We are doing it again!
As of July 1, we are officially on our second Loop. Check out the Great Loop website:
As of July 1, we are officially on our second Loop. Check out the Great Loop website:
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Chris is an engineer and will continue working part-time on the voyage. He has painstakingly upgraded all systems so LaRea will be a safe and secure home on the water. He is looking forward to exploring new places on the second loop and possibly finding a new home port for LaRea when the Loop is done. He is also a musician who wants to enjoy live music along the way.

Diane retired in June 2024 from a teaching career of thirty-eight years and has begun working on her second career dream: author. A boat is a perfect place to complete the second and third books in her dystopian trilogy. Reading is one of her many passions she hopes to indulge in during retirement. She is most looking forward to honing her boating skills and trying to pry the wheel out of her husband's hands.

LaRea is a 2011 Maritimo A50 Enclosed Flybridge. She is named for Chris's mother who passed in 1997. All of our boats have borne her name to honor the love of nature she instilled in her children. We searched patiently for four years for the right boat and finally found her in April of 2023 in Miami. She is powered by Volvo Penta D-12 800 straight shaft diesels. With the hydraulic swim platform, she is 53' overall with a girthy 17' 6" beam.
Major reasons she is "the one": climate controlled enclosed flybridge with interior stairs, tender garage, hydraulic platform and covered cockpit with a large freezer aft. Oh, and she is very swoopy...translation: sexy!
Stennis Lock

Banner from Bill and Sandi

Gold Flag Ceremony

MVYC Family

Home Again

Welcome Home LaRea!

Colonial Beach Love signs

Colonial Beach "Love" signs

Where all the cool kids ride...

Cape Charles Brewing Company

Peace and Love from Cape Charles

Neptune-Cape Charles

Hampton Yacht Club Burgee


Fresnel Light Portsmouth


Stowaway from Coinjock!

Lots of trust involved!

Plenty of room...

Coinjock-home of the tight fit!

Back to the land of midges!

Almost to the Virginia Border

Belle Haven NC

Boat Name-Look Closely!

New Computer Port Engine

Free Boat Wash

Look how shiny!


Carolina Squat

Living on the Hard

Before and After-Platform Controller

Named After Diane

Great Boat Name


Beaufort Grocery Co. Filet-YUM!

Free Beer Beaufort NC

Wrightsville Yacht Club

Southport Gooney Bird

Dinner with Free Flow

Pilot's Association Tower

Robert Creech Harbor Host

"The Porch" Southport

Wake Damage

Georgetown Food/Beer/Wine Fest

Private Home, Brew Pub, B & B

One of Peyton's Family Homes

Welcome to Georgetown!

Diane's To Go Cup

Sandi and Bill Pour House

The Reckoning at the Pour House

Ravenel Bridge Charleston

Rainbow Row, Charleston

Charleston Carriage Tour with Tom and Cliasta

Charleston Docktails on LaRea

ICW

Savannah Carriage Ride


Beaufort Swings



Walking Beaufort


Beaufort Anchorage

Shake, shake, shake your bootay!

Heritage Harbor Hilton Head

Dinghied to the 18th Hole!

Goodyear Blimp over Hilton Head for Tournament

Hilton Head-Heritage Golf Tournament Hole 18

City Market Savannah

More disturbing wax figures...

Prohibition Museum Savannah

Fried Corn-Savannah

River Street, Savannah

Forsyth Park, Savannah

Diane's Dream Car

Rick's Apothecary Brunswick

Made it to Georgia!

Sharing a Milkshake with a new friend!

Palace Saloon, Oldest Bar in Florida

Fernandina Beach FL

Hammock Beach Resort

Amy's Birthday in St. Augustine

Vesper and Cucumber Martinis

St. Augustine Bar Hopping

Greatest Name EVER!

Making Friends Cape Marina

Creepy but Cool

Another favorite...

Eau Gallie Art my Favorites...

Even Cornhole is art in Eau Gallie!

Happy Boy

Forklift Overkill?

Making LaRea Great Again

Eau Gallie Murals are everywhere!

Morning Walk Vero Beach

Loggerhead Pool Vero Beach

Loggerhead Lounge Vero Beach-see LaRea?

St. John's Island Community-Vero Beach

Carl and Lynne-MVYC Friends

Best Brussel Sprouts EVER!

Pelican Yacht Club, Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce Jetty Park Art

Fort Pierce Jetty Park Memorials

Pelican Yacht Club, Fort Pierce

Ready to be back on the water!

