End of 2025- Indiantown Marine Center

Woke up and went west through Saint Lucie Lock, marking our last lock of the summer. We'll go through this same lock next year, and that will most likely be our last one on the Cartermaran.

Started on all of our lists right away, while quietly not thinking too hard about the fact that we're leaving and this is almost the end of our boat life for now.

We knew going in that this last leg would be the least exciting stretch of the Loop. And it was. But there were great stops and memories made too. We're ready to leave the boat this summer, as accomplished gold loopers.

Aunt Denise and Uncle Paul met us at the boatyard and we loaded what we could into their car. Then we said goodbye to the Cartermaran for the next 10 months.

It's always a sad goodbye, but just knowing next year's will be different makes this one even harder. Next year we'll be walking away knowing it's the last time she's ours and that the next people to untie her lines will be her new family. She'll become their beloved vessel the way she's been ours. But we're not there yet. And we've got one more summer with her first.

One more summer on the Cartermaran. One more chance to get out there before she becomes someone else's vessel to explore and dream on. We're going to make it count. Bahamas or bust, June 2026.

Locks today: 1

Locks of the summer: 48

Locks of the loop: 162

Staging

Got up at 7, drove back to North Palm Beach. Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise had the kids showering and fed before we got there. Shout-out to these two for always being ready to feed, babysit, house, drive around, and entertain all of us- even the dogs!

Ben dropped me off to get all of our stuff packed and ready to go to the boat while he ran a few more last minute errands. He wanted to be on the boat by 11, hoping to get to the lock by 1 pm. (We thought the water level in Okeechobee was low enough to only open every 2 hours, but it turns out it was opening on demand, so that didn't even matter!)

Unloaded our stuff, the dogs, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise's bags from the truck and Aunt Denise's car. Uncle Paul drove our truck back to their house to keep while we are gone.

We were on the boat at 10:40, underway soon after, and at the St Lucie Lock at 12:50. A westbound boat was in the lock, so we just had to wait for them to finish and exit. 

We entered with a smaller boat and had no trouble getting the lines and setting up. While we were being lowered, Bear asked if this would be our last lock on Cartermaran. I said it most likely was, and then that was all I could think about. Got me feeling all the feels. I may or may not have teared up a bit about it, thinking back on all of the locks on our adventures and how much we grew and learned together in short spurts over the last 5 years.

On the Okeechobee Waterway, there are houses the closer we get to Stuart. Both times we've gone through here previously, and again today we saw kids wake boarding or tubing behind boats. Moose asked me today if that was safe. I told him I can't imagine this area is gator-free because it is still fresh water, possibly brackish. I said I definitely would not let my kids in the water here and left it at that.

Got in the ICW and went downstairs to complete some chores. Ben left the air conditioner on for us so we could get things done without feeling like we were going to die in the heat and humidity. #coloradoproblems

Bear and Roo helped me make the other 2 beds. Then, all 3 of the kids put their clothes away and we tidied up the cabin a bit more, little by little until the wakes from other boats made it too hard to get things done.

Everyone always loves looking at the houses on the ICW as we pass by, commenting about everything from the design to the cost to the size, and more. Roo really liked the Banyan trees we kept seeing, and this one was huge!

Went south to Munyon Island, in North Palm Beach, a great staging area to get to Safe Harbor in NPB to fill up on water and diesel, and have Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise hop on board in the morning for our crossing to the Bahamas. Safe Harbor opens at 7:30 am, so we will be there then!

Road Trippin' and Boat Preppin' for our final Cartermaran summer

May 25 and 26, we (Ben, Lisa, Bear, Moose, Roo, Dixie, & Hattie) were on the road, with just 6 hours of sleep after getting home from planting 105 trees at Carterado. Drove about 2,000 miles from Colorado to Florida in 37 hours. Only stopped for fuel, food, and potty breaks along the way, and a 5 hour nap on the night of the 25th in Clarksville, TN- the same Clarksville on the Cumberland River we traveled through last summer.

Arrived at Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise's right around 9 pm on the 26th. We said hello, had some delicious pepperoni rolls, said goodnight, and went to bed. 

