Great Loop

The circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water is known as The Great Loop. Also improperly referred to as the Great Circle Route (see definition of a great circle), the trip varies from 5,000 miles to 7,500 miles depending on the options used. The boats used range from personal watercraft (jet-skis) to 60-foot yachts. Both sailboats and powerboats are used but the most common boats are 34 - 45 ft trawlers. The main factors that govern the size of the boat is the limited draft (5 feet) in some locations on the loop and the height of one bridge (19 feet) in Chicago, Illinois. People traveling The Great Loop are known as "loopers." The numbers of people attempting this voyage is growing with the Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. In 2007 more than 150 boat owners notified America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association that they are planning to attempt the loop in the coming season.

Routes

Most Great Loop cruisers travel the Loop counterclockwise, taking advantage of the downstream currents on the Illinois River, Mississippi River,Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River to Mobile, Alabama. To avoid summer hurricanes and winter ice, most Loopers head north in the spring, spend the summer in the Great Lakes region, and head south on the rivers in the fall, arriving in Florida after the beginning of November.

Starting on the east coast of Florida at Stuart the route heads north on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Chesapeake Bay offers many different locations to visit and some loopers go 105 miles up the Potomac to Washington. At the north end of Chesapeake Bay the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal connects to Delaware Bay. The Intracoastal Waterway resumes at Cape May and ends at Manasquan, New Jersey.

There is a 30-mile stretch of open Atlantic Ocean to New York harbor. From this point a few loopers continue up the coast, around the Gaspe Peninsula and up the St Lawrence River to Lake Ontario. This adds about 1,500 miles to the loop. Most loopers go up the Hudson River to Waterford and then take the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario or Lake Erie or the Champlain Canal to the St. Lawrence. Canada's Rideau Canal, built in 1832 from Ottawa to Kingston, is frequently chosen. Most loopers will take the Trent Canal from Trenton, Ontario to Port Severn on Georgian Bay. The North Channel is one of the highlights of the loop. This is the most northerly point on the loop and has the shortest season, just 6 weeks of good warm weather from July 1 to Aug 15th.

Lake Michigan is next with most loopers taking the east side of the lake to Chicago. From here it is down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, up the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, then down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile. The route then joins the Intracoastal Waterway going east to Carrabelle, Florida. The ICW now extends to Fort Myers where loopers can cruise the Okeechobee Waterway to Stuart on the east coast of Florida or turn south to the Keys rounding the southern tip of Florida, returning north to Stuart.

Looper culture

Many loopers retire, sell everything, and live in their boats. Some complete the loop every year with the record being nine complete Great Loops. Many spend the winters in the Bahamas on their boats. Other loopers complete the loop in stages, storing the boat at various locations while they return to work. A few take their children and home-school them on the route. Loopers who are members of AGLCA meet three times a year in different locations along the Great Loop. The first reunion is in Charleston, SC in the spring, then they meet in the Canadian Great Lakes and the last reunion is traditionaly in October at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. This is a very popular one. The reunions and rendezvous are organized by AGLCA. The reunions are designed to allow mixing and mingling with old friends and new members, sharing stories and tips, also include general lessons on safety, vessel safety checks and other valuable cruising information. The highlight of the events is the Looper Crawl.

References

• America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association
• Honey, Let's Get a Boat by Ron and Eva Stob
• Dreamrider by Larry G. Harcum
• What to Expect Cruising America's Great Loop by Bob & Mavis Duthie, CDROM
• Cruising America's Waterways, The Erie Canal by Debbie Daino Stack & Captain Ronald S. Marquissee
• "A Great American Loop Photo Journal, by Greg Whitaker

Many Loopers choose to join a family of Great Loop cruisers, America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association as this organization is devoted to assisting its members with every need including safety, sharing navigational and cruising information, networking among loopers, etc. Learning about the Great Loop from experienced members of the AGLCA will enhance the journey of those who are still planning for, dreaming of or about to embark on it. America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association provides its members with important on-line tools such as the Google Earth's Loop Locator as well as annual rendezvous and reunions, vessel safety checks, and so much more.

Personal Blogs

• Remedy does the Great Loop, Ed & Marion Herndon
• Great Loop Cruiser, Ed & Sandy Gowland,
• Oil & Water's Great Loop, Bob & Jenny Harbison
• Aboard Katy Leigh, Bob & Mavis Duthie
• Good News Great Loop Blog - Mary & Andy Sarver

Resources

• GasCaptain.com - Find cheap fuel prices on The Great Loop