I don't remember every thread that's ever been on Texags but this is on the very short list of the best ever. Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks for doing this. I'm curious what your frame of mind is about now. Is this wearing on you and you're ready to be done? Still enjoying it as much as y'all were at the first?

Also, I'm sure this is an oversimplification but you've been in the Gulf, the Atlantic, you've been on the Chesapeake, I think you were on the Hudson, youve done the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan (which seemed like a different experience), and now various rivers. Are there parts that were more enjoyable than others? I know they've all had their unique challenges and joys, but just wondering if you have favorites.

Thanks again.

Willy Wonka said:

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Thanks for doing this. I'm curious what your frame of mind is about now. Is this wearing on you and you're ready to be done? Still enjoying it as much as y'all were at the first?

Also, I'm sure this is an oversimplification but you've been in the Gulf, the Atlantic, you've been on the Chesapeake, I think you were on the Hudson, youve done the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan (which seemed like a different experience), and now various rivers. Are there parts that were more enjoyable than others? I know they've all had their unique challenges and joys, but just wondering if you have favorites.

Thanks again.

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Good post. I imagine it's really rewarding to be one of the few that does it all straight through in almost a year. I also imagine its a grind like anything else and a week off from the boat every once in a while is a welcome break.

Paducah to Green Turtle Bay

Paducah municipal lock is a fine, relatively new facility. Wide and sturdy with power and water but no restrooms/showers. Built in part with some federal dollars it cost approximately 12 million to build. Has a Fuel dock and pump out facilities. Enough room for a dozen 40 foot class boats. Electricity was turned off at 730 Monday morning to facilitate some construction work just adjacent onshore and will be off until Nov 10th. Too bad for Loopers behind us.

Left the municipal dock in Paducah at first light to head up the Ohio and then the Cumberland Rivers to Barkley lock on the Kentucky Dam. Current running 1 to 1.5 knots against us in the Ohio. Up to two knots on the Cumberland. Running 42 miles today.

Winds light. Partly to mostly Cloudy but a good travel day. Several Corps of Engineers dredge boats working...the river levels are LOW and it is affecting the commercial barge traffic....not good for commerce. Lots of barge traffic up here. Big part of the economy.

The Kentucky Dam holds back a huge lake. The lake itself is 180 plus miles long with over 2000 miles of coastline...reputed to be larger total than the West Coast of the US. Parallel to it and almost equally long is Barkley Lake. The long peninsula between them is called The Land Between The Lakes...LBL...and is a natural area and quite a vacation draw. Lots of eagles and ospreys here.

Approaching Barkley Lock is something. It is Huge. The walls are so large it feels like slow motion approaching them. We locked up with only one other PC.

The lift on Tuesday was 55 feet. Total time to lift was only about 15 minutes. Lots of water enters those chambers and swirls you around. Keeping correct tension on lines and preventing hard contact with the lock walls takes attention and is a learning curve.

When the lock walls open or close ....I know where the movies get the sound effects in films with big, deep, booming sounds of castle gates or science fiction vaults ! Impressive sound !

All went well...we exited the lock onto a huge lake...and made our way only a mile or so to GTB. Nice marina. Fueled up. Pumped out. Will stay a couple days and feast at Patti's....quite the attraction here with a very positive reputation.

Will proactively swap out my impeller tomorrow. The BEST time to change an impeller is 10 minutes before it fails. My current one was swapped out May 11th back on Chesapeake Bay at Rock Hall. That was 400 engine hours ago. For most casual boaters it is recommended to change your impeller and your oil every year. Hah ! Casual boaters seldom exceed 100 hours a year ! Anyway, my impeller is currently fine but I can easily change it now and head off a possible future failure. Will keep the undamaged old one as yet another emergency spare ( I have three others ! ) plus two additional new ones....I know...probably anal.

Will head further south on Kentucky Lake Friday for a couple days before finding shelter in another marina. Forecast here is for Temps into the 20s Sunday night Monday night and Tuesday night. We will hole up and wait for Temps to moderate before pushing on. Need to get further South !

You raised some good questions.

We are now very near our one year anniversary on this adventure. We left Kemah the day before Halloween of last year. We have seen, done,experienced A LOT !

