Cartermaran Crew- who we are

Hello and welcome!

We are a family of 5 (+ a Boston Terrier dog, Dixie- and as of the 2025 summer, we added our new pup- Hattie, the Boxer). Normally, our adventures consist of packing into our Ram 3500 with a truck camper and roaming the roads venturing through national parks of the US. Like many others, COVID-19 made us do some thinking. After deciding that living on a power cat was not actually a retirement dream, we bought one and now get to explore the US and Caribbean from the ocean, stopping along the way to educate ourselves on the amazing history of our country.

Ben is a firefighter, I'm a teacher, and our kids are 14 years old and younger, so we have a full 2 months dedicated to this new adventure. In our first summer aboard (2021), we traveled south from Rhode Island, where we bought our boat, and explored national parks, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. We loved the Bahamas so much that we dedicated the following summer (2022) to them. Though a few unexpected mishaps shortened our trip, we spent five unforgettable weeks there, and made a promise to return after completing the Great Loop, which was the reason we bought the boat.

We began our Great Loop on June 2, 2023, in Sebastian, Florida. That summer took us north all the way to Acadia National Park in Maine, before hauling out in New London, Connecticut. In the summer of 2024, we cruised from New London up the Hudson River, through Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence, then made our way through the Rideau and Trent-Severn canals, landing in the stunning and unforgettable Georgian Bay and North Channel of Canada. We wrapped up that leg in Chicago, where we were hauled out once again.

Now it’s summer 2025, and we’re cruising the rivers south from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll make our way through Lake Okeechobee (pending water levels!) and return to Sebastian, Florida to complete our Loop. Next summer, we plan to return to the Bahamas for one last hurrah before we sell our beloved Cartermaran and return to landlubber summer adventures.

 Join us on our journey as we learn the maritime life, one wave at a time.