Is Anyone Cruising Right Now?

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menzies

Guru
Joined
May 11, 2014
Messages
7,233
Location
USA
Vessel Name
SONAS
Vessel Make
Grand Alaskan 53
Stuck at home. Doesn't look like I will get a cruise in at all this year.

Also not seeing any posts come up of others on here out and about on their boats? There's nothing current under Cruising and Events.

Flywright's Corona cruise was the last thing I saw.

If you are out cruising how's about a paragraph or two and some photos.

I'm wasting away here!
 
We've just been doing weekends for the most part. We took a long weekend for the 4th, but we didn't go far, still only a bit over an hour from home. We're considering taking a week at some point in the next month or 2 and just roaming around within a few hours of home, but no set plans yet. Some of the places we were planning for this year just don't make sense with the current state of the world, so we figure we'll save the gas money and go another time.
 
Sorry, no hairy chested north coast adventures to share this summer.

Our daughter got a summer job so I didn't book any holidays this summer, then it turns out she works Tuesday to Saturday while I work Monday to Friday so even weekend jaunts are toast.

Retirement looming though, so keep posted!
 
Day 14, the last day of our trip to Princess Louisa Chatterbox falls destination with other stops on the way of course. Will get out for some 3-4 day trips before summer ends.
 
Day 14, the last day of our trip to Princess Louisa Chatterbox falls destination with other stops on the way of course. Will get out for some 3-4 day trips before summer ends.

Where's the story and photos man, come on, anti-up!
 
Left on our current jaunt out of Moreton Bay on May 30.

Technically though, we have been cruising for over 4 years.
 
I'm at Peel Island at the moment, and the pic proves it! Typical winter weather, with temps in low 20's °C and water supposedly 20° but feeling colder than that!

I lost July for cruising as I was selling one of my marina berths and handling settlement myself. I needed to be on hand to deliver the transfer documents once the buyer had their funds ready. It was due 30 June, and I was on their case from last week of June. "Just a few more days" was the repeated story, but finally done on 3 Aug.
 

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We left Ft Myers (by car) in early April when everything was closing down. We had left the boat on the Tennessee River for the winter. After about 3 months of boat projects we set sail last month down the river to Land Between the Lakes and are now on the way back up. The plan is to travel all the way to Knoxville before returning to Scottsboro AL. again for the winter. So yes...we're at least doing 1000 miles this year. Maybe not the most exciting but we're going somewhere!

PS, Pack Mule saw us and can verify we were passing through Paris Landing...tonight we are in Cuba Landing so it's quite an international cruise!
 
We have done a couple of very local cruises for a few hours. We can’t go anywhere overnight since we can’t have anyone come in to check on my mom who lives with us. She turned 100 last May and we can’t chance someone coming in and passing the virus to her. Lost year cruising...
 
We're working regularly now, which is fine since cruising is down. We are cruising on weekends and now occasionally taking one weekday. We went to Key West and back on Wednesday. Didn't leave the dock, just fueled. Saturday and Sunday we'll go out somewhere and anchor overnight, then return. Just out on the water, doesn't really matter where.
 
We’ve put in about four weeks cruising this summer, which in Alaska is coming to an end quickly.

Four different trips, about a week and about 200NM average per trip.

Thats about normal for us, since I’m still working at 58. :blush:

Here are a few photos. :)
 

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People are definitely cruising along the Wet Coast, PNW and coastal BC. Many in and around Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound and the Broughtons.
 
Princess Louisa trip

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Chatterbox falls with plenty of water. There were at least two streams coming down from the snow pack, the white lines.

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This whale waving bye to us after putting on a show for some 20 minutes. We first saw it breach twice of course cameras not ready. Then tail slaps and fin slaps. It looked like mom either giving birth or feeding the young un. There were two others in the distance just swimming along

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This is a private dock for a summer retreat looking towards the main buildings at the entrance to Princess Louisa.
 
And it's not raining!
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Chatterbox falls with plenty of water. There were at least two streams coming down from the snow pack, the white lines.

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This whale waving bye to us after putting on a show for some 20 minutes. We first saw it breach twice of course cameras not ready. Then tail slaps and fin slaps. It looked like mom either giving birth or feeding the young un. There were two others in the distance just swimming along

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This is a private dock for a summer retreat looking towards the main buildings at the entrance to Princess Louisa.
 
To Messrs Soo-Valley and Ksanders

Many thanks for these nice pictures and for the details, very interesting for the TF members from far away. How lucky you are, enjoy! Please keep posting if you have time.

Also thanks to Mr Menzies, good thread.
 
