Doing the Loop in GH 3

Brody, "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" Jaws, 1975.

Since June 4, 2016 we have lived happily and travelled safely on our Hunter 260 sailboat. We have shown that any naysayers who say that The Loop Cannot be done in a Hunter 26, are definitely wrong. We have been doing it quite comfortably and inexpensively for 7 months from MacKinaw Island, MI to Dunedin, FL about 2400 miles.

Since December, we have been contemplating the wish for a little more space, space to put the things we have accumulated along the way, and space so that we do not have to move our dressers twice a day depending on whether it is daytime or nighttime.

With research assistance from our son, Tom, we began looking for a bigger boat 16 days ago. The second boat that we looked at was a beauty! The 2008 Catalina 320 mkii had the space that we were seeking and all the usual extras found in that type of boat: oven, two burner stove, marine head. It had the space that we were looking for and so much more: in mast furling, bow thruster, instrumentation, AIS transmitter, and auto helm. It was immediately evident that the previous owner had taken very good care of her.

We have had an epic transition journey from one boat to the other. After the purchase was negotiated, we had 6 steps to complete before we could continue The Loop:

STEP 1 Drive almost 1100 miles to St Louis in a rental car in one day;

This is Florida



STEP 2 Wait 36 hours for an ice storm to abate, then drive our Tahoe and boat trailer about 1100 miles back to Dunedin, Florida where our H260 was in a slip;

This is NOT Florida



STEP 3 Drive almost 200 miles to Cape Coral Florida where "Misjudged III" the boat that we were purchasing was located. Spent a full day with the previous owner doing a sea trial.
We closed the purchase the following day.

Photos from Cockpit







Video Tour of Bucket List


Toast to the New Boat




STEP 4 Was the most arduous part of the transition. We loaded GH3 on the trailer and towed it 1000 miles over a two day period to storage in Carlyle, Ill.

GH3 back Home for the Winter




STEP 5 We left the Tahoe in St. Louis and drove the rental car 1100+ miles to our new boat in Cape Coral, Florida.

STEP 6 Master the more complex and numerous systems in the new boat; reprovision; and rejoin our friends travelling The Loop.

Bucket List ready for our on going Adventures



Tracy got a call recently from a long time friend named Karin.
She had come across a Christmas card received from Tom and Tracy in 2007. In that card, 10 years ago, we stated that when we retired we hope to live on our sailboat for a year and travel The Loop.

After considering several possibilities, we have decided to rename our C320, "Bucket List". Of course, the name comes from the comedy with the same name. In that movie characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman move forward fulfilling their dreams, just as we have been fulfilling ours.










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