Ready to Splash...

Look How Shiny!

Finishing Touches

Scary tall Scaffolding

Ready for her Spa appointment!

Step Two: Remove Locking Mechanism

Step One: Remove Swim Platform

The new one in place...

Success!

We have to get this up there?

Tearing up a perfectly good floor!

White Marlin Flag Riviera Beach

Hanging Out in North Palm Beach

Lobster Po' Boy

Racing a Storm

Chris in his Fighting Chair

Fresh Lobsters for Dinner

Getting the Band Back Together

Trolling from Freeport to West End

Freeport, Grand Bahamas

Dinner at Xuma

The View from our Table

Heading to Dinner

Highborne Sunset

Highborne Cay

After Dinner

Chris vs Lobster

Norman's Yacht Club Bar

Mini Beers on Hakuna Matata

Hanging with Marie and Sylvain

The brand new pool at Norman's Cay

Happy Hour on our Private Island, O'Brien's Cay

My Birthday Gift to Chris

Space X Landing

Our new pet...

Rachel's Bathtub, Compass Cay

Schoonering Fowl Cay

Fowl Cay Tidal Pool


Secret Tidal Pool

Not so cute!

So cute...

Exploring

Stinkin' Cute!

Two LaReas in Fowl Cay

Goodbye Staniel Cay

Daniel's Art

Staniel Cay Airport


Pig Mural

Staniel Cay Walking Tour

Delicious Meal

SCYC Dining

Staniel Cay Nurses

Rick is real; we met him!

Best boat name yet?

No caption needed...

Cheers from Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay Yacht Club

Chris Highborne Cay

Iguanas Allen's Cay

Our Neighbor Highborne Cay-Shark Ray

High Seas Aftermath

LaRea-Yacht Haven Nassau

Welcome to Nassau

What? Chris relaxing?

Poolside Bimini

Dolphin House

Dolphin House Bimini

Helipad Shot

Bimini Beach Resort End

Bimini Beach Our End

Janky beyond all Janktitude

Bahamas Prep

LaRea checks in to Bimini

Exiting Miami-Haulover Inlet

Little Florida, New River Ft. Lauderdale

Entering The Wiggles-New River Ft. Lauderdale

Destiny, our dockmate

Happy Place

Paradise Found-Ft. Lauderdale

Broker Bobby from Below Deck!

Someone is boat shopping...

Bill Bird Marina Miami-16 Fenders!

Brickell Key-Hi Bob and Linda!

...Here we come!

Lookout Miami...

Rinker Friend Jeff Key Largo

Dinner Key Largo

Marathon Sunset

Cocktails in the Cockpit

Moon over Marathon


Sandi's Birthday

A gift from Chris

BFF's-Boat Friends Forever

Together Again

View New Place Auburn Hill

Another Goodwill Run

Packing Up with Fred and Kelly

Minnie Poses

Bad place to visit on a Saturday!

Another Great Boat Name

Hemingway's Last Red Cent

Hemingway's Urinal Fountain

One of Hemingway's Cats

Named after Sandi's Boat?

As of 1/16/25


Another great boat name

Claudia Rolls a Cigar for Chris

Rum Punch Key West

Monitoring Engines Underway

Generator Repair

Who has a shopping problem?

Of course he did!

Concours Club Miami

Chris Co-Pilots

Thanks Bob for the sweet ride!

Let the shoveling begin!

Should have stayed in Florida!

View from our Rental

Chris Supporting the Mission

Celebrating 90 Years, or are we?

Birthday Girl

Birthday Boy

Visiting Charlottesville with Jim

Ready for a new year!

You got PUNKED!

Happy Boys!

Bacon Crackers!

Anchor Project

Neighbors Marco Island Marina

Marco Island Yacht Club

Walking off Dinner

Good Friends-Good Food

Bourbon Roasted Bird

Elf Diane

Christmas Feast

Christmas Eve Chili Dogs

Frolics with Dolphins

Hurricane Damage

Our First Mooring Ball

The front was cool, check out the back!

They go all out here!

Marina Jacks Sarasota

Pretty Girl

Chris's Gift to Me

SYC Burgee Exchange with DJ

SYC Foyer-LaRea in slip

SYC Pool

SYC

SYC from our Dock

Sarasota Moon

Even Cuter Close Up

Stinkin' Cute! Grandma LaRea would be proud!

