Sunday Summary #95

Friends and Family on the West Coast of Florida

Hi ,

Welcome to Scho & Jo’s 92nd Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written aboard PIVOT who is docked in St. Pete, Florida.

This Sunday Summary is sponsored by Oasis Marinas.

Last Week.

After spending several nights on anchor in a super protected anchorage in Clearwater, it was time to get off the boat to enjoy this area! We enjoyed two beautiful days at the Clearwater Beach Marina by Oasis exploring Clearwater Beach, tasting some really delicious food, and enjoying the sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.

The Clearwater Beach Marina located at the Marriot had a rooftop bar that had views over the marina. We enjoyed some cocktails to celebrate Elliot’s birthday and reflect on a memorable past year. The marina was in the prime location to walk to the beach, some local restaurants, and runs on the boardwalk. We had a great two days in Clearwater that left us wanting more! Be sure to watch our Instagram and Facebook stories this week to see what we were up to! We want to say a big thank you to Oasis Marinas for hosting us in Clearwater Beach for an awesome two days!

Getting to the west coast of Florida has been non-stop busy for us. We’ve been visiting with family and both new and old friends. Cruising the Great Loop is amazing and has given us so many phenomenal new experiences that we would have never experienced otherwise. It’s also been challenging to coordinate family and friend visits. There’s a saying in boating that "you can tell people where you’ll be or when you’ll be there but not both." This is almost a direct conflict with a flight coming to see us, a specific date, and a location!  Lives based on the weather don't typically mesh well with regimented schedules. However, since being on the west coast of Florida, we have been much closer to friends and family members. This time has really filled our cups which we've been longing for!

Top left: Elliot's mom, Connie

Top right: Jen's aunt, Patti

Middle: Elliot's sister, Nicole and her boyfriend, Joey

Lower left: Jen's friend from architecture school and college roommate, Jeff, who started

a furniture company

with his twin brother

Lower right: Butch who has a YouTube channel, 

, and a trawler

Lastly, we gave our Anchoring and Loving It presentation at the AGLCA Looper-palooza and shared our favorite part of boat life: anchoring! We also had the opportunity to facilitate a round table discussion on Looping on a Budget. It was such a fun few days meeting our subscribers and catching up with loop friends. As we near the end of our Great Loop journey, it's really exciting to see others about to start their own journey. The excitement, uncertainty, nerves, and so many other feelings resonate as we were there just a year ago. Feeling the confidence that we've gained over the past 5,500 nautical miles of boating around the Great Loop and knowing that a year from now these same people will have gone through similar, but different, experiences and will return as completely different people. It's pretty spectacular!While we were in Fort Meyers for two days, PIVOT was docked at our very near and dear friend's dock, Bill and Margie who we first met in Chesapeake City, MD. After a long day of cruising and boat mishaps, we ended our night rafted on their boat and Bill shared with us two Hersey kisses. When we were at the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous in Tennessee, Bill shared with us two Hersey kisses as a way to calm our nerves. Before we left for the Looper-palooza, Bill shared with us two Hersey kisses again. We are so lucky to call Bill and Margie friends. We've been working, resting, and living “easy” as we enjoy the comforts of a dock without the price tag. Everyone talks about the people you meet on the loop, and Bill and Margie are some of the best!

This Sunday Summary is Sponsored by Oasis Marinas

Oasis Marinas has just opened a resort marina at Clearwater Beach Marina, located at the Mariott. A brand new marina, they have deep water slips, top-of-the-line floating docks, and best of all, it's located off the protected ICW and 800 feet from Clearwater Beach! While we visited, we enjoyed quality cocktails while enjoying the sunset from the rooftop bar, it was incredible. 

Until March 31st, 2023 they are offering 20% off on all reservations if you book on snag-a-slip and use code CBVIP20. Learn more here. Enjoy!

This Week.

We are about 7 cruising days and about 2 weeks from completing our Great Loop. Typing those words gives me goosebumps. This has been two years in the making and the fact that we are getting closer and closer to achieving that goal is pretty wild! Nearing the end of this great adventure feels bittersweet. Originally we planned to go all the way down to the Everglades and cross the Florida Bay to the Keys but we’re toying with the idea of crossing Florida and going across Lake Okeechobee to meet some friends who will be arriving shortly after we finish our loop. Either way, we’re excited to trade in our torn, white AGLCA flag for a gold one. 💛

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey”– Pat Conroy

 Videos. 

We planned to release a video this week, but unfortunately, it’s still being processed by our copyright music company. If the video doesn’t get approved by the end of the day Monday, we’ll re-edit it with new music, re-upload it and have it ready for Wednesday.

As we’re finishing our Great Loop in the next few weeks, we recently came to the realization that we need to enjoy these moments and take them in. As a result, we’ll be a bit slower posting on YouTube so we can focus on being in the present moment and filming our experience. We don’t want to look back and think about how we spent the last few cruises inside editing and not taking appreciating these unique experiences. Ultimately we believe this decision will create better videos in the long run although the downside is that we’ll be releasing fewer videos only temporarily. With that being said, we appreciate your patience in waiting and understanding!

Vote for us, again!

We’ve been nominated for a Current Award which are awards presented to content creators in the marine industry. We need YOUR HELP to win the “Up and Coming Creator!” Our competition is steep and we're only in the lead by 1% of the vote. You can do it once per browser AND once per day, so your phones, tablets, and computers all count as separate votes. It's two clicks and shouldn't take more than a minute of your time. We appreciate your support!

 From the Eyes of Ollie. 

We've had many visitors on our boat. I've gotten so many pets, love, and treats from so many of my friends. It's GREAT! Aunt Nicole let me nap on her bed while my parents left me for the night. I love having visitors in my home. I'm the welcome committee and greet everyone who visits my family with excitement and joy.

 Gratitudes. 

We are beyond grateful to call Bill and Margie friends. We've been loving being on a dock with access to laundry, water, electricity, a car, Bill's tools, and Margie's baked goods. As much as we love being on anchor, it is one more hurdle when it comes to taking Ollie out and being mindful of our power and water consumption. There are so many things that we take for granted living on land that is on a dock gives us those luxuries. Bill and Margie are the kinds of people that have left a lasting impression on us. Thank you Bill and Margie for your hospitality, generosity, and friendship!

Peace and love,Jenn + Elliot