The Great Loop 

 

It's not just for Powerboats anymore! 

  

 

      Have you ever dreamed of getting away, dropping everything to experience the trip of a lifetime?  I am sure at one point in every person’s life there comes a time when one dreams of  an adventure.  History makes a strong case for there being a strong human instinct to explore.  I don’t know what caused my wife and I to seek out an adventure, but somewhere in our subconscious the drive for a change had taken hold.  About four years ago my wife Anna and I left our secure jobs and comfortable life in New England to embark on a journey that took us through the picturesque waters of North Americas inland rivers , intercostal waterways and Great Lakes.   Our journey, commonly referred to as “The Great Loop” had been accomplished by hundreds of boaters just like you and I.   The seeds of our adventure were first sprout while browsing the boating section of my local library on a cold winter day.  While scanning the usual titles of books labeled seamanship, boat handling and cruising destinations, my eye caught a title which caused me to stop and take notice.  Now this looks odd I thought to myself.  “Honey Lets Buy A boat” interesting title,  I pulled it from the shelf sat myself in a quiet corner and started to read the first chapter.  At first glance, I expecting the usual pros and cons on various makes and models, the kind of thing one would expect when comparing a book to the surrounding titles in a boating section.  To my surprise what I found was a truly amusing and informative story of a couple not much older than myself.  A couple that dreamed of leaving their conventional life behind and going all in on a life living aboard.  As I flipped the pages I became fascinated by this thing called The Great Loop.  Leaving the library my subconscious went into overdrive and before too long my evenings and free time were spent exploring a cruising route which at every turn captured my excitement and fascination.

 

 

So what is The Great Loop. I thought to myself.   Searching the computer today I took a look at the description in Wikipedia.  It roughly states,

“The circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water is known as The Great Loop. Also improperly referred to as the Great Circle Route, 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. recreational trawlers.  The main factors that govern the size of the boat are the limited draft (5 feet) in some locations on the loop and the height of one bridge (19 feet) in Chicago. People traveling The Great Loop are known as "loopers." The number 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 were planning to attempt the loop in the coming season”.

Well even for Wikipedia that’s pretty basic I would say, let me expand on this calling on my experience as well as others. 

A picture taken of my boat Blue Yonder in The Whalesback Channel

 

The Loop can be broken down into four separate legs.  These legs consist of The East Coast, The Great lakes, The Central Rivers, and The Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida.  Any one of these legs can act as a departure point with the majority of the boaters opting to navigate the trip in a counter clockwise direction.  By traveling up the East Coast then westward through the Great Lakes boaters  are offered a favorable direction against the strong currents predominantly found in the Illinois and Mississippi river.  A second factor which must be addressed is planning the trip to coincide with the change of seasons.  During the winter months the Erie Canal is closed to all boat traffic, that is unless you have an ice breaker.  Accomplishing the northern legs of the East Coast and Great Lakes of the US and Canada during the summer months offers ideal boating conditions in an area which experiences harsh winters.  As Fall approaches Loopers tend to travel south transiting the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers till arriving in Barkly Lake in Kentucky.  Once Loopers have reached the this beautiful region of Kentucky referred to as the Land Between The Lakes, they have the option of exploring a side trip up the Cumberland River to Nashville before heading south on the Tennessee River.  At the southernmost point of the Tennessee river one can continue on east to see the Blue Ridge Mountains and explore the cities of Chattanooga and Knoxville before returning to the entrance to the Tombigbee Waterway. Many people have never heard of the Tombigbee Waterway.  Personally I was fascinated to learn that more dirt was moved to create this connection between the Tennessee River and the Black Warrior River than was moved to construct The Panama Canal.  One might ask why not just take the Mississippi all the way down to the Gulf?  Certainly it seems the most direct route.  The answer is simple, the Mississippi has a major detraction which greatly affects recreational boaters.  Do to the frequent floods and strong currents on the southern Mississippi, boaters find few safe locations to anchor and even fewer marinas to seek refuge from the constant commercial traffic transiting the waterway.  In contrast, the Tombigbee offers a controlled flow thanks to the many dams constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority.  Recreational boating is present all along the Tennessee River and offers boaters from the East Coast and Great Lakes an opportunity to experience a new landscape dotted with wonderful towns and anchorages.   Once through the last lock on the Tombigbee, boaters find themselves in salt water.  When entering Mobile Bay the tides once again become a major concern for deep draft vessels as a strong northerly wind will push the water clear out of the bay. At the base of Mobile Bay, Loopers turn east and cruise the Gulf Intracostal waterway, soon they will find themselves enjoying the winter months in southern Florida and the Bahamas.  Once Spring arrives the pack is beckoned to move northward up the East Coast.  Once all four legs of The Loop have been completed and a Looper arrives at their point of origin, a new phrase is coined, as they have “crossed their wake” signaling the completion of their Great Loop Journey.  Since completing the Loop. I have heard of boaters completing this journey over a span of 7 years to as fast as three months.  Truthfully I find it a shame to hear that some have done it so fast as to do so surly means those Loopers missed out on many of the hidden charms which make the trip so cherished by boaters. 