Boat Lost From Longboat Key Moorings Marina

Tampa Bridge

Hurricane Damage

Sponge Diver Diane

Sponge Diver Chris

Mural Tarpon Springs

Another Favorite Boat Name

Tarpon Springs-Sponge Capitol!

For Paula

Yes, there was drinking involved.

Changing the Flag

Lisa and Greg cross their wake

Clearwater-nice shot Ruckman!

Gulf Crossing Begins

Shopping in Carrabelle

Pearl Harbor Day Carrabelle

Random Stuffed Animal Display

Happy Birthday Boy

Silly Friends

Birthday Party for Bill

Sunset Fort McCree

Dunes Fort McCree

Post Thanksgiving-Christmas Tree Decorating

Thanksgiving with Bill and Sandi

Orange Beach Marina

Orange Beach Mailbox

Terry Cove-incredible boat house

New Friends

Dang it! They already have an MVYC burgee.

FYC Slip View

FYC Sunset

Fairhope Yacht Club

LaRea Fairhope Yacht Club

Endeavor Last Lock

Last Lock until the East Coast

Muggin' for the Cameras

Mist Tornados

Sunrise Demopolis Lock

Mick and Dawn cross their wake in Demopolis on Shamrock

Locking with Lady Lisa and Endeavor

Fog Lifting

Very friendly and hungry!

Goat Island

Making Friennds

Quite a Legend-her, not me!

FAME Studio

Iconic Studio-pretty unassuming outside...

Great day with Tracey and Ried

Rainy Lock

Denise and a Fancy Horse

Griddle first use...blueberry panckaes!

Franz

Sean and Mary's beautiful home, Mercy Farm

Bev-Sean's Mom

This one was as big as Chris!

Swims with Fish

Look how cute!

Denise and Terry Arrive

Made it to Chattanooga

Captain Sean

Entering the Gorge to Chattanooga

Random Goats Hales Bar

Dinner Sean and Mary-Top of the Rock

Top of Rock View-Jasper

Cooking on LaRea

One of these things is not like the others...

Double Up-Uh! Wilson Lock

Creepy!

Tribute to Peace and Love

Or does she? Decatur Harbor AL

Decatur AL-she just fits...

Stern Anchor Caught a Cable

Pickwick Lock

Lock Strong

Window Cleaning

I don't care who you are, that's funny!

These are going to make great Halloween Costumes!

Seriously, the first time he has ever played BINGO?

Condo Living Green Turtle Bay

Patti's Round Two!

Patti's 1800's Settlement

Nice form!

Victorious Victory!

Let's try heating that sucker!

Hydraulic Lift Repairs-Stubborn Pin

Good News: No damage and remarkably clean bottom!

Haul out Green Turtle Bay

Ghost Fishermen

The View from Pier 6 Green Turtle Bay

20 Years from now, you'll wish you'd jumped.

Graffiti Art Pisgah Bay with Tim and Beth

College Campus? Nope, Kentucky State Penitentiary

HOMES Prizer Point

Moss Creek, Kentucky

Lonely Locking in Kentucky

Kentucky Lock-Eleven Hours!

Looper Line Up Paducah

Paducah Docks

Sailor Seth's Boat "No Name"

Thanks to Looper Friend for Photo!

Sunrise at the Ohio and Mississippi

Kaskaskia Lock Overnight

Cool, but nowhere to stay here for boats.

St. Louis here we come!

What a blast!

No brakes!

Happy Boy

The Ride Up in Grafton

Grafton from Gondola

Gun Show at Courthouse Lincoln's First Case

Beardstown Mural

Logsdon Tug Service

Sunrise IVYCC

Illinois Valley Yacht and Canoe Club

Asian Carp

Look how tiny our boat is! Thanks Sandi for the pic.

Home Sweet Home at Henry's

Starved Rock-Pic Sandi

Sylvain and Marie at The 252

Seneca Provisioning

Cal-Sag Waterway meets the Illinois River

The Illinois River Beautification

Welcome to the Inland Rivers!

Happy Boy-No U Turn!

Chris surveys his work!

Chris lowering Anchor Light

Joliet Wall

Dinner Smith and Wollensky, Chicago

Reflections

Another Favorite-Note Windbreak near the top...

Chicago Skyline

Architecture Tour

Sunrise Chicago Yacht Club

Money Shot Chicago

Corn Cobs-Diane's Favorite

Chicago River Walk

Chicago Yacht Club Burgee Exchange

End River Walk

The L
Columbia Yacht Club
Another reason she is the ONE!
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