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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.
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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Foggy Start to Famous Bobby's Fishcamp (#78)
We left Kingfisher Marina at 5:30am to make the lock with in a bit of fog with two other boats behind us. Ted is always in his happy...
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Cliffs of Epes En-Route to Kingfisher (#77)
We had been looking forward to this spectacular day of travel along the Cliffs of Epes in Epes, Alabama. We left at first light with a...
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Dirty Dozen Locks to Columbus Marina (#75)
We thought we were leaving at first light with only Therapy as we made it through the dirty dozen locks of the Tennessee Tombigbee...
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On the Move - Tenn-Tom Passage with Midway Stop (#74)
We left Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina to officially begin our journey down the Tenn-Tom Tombigbee waterway. We left our other boats...
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Safe Harbor Provisioning in IUKA, MS (#73)
We left Florence at first light and were able to see the beautiful sunrise in Florence. Florence doesn't really ever look that...
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We made it! Wilson Lock going to Florence (#72)
The Wilson lock has been out for repairs and we had rushed to Joe Wheeler to join the Flotillas that were approved to go through the...
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Twinkle, Twinkle, Sparkling Star - Come and Dock Where We Are (#71)
This was a 92 mile trip from sunup to after sundown and one of our favorite days on the water. We left with spectacular views along the...
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Nina, Pinta, & Sparkling Star at GoosePond (#70)
We decided to finish our sidetrip to Chattanooga and head back down to retrace our route on the Tennessee. We left on an overcast day...
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Caves and Rocks in Chattanooga (#69)
Our visit to Chattanooga was fabulous and is definitely a place we will come back to visit. The river route from Goose Pond to...
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Cozy Cabins and Character at Hales Bar (#68)
We left at first light to enjoy the beautiful calm of the morning. There were no other boats on the water when we left. We remarked how...
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Gorgeous Sunsets at Goose Pond (#67)
Normally Laura is the main driver behind the Sparkling Star leaving at first light because she loves the sunrises on the water. When we...
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Launch Ramp Ditto Landing in Huntsville, AL (#66)
We were on a quick sprint to Chattanooga with a one night stop in Ditto Landing. Another Looper took this picture of us on the way! We...
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