My wife and I celebrating the completion of our loop rounding the tip of Sandy Hook NJ

Since completing our adventure, my wife Anna and I have uprooted ourselves from our New England roots and dropped anchor in our Nation’s Oldest City, St. Augustine Florida.  It was in this gem of a town that I first became enamored by the concept of a catamaran.  Working for a shipyard in St. Augustine, I quickly found myself surrounded by catamaran enthusiasts and cruisers.  The Bahamas and Caribbean have for many years been a major draw for boaters from the East Coast and around the world.  In recent years, the benefits of cruising these waters in a catamaran has resulted in Catamarans dominating the horizons of anchorages in many of the most remote destinations throughout the bohemian islands and East Coast of the United States.  After roughly 14 years of working within the marine trades as a mechanic and shipyard service manager, my dealings with the Catamaran Community in St. Augustine lead me toward an opportunity to work as a yacht broker for The Catamaran Company, which has offices based out of Ft. Lauderdale, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Tortola and Annapolis.  Today I spend my days helping people much like myself fulfill their dream of getting out on the water.  It is an exciting job with a benefit of allowing me to share in my customer’s excitement of finding a vessel which fulfills their dream of cruising and living on the water.  So, I am sure you are asking “what’s the point Pete?” Nice Story and cool trip, what does it have to do with Catamarans?  Well, not too long ago, I ran into an old customer and now friend who owned a Catamaran.  While enjoying an evening cruisers pot luck on the dock next to his vessel, I found myself stumped when he asked if he too could complete the loop in a catamaran rather than a trawler.  Intrigued by the idea, I soon found myself searching the web for blogs and articles on the topic.  With an average of 150 boats completing the loop each year surly there must be a number of boaters who did so in a catamaran.  I had seen a few small sailboats on the loop but clearly they were few and far between.  Quickly panning through the usual list of blogs found on The Great Loop Cruisers Association web site I came across a couple who had completed the loop in a Gemini Catamaran just this past year.  Ron and Jean Schwied, a couple a few years older than Anna and I, felt a strong draw to the adventure found in embarking on The Great Loop.  I was fortunate enough to track Ron down and got a few moments to swap notes on his cruise.  In our conversation, I learned a number of interesting facts which I will share with you. 

The most prominent piece of information Ron shared with me is that in fact there is no reason why a Catamaran can’t make this journey.  Ron was quick to inform me that he and his wife specifically purchased a Gemini Catamaran, as it offered the best design of any catamaran on the market in which to navigate the waters encountered on The Great Loop. 

S/V LATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Ron and Jean Schwied

Ron’s proudly reported that his Gemini 105 MC “LATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT” with it’s shallow draft, 14 foot beam and 34 foot length proved to be the perfect vessel to find a secluded home in a full anchorage or slip in both the US and Canada.

                                        

                                                                            BLUE YONDER tied to the side of a lock on the Erie Canal

From my conversation with Ron and from reading their blog you can see that Ron and Jean enjoyed exploring the Chesapeake and east coast under sail all the way north up the Hudson River to Troy NY.  When arriving in Troy they opted on a route which took them through the Erie and Oswego Canal into Lake Ontario.  Some may opt to skip the Erie and continue up the Hudson to the St. Lawrence River.  Due to the low fixed bridges on either of these two routes Ron and Jean dropped their mast in a small shipyard just south of Troy on the Hudson River.  Hundreds of sailing vessels transit the canal each season as they make their migration North and South.  Ron and Jean were eager to report that dropping their rig was a normal and smooth process in these areas of the country.  Once lowered, the yard constructed a cradle to support the mast for its journey and northward they went.