Every day is another step into an unknown area. That is one thing that is both fun but also a source of a bit of anxiety. We don't have any familiar, already traveled water ....so each day is new exploration which is fun and exciting but it also brings in some uncertainty and need to adapt to differences each and every day. Living in a "dirt home" brings a certain familiarity and comfortable routine that we lack traveling each day. But we do have the newness of scenery and experiences and people each day as a counterpoint. And a sense of accomplishment. It feels satisfying to have taken on this challenge and between my wife and I , to have been able to measure up to it thus far.

As to favorite areas....thats a tough one. Bits and pieces of each area have been highlights....but not a large chunk stands out as you asked about. Each area has appealing and less so aspects.

The passage from Tx to New Orleans is a wild, natural, raw area of cypress and marsh. Beautiful and quiet but without marinas or amenities.

The Gulf Coast from Mississippi to the Florida panhandle has great water, nice beaches, tons of playful dolphins and lots of marinas.....and lots of other boaters !

The west coast of Florida has a more laid back vibe but is shallow water even miles offshore which requires attentive navigation....and has a bazillion crab trap floats !

East Florida coast is pretty and has nice water but has high boat traffic and is kinda like city driving.

Georgia and Carolinas have great foods, historic stops, wild marsh lands and anchorages....and Big 8 and 9 foot tidal swings 4 times a say !

The Chesapeake has dozens and dozens of little seaport fishing towns which are great to visit and explore,pretty water ,lots of seafood....and some nasty weather and winds that can make traveling difficult.

New Jersey was difficult travel because of shallow depths of the Intracoastal and the tides there...and winds causing big seas offshore...but the scenery is surprisingly pretty.

Going through NYC was interesting and busy but not as impressive as we had thought it might be. But the trip up the Hudson was VERY surprising in how beautiful it was. Tall cliffs bordering the river. Miles of undeveloped woodlands. West Point. New York canal system /Erie canal was awesome.

Crossing into Canada was exciting. We LOVED the Trent Severn Waterway canals ! Very reminiscent of French canals with small villages every few miles. Dozens and dozens of small locks all hand operated and never traveling more than about 6 mph....pretty charming.

Lake Huron is Big, and clear and has Tons of small granite islands that require focus and attention to navigation or it will ruin your day ! Several boats encountered rocks here...and paid the price to have props repaired/replaced. Also Great fishing along this stretch !

Lake Michigan was HUGE and can be dangerous with weather issues. Its a moody "lake" that is much more like an ocean. Was on it on a couple glassy calm days....and stayed in port on some 10 foot plus wave days. Tons of attractive enjoyable little towns all along the coastline with lots to see and explore.

The heartland rivers have an historic feel to them. You can sense the importance of early riverboats and shipping to the development of the towns along the river. I like the feel of navigating down the rivers but the boat handling challenges are increased because of the big current variables.

Probably too long of an answer....

Yes we still find each day has some "fun" in it....and we have not gotten the end of a trip antsy feeling to get done yet...but we are aware that we are getting closer. If things go well we are hopeful to be back in the Kemah area by about Christmas.

But Looping is NOT margaritas and Mai Tais everyday while sleeping late ...not all fun and games....It IS more like waking up each day to a POP QUIZ that you won't know is about to happen or what it is going to be about.....until it happens. Thats when things can go into Fast Motion....just have to be ready...and preparation pays big dividends !

Thanks for the questions. Hope there are a few who might consider Looping themselves. It has been quite an Adventure !

Thanks for the thoughtful answer. I feel guilty asking you a question that took so long to answer! You've been very patient with many of us as we are so curious about the ins and outs of your journey.

Thanks again.

Just want to say this is one of my favorite threads on TA right now - always excited when there's an update!

Am sooo enjoying following this saga! Appreciate your thorough, descriptive documentation, along with the illustrative photos. But a few questions if I may. The impeller you replaced...is that for engine cooling? What wears out on it? A bushing perhaps? Why the variation in tide levels between the Carolinas/Georgia and other Atlantic states. Please understand you cannot bore "us" with minutiae. We find your accounts both informative and entertaining, as well as inspiring and invaluable to those aspiring to follow in your "footsteps".

Count me among the number who check this thread every day for updates! I hope once you get home and settled you'll take the time to come back and post pictures of the first part of your journey as well.

Heck, you should write a book!

Hah...what a day ! Today was a whole summary of Looper Life in one day ! Both the Good and the Bad !

