Dispatch from the good ship Teddy Bear: Peter Reich checks in with hometown paper

Islander Peter Reich has stayed in touch with the Reporter on his year-long voyage, setting out around Memorial Day in 2025, then piloting the 36-foot vessel Teddy Bear north into Canada, through the Great Lakes, and south via inland water routes.

His plan called for him to be in sunny Florida around the Christmas holidays, and he had plenty of company from Islanders on the most recent leg of his trip. 

“I was in Sarasota and spent three days with Donny and Sarah McGayhey, then two days in Venice with Bill and Andrea Caccese,” he told the Reporter. He was expecting to be joined by Island friends James and Linda Eklund to celebrate the New Year, with plans to also meet up with Keith Bavaro from SALT in the Keys.

By New Year’s Eve, Mr. Reich reported having rounded Key West and moving into the Atlantic Ocean.

Having reached the southernmost destination of his voyage by the end of 2025, he’s begun to make his way home to Shelter Island as 2026 begins.