Their journey took them through city and swamp, past historic forts, forested mountains, lavish mansions and even a South Carolina forest fire that left soot on their boat.
Last fall, Leo and Mona became the owners of "Snug," a handsome 36-foot Kadey Krogen trawler built in Taiwan. Although their first love was sailing - Leo has been sailing since 1972 - they were drawn by the livability of a trawler. "Snug" can seat 12 for dinner, has two easy chairs in the salon for relaxing after a day's journey, a refrigerator with an ice maker, ample closet space and a master cabin so roomy you can walk around the bed to make it.
Leo and Mona, who married in February, spent the winter in Marathon aboard Snug. This summer, they followed the Intercoastal Waterway from Florida to southern New Jersey . Continuing north to New York Harbor, they saluted the Statue of Liberty as they passed by.
They motored up the Hudson to the New York state canal system, thinking they would explore communities along the Erie Canal. When flooding washed out those plans, they changed course for Lake Champlain.
They did not rush. "We tooled along at the usual 6.3 knots per hour,"
Leo reported in his log for April 10. Days when the winds were high or
the seas stormy were their times for dockside rest and recreation. They
scheduled days along the way to sightsee and visit with family and friends.
They carried two bicycles aboard Snug for shore excursions, and occasionally
rented a car.
In southern Florida, they found much of the ICW lined with multimillion-dollar
homes and yachts. Some of the sport fishing power boats "throw enough wake
to knock you out," Mona said.
In Savannah, Ga., they strolled past beautiful restored southern homes and dined at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House, where the 97-year-old owner signals the start of each family-style meal by ringing a bell and offering a prayer.
In North Carolina, fighter jets buzzed overhead and explosions sounded nearby as they passed U.S. Marine Camp Lejeune. A canopy of trees overhanging the water shaded them through the narrow but scenic Dismal Swamp Canal. They spent a week in Annapolis. Md., while Snug got a new coat of bottom paint, which gave them a chance to enjoy some time in Washington, D.C.
As they reached New York City, "Going past the Statue of Liberty in my own boat was an unimaginable thrill." Mona said.
In Amsterdam, N.Y., flooding threatened to send water spilling over the wall of the Erie Canal. Snug and other boats were secured in a lock, with the water level lowered, so they could not go floating off into town!
The flood threat sent them backtracking to Lake Champlain, where the checked out Revolutionary War sites at Saratoga, Stillwater and Whitehall. They reached Burlington, Vt., before their schedule forced them to turn around and head south.
On the return trip down the Hudson River, they went ashore at West Point to tour the campus of the U.S. Military Academy. They found "the best fish market we ever visited" at Cape May, N.J. They marked 3,000 miles on the water as they traversed the C&D Canal connecting the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River. They secured Snug at the Langley Air Force Base Marina in Virginia, where she awaits her next adventure.
Leo is working three months as a senior judge in Des Moines, but will not linger when that tour of duty winds up in late October.
"We love our lifestyle and plan to return to Snug when work is completed," he has reported to friends. A friend will move Snug from Virginia to Florida. Leo and Mona will take her across the Gulf Stream to their winter home in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, the Bahamas.
Friends can monitor their adventures at their Web site, www.geocities.com/leo_mona.