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Our Great Loop Adventure has begun!
The Sparking Star and her co-captains began their loop on April 30, 2024 from Prince William Marina.
The Great Loop is a 6,000 mile journey we will take from the Occoquan, up through the Chesapeake to the Great Lakes, down the inland waterways, around the coast of Florida, and up the east coast Intra-coastal waterways.
Blessed to Finish our Great Loop at Prince William Marina (#123)
Our final journey on our Great Loop was a bit surreal. We decided it was important to fly our gold burgee as we had already crossed our...
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Last Stop at our Favorite Colonial Beach(#122)
We left Coan River Marina at first light for our short journey to Colonial Beach. We love seeing the sunrise as we start our boating...
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Perfect Chesapeake Day to Coan River (#121)
We had a wonderfully calm day to travel from Hampton to Coan River, Virginia in the Potomac. We left at our usual early morning first...
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Family Fun in Hampton (#120)
We started an early morning trip and the water was spectacular. We love our early morning departures. We got to see all the Navy shops in...
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Timing Bridges and Locks to Norfolk (#119)
Along with good weather, timing the bridges in critical to get through. The three bridges had opening on the hour and 1/2 hour. The...
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Long Trek with Perfect Weather to Coinjock (#118)
We waited for a perfect weather day to do our crossing to Coinjock across the Albermoro sound. We started early in the morning so we...
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Bumpy Nights in Belhaven (#117)
We had a spectacularly smooth ride to Belhaven, North Carolina. We knew we would be there for four days because of weather. The waterways...
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Hurricane Horses in Beaufort, NC (#116)
We had a beautiful and long travel day to Beaufort, NC. We had three critical bridges we had to time to get through and not be delayed....
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Traveling on No Go Day to Wrightsville (#115)
We wanted to take advantage of a good weather day to get to Beaufort, NC so we took this short trip (less than 4 hours) to Wrightsville...
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Porch Time in Southport (#114)
We had a short trip to Southport and didn't have to leave at our early first light time for only a 40 mile day. The weather was calm. We...
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Beautiful Travel Day to Myrtle Beach (#113)
Our trip to Myrtle Beach was one of the prettiest on the whole Atlantic ICW. It reminded Laura of Canada. We even had a stretch that was...
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Survived Matthews Cut Mudflats to Georgetown (#112)
We started off early for our trip to Georgetown, SC. Travels in South Carolina are not easy, and it's probably good that we are more...
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Beating Weather to Charleston (#111)
We had another spectacular travel day as we rushed to Charleston before the upcoming rougher weather. We decided to shorter our stay in...
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Beautiful Waters and Buildings in Beaufort (#110)
We had a beautiful travel day on our trip to Beaufort. We will go to both Beaufort (Beeuufort), SC and Beaufort (Bowfort), NC which are...
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Biking and Free Laundry Hilton Head (#109)
We were able to dock fairly easy as Hilton Head. Our two night stay worked out with the weather windows, and we were able to get a space...
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Making Memories in Savannah (#108)
We had another smooth day (planned) on our trip to Savannah. We left with light winds and the currents and tides in our favor. We spent...
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Solo Stay in Sunbury, Georgia (#107)
We had a brief one night stay at Sunbury Crab Company Marina. Unfortunately, the Sunbury Crab Company is closed on Monday and Tuesday -...
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Bob423 Tracks to Brunswick (#106)
We heard about Bob's tracks when we first started the Loop. Bob has been tracking his route all the way down the east coast several times...
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Fast Stop in Fernadina Beach (#105)
Our next one night stop was Fernandina Beach. What a cute town! Laura took a lot of pictures to remember everything we saw. We were on a...
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Sprint to St. Augustine (#104)
Our trip to St. Augustine was the first of three long days to beat the weather and take advantage of some glorious travel days. We...
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Dining in Daytona (#103)
We had a lovely calm clear sky trip to Daytona. We didn't know about this wonderful inlet for Manatees. We went no wake and then idle...
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Boat Listing with Phones and Friends - Titusville Marina (#102)
We've come to the point of our Loop where we need to seriously consider listing our beautiful Sparkling Star. We had scheduled a 1 week...
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Vero Beach Stop for Planning (#101)
After leaving Stuart, we made the trip to Vero Beach. We weren't able to get a slip at the Vero Beach Marina, so we opted for Loggerhead...
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Okeechobee Crossing to Stuart (#100)
We had a beautiful start to the morning with a spectacular first light departure. When we arrived to the other side, the lock was open....
