Great Loop II Date: 3 Days and Counting !!!

Day #-3 (Monday): 0 total miles (0 miles)

Port #0: Marblehead, Ohio

Some things just don’t change.  Prepping for the Loop is one.  Just as before, the beginning of the prep was slow and steady.  These last ten days have brought it to a roaring crescendo.  Woven in and around the prepping has been some wonderful moments spent will good friends over some great food and drink. 

OB (short for Ocean Breeze) has gone from organized to completely disorganized to darn near new again.  All her life blood has been changed (oil and filters, transmission fluids and filters, fuel filters, antifreeze exchange, and new fuel filters as well as a fill up with $1000 of diesel).  Our 7 year old Dometic refrigerator was changed out for a new Norcold.  Two days later our stove died and a new Princess electric with cooktop installed.  We had a new 1000 Watt inverter installed in a cabinet in my galley so I can use my crockpot underway.  It will also operate our TV and coffeepot.  Our port valance in the salon needed replacing.  The new valance will be installed tomorrow.  We always save the carpet cleaning to just before departure and that will occur tomorrow, as well.  Currently, our maintenance man (Clay from Mike’s Dockside) is calking everything in the upper station and bridge that looks like it might leak into our lower living quarters.  Our generator just received a face lift and the new panels were put in place today complete with new sound proofing.  Genny will never go unnoticed when she’s running but she sure looks a heck of a lot better!

Valance out for refurb...searching and finding the illusive leaks!

OB's repaired valance back in place!

New Norcold refrigerator...dead stove removed.

New Princess stove....

...with a cooktop

Generator panels removed, new insulation added and new paint.

Clay caulking OBs areas for water leaks.

Todd and I have been busy with trip planning, watching all of the problem zones in the early part of the Cal-Sag and Illinois Rivers and estimating destinations with calendar dates.  The current weather fronts are bringing to mind the possibilities of weather days.

We’ve enjoyed some great food and conversation with our long time friends here at Bay Point as well as Rory and Laurel Peram (Mike’s Dockside) and our friends in Findlay.  Food and libation is a way of life here at Bay Point combined with a lot of laughter and good times.  With their help I have successfully started my onboard herb garden.

Rory and Laurel at their home away from home...Mike's Dockside.

This is what was smoking away at home!

Rory has one big smoker...and that Boston Butt was AMAZING.

The Broken Oar Bar...at Rory and Laurel's home.

Lunch with our wonderful neighbors from Findlay.

Gotta love our wait-staff at Bay Point!

My new herb garden.

We have some new blog followers from docks throughout Bay Point, as well as Cape Coral and Findlay.  I will make an honest effort not to let any of you down.