Merry Christmas to all

  The Campbell Christmas Letter       2016

It’s been three years since SUMMERTIME became our home. Life aboard a 36 foot trawler has suited us surprisingly well. Leaving our boat tucked away in the southland while we returned to our beloved Maine woods cabin   made it possible for us to be with our grandchildren for the summer months of 2104 and 2015.  What a treat!  But this was “The Year of the Great Loop”.

In order to complete the 6,000 mile waterway trek, we had to be moving the boat through the northern waters of Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan during the warmer summer months. We sure did miss our camping routines with the girls, now 7 and 9.  As soon as we returned to the Gulf waters on Mobile Bay/ Fairhope, Alabama in early November, we made a bee-line for Maine for the holidays.

We have been living with Erin, Brett, Emily, Bailey and puppy Cupcake for 7 weeks now. The rhythm of life of a growing family is sure different than ours. We walk the girls to and from school, with nippy to frigid weather prevailing most days...Br-r-r-!  After school, its off to swim lessons, gymnastics, karate, vocal and instrumental music lessons. With the first snowfall of the season, sledding is underway... soon to be followed by skating and skiing. We end each day snuggled together in bed reading the next chapter or two of a favorite book. Whew!  Brett has found his calling as Ass’t Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at the University of Maine; Erin assists students with their schedules as well as carrying out other protocol in the MET office. Church activities enthusiastically round out the week.

Since March 1st, we have traveled 5,500 miles of The Great Loop, cruising much of the navigable waterways east of the Mississippi. Early in January we will return to the boat in Mobile Bay. We’ll continue to explore the remaining 500 miles of the Gulf waters from the Florida Panhandle (Pensacola, Destin, Panama City, Port St. Joe, Appalachicola, and Carrabelle) cruising through the night to the Florida’s West Coast (Tarpon Springs, Duneden, Clearwater and St. Pete). At that point we will “cross our wake” and claim the title of Gold Loopers... thru-hikers on The Great Loop Trail of 6,000 miles!  If you have been following us on our blog (wallyand darcy.blogspot.com), you already know that this has been a life-changing experience for us. Our fellow cruisers have become our support group and our cherished new friends.

So what’s next?  We’ll catch our breath during February and March at the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin, poking up and down the West Coast as the spirit moves us. We’ll have our car, so we can cross-cross the penisula to visit friends, also. Back at the lake in Maine in April, we’ll catch up with some projects that didn’t get done last summer. The joys of boat and cabin ownership always involve something to fix or improve upon!  And of course we’ll be welcoming our granddaughters back to the camp activities. Our trawler SUMMERTIME will come out of the water at Charlotte Harbor and spend her summer under cover during hurricane season. We’ll return to Florida in October to do annual boat maintenance so that she can return to the water in early November as our insurance allows.  Such is the ebb and flow of our lives. We hope this finds you doing well and being happy. May God’s blessings be with you...not only during this Christmas season, but throughout the coming year.          Love, Darcy and Wally     

                    (828) 231-5025      wallyand darcy@gmail.com