        Dropping the Rig on the Hudson River

Once through the canal they opted to keep the rig down so they could explore the Trent Severen Waterway of Canada.  This canal system connects Lake Ontario to Lake Heron though a winding path of lakes and canals.

Trent Severen Waterway

On the Trent Severen one experiences the Peterboro lift, one of the most impressive locks in the world. It hydraulically lifts two pools of water up and down allowing boats to be lifted up like an elevator. I was shocked to learn that this lock is over 100 years old.  One favorite attraction of Loopers is arriving at the Big Chute, a marine railway which lifts ones vessel on a travel lift configured rail car.  The Big Chute hauls vessels out of the water and moves them over a hill and down into the water on the other side.

 

 

The Big Chute

 Without question the Big Shoot is a highlight of the Great Loop adventure.  The experience of ridding on your vessel as it is moved by rail over a small hill down into a valley below is an experience not to be forgotten.  Once through the Big Chute the crew of Latitude Adjustment was able to re-rig their mast and sail on through the North Channel.  Visiting charming Canadian town such as Little Current and Killarney, the Schweid’s discovered a landscape that was truly beautiful holding a peaceful anchorage can almost anywhere.  Spots like the Benjamin and Bustard Islands are known for their beauty in these northern waters.  I once heard a cruiser state that if you didn’t think towns like Little Current and anchorages like the bustards where beautiful then clearly something is wrong with you.  These locations are a boater’s paradise if only for a few short weeks every year.

 

 Georgians Bay

 Ron and Jean enjoyed cruising there Gemini on through the straits of Mackinaw where they encountered the wrath of Lake Michigan.  Like many other boaters Ron informed me that Lake Michigan is not a body of water one should take lightly.  Once arriving in Chicago they once again had to drop their rig.  In order to transit through Chicago and south on the rivers a vessel must be able to get under a bridge with a clearance of 19 feet 6 inches.  This is the lowest fixed clearance on the loop. It is a deal breaker for many vessels but not for the Gemini. Once through Chicago the loop changes dramatically. Ron and Jean reported little trouble navigating their way through the recently much publicized Asian Karp electric fish barrier on the Sanitary Canal just south of Chicago. Making the usual stop at Hoppies, a little fish camp/Looper oasis and the last fuel stop on the Mississippi river prior to reaching Barkley Lake in Kentucky, Ron and Jean sat down with Fern a well-known hero among Loopers.  Fern has made a name for herself assisting Loopers as they embark down the Mississippi River.  Fern has become famous among recreational boaters heading south on the Mississippi.  She warns boaters of the dangers of approaching blind turns in the river and shares reports on current conditions in a handful of locations which are safe for anchoring south of her location.  With an army of steal barges constantly moving on the river, many a boater has found themselves in harm’s way in these waters.  Fern’s stories of tragedies tell a tale of those who did not respect the size and power of the barges on the Mississippi.  I do recall in my conversation with Fern that she described a barge captain’s voice sounding like a man talking with sock in his mouth.  The Captains use slang to describe their activities and location on the river, this scares a lot of people she said, they sound rough and unfriendly, but in truth they are the angles of the river when things turn bad.  I personally found this to be true. The Barge Captains are some the most boater friendly men you will find on the waterway.  On one occasion Anna and I got stuck on the river unable to lock though due to a mechanical issue with the lock.  There was no safe place to anchor and night approaching we were weary of running in the dark back up river.  A barge Captain realized our situation and offered us, as well the other boats in our company refuge tied to the side of his tow for the night.  He would keep us safe from upstream traffic while we slept.  I must say at the time it felt like a gift from heaven.  Many times on the loop I found myself shocked by the generosity and kindness of those that shared the water with us.  Unlike the weekend boaters of my home town, these mariners understand the gravity of being in a bad situation and will virtually do anything to protect the safety of a fellow boater if it is in their power to do so.   