Wife and I indulged a bit today by heading over to Patti's 1880 Settlement Restaurant. If you are ever in this area....GO ! There were a couple of posters earlier in this thread who were quite high on the place as well as tons of great reviews and word of mouth up here. It exceeded expectations.

Its a mix of Southern homestyle and Kentucky Mountain with just a bit of kitsch thrown in. It has big walking gardens and outdoor shops as well as the expansive main dining with individually themed small rooms. The menu has catfish and pork chops and steaks and HUGE pies !!! The food is excellent and the portions are immense ! Wife and I are Stuffed and we brought home at least three more meals of leftovers onboard ! Highly recommended ! One of our dining highlights on the entire Loop !

So we left Patti's in our rental golf cart to head back to the marina....good thing we had a cart cuz we would have needed wheelbarrows to get back. Such a great meal !

I had already planned to work on the boat this afternoon doing a couple things including swapping out the current impeller.

An impeller, if you don't know, is a rotating flexible bladed "fan" type of thing made of neoprene or nitrile that sits inside a pump housing. It gets compressed on one side as it spins and expands on the other side. In so doing it produces suction/pumping action which pulls raw water in from an opening on the bottom of the hull and circulates it to take heat away from the engine oil and other engine parts before being injected into the exhaust piping to both muffle and cool the exhaust gasses. Its a crucial part of the cooling system.

Mr Smartypants ( me ! ) always likes to quote "The Best time to change an impeller is 10 minutes before it fails !"......today I failed ! I messed up !

My engine usually runs at a temperature of 174 to 176 and is rock solid in that tendency. The past few travel days I noted a 2 to 5 degree increase gradually over a 6 hour day. I keep detailed records and although 2 or 4 degrees is not much, it bugged me.

I know 175 is waaay below the danger point for a diesel....and know a lot of others run at 180 or 190 or even higher....but I know this engine and for several thousand hours of run time 175 is its sweet spot.

So I pulled the raw water GROCO strainers and removed 8 or 10 small mussel shells and a bit of weed....no biggie. I added 1/2 pint additional coolant. I topped off the oil. I reached overboard and made sure the seacock opening was not obstructed. Still ran a couple degrees warm.

I got to thinking ....the water Temps here in Kentucky are several degrees warmer than the water in Lake Michigan was. Maybe that accounts for the small rise ?

Then again...I had the time...why not just replace the impeller and see if that helps.

I settled in for the usual 30 to 45 minute job to swap out an impeller. Closed the seacock so as not to sink the boat.....cracked the 6 bolts on the housing....drained the water from the pump casing and took off the cover and found.......shreds !!!!

The impeller was trashed ! Ripped up into pieces and only 3 vanes remaining intact ! Not at all what I expected !

The wife and I have very specific routines for engine start up. We BOTH check for raw water flow out the exhaust at two different points in the start routine. We have been seeing flow each day. How in the world this impeller was still managing to pump totally surprises me !

So pulling the mangled impeller out was no chore since it no longer fit tightly in the housing....but THAT is NOT the problem !

The raw water pump sits UPSTREAM/BEFORE the coolant water enters the Heat Exchanger, the Oil Cooler, all the rest of the engine and then the exhaust ! All those shredded bits and bobs have to be found and accounted for in a tedious jigsaw impeller puzzle or else you run the very real risk of a bit blocking a passage and causing a serious catastrophic overheating situation !

So....nothing else to do but.....explore, disassemble, fish, trace and follow the raw water coolant path until all bits are accounted for. Not at all fun. Not at all what I expected today !

You know where I said earlier that each day Looping is like a surprise Pop Quiz....well this is a good example. I thought I was good to go today...and now I have a disassembled engine.

Fast forward.... eventually found what I think is the complete bunch of bits....reconstruction of the shredded impeller looks complete. Put the engine back together.

Now its time to restart and check to make sure I got her all buttoned back up correctly and no leaks....as well as checking to see if she runs cool.....seems I am back to 174 this evening.

Lessons learned......when you notice small changes from what is normal...there is a reason for it. Find it.

Don't expect 400 hours from an impeller here forward.

Continue to keep 3 spares of most of the crucial parts onboard because you really never know.

Looping has Good and Bad...its an Adventure not a Vacation.

Sitting this evening now with a Bourbon and looking over charts for anchorages for the next two nights....then holing up in a marina on Sunday for a few days while the COLD comes sweeping in up here.

What a day !

