temperatures can get chilly over the winter months! Our options for making the boat comfortably toasty.

What to expect 6 weeks after Hurricane Michael devastated the Gulf Coast ICW area 6 weeks ago. Pumpouts, Fuel, Debris, ICW Markers, Marinas and more....

Headed east along the Gulf Coast ... if we weren't having so much fun with Looper friends, maybe I could have written a real CC post, but in the meantime, enjoy a few photos from this week....

How we conquered the challenges posed between Demopolis and Mobile -- 200+ miles, limited anchorages, dwindling daylight, early morning fog, no marinas, almost no cell service. 4 days, 3 nights, dodging thunderstorms, tornado watches, meeting tows/barges on hairpin turns. Our route, our anchorages, our strategy and at the end ... DOLPHINS welcoming us back to salt water.