JACKIE B III Going Loopy

We have had a wonderful time at the American Great Loop Cruisers Association Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk, Virginia.  We met many past present and future “Loopers.” The photo above is a screenshot of an app that shows the location of Looper boats. As you can see we had quite a crowd and there were even more boats at the marina across the Elizabeth River and some loopers left their boats elsewhere on the loop and stayed at the hotel where we had our information sessions.  We learned a great deal and met some wonderful people we hope to see again on our journey. Just one of many slides about the loop I thought some of you might be interested to see. Our good friends from Immanuel Bible Church are in the Norfolk area ministering to Navy families.  It’s always great to see them!   New friends gathering for a friendly game of Left Right Center Lots of Loopers Learning and Celebrating Alaura and Jonathan finally get their dingy ride. Bon Voyage Party with the local gang: C...

 What a view! Yesterday we moved backwards on the loop just a little bit to Norfolk, after a terrific week with friends in Virginia Beach. Jonathan and Alaura shared their pier with us and Chuck and Julie shared their home and all their critters☺ Our slip for the week. Today we begin the Looper Spring Rendezvous at Waterside Marina.  We have really been looking forward to this; learning about the loop and making new friends. Our Journey

Today we passed through our first lock and the amazing Norfolk Naval Shipyard on our way to Lynnhaven Inlet and Broad Bay, which is on the north side of Virginia Beach.  We made safely to our friends pier up Broad Creek where we'll be staying until Sunday, May 1.  We'll get some maintenance done here and catch up with several old friends.  Next we'll head back to Norfolk for the Looper's Spring Rendezvous from 2-5 May.  Stay tuned.  Our First Video Intro Great Bridge Lock and Bridge Cruising from Norfolk to Lynnhaven Inlet and up Broad Creek Today’s Journey “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We had a peaceful night at the River Forest Marina.  As promised, today began with a beautiful sunrise! We departed shortly after sunrise.  Deer sighting on the Alligator River. Barge Traffic Finished the day  at Coinjock Marina.  Can you see us? Today’s Journey

This was such an exciting day.  We had quite the send off from New Bern even with the 7:00 am departure.  We began the journey with our dock neighbors, Mark and Vicki on their boat Always Someday.  It was a little sad when they veered off to the south as we continued to head north.   Fortunately the day was uneventful.  The water was calm and the wind was light. Our first stop is at Belhaven, NC. We are staying at the River Forest Manor and Marina; a top notch facility with golf carts available to visit this cute little town.  We have a great sunset view and tomorrow’s sunrise should also be spectacular as our boat is on a pier facing south and no boats on either side of us.  We did meet several other looper boats today thanks to the Nebo app. It was a great Day One! “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Today’s Journey

  We are getting to spend Easter with our daughter Lindsay and grandkids, Guinevere, Castile, and Gulliver in Raeford, NC, before we start the Loop. Jason, unfortunately, is in the field.  Just attended Easter service at her church,   Frontline.  He is Risen indeed! Do you know Him?  

  The past couple of weeks have seen a flurry of  activity as we seriously get ready for our big looping journey. By ‘we” I mean Mike.  He really can do it all.  He installed a hardwood floor over the winter, but this week he has put to use an amazing number of skills.  He wired a new back up camera, fixed the hot water heater (this one wasn’t on the to do list but went straight to the top), repaired the salon air conditioner by replacing the main circuit board and a whole host of preventative maintenance that I won’t even attempt to list here. We are taking one last trip to visit Lindsay’s family for Easter leaving our car and trailer/garage with her. We leave in 6 days😳