Stuck at home. Can't travel due to Corona. Looks like we'll not be doing any cruising this year :-(
 
We just wrapped up our summer cruise to Beaufort,NC. It wasn’t a huge one -500+ miles round trip-but we found a lot of fun anchorages and swimming areas. While it was on the warm side ,in the 90’s , the entire time there was a 8-12kt breeze out of the SW which kept us cool and bug free in the evenings.
I was going to post pictures and document the trip when we got back but something about an iPhone/windows update made it impossible to transfer the pics we took from our iPhones to a pc as I’ve done in the past.
Menzies , you were actually the topic of our conversation while transiting the 20 mile Alligator/Pungo cut! I recall your thread a few years back lamenting how you disliked the canal and found it boring. While it was the hottest time of our trip -our average cruise speed is 7-8 kts and on the return trip the canal heading is North & East and the wind direction (when there was any) was from the South and west so there was zero net breeze for us- we still took great pleasure in checking out the beautiful vegetation sans any alligators!
We also anchored that evening in the bay where the alligator makes its sharp bend just shy of MP100. There was a wonderful breeze and one of the most special treats we’ve ever seen , a brilliant comet in the western starlit sky! A cool breeze, a clear sky, not another boat the whole evening, not a single lit-up dock or house and no ambient light from land made it one of the nights at anchor we strive to find!IMG_6346.jpg alligator/Pungo canal scenery

IMG_6350.jpg no wind and warm headed south but my fun wife will always find a way to stay comfortable [emoji6]

IMG_6320.jpg take note of the water temperature!!!

IMG_6437.jpg Menzies favorite canal heading north

IMG_6438.jpg a wash towel dipped in ice cold cooler water and a glass of wine also helps to offset the heat!

IMG_6450.jpg halfway through Menzies cut!

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Too funny.

You didn't hear the music from Deliverance playing in the distance did you! :)

I would say it was the second least enjoyable part of out trip after Rock Pile! Though interestingly enough it didn't feel as bad on the return leg, I guess because we knew what to expect!
 
Kevin and Steve, very nice. You guys sure do have some great cruising grounds, scenery and wild life. I guess that makes up a bit for the short season.
 
We use the boat year round as a floating condo. A place to get away. On a nice day short trips.
 
Just the Tennessee River/ Kentucky Lake , but that’s all we ever do.:)
 

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Today I'm getting the ol' girl cleaned up and ready for guests. I've got a friend/first mate/ship's counselor coming aboard tonight, and tomorrow we're headed west on the Erie Canal. We were going to head out today, but it's kind of a miserable rainy day, and I wasn't quite feeling up to it. I also still have to get some groceries. Not sure how far we're going to get, but we might just make it to Oneida Lake. We likely won't stay more than a couple of nights there, just enough time for a whirlwind bunch of visits from friends and family, and then we'll head back east to the Hudson.

A few days after we get back from that leg, my sister will be coming aboard for another cruise up the Champlain Canal. Never been up there before. Looking forward to it.
 
I left Toronto June 1 and have been underway since. Went east to the Thousand Islands, then a return trip from Kingston to Hawksbury via the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River, then up the Trent Severn to Georgian Bay. Currently southbound on Lake Huron, will probably head east on Lake Erie to complete a big loop of Ontario.
 
Been lazily cruising the Columbia River since 1 June. Our Canada plans are gone with the border closures so we are consoling ourselves with having enough fuel to not have to go to the fuel dock at all this year. Small bonus, but we'll take what we can get.
Besides, the PNW is an awesome cruising ground in summer. And boatin' beats workin'!
 
Wifey B: We're on another trip to nowhere. Going there today, return home tomorrow. Never touch land. This time headed north so approaching Canaveral. Just enjoying the water in nearly perfect seas. :)
 
We are in the Great Salt Pond on Block Island and there must be at least 100 boats anchored here now. We just arrived a few hours ago and haven’t put the tender in yet to explore, but there will be lots more if you add in the marinas. Somebody is still cruising!
 
We've only done short trips over the last couple months during our winter. I've been keeping somewhat busy with a few electrical upgrades (new battery bank, chargers & battery monitor).

The weather is starting to warm up, so planning a cruise to Port Lincoln and the Sir Joseph Banks Archipelago over the next couple months.

Pretty much everything is open and operating within the state, but we can't cross the state border without a good reason until the rest of the country gets their virus numbers down.
 
View attachment 105982 alligator/Pungo canal scenery

View attachment 105983 no wind and warm headed south but my fun wife will always find a way to stay comfortable [emoji6]

View attachment 105984 take note of the water temperature!!!

View attachment 105985 Menzies favorite canal heading north

View attachment 105987 halfway through Menzies cut!


How beautiful and fascinating nature in Florida is... Indeed while this it talked about a lot I have never seen before a mermaid for real :).
 
Heading up to Pickwick Lake (via TennTom, from Columbus MS) in a week or so. Then may cruise the TN River for a while.
 
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