Ben was up and at the boat by 7 am on the 27th to prepare and complete boat projects. Our friend TJ was able to meet him there and help a ton. Uncle Paul went and helped in the afternoon. The next owner of our boat was able to fly out and get to know the ins and outs of her future home.

I had been checking Marv's Weather for the last week to find a good weather window for our crossing to the Bahamas. It was looking like any day Thursday-Tuesday would be good, but as those days got closer, it was narrowed down to Friday, Saturday, or Monday. Friday looked best, but would not give Ben enough time to get his must-do-before-leaving work done. We were shooting for Saturday, the next best day, and figured we would go Monday if none of that checked out for us.

Aunt Denise ran me around town for the items I was responsible for and we managed to check those off the list pretty quickly. Our only setback was the dog food bag that had spiders hiding in the corners of it. Ew. Returned that and added one more stop to our list.

While setting up the appointment for the dogs at the vet, I found out I needed to complete the Click2Clear application for our temporary cruising permit for the Bahamas before we left. I was a little upset because we had logins from the last two times we were in the Bahamas, so I expected most if it to still be in there, but they changed the system and don't use logins anymore. It took several hours to get everything in there. THEN, when I needed some information about the fishing equipment we were bringing with us, the guys were at the boat and I didn't want to bother them, so I made sure everything was saved and hesitantly went on with my day. When I got back to it, it said exactly what I was anticipating it to say- my session had timed out and I had to start again. And then it took several more hours the next day because I wasn't going to deal with it all again right then. That time, it processed and went through without trouble.

I was able to go to the boat on the 28th to check the status of items I had inventoried at the end of last summer and unpack the tubs we'd brought from home, putting away what belonged to me and the kids while Ben handled his own things.

Bear, Moose, and Roo were living it up in Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise's pool ever since we got to their house. The dogs were enjoying their last land moments, not knowing what the future weeks would hold for them.

On the morning of the 29th, Aunt Denise and I took the dogs to the vet for their International Health Certificate.

Cartermaran was scheduled to be put in the water at 2:30 and we planned do our Costco run after that. It didn’t get in the water until closer to 5. Ben had a few errands to run and told me we would provision (get the food at the store for the boat) when he got to Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise's.

Ben and I did the Costco run without the kids, which they were bummed about, but we had to do it quickly so we could put it away and leave the next day. Ironically, this Costco didn't have as much of what we normally get, so the kids didn’t miss out on much. After 6 summers of this giant Costco prep, we really had it down. We spent the least we've ever spent for provisioning at Costco and we're proud of it! We went to Publix for 1 lb packages of ground beef and some of the cereals we knew the kids wanted, but Costco didn’t have. Between Costco and Publix, we spent just over $2,000.

Driving to the marine center, we had a lightning show and knew we would be racing to unload the truck onto the boat before the rain started. We parked close to the boat and made a zillion trips between the boat and the truck, dumping it all as we went.

Food drop:

When we got on the boat, I put it all away, removing all the boxes and extra trash. Ben continued working on his must-do checklist. He said it would take me 2 hours to put all the food away. I didn't believe him, thought it would be less, so I set a timer. It took me 1 hour and 40 minutes. I started clearing off our bed and looking for our bedding, then made our bed.

My favorite part of the start of the summer:

Food away, find homes for the rest:

By the time we were both done for the night, it was just about midnight. We considered going back to Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise's with the kids and dogs, but slept on the boat. 

5 months and 14 days of nonconsecutive travel time later... we returned to Sebastian, FL and crossed our wake!

At 10:10 AM on July 16, 2025, the Carters became gold loopers! ✨️ 

We started the Great Loop on June 2, 2023. Spending June and July of 2023, June and July of 2024, and June plus the first two weeks of July 2025 to cross our wake. (5 and a half months on the Loop.)

How it started...

How it's going...

We anchored to commemorate the moment adequately, changed into our AGLCA '25 shirts and grabbed our Cartermaran Crew polos for a quick wardrobe change, and ensured the gold looper burgee was secured in hand. We ceremoniously swapped the white burgee for the gold one while taking a million photos with the tripod, hoping to capture a few good shots without our hair being whipped every which way before the tripod got knocked over by the dogs or the wind. 🤓 It is what it is. The wind was an undeniable part of our loop, and really, who ever has good hair days on a boat?!