Thanks for this update! It's a great account of what you run into and how to fix it, as well as a real good review of the restaurant.
I just finished dinner and my mouth is watering due to those pictures! What is the dish in the picture right after the enormous dinner roll?

Appetizer sampler.....
Fried chicken strips, smothered kettle chips, fried cheese sticks, fried pickles and chili cheese sauce. So good !

Flower pot bread and strawberry butter are awesome !

Quote:

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when you notice small changes from what is normal...there is a reason for it. Find it.

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Thanks for the 'splanations!

In a former life, I was a farmer/rancher. Baled a lotta hay over time…my Dad taught me to learn to listen to the "high pitched whine" of machinery operating at 540 or 1,000 rpms, and when the sound ever changed, stop and find out why before something breaks! "There's a reason for it!" Preventative maintenance forestalls downtime when harvesting! Same goes for any machine.

The good ole trashed impeller, been there and done that. My first Sea Ray was a 320 and I didn't even know what an impeller was…. Well I found out the hard way when I called a mechanic because one engine was over heating… and he calls me a few days later and says I have a trashed impeller and he's going to have to fish it out of the system… that one cost me a pretty penny. I learned to change them every 100 hours or every 2 years because they dry up and rot.

Great write up and thanks for the updates, pics are amazing

Previous interval for impeller replacement had been about 250 hours....several times....and never saw any wear or damage...so I thought 400 sounded fine...uummm.....guess not.

Here forward 200 hours max will be my standard !

Have found heat cold cycles to be a big factor when it comes to impeller life where the rubber loses its elasticity and cracks like what you might have here. The flip side of that is the impeller sits too long and gets molded into shape and you start to get cavitation leading to reduced efficiency and impeller failure.

Other thing I've seen over the years is a slight imperfection or wear in the pump housing itself. I've seen repeated failures where the impeller gets chewed up, the pump housing feels ok but there is enough of an imperfection where it keeps happening.

A lot of times i've found it helpful when backflushing the r/w system to get any pieces of impeller, I'll try and put some kind of mesh or pantyhose over the discharge where you can blast water through it and the pieces wont end up in the bilge and can see what you've got.

Saw this on Facebook. Can't believe someone would do this on a jet ski

Long overdue update....

My last post was from the Kentucky Lake area.....and tonight I am adding a short update while we are anchored in The Rigolets about 30 or so miles east of New Orleans just inside the border from Mississippi.

We traveled through a bunch of locks, traveled and anchored many days down the TennTomBigbee waterway to Mobile. Traveled down the length of Mobile Bay and back into the Gulf and saltwater again for the first time since we were in New York.

As we crossed under Dauphin Island Bridge we officially "crossed our wake" and closed our Loop....over 5000 miles since we left Kemah on Halloween of Last year !

We still have 10 to 14 more travel days to get back to our home marina at Blue Dolphin YC in Seabrook and will approach 6000 total miles.

Tonights update will just be a short one......but Friday we will be at a New Orleans marina and I can do a more detailed posting.

Tonight I am Thankful and Grateful.

For an awesome year of experiences, of lessons learned and of safe passages.
For all the things we have seen and done and the people we have encountered.
For the amazing freedom of movement and self determination that traveling by boat allows.
For the beauty and scenery that we have seen and lived in everyday on this trip.

Thankful that COOL BREEZE is now headed back .....

Made it over to New Orleans for a night. Will head south/westward in the morning back toward our home marina and Kemah after more than an a year onboard.

The Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky is a really pretty part of the country. Acres and acres of wild deciduous woodlands and several parks. Great camping areas there !

The Tennessee River has been dammed up and it makes a Huge lake. Over 1000 miles of shoreline. Tons of cool coves and anchorages.

The locks along the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee are quite Large. Average lift/drop in each chamber is probably about 40 feet in each one. Went through an 84 foot lock , several of 50 feet and some of 35 feet. Locking is not terribly difficult but it takes communication and knowledge of how to do it.

Wife and I have now done about 150 locks in this past year....so we kinda have a routine that works for us now.

Only a couple more locks on the way back to Texas now.....Industrial Lock and Harvey Lock in New Orleans getting onto andbthen back off of the Mississippi....then a couple more in Louisiana that try to control the saltwater/freshwater balance in the ICW.

