The beginning
We started talking about the Great Loop in the fall of 2019 and joined the AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association) to learn more about the trip. From there we began planning and figuring out what we wanted in a boat. Our boat search was limited to browsing online, instead of in-person, due to Covid. However, in the summer of 2020 we had a chance to tour a 52 ft. Carver cruising boat. The owners were on The Loop and had stopped at Fernandina Beach where we were vacationing. They gave us a tour and shared their experiences. Their boat was spacious, comfortable, and seemed like the kind of boat we could live on. Over the next year, we continued to educate ourselves on the trip and boats.
Taste of the Loop Cruise
One of the factors in our decision to do the loop was to experience what it would be like living on the type and size of boat capable of doing the trip. Luckily there was a short cruise called 'Taste of the Loop' that would give us that experience. In April of 2021, we flew to Fort Myers and met Scott and Karen DeVoll (CapableCruising) aboard their boat, DunRunnin (Meridian 408), for the cruise. We spent the first night at their Ft. Myers marina, two nights on anchor at Cayo Costa, and the last night at Tween Waters Marina and Resort on Captiva Island. Cayo Costa was beautiful and peaceful. While there, we were entertained by dolphins, manatees, and coastal birds. As part of the experience we took the dinghy to Cabbage Key Restaurant for lunch, which is only accessible by boat. There is a legend that says this restaurant inspired Jimmy Buffet's 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' song. On Captiva, we had fun watching the manatees play, taking a dip in the pool, and enjoying a colorful sunset on the beach. Scott and Karen showed us what it was like living on a boat, how they did the loop, and answered our many questions. The DunRunnin was well appointed and spacious enough for the four of us. The trip helped us make the final decision to do The Loop and helped narrow our boat search.
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| Capel places a dollar at Cabbage Key Restaurant |
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| Dinghy to Cabbage Key |
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| Dolphin at Cayo Costa |
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| Admiring the view at Cayo Costa |
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| Engine check aboard the DunRunnin |
Buying the boat
Now that we had a better of idea of what we needed for the trip, we honed the list of requirements and features we wanted in a boat. In addition to appropriately sized air draft, water draft, and boat length for The Great Loop we also wanted two cabins, two heads, a spacious salon, a seat next to the captain's chair, stairs, a bright interior, etc. Because we had never owned a boat this size, we discovered we were limited in the size, boat age, and price in order to get boat insurance. Over Memorial Day weekend 2021, we found a Meridian 459, our perfect Loop boat, and put in our offer, sight unseen. Over the next two and a half months there were necessary inspections, tests, and repairs. In mid-August we closed and became proud owners of the Odyssey.
Moving the boat to Demopolis
After the purchase was complete, we planned to move our boat from it's home port of Orange Beach, AL to Demopolis, AL. Why Demopolis? Well, the primary reason was that it was closer to Atlanta (4 hour drive to Demopolis) than Orange Beach (8 hour drive to Atlanta) and the secondary reason was that it is out of the hurricane zone.
We enlisted Scott and Karen DeVoll to help move the Odyssey and train us along the way. Our trip took five days as we cruised west on the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway), up through Mobile Bay, and north (a very curvy north) on the Tombigbee River to Kingfisher Bay Marina (KBM) in Demopolis. On Mobile Bay we encountered a large thunderstorm and had to turn back to let it pass. Also Mobile Bay is where we started seeing the tows (barge boats). During the trip we passed under one moving bridge and made it through two locks. Each of them had to be called on the radio in advance in order to let us through. We also had to call the tows to let us pass. We stayed two nights at marinas (Dog River and Bobby's Fish Camp) and two nights at anchor (Alabama River Cutoff and Demopolis Lock). We learned that not all marinas come with resorts and that anchoring is like camping on the water but with passing tows, at least on the river. Fortunately, the tows have enormous lights to look out for boats, debris, and other objects as they navigate the river at night. It's unsettling to wake up with one of these lights staring down your boat when you're anchored on the side of the river. About halfway through the journey, we ran out of ice. This was a problem because our fridge was broken and we relied on a cooler of ice to keep our food cold during the hottest week of the year. We were grateful for the Great Escape who gave us some of their ice so our food wouldn't spoil. The scenery on the river was beautiful as it is very remote and unspoiled. For wildlife, we saw dolphins, many types of birds and, occasionally, an alligator.
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| Leaving Orange Beach |
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| Storm on Mobile Bay |
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| Mobile River |
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| Inside Demopolis Lock |
We've been in Demopolis for almost a year and have been cleaning, repairing, and upgrading to make the boat a home that will be safe, capable, and comfortable on the Great Loop. We've also been practicing docking, driving, and anchoring. We're getting used to this new way of life. We've made new friends who call Demopolis 'home' and new friends who were passing through, either on the Great Loop or to other northern or southern destinations. One of the highlights during our stay was renaming the boat from Odyssey to Arabella. We conducted a renaming ceremony and hosted a small party to celebrate. To ARABELLA!
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