Crossing our Wake

Amy Marie entering Pickwick Lock at the end of a full day of travel

A single  goal guided the crew of Amy Marie as we departed Green Turtle Bay and pointed the bow south.  We had been resisting and trying to ignore it's siren call.  The attraction was becoming too strong.  We had to acknowledge it's presence. So we did so in a clear and forceful manner.  Our normal cruising mode was to amble and linger which allowed us to engage with and interact with the areas through which we travelled.  We were so close to crossing our wake, we discarded our leisurely style and instead single mindedly focused on "crossing our wake".  This is the goal for which all Loopers strive.  For 365 days our focus had been on the journey.  Thereby allowing us  to savor our interactions with the people, towns, and geographies through which we passed.  Intellectually, we did not want the experience to end.  We wanted to continue travelling with the Looper community and live the vagabond lifestyle of water people.  

We couldn't.  We wanted the Gold Flag.  This is the "merit badge" that signals to others that you overcame great challenges, kept a complex boat and it's systems in working order, navigated dangerous waters, reached a sometimes precarious truce with the weather, and learned to live and work as a team,  as you jointly tackled the many demanding, exacting, taxing, exhilarating, difficult and exciting tasks of Looping.  We wanted to be able to say, we did it and are proud of it!  

As a consequence, the last three days were a dash.  We emulated the proverbial horse that smells the barn.  We were like the marathon runner that seeing the finish line, digs down deep and sprints for the finish.  We did exactly that. Once we departed Green Turtle Bay, we boated from dawn to dusk and travelled 251 miles in three days. Along the way we crossed our wake at Grand Harbor, and continued on to Joe Wheeler State Park where we had launched 367 days earlier.  It was a solitary journey, as many of our Looper friends had already crossed their wake and terminated their trips.  In Florence Alabama, we waved at our friends David and Amy as we passed so we could transit the Wilson Lock in between tows.  It didn't make sense, but they understood.

We are now Gold Loopers.  We paused and took a picture of the moment when we crossed our wake.  Emotion overcame us as we realized what we had accomplished - together.  We had travelled 7213 miles, transited 166 locks, made an overnight passage on the Gulf of Mexico, travelled in the Atlantic Ocean, crossed 3 of the Great Lakes, entered New York Harbor from the sea, anchored behind the Statue of Liberty, visited Montreal, Ottawa, the St. Lawrence Seaway, transited the Erie Canal, Oswego Canal, Rideau Canal, Trent-Severn Canal, and passed the Arch in St. Louis, stayed in the Florida Keys, watched a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral,  enjoyed the barrier islands of Georgia and South Carolina, transited the Great Dismal Swamp, attended a concert in Nashville, and found a great bakery in Chattanooga, visited 19 states and two countries, and met more wonderful people than you could count.  Our hearts were full.  We had talked about doing the Loop for years, and we did it.  It was an adventure of a lifetime.

There are good ships

and there are wood ships,

and there are ships that sail the seas.

But the best ships are the friendships

and may they always be....

L&N Railroad Bridge at Danville Kentucky

Now a fishing pier

Old Danville Grain Elevators which were flooded when Kentucky Lake was filled

Skipper Mike takes a nap while Beth has the helm

Clifton Tennessee

Homes overlooking the Tennessee River

Cherry Mansion on the Tennessee River in Savannah Tennessee.

This was General U.S. Grant's headquarters during the battle of Shiloh

Amy Marie approaching Pickwick Dam and Lock

The doors are open so we motored into the lock and tied to a floating bollard

Amy Marie is secured to the floating bollard.

The bollard floated up, in the slot, as the water rose in the lock.

The moment when Amy Marie crossed her wake

We were in the river outside Grand Harbor

A coyote on the shore near Waterfall Cove

We had seen a coyote in this same location a year earlier

A vessel at anchor in Waterfall Cove

Amy Marie enters the Wilson Lock

This was the final lock of our voyage

To raise Amy Marie 94 feet, 46,412,124 gallons of water flowed into the lock

The Wilson Lock doors close signaling the end of our Loop adventure.

When we exited the lock, it was a short distance to Joe Wheeler State Park where Amy Marie would be loaded on her trailer for the trip back to the west coast.

Mike, Beth and Amy Marie proudly display the Gold Looper Flag

Sunrise at Joe Wheeler State Park just prior to loading Amy Marie on her trailer

We removed the Thule Box from the top of Amy Marie and loaded it into the truck

We removed the canvas bimini in preparation for trailering.

We also lowered the mast and secured all loose items for the trip across the country.

Special Recognition

This is Bill and his wife.  He, along with a gentleman named Hal, kindly offered to store our truck and trailer while we were on the Loop.  We had not met them until we arrived in Alabama.  We met Bill through America's Great Loop Cruisers Association.  When he became aware that we needed a place to store truck and trailer, he and Hal provided the locations.  As they were neighbors, Hal allowed me to park the trailer on his property and Bill stored our truck in his garage.  Both were in excellent condition upon our return.  They both operated flawlessly on the return trip to the west coast.

Thank You Gentlemen for your kind assistance!

Bill also helped me launch at the start of our trip and retrieve the boat at the conclusion!

Thanks Bill!

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Berthing Information

• Cuba Landing
• We did not stay in the marina, but instead anchored in the nearby cove
• Pickwick State Park
• We did not stay in the marina, but instead anchored in the nearby cove.
• Joe Wheeler State Park
• We did stay in the marina at the State Park.
• Phone:  256-247-6971

Track Log