Navigating the rivers takes patience and focus. Patience because they wind and curve around so much ! Several places we traveled 5 plus River miles to gain only one mile in distance toward our daily destination. Focus because the depth of the rivers are MUCH MORE variable than along the coast ! Inside bends versus outside bends versus soft riverbottom versus rock...depths varied wildly from a couple feet to 60 plus feet within a few hundred yards.

Much fewer marinas along the inland rivers so finding protected creeks and coves to anchor in overnight can be a chore.

Tow/barge strings tend to be quite a bit larger than coastal strings. It was common to see 16 to 24 barges tied to a single tow along the rivers.

Thats where AIS becomes really useful. With all the blind curves and corners....being able to "see" a tow string on your electronics and talk with them about the best passing arrangement was important for safety. I highly recommend/endorse having AIS installed !

Finally passed our last river lock and headed down to Mobile Bay. Back into saltwater for the first time in about 6 months. Also had to get used to figuring tide fluctuations back into the day.

Mobile to Gulfport is where we actually "crossed our wake" to officially make this long trip into a Loop. Dauphin Island bridge became the actual point of doing so.

Gulfport is a Great municipal marina. Inexpensive. Nice. Newish. Convenient to lots of stuff. Highly recommend.

In NO overnight and have to transit the Industrial Lock onto the Mississippi in the middle of New Orleans....then upriver 5 miles on the Mississippi and off into the Gulf ICW through the Harvey lock.

Then about 10 more travel days through the wilds of Louisiana marshlands toward Texas.

Hopefully by mid December if weather cooperates.

We have had only a couple mechanical issues.

About 3 weeks back I replaced the raw water pump on our Westerbeke diesel generator with a rebuilt spare pump i carried with us. Took just a couple hours. The old one began to leak around the shaft seal....so will rebuild/reinstall the o rings seals and bearings and have it ready as a spare again.

When raising the anchor one morning a couple links of chain kinked and when the kink got to the windlassbit stopped it dead and popped the 70 amp fuse. Had to replace/exchange it with one of the 3 spares I carry for it.

Made three full oil and filter changes from Chicago to Gulfport.

Changed out the main raw water impeller this time BEFORE any vanes damaged.

Replaced a chafed dockline.....windy night and sharp dock edge.

Topped off with diesel 4 times and have paid between $5.65 and $3.89.......I bought more at that second price than at the first !

We just last week purchased our first gallon over 1000 gallons for the whole trip.

Current calculation confirms we are getting right at 1.2 gallons per hour of run time while usually running about 6.5 to 7.2 mph. Have to factor in idling time and generator usage.

Still...our fuel bill is coming in way under budget from what I allowed for before we began. Efficient hull and boat ! Ideal for long passages !

I need to figure out for the whole trip but I think we probably used a marina or dock 60% of the time and anchored 40%....curious myself to see.

Feels good to be closing in on where we started....some cold nights ahead but hope to be back in Kemah mid December.

Quite an adventure !

One of the oddest sights along the way....and one that nearly every Looper takes a pic of....is a phone booth sitting along the shoreline of the TennTom Waterway.....who knows why ?

Made it through the Industrial Lock and Harvey Lock today. Took over 4 1/2 hours. Now south of New Orleans and anchored by Isle Bonne in the Barataria waterway.

Will head to Houma tomorrow (Sunday). Then next stop will likely be Morgan City.

Feeling good to be getting closer to our home port again.

Thank you again for sharing your adventure on such detail. I will miss seeing your updates when you are back home. Would love to hear if you plan to make another trip and, if so, would ask if you mind sharing updates of your preparations. Unless of course we need to wait for the release of the book....

Its a pretty good question.

On examination the Kentucky lock is shorter/closer and so would seem the best choice. However, it is also the route chosen by the commercial tow boats with their multiple barges. Many are too large to fit into a single lock chamber, so the barge string has to be "cut up" into groups of barges that fit and then looked. Then the string has to be reassembled before moving on. That takes A LOT of time. And since it is a shorter and less twisting route, more commercial boats take it. So...more tow strings and each one taking longer means the Kentucky lock often has lengthy ( several hours long!) delays...

The Barkley lock is a longer distance to travel and is a more challenging river route....but once at the lock it is pretty quick locking. In our case we literally drove right into the lock chamber and were raised within 45 minutes out onto the Lake. So most pleasure craft go via Barkley and the commercials go Kentucky.

Both locks raise you to the same level....only separated by a couple miles and on two different rivers.