Paul and Sharon atop the Hatteras lighthouse, the tallest there is in the US.

Paul and Sharon have left, staying maybe 3 weeks on the boat with us. It was easy having them. They used the front berth and bath area and seemed fine there. Maybe training from having a motor home? The front area has privacy, since our bedroom and bath is clear in the back. We ate all breakfasts onboard, lunches onboard when underway, and lunch and dinner either onboard or at restaurants as our travel and whims made convenient. Having enough supplies along the way was never a problem. We have a good sized refrigerator and a separate freezer. When they do need refilling there is usually a Walmart Supercenter or at least a large supermarket quickly accessible by a borrowed marina car or our rental.

The best things about guests is their deckhand duty. Sue does fine, but Paul could run faster, reach further, and leap between boat and dock more readily. This allowed me a bit more leeway while honing my maneuvering abilities. With them gone our biggest issue will be locking, which we will do little of on our way back. When we do Sue will take the front lines, and I will place the boat into position and race down to do the back. The boat being out of my control for that short time should be OK, but it is still less of a sure thing than with another person aboard. There are some locks in the Great Lakes that do not allow a boat through unless there are three or more aboard, so sometimes guests are essential!

A large deep Tenn-Tom lock, and the Peterborough lift lock.

We hope some of you will find time to spend a week or so next year when we are locking on the Great Loop.