I spent my third month in Lake Huron with a short side trip to Lake Superior, anchoring as much as I could. It was truly a magical month filled with looper friends, great summer weather, raw natural beauty, and daily adventures.
One of my biggest accomplishments is reaching my goal of raising $5000, half of which I donated to the Coral Reef Research Foundation. I put the remaining $2500 toward diesel fuel, spending $3098.99 so far for 484.57 gallons. Thank you to everyone who donated! You have helped to propel me 1533.3 miles from May 25th to August 31, 2026.
As I start down Lake Michigan toward the river systems, I am resetting my goal and starting a new campaign with Waterway Warriors, a non-profit focused on removing trash from the vital lifelines that flow down into Florida. They share my message that all water is connected through the water cycle, from Florida to Palau to the water within our cells. I met Sharon Noll purely by chance along the loop route while anchoring in Baie Fine. We both are working remotely and started chatting about our lives and jobs, quickly realizing that we share the same passion for environmental stewardship and a healthy planet. We rafted up to each other at our next stop in the Benjamin Islands and started formulating our plan on how we could join forces and support each other.
Sharon and a small group of waterway warriors started this organization from the ground up and have been educating, inspiring, and empowering the community to take action to remove the trash, and helping them fully understand the devastating impact it has on our precious aquatic and land ecosystems. I am SUPER excited to see what we can accomplish together! Stay tuned for more…
Here are my stats for the first 3 months:
| Topic | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Total |
| Days | 33 days (24 travel days) | 31 days (21 travel days) | 31 days (21 travel days) | 95 days (66 travel days) |
| Travel time | 122:26 hours | 60:34 hours | 65:49 hours | 248:49 hours |
| Distance | 528.4 nm (799.61 mi) | 368.6 nm (424.18 mi) | 435.4 nm (501.05 mi) | 1332.4 nm (1533.30 mi) |
| Average speed | 6.2 kts (7.1 mph) | 6.0 kts (6.9 mph) | 6.6 kts (7.6 mph) | 6.3 kts (7.3 mph) |
| States and Countries | 5 states (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY) | 2 countries (US, Canada) | 2 countries (US, Canada), 6 states (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, MI) | US (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY) and Canada (ON) |
| Visitors | 3 (Peggy, Lisa, Sue) | 0 | 2 (Cadi, Gabe) | 5 (Peggy, Lisa, Sue, Cadi, Gabe) |
| Stops | 25 (14 marinas, 8 anchorages, 3 free walls) | 20 (8 marinas, 1 anchorage, 11 free walls/docks) | 16 stops (8 marinas, 7 anchorages, 1 free dock) | 61 (30 marinas, 16 anchorages, 15 free walls/docks) |
| Locks traversed | 22 (Troy and Eastern Erie Canal) | 44 (Trent-Severn Waterway) | 2 (Soo locks) | 68 (Troy, Erie, TS, Soo) |
| Favorite moment | Being on my own boat on the Atlantic Ocean riding waves and watching dolphins | Waubic restaurant and riding the E-SURF | Cadi and Gabe visiting | Cadi and Gabe visiting |
| Hardest moment | Docking on the Hudson River fighting wind gusts and current | Leaving my kids to come back to the boat | My windlass trying to eat my hand | Docking on the Hudson River fighting wind gusts and current |
| Favorite stop | Clayton, NY | Lakefield, ON | Killarney, ON | Killarney, , ON |
| Best bathroom | Marlboro YC, NY | Port Trent, ON | Killarney, ON | Port Trent, ON |
| Best boat name | The Sea Word | Dirty Oar | Blazing Paddles | Dirty Oar |
My next quarter will be crossing over Lake Michigan to Wisconsin and then south to Chicago where I will turn inland to go down the rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, with a side trip home to Cincinnati along the way. I have learned new skills and met new people every day since I started this journey. I am looking forward to what the next chapter brings and feel a renewed sense of purpose from my emerging partnership with Sharon and Waterway Warriors.
“We learn most where we know the least.” – Gloria Steinem
To support the adventure or to track The ‘Nati Nomad’s progress, visit greatloop.thenatinomad.com.
