We shared Tom Debacco and Kate Payne's story of departing on a Great Loop cruise in our August issue. The couple has covered some serious watery ground since their late June departure...
We are officially two months into our Great Loop journey, and it has proven to be a real adventure. In late June, we left Baltimore under gloomy skies but we were happier than a seagull with a french fry! Our first stop was Cape May, NJ. I had been thinking about Cape May since our brief visit last October right after Tom proposed. It seemed incredibly romantic then. But I couldn’t help but suspect that maybe I was seeing things through rose colored glasses. Well, guess what? It is just as cute and quaint as I remembered and completely stole my heart again. In addition to all things quaint in Cape May, Tom twisted my arm and said we “had” to go to the Wildwoods Boardwalk. I had never been. T-shirt peddlers and hotdog stands are what I thought I was signing up for. But Tom was enthused, and pretty persistent. I have to admit, I had so much fun. The squeals and laughter from children on the rides; the smell of the funnel cakes and cotton candy; the anticipation and desire of that stuffed animal at the coin toss game; the pizza (yes, we had two slices); and the sheer happiness that swirled around us all evening could be summed up like this: The Boardwalk is to children as Vegas is to adults.
From there, we had a stopover in Atlantic City, and then we were chasing down New York City. We coasted into our NYC marina just as the sun set and quickly realized that this is where boats come to die, a boat graveyard if you will. The docks creaked, they shook, they splintered. It was like a haunted house with ghosts of past boats beating down the docks at night. (This marina lured us in based on its low dockage fees… but the saying is true: you get what you pay for.) Thankfully it was just a one-night stay. We were off to meet friends for a weekend in the Hamptons.
We were up and out early the next morning, but as we made our way north into Long Island Bay, we grounded our boat. What!? Yep… We’ve heard other boaters say “If a captain says they’ve never run aground, they’re lying!” Even while doing my research for the Great Loop, I read it more than once, “It’s not if; it’s when.” Well, we’ve officially joined the club. The jolt was like being in a car accident. One minute we’re cruising along, and then everything came to an abrupt stop. Our engines powered down. Our hearts sank. We did a quick “You’re okay? I’m okay” check with each other and jumped into action with checking our engine room and getting BoatU.S. out to tow us. We sat somberly silent on the hour-long tow. Our minds were reeling. What’s the damage? Did we lose a pod, both? How long will we be off the water? How will this impact our trip? So the boat was hauled out… and we held our breath. The props were bent, but the pods were still there. Thankfully, we were back in the water in a matter of hours and back underway at our leisure.
In the meantime, our new Walker Bay dinghy arrived. Tom got it situated on the swim platform, and we were off to Sag Harbor/Montauk. The Hamptons proved to be a lot of fun, particularly Montauk. We loved the feel of the town, the restaurants, and the scenery.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we only stayed for two nights. We left early that morning (5 a.m. early…hmph). We had coffee and headed into the Atlantic. I curled up under a blanket to doze back off for a bit. And then… something extraordinary happened, one of those “stop and take it in” kind of things. A humpback! Seemingly just slightly smaller than the boat. I squealed more than once in sheer excitement. It wasn’t just about the size of the humpback, but its serenity. With each appearance at the surface of the water, its whispering exhale, and disappearance again, we were left in awe.
Then we made our way up the Hudson River, through Lake Champlain and the Chambly Canal, and down the St. Lawrence Seaway—for a total of 19 locks—on a mission for Montreal. And each lock was totally worth it. Montreal is such a gem. We scavenger hunted the city for muddle cocktails, beef tartare, and all things patisserie…. and it didn’t disappoint. To date, we are still in Canada, locking our way through the Trent Severn, craving the Georgian Bay. More updates to come. Follow Baywash’s journey at firstmatekate.com. Find the first installment of the story here.
by Kate Payne