In review...

It has been almost a year since we began the journey known as the Down East Loop and 7 months since its completion. It seems almost impossible that so much time has passed. Reflecting back, we remember the beautiful scenery and wildlife, the farmers markets filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade jellies and pickles of every sort, the $5 lobsters in Maine and humorous incidents throughout the trip. We recall enjoying the companionship of good friends, making memories of a lifetime, and the kindnesses of complete strangers.

Statistically, we travelled 4503.5 nautical miles (5088 statute miles) and burned 7,571 gallons of diesel. The average burn was 40 gallons per hour at 20 knots and 8 gallons per hour at 10 knots. In Canada, fuel is sold in liters. We didn't realize this at first and thought their fuel was really inexpensive. Wrong!

We spent 6 nights on either mooring balls or at anchor (by choice); the remainder were at a dock. We had read that docks were often unavailable and that we might have to tie up to another boat. We did not find that to be the case. There were floating docks at every marina that had a tidal issue.

We purchased a seasonal US Canal pass for $100, $160 CD for the Canadian equivalent and locked through 30 locks. The northernmost point we travelled was just east of St. Anne des Monts, Quebec, 49.16.44.

We had been warned many times about the difficulty of clearing Canadian Customs and about the strict regulations on bringing alcoholic beverages into the country so needing an excuse, we had several very nice parties featuring adult beverages in order to meet the guidelines. Ironically, we cleared Customs in about 5 minutes and they never even asked about alcoholic beverages! By the way, alcoholic beverages are very expensive in Canada and the brands are quite limited.

Many of the marinas had loaner cars available for trips to the grocery store, etc. Sometimes the dock master loaned us his personal car or personally drove us on our errands. When we wanted to take more extended trips around the areas, we usually called Enterprise Rental Cars. They were the most convenient because they would pick us up and were reasonably priced. In French-speaking Quebec Province, each dock master would happily call ahead to the next marina for us, making reservations as we progressed.

In the open waters of Canada, we filed our sail plan with the Canadian Coast Guard each travel day, knowing that if we did not report in at our destination, someone would be searching for us. It certainly provided an extra measure of comfort and security to both us and our loved ones at home.

One of our biggest concerns prior to leaving on the trip was how to handle the mail. Our solution was to have most of our bills converted to paperless delivery via the computer and for the remainder, we rented a box at the UPS store, forwarding our mail to that address. One of our children stopped by the UPS store once a week or so and called us with anything pressing. Online banking was utilized to make our payments. We found this to be a viable solution.

We stayed in contact with family and friends via Skype. It was fun to visit the grandchildren that way!

In conclusion, the Down East Loop is really an adventure and a display of beauty that one can hardly describe. It is difficult to understand why more "Loopers" don't take advantage of this section of North America. We found that if you understand your own capabilities, the limitations of your vessel, have good working basic equipment (GPS, depth sounder, VHF, etc), and use common sense, there is no reason to avoid taking this wonderful trip! By planning our segments carefully, respecting Mother Nature and not stretching the window, we never experienced the horror-stories that previous cruisers encountered. Life is short; enjoy the journey!