Pilothouse "Great Escape" Stays in Fresh Water

At the advice of our friend and previous broker we have decided to keep our boat in  the St. Louis area.  As a fresh water boat she will remain more desirable to sell.

The Pilothouse Bayliner remains in my estimation as the most desirable "Loop" boat ever made.

 Great Escape has been kept under roof and well maintained during the time we've owned her.

 A fresh water boat all her life except for a short trip to Ft. Lauderdale and back.

 As "harbor hosts" for the Great Loop Cruisers Assoc. we are convinced the pilothouse is the only way to go.

  Weather you are under way or

 on the hook the Pilothouse 4788 gives you the room to enjoy the journey.

See our ad on Boat Trader and on River Bills for details and new price

Heading South In The Perfect "Great Ioop" Cruiser a "Pilothouse Bayliner"

Remembering and looking forward to the great sunsets while at anchor. WE'VE PROMISED OURSELVES that if we don't sell Great Escape by next fall WE ARE TAKING HER SOUTH FOR ANOTHER ADVENTURE!!!

Kentucky Dam Marina will be an early stop on our way to SALT WATER.

Twenty some odd locks and dams await us.

Anchoring in the "Little River Diversion Channel" will be the next stop after topping off the diesel  at------------

Hoppi's Marina at Kimmswick Mo.   Little River Diversion Channel was designed by a fella named Eades who also built the famous St Louis bridge over the Mississippi river.

One reason I feel the Pilothouse Bayliner is the perfect cruiser is the awesome visibility from the lower helm when you want to cruise in  heated, or air conditioned  comfort. Unlike other cruisers the view is totally unobstructed.

We will have friends at times cruising with us and the spacious saloon is a great area to "kick back" and have a cool one after a day of travel.

Pilot house and other pictures of our boat can be seen on River Bills Web site where we have listed her for sale.

We'll say our good by to the Arch

When going thru locks and dams the most important issue is to have a "CENTER" cleat to attach the boat to the lock wall.  We never have to use boat polls and look clumsy due to the center cleat.

The engine room will be spiffy and all filters will be changed before leaving.  Next blog will be Kentucky lake and beyond     See Our Add on River Bills Site

Perfect "Loop Cruiser" planning another adventure ??

We can hear Great Escape" whispering to us as we visit her to take freezable items off the boat for the winter.  She seems to be saying, "you really don't want to sell me do you?"  "How about just one more trip south where you'll cruise with porpoises and grey whales instead of jumping carp in the Mississippi!"  She doesn't understand how JoAnn and I aren't "spring chickens" anymore.  Great Escape is in better condition today than she was the day we bought her and much better equipped for long range cruising!

It's not an easy decision to sell her and the idea of another adventure down the Ole Mississippi is intriguing !    In our following blogs we will play the WHAT IF GAME and plan our next trip in case we haven't sold her by next fall.  Kinda  like,  "salt water here we come!"  To see our ad to sell our Bayliner 4788 Pilothouse see the "classified ad" section on RIVERBILL.COM 

Well here she is all winterized, under roof, and put to bed for the winter for the last time if we take her south next fall!

We will really miss the marina life and great care we receive at Port Charles Harbor.  This will be our last view as we leave the marina if Great Escape doesn't sell by next fall. All our friends are invited to join us for different segments of the cruise south.

We will pass the arch and down town St. Louis Mo. for the last time on our boat. With many memories of good times we've had on the river on our minds we'll head south.

I've already started a check list for "to do" jobs to complete in the spring like changing fuel filters impellers etc. and making sure all systems are in perfect shape.  You don't want to loose power while crossing the Gulf of Mexico!  This shouldn't be too hard as we have always given her great care and she's ready. Things like redundancy of instruments with 3 chart plotters 2 VHF radios 2 depth sonars etc. on separate breakers to insure safe carefree cruising.  None of the glitzy "one screen" for radar, depth and GPS instruments that leave you in an awful mess when they "shoot craps".

Our current plan will be to arrive at our sunny destination some where in the Fort Myer Florida Gulf Coast area after several months of leisurely cruising    This is a picture of a marina in Punta Gorda that is among the top of the list where "Great Escape" could become our condo, not on but in the water!

CAN "GREAT ESCAPE" BE FOR SALE????

To see by appointment at Port Charles Harbor at mile 221.5 RDB of the Mississippi river in Port Charles Mo.                                                  Call Dave Berg (636) 812 2585

Can it be true that JoAnn and Dave are actually listing "Great Escape" FOR SALE on the RIVER BILLS web. site ????   The Bayliner 4788 Pilothouse motor yacht  is one of the all time classics cruisers that has many desirable features  She is the perfect boat for long distance cruising or just anchoring out.

The galley has full sized fridg, stove with oven, and microwave.  Also a deep freeze is in the hallway.

Saloon is comfy and she has 3 bedrooms

So.. What's age got to do with it???

Well, here we go again. Another spring is coming.  After a horrendous winter I can't wait.  What does age have to do with boating?  Since I froze my age at 67 and stopped having birthdays, it seems on the inside I haven't changed a bit.  But,,, on the outside can this be true?  I don't look the same in the mirror.

 

When we visit Great Escape I feel her tugging at my heart strings like a young puppy pulling on a leash.  "Come on,,,lets go!  The sea,, and new adventures are waiting for us!!"  I guess a good boat never gets old if you take care of her.  But does she understand how my joints feel in the morning ?

My "bucket list" is really very short as we've  followed the philosophy of an old friend who used to say "memories are better than dreams"

When are you too old to cross Gulf of Mexico alone again and if I did should I hire a captain to help?  I DON'T THINK SO!

Can we manage the many locks and dams just to get to the open water of the Gulf again??

When we have the many wonderful memories of places we've been and the experiences that were great; do we really want to expose ourselves to the rigor of another trip ?  After all, we can just drive to the Keys or Ft. Myers  and probably have as much fun.

Sun room in our new digs.. A Villa !! 

 

           No more grass to cut!!  No snow shoveling!!  No gutter cleaning!! No swimming pool to worry about when we're gone!

new dinning room                                 

new galley                                 

lower level                                           

Our new living room, with a fire in the fireplace, makes me wonder if I really want to travel for months in a boat again .  Hummmm???  I guess with the kids gone a villa style of living is a reward of getting older.  I will still keep the age frozen at 67 though; and Who Knows What the Future brings ???!                                               Our blog has reached 20,000 hits from all over the world including many places I've barely heard of.  Someone in the Ukraine is a consistent follower.  My initial expectations have been more than met and we have met many new friends in boating thanks to the blog.  Thanks for bearing with me.....Captain Dave

 

When can we boat again????

Where is Al Gore??  This winter is getting a little ridiculous!  I was loving global warming!

Even the Ospreys in Florida are freezing from the artic blasts !  I hear there was ice on the streets in Orange Beach Ala.                                                 

BUT, the cranes are ready to go north

ALSO, our eagles are ready to go back north.

"GREAT  ESCAPE"  wants to head south !

Merry Christmas (to all our friends)

Decorated and ready to celebrate another Christmas.  We have soooo many blessings, and Wish You A Very Merry Christmas !

First snow of this year to make it easy for Santa to get to our house!!!  (snow for the sleigh you know)

Santa at the "Duck Club Yacht Club" greeting children at our annual Christmas party on the river.

Even some adult members like Debbie got a chance  to tell Santa her wishes.

While the river and pool became desolate looking and cold outside, we dined to an awesome buffet and enjoyed the fellowship of the other boating members of Duck Club Yacht Club. 

Pork rib tips, cheese burgers, loaded potatoes and all the fixings  were great.

.

And a big THANKS to our chef Mark for another good year of good food at Duck Club on the river.

And Santa's helpers were great too, tending to our food and drink wishes..

The party was complete with the artistic touch of one of the "Elves" being creative with balloons for the children.  Although we celebrate the season with gifts and merriment, the true meaning of all this including our salvation must always be kept in our hearts.  God bless you all and have a wonderful Christmas. .....

 From Captain Dave and the Admiral JoAnn on Great Escape. (come see us next summer at Port Charles Marina, or the Duck Club next door)