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…………