We are Brenda & Tom Lahey. Originally from New Hampshire, we moved to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, in 2013. In 2016 we bought our boat, a 2006 Beneteau Swift Trawler 42 named “Kissed Some Frogs” (which we lovingly call “The Frog”).
In April 2019, we left on our first trip around America’s Great Loop, a 7,000+ mile journey that loops around the eastern USA and Canada. We had a great time, except that our trip was cut short by Covid, and we fast-tracked it home in February of 2020 when Florida shut down.
In December 2020, we took off on the boat again and went back to Florida to finish our trip. On our way home in March of 2021, we stopped in Palm Coast, Florida, about halfway between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. We had stopped in Palm Coast at the Palm Coast Marina several times and always admired the condos with a private marina right next door. During our visit, we called a Realtor and asked to see some of the condos in Marina Cove just for giggles. Well… the joke was on us! By April 1st, we had purchased one of the condos, sold our house in South Carolina, and moved to Florida!
Moving to Marina Cove was a great move for us. We downsized from 5500 sq/ft to 1800 sq/ft, and there is no lawn work or significant maintenance. We can lock the door, jump on the boat, and head out! No more lawns to mow. We just have to come home every six months or so to feed the cat. (Kidding, just seeing if you are paying attention.)
Here we go again!
We are going on our second trip around America’s Great Loop! This time, we will travel together with our friends Brenda & Tim on Indigo, a 44′ Beneteau Swift Trawler.
Our plans are to bring the boat back up to Georgetown, South Carolina, at the end of February to get a few final tweaks done by our ace mechanic Michael at A&M Marine, then head north on the trip right around May 1st.
From there, we will travel up the East Coast, through the Chesapeake, and down Deleware Bay to Cape May, NJ. From there, we go outside to New York City, then up the Hudson River to Waterford, NY. We plan to take the Champlain Canal route on the New York/Vermont border, joining the St Lawrence Seaway about 50 miles north of Montreal, Canada. We will follow the St. Lawrence up to Lake Ontario and then take the Trent-Severn Canal in Canada to Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is north of Lake Huron and turns into the North Channel, rejoining Lake Huron, where it meets Lake Michigan at Macinaw Island.
The next leg takes us down Lake Michigan. We have not decided if we will go down the Michigan or Wisconsin side yet, but either way, we will end up in Chicago, IL.
From Chicago, it’s into the river system. First, the “Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal,” then the Illinois River to the Mississippi. We take the Mississippi down to the Ohio River, then up the Ohio River a short distance to Paducah, Kentucky. We then cut over to the Tenn-Tom Waterway, which is mostly the Tennessee River, and follow that all the way to Mobile, Alabama, at the Gulf of Mexico.
After Mobile, we may make a side trip to New Orleans, but in the end, we will follow the Florida Panhandle to Carrabelle, Florida. In Carabelle, the Intra Coastal Waterway ends, and you have to go out into the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf crossing is an 18-30 hour trip (depending on your boat speed) and typically ends up in Tarpon Springs, Florida, where you re-join the Intra Coastal. We will then go down the west coast of Florida past Tampa, Ft. Myers, Naples, into the keys, and to Marathon. We are planning a side trip down to Key West (Stock Island), then back North up through Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and eventually back home to Palm Coast!
We expect the trip to take us around 12-14 months!
Watch our blog and “Subscribe To Notifications” to get an email when we add a post.
