Cruising on Last Dance


This blog archives the adventures of Glen and Jill Moore and provides a means of communication for friends and family. Exploration and adventure have been synonymous with boats and water for centuries. The joy of adventures shared while exploring new places and meeting new people has built a strong bond for Glen and Jill. Last Dance is the platform for the exploration.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." St. Augustine, 354 - 430

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain, 1835 - 1910

"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats." The Wind in the Willows, 1908, Kenneth Grahame, 1859 - 1932

"I've never believed speed and ease are conductive to living fully, becoming aware, or deepening memory, a tripod of urges to stabilize and lend meaning to life." River Horse: a log book of a boat across America, 1999, William Least Heat-Moon,1939 -

The Great Loop -- The current adventure is a circumnavigation of the Eastern United States, cruising north up the east coast through New York into Canada, across the Great Lakes to Chicago, navigating multiple river systems south to Mobile, along the Gulf coast to the Florida Keys and back to St. Augustine. This trip by boat is commonly referred to as the Great Loop. Progress and current location are indicated by the red line on the map to the right. It was titled the Traceless Path in recognition of a German sailor we met in St. Augustine who published booklets of his travels with hand-drawn, detailed maps describing his travels across the water as the Traceless Path.



Friday, December 16, 2011

Mobile, Alabama



Entering Mobile Ship Channel, the end of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, is a shock.  One moves from quiet, natural river channels to a vastly busy industrial port.  Above, is a US Navy ship undergoing a refit.


Appears that someone did not measure the building correctly to fit this ship inside during construction.
















Mobile is also a large freight terminal.












Friends and Family


One of the great benefits of traveling the Loop is meeting new friends, sharing time with old friends, and visits with family.

Robert and Vicki, Gold Loopers (one who has completed the Great Loop)  invited the current Loopers passing through to Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Fairhope (across the bay from Mobile).
















The always popular dessert table.












Jim and Pam Shipp, Platinum Loopers (completed the Loop twice) and old friends, hosted us for a couple of great meals and for a lot of wonderful conversation.  Shrimp and oysters were enjoyed at the Dew Drop, one of those traditional good restaurants that only locals know.  (The waitress' unsteady hand blurred the photo but didn't affect the meal.)  Marian, Jim's mother, had an outstanding Low Country Boil at her home the evening prior.  Good food does help make for great times with friends.



Maintenance Time


Dog River Marina is a full-service boatyard with a good reputation.  The stop at Mobile was used to pull Last Dance for some maintenance.














New seals were installed on the Naiad stabilizer shafts and a general check of the underwater gear was completed.  Takes a big machine to lift a 40,000 pound boat.


















Remember those White Pelicans first seen on the Illinois River?  They stopped by Mobile, circling over the marina a dozen times, while Last Dance hung from the slings of the travel lift, as if to say: "Time to keep moving south."

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