Day 20, "the Loop",10/28/2022

By far, this has been the most challenging week!

Guess it can't always be good days! We had a bit of a scare (and it was all my fault).

On Day 14, Saturday, October 22nd, we were off to a great start, the sun was out and we were headed to our next destination (Fairhope, AL); with three overnight stops along the way. Joel went downstairs to use the bathroom (aka: the head) and left me at the helm. Well, as you can imagine, there are a lot of gadgets, buttons, etc. Typically, Joel leaves the boat in auto pilot and all I need to do is work two buttons and follow the boat in front of us. Well, I mistakenly hit a button between two buttons I was supposed to use, causing the boat to leave auto pilot and go into a manual steer. I panicked and over corrected my error, by turning the wheel and yelling for Joel to hurry (in a screeching holler). Of course, Joel came running! We (I) were about 20 feet from running the boat aground.

Although, I could tell Joel was worried, he jumped into action, pulled the throttle back, put the boat in neutral and started maneuvering both engines, etc. Within a couple of minutes we were out of the situation. Joel was breathless and I was crying! After things settled down, we realized Joel gashed his leg (right below the knee). Now, here we are in the middle of no where (with our next stop, Kingfisher Marina, 3 hours away). Luckily, we had a 1st aide kit on board to clean and wrap it. It looked bad and we weren't sure if stitches were needed or not (but the bleeding did stop fairly quick). I felt horrible and although Joel was probably upset, he remained calm the entire time and said "I am just glad you didn't run the boat to shore, that would have been a game changer"... meaning The Loop trip would be over! God was certainly watching over us on this day!

Outcome of this: I drove the boat the next hour, learning what I should have done in that situation, understanding the throttle (red pulls) and transmission (black pulls) and Joel also put a cap over the button that I mistakenly pressed so it doesn't happen again.

Black pull bars: transmission / Red pull bars: throttle (speed)

See the 223 number, the red button below the number is the manual mode button (takes the boat out of auto pilot). The next button with a white line (turns boat to the left), The other white line (turns the boat right). The space between the two white dashes is NOW covered (w/a bottle cap and tape to prevent us from selecting that button again). These buttons are pressed gradually (one / two clicks at a time, unless going into a bend or trying to miss a dead head aka floating log).

Luckily, Joel is current on his Tetanus shot and I had a prescription antibiotic cream on hand. When we arrived at Kingfisher, we used the courtesy car and picked up a few more first aid items and treated the womb as it should be treated. Thank you to Kathy Jarvis, Kellye Heise and Brian Carr for their input and encouragement (that his leg would be okay). Note: I didn't share this on Facebook.

Map of Trip - From the anchorage right after the Helfin Lock (Alabama) to another anchorage, before reaching Kingfisher Bay Marina.

Now, Day 15, October 23rd was better than day 14; however, this was our first anchorage (of 2) before reaching the Fairhope, AL marina. We pulled into a cove with a fellow boater. This anchorage required two anchors, one at the bow and one at the stern. Bow anchor no problem! But the stern anchor was in a cabinet, how on earth Joel got it in there we are not sure BUT we could not get it out. The knee incident was still on my mind and Joel is pulling, tugging and trying to maneuver the large, very sharp, anchor from this cabinet. All I could think about was another incident that would involve BLOOD. Long story, short here... we got the anchor out, with no injuries but it took a lot of time. Due to the water current we really needed the stern anchor (which was now in pieces, we took it apart to remove it from the cabinet). Perfect Match, the boat we were traveling with allowed us to raft up to them. Thank you, Perfect Match for coming to our rescue! Note to Jane Ruby & Ron Morgan, we were saved by a Buckeye! Kevin, the Captain of Perfect Match, went to "THE" Ohio State. Kevin and Ellen are about to cross their wake (meaning complete the loop). Note: That night, they joined us for dinner (they brought dessert), we had a lovely time. They shared stories and encouraging words.

Day 16, October 24th: A great day! The ride was nice (long, but nice), we were eager to get to Fairhope by 25th to have time to visit with my brother and his wife (Brian and Chauntiel Carr). This was the day of barge traffic! Barges are tows that carry supplies from one place to another. They also have "right of way" and advise us pleasure crafts on which side we can / cannot pass on. Did I tell you we saw 8 or more Alligators (aka GATORS) this week?

Map of Trip - From Kingfisher Bayer Marina (Demopolis, AL) to Fairhope Yacht club (Fairhope, AL)

Day 17 & 18, Tuesday, October 25 & Wednesday, October 26: We made it to Fairhope! After we were anchored and settled, we were greeted by my brother, Brian Carr and his wife Chauntiel. They brought homemade brownies-yummy! We had the most fun at this marina. We enjoyed Brian and Chauntiel's company immensely. They spoiled us! We missed Mary Katherine and her family; but hope to see them another time!

• Dinner at Gambino's (Italian) - this was my birthday day dinner (it was awesome food but the best part was the company). I regret I did not get a picture on this day!

• Drove around Daphne and stopped by Brian & Chauntiel's home. What a welcoming place, loved the art work and layout of their home!

• On Wednesday, Brian & Chauntiel gave us a tour around Fairhope, we walked in the town area and walked the boardwalk too. The town had a french, (has a French, New Orleans type feel).

• Dinner at Bordeaux (Cajun) - this is right on the water, incredible sunset and atmosphere! I had Crawfish Etouffee that was delicious.

My brother Brian Carr and his wife Chauntiel.

We toured the round house: Tolstoy Park, Henry Stuart House (aka the Hermit Hut). What a story! The house was built by Henry Stuart who lived in Tampa, Idaho. Henry was diagnosed with tuberculosis and told he had a short time to live. He moved to a warmer climate (Fairhope) per doctor's advice and built the little round hut built. He lived approx. 19 years here (after his diagnosis). Search internet for TolstoyPark, Henry Stuart house (for more).

We had an amazing time at this stop (Fairhope Marina), sure hated to leave. We said our goodbyes in hopes there are other chances for us to meet up!

Additional pictures of Fairhope, AL. A lot of history in this little town, Chauntiel is a walking history book! Winston Groom, the author of Forest Gump is from Fairhope, AL. Rick Bragg and W.E.B. Griffen are writers that also live in the area.

Day 19, Thursday, October 27 - A long day on the water, we stayed at Orange Beach Marina (Alabama), had dinner and early to bed. I will say this marina had some beautiful boats! The fishing boats were massive! I lost my wallet at this stop but a nice young man found me to return it (everything was there).

Day 20, Friday, October 28 - Another long day, we traveled the intercostal water way. The boat needed to be cleaned and washed (to clean off the salt water). We will be at Niceville, FL marina (Blue Water Bay) for 4 days to allow some bad weather to pass through. Note: During our travels here, we saw several dolphins. At one point, there were 6 dolphins playing in our wake. We were too busy enjoying the dolphins to take pictures.

Map of Trip - Here (from Orange Beach, AL to Niceville, FL)

Next Stop: Panama City Beach, FL

We will have our first VIP guest (Eric Heise) join us on November 1st. We look forward to having him!