How it all started...

Summer 2012

It started simply enough, a couple of summers ago.  We were at our local Tugfest, a boat show of Tugs and creatively modified workboats in our local town.  We both had been boaters in the past (me sail, Jeff power) but we were boatless at the time.  We mused, if you could take off on one of these boats and go anywhere, right now, where would you go?  We tossed around a few ideas -- The North Channel, The Trent-Severn -- and I mentioned a book I had read about the Great Loop and described the trip to Jeff.

A chord was struck and it quickly mushroomed from there.  We spent hours pouring over the net, talking to people, figuring out how we could possibly pull this off.  Planning, learning, discussing, budgeting and most of all dreaming became our focus.  It was doable.  That quickly became apparent.  And it sounded like it would be TONS of fun!!  We were both sold.

The next thing we knew........  we were gleefully boat shopping!!  Go small - go simple - go now became our adopted motto.  Our list of "must haves" included:

1. It had to be safe.
2. It had to be reliable.
3. It had to be economical enough to fit our budget (which is modest)
4. It had to be "homey" 

We ended up with an older Mainship 34 that needed a bit of updating but was sound and fit the bill for this trip just swimmingly!

Meet, Gran Vida:

Honeymoon Bay,  Beausoleil Island,  Georgian Bay National Parks, Ontario, Canada.