We catch up with a pair of Great Loopers who are leaving a trail of inspiration in their wake.
There were a hundred reasons to put off a trip as ambitious as The Great Loop, but Tom DeBacco and Kate Payne decided none of them were good enough to keep them from chasing that adventure. Originally introduced in our feature, Great Adventure (September 2016), their trip so far has been just that. As with any major cruise there have been good days and bad days, cold days, rainy days, hot and humid days, and everything in-between.
They’ve faced things like engine maintenance, a severe grounding complete with bent props (it happens to the best of us), as well as lock, locks, and more locks. From small towns like Mackinac Island to big cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago, they’ve visited some world-class destinations the best way we know how—from the water.
Along the way they’ve entertained their growing fan base at www.firstmatekate.com with light-hearted posts and downright impressive photography and drone footage. They even found the time to connect with other Power & Motoryacht readers.
“Shortly after arriving in Chicago, I received a short message from a girl named Amber. It simply stated that she and her boyfriend had read the article in Power & Motoryacht and wanted to know if we needed anything while we were in the Chicago area. I eagerly showed Tom the message – noting how incredibly thoughtful the message was aaaaand realizing this may be a GREAT avenue for inquiring about suggestions for all of the beauty maintenance I was hoping to catch up on while we’re here,” wrote Kate. “A few messages were exchanged and before we knew it, we were out to dinner with Amber and Kevin (and even some of their mutual friends), and then out for drinks, and then repeating the process over and over again.”
An unintentional side effect of their trip so far: Inspiration. We’ve heard from a number of readers already about how their “live for the moment” spirits have inspired them to toss off some of life’s metaphorical dock lines.
For more on DeBacco and Payne’s adventure check out their blog and the images below (Warning: they may inspire a trip of your own.) And if you’re currently out on a boating adventure of your own, I’d like to hear about it at [email protected].
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge the images:
