The Prep, Volume 4

'splain DIS one to me, Punky......

Irish Lass's primary VHF radio is equipped with two very important safety features.

The first is Digital Selective Calling (DSC), which provides (among other things) a one-button emergency broadcast that identifies the boat and its location to the Coast Guard and other emergency responders.   It allows you to alert them to a serious situation while you are occupied with other matters.  Like plugging the hole in the boat.  Or fighting a fire.  Or performing CPR.

The second is an Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder that broadcasts our boat info, location, course, and speed to other AIS-equipped vessels.  And allows us to see the same info on them.  For Loopers, AIS is particularly valuable in narrow waterways with blind corners.  It lets you "see" that oncoming towboat around the bend pushing 14 barges of God-knows-what, rather than when you turn the corner and find yourself in its immediate path.    Similarly, when you are anchored in some snug cove, the towboat captain can "see" you before he parks his 14 barges on top of you for the night.

In order to make either of these features work, we have to obtain a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number for Irish Lass.   The number registers the specifics about us and the boat with the Coast Guard, etc.  We will program it into our VHF before we set sail.

Now, I told you all that in order to tell this:

Mere mortals can get an MMSI number quickly and easily thru BoatUS, a large national boaters association, for $25.    But WE have to apply for ours thru Federal Communications Commission.

"Why?" you may ask?  Well, because WE intend to visit Canada on our Loop.  And because of this, we have to obtain a federal Ship Station Radio License, along with our MMSI number  At a cost of $220.

So, WE have to buy this federal license that no US authority will ask us to display or produce while in US waters.  But if WE visit a Canadian port (technically any foreign port), WE must possess a US-issued license over which no one in Canada has jurisdiction.

So, being law-abiding citizens, WE are licensed.  Confused, but licensed.  😕

(And how do you spell Canada?  It's easy: "C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?"    😂)

The Prep, Volume 3

Can you hear me NOW?

If your household is demographically similar to ours, you know that the answer to most questions between partners is "What?".  Or maybe "%&##&WHAT#$%%&!!?". 

In this vein, another interesting piece of gear we have acquired is a set or Eartec UltraLite headsets,  Known in Looper circles as "Marriage Savers", these are wireless, intercom headsets that allow real-time communications between helmsman and deckhand while docking, locking thru, or anchoring.  No.  Yelling.  Required.   They even keep one ear free for the frantic honking of that ferryboat coming up behind you at 15 knots.  Best of all,  they are full-duplex, so you can continue to talk over each other and finish each other's sentences, just like at home.

Hat courtesy of Tim and Teri O'Rourke. 👍😁

A little spendy at $400 for the pair.  But WAY cheaper than all those flowers, cards, chocolates, and groveling apologies.  Not to mention jewelry,   Besides,  we saved so much on the bikes and the knives, right? 

The Dream (Delayed)

"If you want to hear God laugh, tell him about your plans."

Woody Allen

Our original plan was to depart Spokane on April 6th with all of us and all of our gear in the rented Chev Suburban.   We expected a 6-day trip to Virginia Beach, followed by a month of preparation and rehearsal.   We hoped to head north up the Chesapeake in mid-May.

Last week we began to explore the idea of a one-way RV rental to help us avoid motels and (some) restaurants on our journey.   After a call to CruiseAmerica, this appeared to be a surprisingly reasonable value, compared to the Suburban option.   With an RV that (allegedly) sleeps 7, we felt we could haul most of our goods, and ship the rest.   And with the falling price of oil, we hoped the price of gas @ 10 mpg would not break us.

Alas, we have come to realize that, even if we made the journey and set sail on the Loop,  most of the places we would get/need to visit will likely be closed.  Bridges and locks are manned by government employees, who or may not be working.   All of the wonderful marinas and restaurants our fellow Loopers rave about may be shuttered.  And just imagine anchoring off the Statue of Liberty with a twilight view of a quarantined Manhattan.  Starts to feel like a bad Kurt Russell movie.  And us with no machine guns.  Sheesh!

So............

Last night, we decided to delay our departure by at least a month.   We will use the additional time to refine our gear list, make further study of the route, remotely order some further work on the boat, and to monitor the coronavirus situation.  

In closing, it seems apropos to dust off an old Spoonerism we employed so successfully during Wade's leukemia treatment so many years ago:

CUCK FANCER FORONA!

The Prep, Volume 2

Bend Me, Shape Me..........

Some significant new additions to the growing pile of gear for our Loop.  Our friend Dan made us a screaming deal on two Dehon folding bikes, complete with cases.

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We'll be able to stow these onboard for ground transportation ("and exercise!" says Kathleen) while in port.  We'll be stylin' in Walmart parking lots in 12 states!  Thanks, Dan!*

*(If there is a tool that is not in Dan's garage, then I don't need it.)


A Sharp Knife Is A Sailor's Best Friend

Found this little gem (2 of them)  on Amazon.   Perfect for that rare but scary situation when a mooring line hangs up in a lock as the water rises or falls.  (With 250+ locks between us and the end of our Loop, the probability increases.)  This baby fits in your pocket,  has a very sharp serrated edge,  is easy to open and close, and has no point to stab ourselves with.   And it FLOATS!  All for $15/ea.  What's not to like?

The Prep, Volume 1

It seems that buying the boat may have been the easy part.  Now we need to get prepared to actually go.  Preparing to be away for up to six months is like wrestling a beast with 1,000 tentacles. We have so many to-do lists that we need a list to keep track of all of them.

How to close up the "dirt" house  for up to 6 months: 

This list seems to grow every time we look at it................

• Lawn care arrangements.
• Mail handling
• Security measures
• Utilities 
• Volunteer caretakers
• Insurance questions
• Canceling subscriptions
• Financial matters
• Thermostat settings
• Alarm batteries
• What to unplug/shut off 
• Exterior lighting
• Interior lighting
• Services to suspend or cancel
• Neighbors to notify.
• Preparing cars for long-term storage 

Lists of what to take:

Our sellers left the boat fairly well equipped, God bless 'em), but ........

• We still have long lists of galley gear, towels and bedding to gather.  
• As 20+-year boaters, we have favorite deck, safety, and bridge gear to take.  
• As long-term Loop Dreamers, we have acquired a library of books, charts, and publications that must be sorted and selected.  
• Wade MUST have his tools (and tools, and tools, and tools, ad nauseum)
• Admiral Maggie, of course, has her own unique equipment requirements (How many stuffed dog toys to take, anyway?)  
• Commodore Kathleen is majorly stressed about what clothes to take,  (This despite the fact that several Loopers have told us that the one thing they took too much of was clothes.).
• What personal technologies do we need?
• And ......
• And......

And the clock is running............

ONLY the beginning.......

The Dream Boat

Her name is Irish Lass.  She is a  2004 455 Express Motor Yacht built by Cruisers Yachts of Oconto, WI.    She became ours on February 18, 2020.

Her vital statistics are:

•  45.5 feet LOA
• 15’4”  in Beam.  
•  Draft of 3.3 feet  
•  Displacement 33,500 lbs
•  2.5 staterooms and 2 heads
• Twin Volvo TAMD 75 engines @ 480 hp each.
• 11.5 Kw Onan genset
• Tankage of 500 gals for fuel,135 gals for fresh water and 100 gals for black water.

With the help of broker Doug Ford, we found her in Virginia Beach, VA.  She was the 3^nd 455 (and 10th boat) we considered (the 1^st proving to be a big ball of deferred maintenance and the 2^nd being overpriced)  We chose for her roominess, relatively low profile, storage space, and equipment.  AND for the level of care she had received from her prior owner.

Our key criteria for a Loop boat were simple and straightforward:

• Steps (not ladders) for boarding and moving about on board.
• A substantial swim step to facilitate dinghy handling.
• Two staterooms and two heads.
• Diesel power, either twins or a single with thrusters
• Protected side decks for line handling
• A large, water-level swim platform

Now, before all you trawler and tug purists get in a huff, know that we also looked at trawler-type vessels.  For us, they seemed cramped, with small living areas and limited storage.  And ones in our price range were generally not well-kept.   Simply too much sacrifice for a few more mpg.   And we made an early decision that our Loop would not be a 6,000-mile camping trip.  So yes, we have a washer/dryer, two queen size berths,  and a bathtub.  Get over it, OK?

We are SO excited to begin life in our new “Home”.

The Dreamers

Allow us to introduce ourselves.  We are Wade, Kathleen, and Maggie Griffith.  

Our “dirt home” is in Spokane, WA.  (Hint:  Maggie is the one with four paws and a tail.)  And, just so everyone is clear, for purposes of our Loop, our roles and ranks are as follows:

          Maggie: Admiral of the Fleet.
Kathleen:  Commodore-in-Command, Chief Dietitian, Enforcer of Exercise, Director of Wine and Margarita Operations
Wade:  Helmsman, Quartermaster, Engineer, Deckhand, Keeper of the Scotch Cellar, and Jr. Bottle Washer.

The Dream was originally Wade’s, after learning of the Loop in Passagemaker magazine and reading the wonderful book “Honey, Let’s Get a Boat”, by Ron and Eva Straub.   He bought his first boat (a 22’ SeaRay weekender) in 1996 and began frequenting the wonderful lakes in North Idaho and eastern Washington.  In 1998, he met Kathleen and recruited her into his life and into the Dream.   Together they progressed to a 24’ Maxum express cruiser in 2002 and then to a 32” Carver aft cabin in 2005.   Maggie joined (and quickly assumed command of) the crew in 2011.

The Dream was confined to books and maps until 2018, when we augmented a family wedding trip to Tennessee with a boat shopping trip to the South Carolina coast.   There we met Doug Ford of Intercoastal Yacht Sales, who graciously spent an entire day giving a couple of out-of-town lookie-loo’s a tour of the current market for Loop-appropriate boats.  

In 2019, opportunity and circumstances aligned to allow us both to retire and the rate of progress toward the Dream accelerated.  Our first big trip after retirement was to attend the Fall Rendezvous of the AGLCA at Joe Wheeler State Park on the Tennessee River near Rogersville, Alabama.   After spending 4 days immersed in Looper “Kool-Aid” with 250 like-minded folks, we headed back to South Carolina to reconnect with Doug Ford and with a clear intent to buy our Loop boat…………

The Dream

It’s called The Great Loop.  Or just the Loop. At the most basic level, it involves the nautical circumnavigation of the eastern 1/3 of the continental United States.  (What?! You didn't know it was an island?  Did you sleep through high school Geography? Sheesh. Check out the map below. )

The Loop  involves the use of Atlantic and Gulf Intercoastal Waterways; the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Tombigbee rivers; a minimum of three Great Lakes; some 250 locks and lifts; and half a dozen manmade waterways.  It covers some 6,000 miles of coastal or riverine waters bordering 15 US states and Canadian provinces.   

Those who travel The Loop call themselves Loopers, and we are thrilled to now count ourselves among their number.  It’s a somewhat exclusive club.  There have been more summits of  Mt Everest than completed  Loops.   In most years, there are more successful English Channel swims than completed Loops.  The good news is that, unlike in these comparative endeavors, there have been no reported deaths during Loops.   Some call it the ultimate low-risk high adventure.  You can begin wherever on the route you choose.  And finish, in whatever time frame suits you, where you started by “crossing your wake”.

We Loopers have a club, the American Great Loop Cruisers Association (www.greatloop.org).  Founded by Ron and Eva Staub in 1999 with the publication of their wonderful book, “Honey, Let’s Get a Boat”, the AGLCA today is run masterfully by Kim Russo and her team. The Association maintains a community for Loopers to share experiences, assistance, and expertise, and it acts as a registrar for Loops.  Without these wonderful people, nothing you read here would be possible.   God bless ‘em!