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Clewiston before Okeechobee Crossing (#99)
We had a one night stay in Clewiston before making our early trek across to Stuart. Since it was difficult to get a slip in Indiantown...
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Crossing to Okeechobee at Moore Haven(#98)
We had a beautiful day leaving Ft. Myers on our trip to Moore Haven ate River House Marina. We could have stayed at the first come...
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Edison Ford History & Friends at Ft. Myers (#97)
We were able to get a slip at the only functioning marina in Ft. Myers. Prior to the recent hurricanes over the past 15 months, Ft. Myers...
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Current & Wind at Pink Shell Resort (#96)
We stopped for one night at the Pink Shell Resort in Ft. Myers. We were warned about current, but we had both current and wind when we...
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Captivated by Captiva (#95)
We had a short trip from Boca Grande to Captiva so we waited for the winds to die down. In order to get into the marina we had to go...
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Valentine's Trip Remembering Sandra to Boca Grande (#94)
We left from Long Boat Key to Boca Grande at first light to see this amazing sunrise. The day was special because it was Valentine's day...
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Crossing Tampa Bay to Longboat Key (#93)
We planned to have a good weather window for our Tampa Bay crossing and the weather did not dissapoint us. Clear and Calm! Our friends on...
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Heading to St Pete's in Fog Parade (#92)
As we were leaving in dense fog, we heard a boat telling us they were coming up to Tarpon Springs. We had three boats and two fishing...
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Greece in Tarpon Springs (#91)
Our third stop on our Big Bend Crossing was Tarpon Springs. After Tarpon Springs, we will be in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and will...
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Manatees and Springs in Crystal River (#90)
We made it to our second stop on Crystal River without incident. And, after we arrived, we learned others were not so lucky. The trip int...
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Foggy Trip to Steinhatchee (#89)
We started off our Big Bend crossing at First Light. We were eager and anxious to make this journey. We had two boats traveling behind us...
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Carabelle Prep for Big Crossing (#88)
We left Apalachicola early to get to Carabelle for enough time to prepare for the next day. The morning was spectacular. Laura walked the...
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Appalachicola Dinner, Moon and Venus (#87)
We arrived right before 5pm and picked up some great quiches. Laura asked what the best restaurants were in town to a local who listed...
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Planning in Panama City (#86)
We spent two days at Panama City to wait out the weather, clean clothes (no fee for laundry), and do taxes! The marina had fixed docks...
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Dolphins on the way to Destin (#85)
One thing you never get tired of is the dolphins riding with you in your boat. They are beautiful magical creatures. Going underneath the...
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On the Move to Pensacola! (#84)
Our first stop back on the Loop was to Pensacola Pier Yacht Harbor marina. We arrived at the Pensacola around 2pm, and then planned to...
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Good-bye Orange Beach, Alabama Pt-6 (#83f)
We need one final shout out to Orange Beach. We completely loved our time there and couldn't have had a better place to experience a...
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Snow in Orange Beach, Alabama??!!! Pt. 5 (#83e)
As we geared up to end our almost 2 months stay in Orange Beach, Alabama, we heard rumbings of cold weather, then possible snow. Since...
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Starting 2025 with a Bang! Now Plan and Wait - Pt.4 (#83d)
We started 2025 off with a spectacular bang! We started the evening with dinner at the Villagio Grille with our friends on Ti Amo....
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Happy New Year! Florabama - Pt 3 (#83c)
Happy New Year! We continue to enjoy our time in the Orange Beach, Pensacola, Mobile area. With our red rental car (pictured) we have...
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Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas - Pt2 (#83b)
We arrived to Orange Beach, Alabama at The Wharf with enought time to have a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends on Dream...
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The Wharf for the Holidays - Pt.1 (#83a)
When we started planning our journey, we needed to determine where we would be to fly in and out for the holidays. We had heard from...
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History, Tea, & Watertaxi to Fairhope (#81)
We timed our trip across the bay to the afternoon when the winds were calmer. We still had some chop, but were able to get across easier....
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Dophins to Lulu's Homeport for a Night (#82)
We left Fairhope for a one night stay at Lulu's Homeport marina. We had a flat calm beautiful day on the bay. As we got closer to the...
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Leaving Anchorage and Rivers to Mobile (#80)
We woke to the morning ready to leave early. However the winds and rain had other plans. We knew the weather wasn't ideal, but when you...
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Almost Last Lock and Tennsaw River Anchorage (#79)
We started off the day a little melancholy knowing this was our last big lock of our trip, and likely our boating adventure. We are...
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