Burgee: 1. a swallow-tailed flag used especially by ships for signals or identification. 2. the usually triangular identifying flag of a yacht club.

There are three Great Loop burgees awarded to Loopers by the American Great Loop Cruisers’ Association: White for the newbies, doing the Loop for the first time;  Gold for those who have completed the Great Loop; and Platinum for Loopers who have completed the Great Loop two or more times!

When Finito retired the white burgee, and Ed and I put the gold burgee on, Ed looked right at me. I knew what he was thinking…

“Again?”

It’s tempting!

Ed and I loved just about every minute of the Great Loop including a year and thousands of miles of difficult challenges.

The feeling after completion is hard to put into words. The journey was a like a reset button for everything that’s important, and a great way to get closer to one’s spouse. In fact, now that we have been home for a week, we find ourselves missing the closeness and simplicity of living on a boat.

I’ve been asked what my favorite part of the trip was. I can truly say all of it. Even when I thought Ed might throw me overboard or fire me as First Mate.

One of the very best experiences, came at the end when we crossed  the Gulf of Mexico/America. The winds had been high but they had settled so there was a short window to cross. I was nervous about traveling at night, so we journeyed with two other trawlers: Happy Giraffe and Satellite Office. We were a pack.

The trip took 24 hours leaving from Port St. Joe and arriving in Tarpon Springs. We didn’t want to pull into Tarpon Springs until sunrise so we could see the many crab traps that could get tangled in the engines. Night fell and the hours droned on. The moon was to rise at 4 am. I brought Ed coffee and sat with our cat, Okee, as the waves rocked the craft.  I captained when Ed needed rest or a break. We ate little. Around 2am I left the pilot house and peeked outside. I could not see my hand in front of me. The air was cool, and the stars were everywhere. Not just up above, but thick from horizon to horizon. It was incredible. Never had I seen so many stars. I walked out into the darkness.

I thought about all of the experiences I’d had on the Loop, and everything  that Ed and I had shared and learned together.  I thought about our county and the history I had lived up close. I thought about all of the waters, lakes, and rivers.  I thought about Okee who had traveled almost 6000 miles, and about Luna, our beloved Belgium Shepard, who passed away on Finito when we were on Lake Michigan. I thought about what it might be like once Ed and I were home. I promised myself I would be more appreciative of all things and that  I would never forget this night under the Heavens,  and that I would remember that every night there are this many stars…

So now we are home, and in the evenings, I  keep looking at the sky with full knowledge of the beauty that exists, but that I just can’t see…

Unless, of course.

Again? 🙂