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Ladies on the Loop

A collection of 35 short stories offering guidance, humor, and reflection from women who have traveled America’s Great Loop.

Gypsies Palace Great Loop Track
Our track of the Great Loop in 2017

In 2017 Steve and I achieved an amazing accomplishment of completing the Great Loop on Gypsies Palace. Approximately 150 boats every year cross their wake by making an entire trip around the Great Loop. A friend and fellow Looper, Susan Costa, came up with the idea of gathering stories from women who have traveled the Great Loop. 35 women, including myself, volunteered to write a chapter in this e book. The stories are amazing and cover a wide range of topics. I am so proud to be part of this project.

Below is the part of the Chapter that I wrote called Cat Tales, Dog Tales and Docktails. At the end of my chapter I will provide a copy of the book and hope it will inspire others to accomplish their dream.

Cat Tales, Dog Tails & Docktails By Debbie Russell On Gypsies Palace. 47 Ft. Leopard Power Cat / 50 FT. Endeavour Power Cat Gold Looper 2017

Cat Tales

Most people spend a lot of time in the Planning Mode to do the Great Loop.  We went backwards – we decided to live aboard full time on a boat and go “All In” without even hearing about the Great Loop.  We sold our house and bought this big (47 feet long) and wide (25 feet wide) power catamaran.  We didn’t even talk about where we would go, but it would be somewhere fun.  Our first task was to move our “stuff” onboard and make some modifications to cruise.  One day I opened Passage Maker Magazine and there was this big ad for the Great Loop from this organization AGLCA.  I joined it without telling my husband and began to read up on the Loop.  It was fascinating. I couldn’t keep it a secret for long because I was getting so excited about all of the places along the Loop that we would see.  Very soon I was a daily Forum reader and found much of the information was overwhelming.  How could we ever do this?  We bought the boat in October and by December my head was filled with Looper Lingo, including a Rendezvous that was taking place that Spring!   My heart sank when I learned that we were too late to attend, but we would be on a wait list. I hoped that someone would cancel.  It turned out that Kim Russo emailed me in February saying that we were in!  Now we had to figure out how to get there in time! 

Leaving on the Loop on Gypsies Palace
Leaving on the Loop on Gypsies Palace

I also wondered about our big and wide Catamaran.  Could we really take it on the Loop?  We didn’t have anyone to ask (no one had big catamarans then) so I started researching any restrictions on the Loop for width and height.  Gypsies Palace is certainly a “Wide Body”.  When she is coming at you all you see is width.  I learned that we could not fit in the Trent Severn Waterway, but we could use the Welland Canal and go through Lake Erie to get to Canada.  Great!  One obstacle solved.

The second restriction is height.  We had to fit under the Chicago Railroad Bridge of 19.7 ft.  I cannot tell you how many times that we measured our air draft!  We could fit if we took the satellite dish down and that would put us to 18.5 feet.  But, this part of the trip was going to be a worry for me.   What if we got there and had to turn around?   What about getting under bridges in tight situations?  The one thing I didn’t want to do is to be the one to go look at our roof and say, “Yeah, we can make it…..I think…..”  So, what my husband did is that he created a pole that I could stand on the bow of our boat that would equal the height of our boat.  If the pole touched the bridge we couldn’t make it.  I will say that this really helped us on the Erie Canal because we were close for one of them!  But, we never touched.  Another worry got put away.

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Jazzy

Dogs On A Cat

Dogs on Board

One of the most frequent questions that we get about living on a boat is “How is it with the dogs”?  It might surprise you that in our travels we would estimate that maybe 65% of the full time cruisers have one or two dogs onboard.  Even more amazing is that many of the dogs are fairly large – Labs, Goldens, Huskies, Bull Dogs and many Doodles.  We have seen a wide variety.  For most people it is the pet that they had on land so they simply took the dog with them.  The Dog House is now the Boat House and some adapt better than others, but overall everyone is happy for the companionship of their best friend. 

Dogs on Perimeter Patrol
Perimeter Patrol

Our dog, Jazzy, is an eight year old Schnauzer, who is in his 4th year of living on a boat.  Dogs are able to adapt pretty easily to the lifestyle.  Dogs love to be close to their people and we actually spend more time with him on the boat.    When Steve and I were working we often left Jazzy alone for 8 hours or more.  This never happens on a boat.  We may go out for dinner, but often the restaurant is pet friendly and he goes, too.  While we are in a marina he loves to be out on the exterior of the boat and patrol the perimeter.  He doesn’t jump off or on the boat unless told.  If I leave the boat to take out the trash he will wait patiently and watch for me to return.  There is always something interesting going on in a marina and he gets lots of attention.

When we are underway he sleeps, much like he does when riding in a car.  He doesn’t like a rough ride, but neither do I.  When the wave action gets too much he honkers down on the couch next to the pillows.  I try to sit next to him and we all grit our teeth until we get to smoother water.  I know that some dogs do get seasick, but he has been okay on the boat and not been sick.  He does the mental block out with sleeping.

Jazzy naptime
Naptime!

His favorite time is after we dock at the marina.  He knows that I have to go up to the office and check in and this is his time to explore.  Oh, he also knows that many marina offices stock up dog treats so he can’t wait to go.  He constantly is meeting new people and lots of dogs.  It would be difficult to travel with a dog that didn’t like other dogs or greeting people.  Fortunately, Jazzy is up for all of that.  I call it “Doggie Speed Dating”.   He can’t wait to get to the dog, but once he has had his sniff he is looking for a new dog.   He also looks forward to Docktails when people come to our boat.  If they have dogs, they are invited, too, so it all is one big social event. 

Dogs on Bord

Jazzy is fortunate that we often travel with his BFF, Mozzy (which is short for Maserati cuz he’s fast).  Mozzy is a five year old Shi-Poo who has adapted to Boat Life better than Jazzy.  They place “chase” up and down the hall, on the dock and especially on any beach.  Steve had to put up dog netting along the side of the boat because they would run back and forth “body checking” each other.  I would strongly recommend the netting for dogs living aboard if your sides are low.  We ordered the material online and Steve installed it himself.  We sometimes add more dogs as Gypsies Palace and become the dock kennel when owners leave the boat.  Abby from One Eye Dog loves to come on board and get the boys all chasing her ball.  We really do have so much fun with these dogs!

Some places come with Perks.  Recently, we stopped in Titusville, FL.  Next to the marina is a Dog Park.  Life could not be better than a Dog Park.  Well, maybe a beach is a great time, too, especially without a leash.  No one is happier than to see dogs enjoying themselves on a beach.  Jazzy likes the sand, whereas, Mozzy and Abby splash around in the water.

Dog in Dinghy
Happy Dinghy Ride

The dinghy is another reason for tail wagging.  Both Jazzy and Mozzy love to ride in the dinghy.  They readily jump in and out and cannot wait for Steve to get it ready for them.  They know the dinghy means “relief” and great spots to explore.   The dogs also love to ride in the kayaks.  Who knew?

The question that you all want to know is what do the dogs do when they have to go to the bathroom?  Are they trained to go on the boat?  Ideally, we all want the dogs to be boat trained on a pad before casting lines for the cruising lifestyle.   Sadly, that doesn’t happen overnight and sometimes not ever. 

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