America's Great Loop With our boat "Little Bit More"

October 2023 River Dunes Yacht Club and Resort A beautiful cruise down the Neuse and it was kind to us for a second time.  Scott surprised me with a week at a resort tucked away and because it is the shoulder season we had the place virtually to ourselves. In the picture to the left Little Bit More is moored in the first slip. We enjoyed a full week making a plan for winter. Scott located a marina to have the boat hauled out and prepared to be transported back to Florida for the winter.  It's much too late in the season to continue our Loop.  The options are, store the boat in NC and go back to Colorado👎, cruise back down the east coast, or have the boat trailered to the Keys. We chose door number 3!

New Bern NC  September 2023 Thanks to our friends Jeff and Darlene from Naughti Dophin we were able to secure a slip in the New Bern Grand Marina.  This marina is off the ICW and typically not on a Loop plan as it is 10 miles up the Neuse River.  We were warned that the Neuse River could be very treacherous but we had an easy cruise. This marina is on the waterfront and packed with historic sites and stories.  By far, one of our favorites so far. Of course, I've said that before. New Bern is named after its sister city in Switzerland. As an homage to that great city, you will find over 100 decorated bears throughout. We were treated to beautiful tree-lined streets, the Tryon Palace tour and trolley ride, visited the birthplace of Pepsi Cola and ate at several fantastic restaurants. We enjoyed a full week and most days were filled with sunshine until they weren't. View of Tryon Palace Tryon Palace Gardens Tropical Storm Ophelia Towards the end of the week, the forecast became mu

Sunday September 10, 2023 Wilmington NC Yes, there is a gap.... We had planned to go to Colorado and take in several fun events.  While on the trip we were in Vegas for a concert, a wedding in Washington, a trip to Minnesota, and lots of doctor appointments we learned that Scott has prostate cancer.  We're taking it one day at a time and headed back to resume our journey.   We took several days to check out all of our systems, provision the boat, and plan a route.  It was such a relief to know that Hurricane Lee passed right over the marina without any damage.  We're excited but a little nervous and looking forward to getting our sea legs back. Mid-morning we passed by Figure Eight Island. This 'boogee' private island boasts homes of a lot of celebrities.   The Roxborough shallow draft allows us to beach our boat.  We do need to watch the tide so we aren't stuck on the sand when we want to leave! Mike Hammock Bay Anchorage This is a very popular anchorage and we ha

Sunday June 11, 2023 Wilmington, NC  Free Dock This free dock is located on the riverwalk with easy access to many great restaurants.  Still dealing with the starboard engine acting up, but lucky us Scott was able to McIver a fix and we think we're good - again! The dock doesn't have power but is secured by a gate.  We were exposed to the Cape Fear River and could be 'rolly'. We also started shopping for a marina that would be a good place to leave the boat while we travel to PA and back to Colorado. Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Port City Marina, Wilmington NC After a few rolly nights on the free dock, we moved to Port City Marina and met up with fellow loopers on the Wilma May, by accident! Hadn't seen them since Daytona.  That's the way this journey works we leapfrog each other crossing wakes when least expected.  Most 'loopers' use NEBO to keep track of each other, communicate, and capture our boat stats. Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Wilmington Marine Center Th

Sunday, June 4, 2023 USS Yorktown Tour This aircraft carrier served our country beginning in WWII.  Completed just six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor the vessel was named the USS Yorktown in honor of the Yorktown lost at Midway.  Our connection to this iconic ship is that Scotts Dad 'Gil' served on the USS Yorktown during the Vietnam War.  Walking through the ship we had a glimpse into this floating city.  From the outside it is immense and when standing on the flight deck walking under several fighter planes it was not difficult to imagine fighter jets being waved onto the deck.  Scott's Dad worked this very flight deck and shared many stories with us. I think he would have loved to know that we were able to walk through this piece of history. Monday - Wednesday Cooper River Marina We were still waiting and wondering what to do about the engine problems.  The appointment we had with the latest mechanic would be our last try.  Dillard Umphet from Liberty Marine (843

Sunday, May 29, 2023 Sylvan Shores Anchorage The ICW on this section of the Loop is flanked by wetlands and marshes.  This is the 'low country' and tides rise and fall about 2 to 4 feet every 24 hours.  We enjoyed a slow and beautiful cruise to our anchorage, with a cloud constantly hanging over us in regard to the reliability of our engine. Monday - Friday Cooper River Marina  We decided to stay at the Cooper River City Marina instead of the marinas closer to Charleston.  We hoped to be more accessible to the ever-elusive mobile mechanics.  Scott rented a car and we spent a couple of days visiting multiple marine shops and collecting names of 'experts' for Yamaha engines.  More than a few hours were spent debating a Plan B. The choices we have range from stopping the loop to a complete re-power.  I'm not sure how many calls Scott made before we finally connected with Dillard Marine and fingers crossed we decided to give it one more try before Plan B would have to k

Sunday, May 21, 2023 Beaufort Safe Harbor Marina The great news is, Little Bit More is docked right at the end of the ramp leading to beautiful Beaufort SC - the not-so-good news is that the starboard engine is completely shut down.  When Scott pulled the oil dipstick, the oil literally shot out of the port.  This could only mean one of two things, either water or fuel is making its way into the oil.  We decided to book a week here to try once again to find an 'expert' and also wait out the storm that is forecasted. We woke to a beautiful blue sky and warm weather. Scott is already busy forming a plan on what to do. He decided to change the oil and the plugs which is very messy and tricky when hovering over the transom. He also ordered a new thermostat after speaking with one mechanic. More parts getting thrown at this engine.... Not to be deterred Scott scheduled a tour with Janet's' Walking Tours.  This festy and very knowledgeable native of Beaufort leads us through