Pat and Patty Anderson, of Birch Bay, Washington, just north of Bellingham, love to go boating. They bought their C-Dory 25 Daydream at the Seattle boat show in 2005, and have spent much of their free time cruising the nearby San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. The boat is powered by a single Honda 150-hp outboard, with a backup 15-hp Honda as a kicker. The longest time they have spent on board was about two weeks. But Pat, a retired lawyer, wanted to expand their horizons, so the Andersons decided to tackle the Great Loop.
With their dog Baxter, the Andersons left Birch Bay on March 21, towed Daydream across the U.S., often camping on the boat overnight, and launched it again on April 1 at the Ortona Lock Boat Ramp on the Okeechobee Waterway, near La Belle, Florida. Then they crossed the Okeechobee to Stuart, made a left turn and headed up the Waterway.
So far all is well, despite some morning fog, some days lost to thunderstorms and some unexpected heat. They have spent a lot of time anchored out, but occasionally they tie up at marinas (Daydream is at the Charleston City Marina in the above picture), where Pat says it is often the smallest boat: “It’s the VW camper van of boats.” But they’ve been cruising at 16-18 knots, and expect to complete the Loop in eight months. For more about the Andersons and their voyage, go to:
