Sanford, Florida — with a quick (very cold) detour to Cincinnati

Chris and Deb here — checking in after a whirlwind couple of weeks that somehow included Florida sunshine, a polar vortex, frozen hoses, alligators, golf, German beer, and almost losing a dinghy cover to 40-mile-an-hour winds.

You know… normal Loop life.

Life in Sanford, Florida

We’ve really fallen in love with Sanford, Florida. It’s got that college-town-meets-old-Florida vibe, a super walkable downtown, a great marina, and more restaurants than a town this size has any business having.

Since our last update, we’ve been:

• Practicing with the new drone (Santa was very good this year)
• Biking everywhere — and yes, pushing the bikes back up a very steep floating dock ramp because Lake Monroe is at a record low
• Sampling our way through downtown

One standout was dinner at The Old Jailhouse — literally inside a former jail. Bars still intact. You can actually eat inside what used to be a cell. Rustic, quirky, and very cool.

We’ve also made return trips to:

• Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café — German band, giant beer steins, and the best potato pancakes around
• Sullivan Public House — they had Kilkenny on draft, which is a rare find
• Brewlando Sanford — solid chicken parmesan and a good local vibe

Sanford continues to prove you don’t need a huge city to eat well.

Overnight at Butcher’s Bend on the St. Johns River

We hadn’t taken the boat out in over a month, so when friends Ralph and Kathy came to visit from Palm Coast, we fired up the engines and headed across Lake Monroe and up the St. Johns River to Butcher’s Bend.

It was one of those magic Florida evenings:

• Glass-flat water
• Alligator sightings
• Manatee sightings
• Tons of birds
• Stars you can only see when there’s zero light pollution

We dropped anchor in 10–12 feet of water and didn’t budge all night. Those are the anchorages that remind you why you’re doing the Loop in the first place.

Golf in Palm Coast & LPGA

While in Palm Coast, we played:

• Palm Harbor Golf Club
• Grand Reserve Golf Club
• The Jones Course at LPGA International in Daytona Beach

The Jones Course was true links-style — massive greens, tricky reads, lots of sand. Very fair winter rates, very humbling outcomes. The courses weren’t at peak green color this time of year, but they were challenging and fun.

Winter Park: A Must-See

One day we rented a car (sometimes Uber math just doesn’t work) and headed down to Winter Park, Florida.

Winter Park feels like Old Money Florida:

• Brick-lined streets
• Upscale boutiques
• Beautiful restaurants
• A train station right downtown

We’re determined to try the SunRail next time — it runs from Sanford to Orlando and beyond, and you can even bring your bike onboard for a small fee.

We stumbled into Bovine’s Steakhouse (a lucky find), and it might have been one of the best steaks Chris has ever had — and that’s saying something.

Competitive Spirits at Topgolf

Because of course we found a Topgolf.

We spent a couple of hours there playing different games, talking trash (politely), and confirming that competitive golf does not take vacations.

When the Polar Vortex Hits Florida

Then winter showed up.

It dropped to 25° two nights in a row.

On a boat.

Things that froze:

• The water hose
• The water filtration system
• Dock lines — complete with icicles

The solution:

• Put the hose in the river to thaw
• Bring the filters inside
• Use the onboard water tank for showers and dishes
• Make a mental note for next time

If you’ve only ever lived in a house, you don’t really feel 40 mph winds the way you do on a boat. Everything flaps. Everything moves. Everything reminds you it’s floating.

The Great Dinghy Cover Incident

Captain Chris wisely put the dinghy cover on before the windstorm.

Deb woke him up from the couch and asked, “Did you take the cover off the dinghy?”

Nope.

It was gone.

After pricing replacements (in the $800–$900 range), we went searching the next morning. Thankfully, Chris had tied the cover off to the boat — something he doesn’t always do.

We pulled the line… and pulled… and pulled…

There it was. In the water. Muddy. Cold. But salvageable.

New rule:
Always tie the dinghy cover to the big boat.

What’s Next

We’re back in Cincinnati briefly (pool league and a birthday trip to Las Vegas), then heading back to the boat.

Coming up:

• Nick, Rami, and Leon visiting
• A trip to LEGOLAND Florida Resort in Winter Haven
• Todd and Tammy cruising north with us
• Heading back up the St. Johns River toward Jacksonville

And then, if timing works out, we’d love to be near Hilton Head Island during the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links — maybe even anchored near the lighthouse at 18. That’s definitely bucket-list territory.