Then we turned around and headed south. We knew we wouldn't make it to Saint Lucie Lock before the last lock at 4:30, so we decided we would anchor just outside it for the night. 

While we made our way back down, we started making lists. Everything that needed to happen before haul-out tomorrow... What to close up... What stays on the boat... What comes home... What gets tossed... What needs to be repurchased for next summer... Departure checklist... Lists upon lists on both my phone and Ben's phone to split tasks to end this season and prep for next.

 

We clocked 24 knots of wind at the bow on the way back south on the ICW. The waters at Port Saint Lucie Inlet were very vivid and had a contrasting beautiful blue section. It always blows my mind to think about the colors being so distinct and not mixing, especially in such a fluid medium!

Coming into Stuart, we got cleared for the Old Roosevelt Bridge and then almost immediately heard the railroad bridge was lowering in three minutes. We knew we wouldn't make it under in time, so we waited (in the crazy current area) for it to lower, the train to cross, and the railroad bridge to lift again before asking Old Roosevelt, once more, to open for us. 

No locks today. We anchored just east of Saint Lucie Lock, across from Phipps Park Campground, saw the moon's reflection in the water- wondering what it was- before looking up to realize it was the moon, and spotted a gator in the water before settling in for our last night aboard for 2025.

Moore Haven to Vero Beach, FL

The lock said it opened at 7. When we looked outside, the gates were open and it was only 6:35! There wasn't much of an elevation change and both gates were open a little bit the whole time. We were through the Julian Keen Jr. Lock and entering Lake Okeechobee at 6:58 AM.

As we entered the lake, we still had 107 miles to travel before we'd cross our Great Loop wake. (When a boat "crosses their wake" it means they made it back to the point where they started, completing their loop.) The girls were still asleep. Moose and I stood on the bow counting alligators. We spotted 87 before we even hit open lake. 🐊 87! It was fun to spot them in the smooth water ahead as we approached, then watch them duck under and disappear as we got closer. That was how we could tell they weren't logs!

The lake itself was a surprise. I expected it to be all swamp, and it wasn't. It was wide open water, nothing like what I'd pictured my entire life. The crossing took about 5 hours from Julian Keen Jr. to the Port Mayaca lock on the east side. 

The gnats were absolutely awful. We busted out the cedar oil in an attempt to keep them off of us and it worked, surprisingly. They stayed off our skin, but they were still all over the boat. Most of them were gone after the Port Mayaca lock.

A note for anyone planning this route: of all the locks we've gone through, in two countries, the locks on the Okeechobee Waterway were run by the rudest and most stringent people we encountered. Just something to know going in.

63 miles to our wake by 2:40. We were out of the St. Lucie Lock at 3:05. Fifteen miles to the AICW from there. We were thankful to be through the locks because the sky was starting to look angry.

Happy Days, a 2007 Endeavour 44, was docked here. We found this out and communicated by yelling across the marina with each other. This marina also took our recycling, which is severely lacking on the loop, so it was exciting to know all our hard work paid off. They also took our trash, but the recycle being recycled always makes me happy.

Stuart has three bridges back to back to get through to the ICW, and the current was strong, but the storm looked like it had moved around us, leaving a double rainbow behind. We anchored at Fritz Island in Vero Beach for the night before our big day tomorrow. 

Locks today: 3

Locks of the summer: 47

Locks of the loop: 161

Saint James City to Moore Haven, FL

Back to locking! Franklin Lock, our first lock in the Okeechobee Waterway on the Caloosahatchee River, raised us up 2 feet.

One of the doors to get into the lock was broken, so we had to fit our 19-foot beam (width) through a 26-foot opening instead of the full width. Not a problem at all.

I had the fenders and line ready to hook up at the center of the starboard side. We noticed that they had their own lines, which I had to quickly swap out for ours. We also had to tie up at bow and stern instead of just at the center. The parts that go in and out of the water were slimy and I didn't have time to grab my gloves before making the exchange. Ew. Once again, our well-oiled machine has to change when we finally got it down. The rules constantly change on us. Such is the boat life.

