
The Down East Circle Route
Rich culture, historic charms and dramatic scenery converge in this northern summer loop for the curious cruiser.

Rich culture, historic charms and dramatic scenery converge in this northern summer loop for the curious cruiser.


Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons wreak the same havoc under different names. In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific it’s “hurricane” in the Northwest Pacific; “typhoon” and “cyclone” in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Last week, while I was busy provisioning for the Dry Tortugas, Randy was busy installing a new air conditioner in the forward berth. The old

The last couple of weeks have been busy on Blue Turtle. We’ve been gearing up for our annual trip down to the Florida Keys and

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure for more info. Living aboard with pets is a common topic among cruisers. If you

I first cruised here in around 1958 with my parents and later returned with my own kids in 1986. Many of the boats are now bigger and homes more luxurious, but the charm of harbors is still the same.

There are plenty of old salts in my bloodline, but the coup de gras was when my dad “bought my mother;” a 1928 wooden double ended trawler that you had to put a pipe in the flywheel to start.

My favorite Crown Jewel on all the Chesapeake is St. Michaels. This charming village with a fabulous anchorage overlooking the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is without peer.

I must confess that I was excited as the Chesapeake is one of the great cruising grounds in all the United States of America in my humble opinion.

Island time is great, except in an emergency. This medevac service is for boaters who need help fast.

Black streaks, yellow mustaches and rust all require different solutions to keep a boat looking clean.

A Down East icon provides inspiration for this gentlemanly cruiser.

We follow the path of explorers who ran the Northwest Passage over a century ago, but our journey is a lot more fun

We can spend years planning for a bucket-list trip and then life gets in the way. Go now.

Splashing later this year.

Karly and Evan Nietzel—aka YouTube’s @Navigating Nietzels—tailored their careers for remote work after buying a trawler, moving onboard and completing the Great Loop. Along with their pup, Ripley, they’re just getting started.

This aluminum vessel’s throwback design belies its modern systems, all installed for a Great Loop cruise.

The three-stateroom, semidisplacement model has a range of power options and a low air draft.

A solar-power system on our classic trawler lets us spend time moored or anchored with more than enough juice to meet our energy needs.