Day 394
On October 11, 2016, “Building Our Wings” crossed her wake at 3:00 PM as she entered the western end of the “Miserable Mile” near Fort Myers, Florida. Sharon and John Watts along with our two Border Terriers, Jake and Kimi, have spent the last 13 months on the adventure of a lifetime. We started our journey September 14, 2015, with a “side trip”, taking our boat from our home in Gloucester, VA to Fort Myers Beach on the west coast of Florida, a journey of 1270 miles. On March 17, 2016, we left Fort Myers Beach, crossed the Okeechobee Waterway and started north again along the east coast to begin our Great Loop trip. Here are some trip statistics:
Great Loop Miles Traveled: 5091
Side Trip Miles Traveled: 1270
Total Miles Traveled: 6361
Gallons of Diesel Fuel Used: 2276
Engine Hours: 534
Number of Locks Transited: 116
Nights at Anchor: 4
Nights at Free Docks: 24
Nights at Marinas: 366
Number of Countries: 2
Number of States: 17
Number of Great Lakes: 3
Atlantic Ocean Miles: 86
Gulf of Mexico Miles: 179
Number of Days on the Trip: 394
Number of Weeks on the Trip: 56
Number of Weekly Masses Missed: 1
Along the way, we met many wonderful people, made new friends, and saw many wonderful places in the USA and Canada that would never have had the opportunity to visit otherwise. We met many challenges, developed new skills, and learned to work together as a team. Since we made attending Mass every week a priority we were able to worship in a variety of churches from basilicas and cathedrals to simple country churches. We have attended Mass with hundreds of people, and one Mass so small that the priest started early because all 16 usual attendees were already there. We were able to meet and hear men of God from all over the world give their homilies. We thank God that we have had the opportunity to have such a wonderful adventure!
Here is a little-known fact: More people summit Mt. Everest each year than complete the Great Loop.
“If we listened to our intellect we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go in business because we'd be cynical: "It's gonna go wrong." Or "She's going to hurt me." Or,"I've had a couple of bad love affairs, so, therefore . . ." Well, that's nonsense. You're going to miss life. You've got to jump off the cliff all the time and build your wings on the way down.”
― Ray Bradbury
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