Video Transcript

00:00:00

We bought an old yacht to cruise the Great Loop in 2025. But after a v-drive failure on our maiden voyage, we ended up on the hard for too long and our weather window passed. So, we pivoted and took our camper van Ogre to Newfoundland to escape the Florida heat. We returned to boat projects in the fall of 2025 and dove right back in. Finally, after 485 days on the hard, Swamp Puppy, our beloved Carver motor yacht, was splashed. We finished up a few tasks that had to be done on the water and now it’s time to leave the dock for the first time. How do you think we’ll do?

00:00:29

We’re 2 hours and 12 minutes in and we’ve made it about 12 miles, a little over 12 miles. We’re currently in Vero Beach, which is my personal favorite beach in Florida simply because I grew up going here. Being born and raised in Central Florida and being a multigenerational Floridian, we would come over to Vero Beach. In fact, I remember heading out a little early from high school when I was a junior and senior to come over to catch some waves, or going up to Sebastian Inlet to catch some waves.

00:01:31

And this is where my family went every 4th of July. So, lots of great memories coming through Vero Beach. Now, a lot of the cruisers call this Velcro Beach because it’s so good they just don’t want to leave. Dolphins already! We’ve seen one beautiful big yacht going by. Everything seems  to be going pretty good other than our dinghy [davit]. Unfortunately, if I go above 1100 RPM, which puts us at 6.1-6.2 knots, if I go any faster than that, the boat Swamp Puppy sits down a little too much and our dinghy ends up dragging.

00:02:13

So, we need to raise the dinghy even further. But that’s okay. This  is our first little trip and we’re looking forward to starting the Loop. This is our shakedown test, so to speak. We’re currently passing Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. And fun fact, it was the first wildlife refuge.

00:03:07

We got about 50 minutes or so left or 40 minutes before we’re stopping and dropping anchor. So, we’re doing pretty good. It’s about 12:10 p.m.  Getting hungry. Looking forward to lunch. Looking forward to dropping the anchor and hopefully taking the dinghy and going to the beach. And I just got a dolphin. Okay.  You ready to drop the anchor?

00:04:03

You ready? You got to kick it out. Okay. Stay clear. Yep. Did it drop? That’s it, huh? [laughter] Yeah. Not deep enough though. What? Not deep enough. Anchor’s been holding for a little while. Elyse ran down and made us some lunch. Look at this. Oh my gosh. What’s that? I said, “What’s going on here?” for the camera. This will be Elyse’s first time getting  into the dinghy. She says she’s going to do it with grace and dignity. Her words. Fortunately, I have the camera. [laughter]

00:05:26

I feel like this is the wet seat, huh? Okay, it’s a little fun. It’s a little fun. Oh no, we’ve run a ground. So, how’s she feel with two people? You know, a little bit slower, but that’s how it goes. Oh no, our engine broke already. It did not. [laughter]