EP 27 - Dismal Swamp SNAFUS on the Great Loop 

Awww. Thank you for such a kind comment. I just can't help myself with the expression. Glad you find them amusing. Move adventures to come! Thanks for watching and cheering us on :)

I was thinking Cinda could narrate an entire episode with only her expressions. 😂

Thank you. We are so glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank YOU for this sweet comment. This is exactly why we didn't wait till after the kiddos were grown up. Looping with kids is much more difficult than without but they learned so much along the way and hopefully they will be better for it. They are certainly more resilient than they were before they loop and that alone is priceless. Thanks for watching and cheering us on!

That is awesome! Sooner is always better than later :). And thank YOU for such a sweet comment. Editing these videos takes time and you never know if it is worth it. But a comment like this makes our day!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!!!

Thanks Rob! We definitely saw on-the-water security while we were cruising by but they just watched us. We had a very interesting encounter with the military in Mobile Bay that will be in a future episode. Always grateful for our military!

Stay tuned.... (and thanks for watching :))

That is such a cool trivia fact about the even and odd numbered teams. And we are SO IMPRESSED that your son is a Seal. As his mama, that has to be incredibly stressful. Big thanks to you and your whole family for your service to our great country! And you should totally do the loop!

@@TheBoomershines ❤

You are absolutely correct that we were the leader because of our position on the dock -- it certainly wasn't because of our expertise or confidence LOL. The night before there was some debate about whether or not having the biggest boat go first would help clear the way or stir up more debris for the boats behind us to hit. Based on our limited observation, we cleared the way. We hit 8 submerged objects. I don't think the boats behind us hit any. That could also be due to our size. The Dismal Swamp remains a conundrum.

We had no clue Rex could do that many pull ups! He surprised us all. Apparently, boat life if good for building upper body strength. You will probably be very amused at our first experience in the Chesapeake. We had a doozy of a first day. But we survived to tell you about it so that is all that matters LOL. It should be an entertaining episode.

You are probably right LOL

You may be giving me way too much credit LOL I am usually an open book too but in this case, Mark was super frustrated and upset that he did something so silly as forget to put the oil cap back on. We didn't really capture how upset he was or how big of a mess it was or how the generator didn't want to start again. I had to stay positive because I needed to keep him going or we would become the newest residents of the Dismal Swamp. LOL. As you know, boating is full of highs and lows. Thank you for saying we are doing a good job capturing both -- we want to show an accurate picture. Thanks for yet another super sweet comment :)

BUT I’ve never had a grilled cheese place close right in front of me!! Highs and lows!!

Thanks Sammy!

That would have been great!

So true!!! :)

Not to worry -- we won't stop. We just threaten to from time to time LOL.

We are 4' 5" ish. We never hit bottom, just unseen submerged stuff.

Thank you so much. That's about what we draft. Good luck in your continued travels

Our draft was 4'6" ish. We never hit bottom. Rather, we hit submerged items that seemed to be sort of floating along, submerged in the murky water.

LOL

Now THAT is a tender!

Great suggestion! We will try that approach with Russel our voiceover man/robot. LOL

Unfortunately yes. But great suggestion. It did not shut down it just stopped thrusting.

It is a beautiful area!!! Thank you for sharing it with us.

We were hoping somebody would post about the ships we were passing by. We love it when our viewers add information to the story. And what a bummer that YT deleted it. That stinks! I'll look into figuring out how to do a community tab. Thanks for the suggestion!

@@TheBoomershines Hmmm...sometimes, YT won't delete stuff as a reply...so let's try to post the note here... I have been waiting for these ones...Norfolk Harbor is one of the best places in the world for military ship spotting! LOL Can't be sure without seeing the hull number...but assuming you guys were passing through Norfolk in 2023, that aircraft carrier was the USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75), which was in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an approximately 1 year repair and refit period. She is one of the ten Nimitz Class nuclear powered supercarriers in service, was originally commissioned into the Navy in 1998, and was in the shipyard from December 2022 until January 2024. At 26:10 USS Stout (DDG-55)...Arleigh Burke class destroyer At 26:15 It is hard to tell...I did not see a hull number on that big ship, but it was an amphibious assault ship of some kind. It carries US Marines for amphibious operations and other land battles, as well as helicopters and F-35B aircraft to support them. It is either one of the America class LHA ships or one of the Wasp class LHD ships. At 28:06 I can see that large Amphibious Assault Ship either Wasp or America class, and right next to it I can see one of the growing number of San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships (LPD)...it is the one that has the two thick masts on it that look like they are made to be "stealth"...which they actually are. They carry a battalion of Marines and vehicles and supplies, and they also have a floodable space at the back called the well deck that allows them to carry and launch landing craft. They usually carry 2 LCAC...landing craft air cushion...which are huge hovercraft "ferries" that can carry 60 tons of stuff per trip. OK...at 28:31 I got hull numbers for both those ships...the number 21 is the USS New York (LPD-21) and the other ship has a 7, which means it is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) of the Wasp class. In the background at 28:29 I can clearly see another amphibious assault ship...it looks like a carrier with a "flat top" flight deck, but the superstructure definitely means it is an amphibious assault type ship...the aircraft carriers have much smaller superstructures.

This is so fascinating -- and so cool that you know all of this. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

And thank goodness YT allowed it this time :)

@@TheBoomershines I am sure I will have a lot more after next video. LOL

That would have been hilarious!!!

It sure was!

Can you try to be spread love instead of hate? You get what you put out into the world and I promise if you put out love and kindness you will get more love and kindness back - which it seems you may need. I wish you all the best (said with the straightest, but most loving face possible). Shine on!

@@ronniemccabe3165 I love every sentence from that goofy ass face! ❤️

Great points! We took your advice on our first day in the Dismal Swamp Canal. We were the last boat in our crew for that very reason. But for whatever reason, our group decided to try the other approach for day two and have us lead and all the boats staggered behind us at a safe distance. We hit 8 submerged items. One boat behind us hit something small but the rest hit nothing. Honestly I think the Dismal Swamp is a craps shoot. Everyone just has to cross their fingers and hope for the best!

Why that is quite a compliment! Thank you!!! We are trying to provide a different type of Loop video that is entertaining to everyone -- not just loopers. So glad to hear it is working. We really appreciate the kind comment :)

Rex says thank you! We were all impressed -- and totally surprised LOL

Thank you very much!

:) :) :)

Thank you! Boating definitely has highs and lows. If you take your dive gear with you on the loop, you will be everyone's favorite buddy boat LOL. But seriously, pack your dive gear! And thank you for your service🇺🇸

Clearly, we had no clue what each of the navy ships was LOL. We were just excited to see them and grateful to have them protecting us. And thank YOU for protecting us. We appreciate it so much.

⁠@@TheBoomershines I can totally relate. The first time you see a naval ship that size, from a normal perspective, they seem like the goliaths, that they are! Love the content, the positivity, and enthusiasm; can’t wait for next weeks episode!

Thank you!!!

And I love how he did it all BEFORE hand not while you're entering the lock.

He was awesome!!! With it only being our second lock ever, he made us feel at ease.