A manatee locked through with us, which made the time go by faster. We all kept watching for it to surface. The kids got activity pages from the lockmaster. They were not as impressed and said it was nothing like the Parks Canada booklets they loved last summer. We shared the chamber with one other recreational boat.

Worth noting: these locks have their own set of rules that are different from everywhere else we've locked. No passing boats in the chamber, bow and stern ties required, and if lightning strikes, they shut the locks and stop operating. (I'm pretty sure there were similar rules in our other locks this summer, but they weren't enforced to the extent they are here.)

We pulled up to Ortona Lock at 2:20 to find it was shut down due to a lightning strike. We anchored to wait and see if they'd get us through before the end of the day. We got through at 3:00, so it wasn't too long of a delay. At that point, we knew we wouldn't make it to Julian Keen Jr. Lock before the last lock of the day at 4:30, so we backed off the throttle a bit to save some fuel and arrived around 5:30.

The water level was too high to anchor, so we tried to tie up to some pilings. I had a heck of a time with a vertical cleat and got Moose to help, but the line kept slipping off. Ben was trying to manage the boat while simultaneously planning for any water level changes, fender placement, parts of the boat rubbing on the pilings, and the bow position. He had a lot of changing variables to predict and process all at once, and was frustrated. He even wondered about doing an anchor and stern tie instead.

While Ben was maneuvering the Cartermaran, the boat hook we were using fell in the water. Fortunately, it was the floating one. We used the other hook to work it close enough to the back step to grab it. I was terrified that my hand would come back missing a few fingers due to all the splashing attracting alligators. Luckily, there were none!

Eventually, we ended up tied to the lock wall at Julian Keen Jr. Lock in Moore Haven for the night. 

Locks today: 2

Locks of the summer: 44

Locks of the loop: 158

Crystal Springs to Clearwater to Saint James City, FL

It sounds really dramatic to say we have had our last open water day of the summer, until you realize we've only actually been on open water for three days, plus that one day at the start of this leg (May 31) when we were on Lake Michigan for a few hours.

We docked at Clearwater Harbor Marina and walked to an area with several dinner options so everyone could see what sounded good. It was a Friday night but oddly quiet, kind of eerily so for what should've been a bustling area. We ended up at Downtown Pizza, which was delicious. We came back to the boat with a ton of leftovers, which we normally don't mind, but finding space in the fridge on the boat is always a challenge. For dessert, four of us got cannolis and Moose got a cookie a la mode. Whose kid is that?!

The next day, we met up with my uncle (who I hadn't seen in about 30 years!), his wife, and their youngest son for breakfast. We showed them the boat, ate, and walked around Clearwater together. It was one of those visits that feels both long overdue and like no time had passed at all. Really glad we could make it happen.

After saying goodbye, we cooled off on the boat and got ready for round two of visitors. Our friends from Colorado moved to Florida this year and have made it a point to drive to check out various beaches near their new home, so they were excited to meet us at Clearwater Beach. 

We took the ferry over to the beach and played for a while before heading back to shower and go to dinner. Downtown Pizza again, but different meals this time. Back at the boat, the kids fished off the dock and spotted a seahorse and a baby puffer fish, which was a huge hit. Our friends stayed overnight on the boat, and it was so fun to have guests aboard once again. 

The next morning, we were up and off the dock by 7. There was no wind, which made the hot feel even hotter. Lots of dolphins to watch, so that was fun for our friends. Some noticeable hurricane damage along the way, which is a good reminder of what this area has been through.

Hattie has officially figured out the dolphin thing, we think. She hears them before we see them and barks to scare them away. Protective? Terrified? Both? We're not sure, but she is very committed to her job. It makes us sad when she scares them away before we can enjoy them, though!

We dropped our friends off at a wall near Sarasota and said our goodbyes after a really nice time together. Then we continued on to anchor off Chino Island at Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve in Saint James City. Our last sunset over the Gulf of Mexico for this trip was beyond beautiful and a good one to go out on.