  

The River System

When Ron and Jean arrived in Kentucky Lake they were able to do something many other boaters can not.  Ron informed me that one of the main reasons the Gemini was such an easy choice for them was that its mast was under 50 ft. when rigged.  With a mast height under 50 ft. Ron and Jean would be able to run the rest of their trip with the mast up.  The opportunity to sail in Barkley and Kentucky Lake is a true treat.  These waters are overlooked by many but have been listed by National Geographic as being one of the top twenty places to see before you die in America.

   

     

  Ron and Jean traveled on to Nashville and down the Tennessee River onto the Tombigbee Waterway.  Ron surprised me by letting me know there were a number of Catamarans making the trip that year.  It seems the fad is catching on.  As long as you have a beam of less than 23 feet, you can do the whole trip. 

 

 

 

 I must say I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Ron and reading his blog about their adventure on Latitude Adjustment.  A few years have passed since completing my journey, but there is not a day that goes by without being reminded of it in some way.   As I read the final entry in the Latitude Adjustment blog I felt a strong connection to the feeling of excitement and uneasiness associated with completing such a momentous Journey.  Ron and Jean sum things up in their final blog entry. 

Crossed Our Wake - 5,812 Miles

The plan was to take a stunning photo of the sunrise with the Skyway Bridge in the foreground.  Good plan, but Mother Nature dealt us a view of the Skyway obscured by a heavy cloud of fog.  Timing is everything!

 

 We crossed Tampa Bay, out of sight of land, and then sailed down the ICW with just enough visibility to see the next set of markers in the channel. The further south we traveled the more familiar our surroundings of Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, north Sarasota Bay, the John Ringling Ca’ d’ Zan Mansion, then the city skyline and bridge were in view.  What an amazing feeling to be home in this beautiful city with its long coastline and clear skies.  Ron turned the boat west and headed into the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.   We tied to the dock in the same  position we occupied last March 4th when we hosted our Bon Voyage party where family and friends bid us goodbye.  277 days have passed since the boat was at this GPS position.  We have crossed our wake knowing we will always remember our adventure and never regret the 9 1/2 months we spent on the boat testing ourselves, tracing history, making new friends, and exploring the waterways.

This morning we left the Sailing Squadron and returned to our home port , Sara Bay Marina, in north Sarasota Bay. We will be living on the boat for a few weeks since we rented our home during the trip.

	GREAT LOOP STATS
	March 4, 2012 – December 7, 2012 Total Days	277
	Trip Days (Excludes Visits Home)	264
	Travel Days	142
	Stay Days for Exploration	101
	Weather Days (unable to travel)	21
	Number of Countries Visited	2
	Number of States Visited	18
	Miles Traveled	5,812
	Gallons of Fuel	672	$2,975
	Number of Nights in Marinas	124	$5,945
	Number of Nights on Mooring Balls	7
	Number of Nights at Anchor / Free Docks	133
	Blog Posts	217
	Blog Views	15,864
	Average Total Costs Per Day	$101

 

  After the holidays, our goal will be to figure out what retirement means - it will be interesting to discover what the future holds for us.

 

As I reflect on my trip as well as Ron and Jeans I truly wish I could cut the lines again and take our trusted boat for another run around the pond.  Unfortunately a more traditional life must go on for now, but not a day goes by without reflecting on the experience.  I would be remiss it I did not make note of a major change in opinion of the great loop after having spoken with Ron.  I completed the loop in a 32 ft trawler, when I compare the stats from my trip to the states of Ron and Jeans I find myself questioning my choice of vessels.  Without a doubt I love my boat, but if I had done the trip in a Gemini Catamaran I may have been able to have enjoyed the tripe just a little bit longer.  Take a moment to reflect on the stats Ron and Jean have shared on their trip.  Ron and Jean spent 264 days on board with an average cost of $101.00 per day.   This number totals $26,664.00.  Keep this number in your head and take a moment to read Ron and Jeans blog at http://latitudeadjustmentlooper.blogspot.com/  When you finished reading challenge yourself to find a trip which would match the journey Ron and Jean experienced for a astonishing cost of $101.00 a day.  Clearly this is what makes the Gemini a strong contender as the best sailing vessel to circumnavigate The Great Loop.  With this information in hand I encourage all of you explore the idea of embarking on The Great Loop.  It is a trip unlike any other.  It is a trip that will stay with you for a lifetime.