Treasure Cay, Abacos

Up and out around 6:30/45 headed to Abacos and my favorite Bahamas beach, Banyan Beach on Treasure Cay. 💕 

Waves were calm and pleasant most of the trip. They got bigger as we got closer to Treasure Cay, but seeing where we would be ending up made it easier to tolerate. Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise got on the bow to make sure our ground clearance was good as we navigated through some narrow channels. 

Last time we came to Treasure Cay, we cruised around the southeast part of the island to get into a bay on the other side, anchored, and rode the tender in to a tie up point and walked across the street to the beach. We didn't have good charts on that visit because we came over, spur of the moment and just used the old Garmin C Maps from 2018 or 2019. Ben had to guess good routes based on that, knowing a lot probably changed due to hurricanes and such. We were still learning about this boat so we didn’t have a lot of the knowledge or skills we have now, and didn't want to take big risks. With the new charts, we were able to anchor directly in the cove of the beach!

It took a few tries for the anchor to hold, so once it did, we started getting ready to go to Florence's and the beach. I checked to make sure she would still be open, and Google said she is open 6 am- 6 pm every day except Sunday. Ben and I were pumped because Florence makes HUGE cinnamon rolls and cookies that we had in 2021 when we were here. The kids didn't really remember being here, so didn't even know what to expect except for sugar. 

We took the Chicken to the beach, pulling it up in the sand knowing the tide was still on its way in, and set the anchor ashore. Moose, meanwhile, acted as if he had never been at a beach before and was frolicking in the waves, getting annihilated with the crash of each one as it came in. We were still about a mile from Florence's, but the water was much rougher, the closer we got to Florence's, and Ben wanted to keep the Chicken tucked away at a calmer part of the beach.

The 7 of us walked a bit on the beach before Ben decided we should walk on the road instead. We trekked up to the road and walked about a mile on the shoulder of the road, having to remember that the oncoming traffic was on the right side of the road, not the left. The only time that was an issue was trying to get through the roundabout. Here, the circle flows clockwise. Such a mind trick!

After about a mile, and Papa D's dump truck passing us several times, we made it to Florence's... only to find out she had left for the day. It was only 4:45. We were disappointed, but the kids were psyched when we stopped at the minimart next door and Ben, Bear, Moose, and Roo each got a Goombay Punch, Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise got one to try, and I took a few sips of everyone's. We got two additional 6-packs of Goombay Punch and a 6-pack of Ben's favorite Ginger Beer for the boat. The guys are going to take the tender over in the morning and get some cinnamon rolls for us for breakfast before we head for Elbow Cay in the morning.

Ben and Uncle Paul decided to walk back to get the tender on their own, so Aunt Denise and I took the kids across the street to the beach to swim and play. We didn't realize we left the sand toys in the tender until later.

At the water's edge, the kids spotted a sea star that was tumbling around with each wave crash. One of them finally grabbed it and we all admired it before throwing it back, but further away so it didn’t have to tumble and crash forever.

When the boys finally came to us with the Chicken, they told us it was tipped on its side and had a ton of water in it when they got back to it. Ben had to pull-start it because the battery got wet. They sat in the tender to let it charge while the kids finally had their sand toys to play with. Of course, it wasn't nearly long enough and they complained when we had to clean up and go.

Aunt Denise, the kids, and I loaded into the tender while it was being tossed around on the bigger waves, and made our way back to the Cartermaran. 

Uncle Paul and the kids swam around the boat at the anchorage to get the sand off before getting rinsed off on the boat and into jammies. House lights along the shore came on, so it was easy to see which homes on the beach were occupied and which weren't. It was cloudy for the sunset, and everyone went to bed pretty early.

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

Great Sale Cay

Boat battery died at 3am. Whenever this happens, everyone wakes up because all of the sounds of the boat turn off. Ben had to start the boat to get the generator to turn on. I think everyone went back to sleep. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Had some big waves at the anchorage and for the first 30-45 minutes underway this morning. I stayed in my bed to help me brace the impacts 😬 I knew I couldn't make a run for the cockpit and just had to wait it out. Ben said it wouldnt be long. Aunt Denise was stuck in the bathroom because it wasn't bad when she went in, but it got so bumpy very quickly. Uncle Paul had to help her walk up to the cockpit couch so she could lay down!

Once the water smoothed out, everyone just hung out and recovered while we were underway. We anchored at Great Sale Cay. (As a reminder, "Cay" is pronounced "Key".) Looked for a beach to play and swim. Took the Chicken and walked around on shore. Lots of tiny snails, a blue crab, sand biscuits, and lots of glass, plastic, and random trash. It was overcast, so not too hot. The water was pretty shallow and very warm so we didn’t get in past our ankles. 

Rode the tender to what we thought was a sandbar, but turned out to be something else we couldn't figure out. We made Moose attempt to touch the bottom while holding onto the side of the tender and he couldn't, so we turned around.

Moose and Ben took the Chicken out for a spin. Everyone took showers, then we had dinner, and played Kids Against Maturity which is always good for a laugh. Tried to plan the next few stops along the way south. (Treasure Cay, Elbow Cay, Spanish Wells, Eleuthera, Nassau, and make it to Atlantis early on the 7th.) Reserved Atlantis Marina slip for June 7, 8, 9.

Got another sunset, but this one was cloudier. Still, we love watching them!

Bahamas-Bound

Met Uncle Paul & Aunt Denise at Safe Harbor a little after 7 am. Took one last run of trash from unpacking yesterday. We were all onboard and ready to fill up when Safe Harbor opened. Filled up on diesel ($5.90/gal) and water and were on our way. Got to Lake Worth Inlet around 8:30 and were on the open ocean by 9 am. Arrived shortly before 4. (3:48) Not too bad. I thought it would take much longer!

Wave prediction was 1 footers, with peaks at 2 feet, 8-9 seconds apart. We couldn't have asked for much better for this crossing. When the waves were causing beam seas, I was feeling a little sick, so I took a dramamine just to be safe.

Uncle Paul had lines trolling behind us. Caught something big, but it got away after quite the fight. He thought it was a shark or wahoo by the strength of it.

Everyone napped on and off. Rolliness of waves decreased as the day went on. No dolphins to welcome us in this time, so the beautiful Bahamas blues took over as the welcoming committee.

Docked at West End. Surprisingly, we still had time for Ben to get to customs, come back to the boat, and have us fill out papers before they closed. He said we would go anchor out since we got everything done, if he can just pay a landing fee, which he could, so we did!

Found a spot just to the north and made dinner while the kids swam, teathered to the boat and each other due to the very strong current. After dinner, it was time to fish. Bear, Moose, and Roo caught at least 1 fish each. They caught yellowtail snappers, grunts, squirrel fish and threw them all back after the never-ending photos they requested with each catch.

We watched the sun go down and then went to bed. Most of us were asleep by 9!

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.