Is this the end of the adventure or the beginning of a new one? This adventure is over, the dream fulfilled; 6000 miles of wonder!
We have crossed our wake in Nettles’s Island. Now officially Gold Loopers! The trip has been an incredible adventure! We were in places I never knew existed and got there in ways I never imagined existed.
What did we learn:
The world is full of places to explore.
How to tie a clove hitch but not a bowline
Writing is very therapeutic.
Stay healthy —neither of us got sick or sick of each other
Travel with a seasoned captain and an able mechanic
Docktails are fattening and addictive
Where do we go from here?
There is so much to do and so little time left to do it in. Some time at home is a good thing but after that? Something will come to mind.
When Connor gave me this poem written by Marilyn and Al McCrory, it really gelled with me. Although the poem was written in 1990 before ease of communication and the fact that they wrote about life on a sailboat, It still epitomizes life at sea with the good and the bad and the downright funny. I wanted to share it with you as my farewell to this blog; the theme is universal.
Halcyon Days
Written by Marilyn and Al McCrory
Mother and father go sailing you know
Every autumn they pack up and go
Far from the winds and the cold and the snow
South to the sun and the sea
I love to think of their sailing there
The blue of the water the gold of the air
Skimming the white caps without a care
Imagine a life so free
I build up a picture of sand and sky
Of lazy harbors and bass drifting by
I build up the image of pie-in-the-sky
Till their first letter reaches me
It says
Oh— The propeller shaft is knocking
And the fuel injector is logged
There is dry rot in the transom
And the hull is water logged
The heat exchangers bunged up and won’t exchange its heat
When the spinnaker blew out last night we lost another cleat
But in spite of these small incidents
When all is said and done
Its great to spend our holidays
Sailing in the sun
Mother and father are sailing you know
Down in the south where the fair winds blow
Basking all day in the warm sun’s glow
Where the seabirds circle and dive
I think of them strolling the silver shore
Small dinghy bobbing— the flash of an oar
Sleek hull shadowing ocean’s floor
Then a second letter arrives
It says—— Oh—- We lost both anchors overboard
And now the gaskets blown
a connecting rod is broken
and the piston rings have gone
Some moron ran aground last night and blocked
the harbors mouth
But we couldn’t leave here anyway— the winds not from
the south
But in spite of these small incidents
When all is said and done
Its great to spend our holidays
Sailing in the sun
Yes, mother and father are sailing today
Crisp bow throwing a fine salt spray
Sails stretched taut as they cleve their way
Through crystal waters clear
I’d like to think of them browned by the sun
Enjoying the speed of a long clear run
To a small still bay when day is done
But a third letter is here
It says — Oh—- The Captain gets quite anxious
When the oil pressure drops
The main bearing seized solid
And the halyard ties in knots
We hit a small reef yesterday so now the bilge is full
And he says the blasted bilge pump is clogged
with knitting wool
But in spite of these small incidents
When all is said and done
Its great to spend our holidays
Sailing in the sun
Dream Seeker 2022 
WELCOME HOME!!
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Congratulations! Well Done!!
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Congratulations….Hail to the chief. See your mustache…well earned. But don’t be in such a hurry to leave again. At least a week or two.
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You two are beaming !
Love the poem !
Break out the🍾🥂~celebrate🎉your dream sought~ and fulfilled voyage🛥~drop⚓️at your home port~👠👠click your heels together and say~“There’s no place like home”~and enjoy a restful 🌞 winter…
Congratulations Captain & First Mate!
It’s been fun following your adventures.
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Congratulations on a successful loop trip! It is impressive indeed.
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To my Mother and her husband Denny, the witness of your intentionality, your purposefulness, your dogged determination, have become the stuff of amazement when I pass your stories to my acquaintances far and wide. How old? They ask, how many problems? They ask. Ah, I say all of that is not the story- the daily quest, the yearning to see and feel, the drive in your soul that keeps you young and full of joy…that is the story. Congratulations on earning the gold!
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Welcome home. You have been missed. Your daughter speaks for all your blog readers. What an adventure! When does the next one begin? 🍷🇺🇸❤️🛳
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Sorry…meant your son speaking for all your followers and friends. ❤️
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Welcome back home! I am glad you made it through and I see the mustache has returned too. Lol
On to frivolity at the homestead and a round or two of golf. Look forward to hearing of the next adventure planned.
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Hey I’m going to miss your daily blog. This has been an exciting experience that all of us who have followed your daily blogs have lived these months with you We should do this again. Love you Michael
Get Outlook for iOS ________________________________
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So glad you are back from your wonderful adventure ! Can’t wait to see you and hear your stories.
I will miss your blogs. I loved everyone and looked forward to the next. I would have loved an adventure like that
Welcome home!❤️
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Hi Mom and Denny!
Welcome back and congratulations! What an amazing experience you’ve had! I share your story with all my friends and beam proudly about it as they listen in amazement. I smiled when you wrote about your fellow Loopers, God’s Grace, because surely God’s grace has been with you on your journey. “If I take the wings of dawn and dwell beyond the sea, even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast.” Psalm 139:9-10. Enjoy the still waters of land and the bounty of the grocery store 😉.
Love, Christine
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Enjoyed your adventure and will miss your blogs but glad you are home!
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Wow, Congratulations !!! From the outside looking in, and dreaming of doing, it feels like you only just started, and now are already done ! Time to rest the toes on dry land for a spell, but the lure of the sea never fades. Far lands ! Distant places ! Time to spend the winter in the Bahama’s !! All the best for a dream well accomplished !!! All Aboard – the Future awaits !!!
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Welcome home and congratulations!! It was very nice meeting both of you!
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Congratulations to the Dream Seeker ‘crew’ on completion of your 2019 Great Loop cruse .. what a great adventure ! !
And, thanks for sharing the adventure through your blog and pictures !
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Congratulations on realizing your dream! I will miss my daily Dream Seeker fix! Spend some time relaxing, and with friends and family. Then head south to the islands!
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Welcome home! Loved your blogs, but now we need to get together!! Get those “land legs” on and let’s party!!!
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Well done, for sure!! I will miss the blog, like a lot of other people.
Glad you liked the poem, I loved it when when Marilyn and Al sent it to me and it seemed to fit you two perfectly.
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Welcome back Dream Seeker ! We really enjoyed your adventures! Merry Christmas and many thanks for sharing your special adventure
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