Six days to go

We are in final preparations for untying our deck lines and heading down river on the first leg of our great loop journey.  It has been a crazy summer and the days have vanished so fast.  Our boat is berthed in Mt Juliet, TN while we have been at our country place in Southwest MO .  Kim also has a working farm she owns with her brothers in Indiana; we have made two trips there this summer too.

So after we purchased Serenity in February 2019, we left her in Mt Juliet, returning in early April.  We spent 3 weeks aboard working and cleaning.  It was quite chilly.  We generally exercised each morning and commenced work for the remainder of the day.  We ate most meals on board.  We did go to the YMCA a couple of times a week to swim and get good hot showers!

So each month this summer we would make the 500 mile drive from SW Missouri to Mt Juliet, TN.  Continuing our work on Serenity and making our modifications/upgrades to make the boat how we want it for our 6000 mile journey.  Spending 7-10 days each trip we have accomplished our goals and other than a few odds/ends and provisioning next week, we are ready to cast off.

We have put away the tractor, mowers, big truck/truck camper, farm truck and winterized all.  This weekend will secure the electricity, water and winterize the buildings.  Pack the rental car for a one-way drive to our Serenity.

1 November fire up the diesel, chart plotter, radar, AIS, GPS and VHF and cast off the lines and leave the security of the covered slip at Cedar Creek Marina.  We cruise at six knots (7mph).  Depending on lock delays/timings we anticipate about 40-50 mile cruising days.  Come aboard via our blog and experience America's Great Loop.