My wife and I are about 4000 miles into The Loop having left Kemah last Halloween....and have not yet met any other Aggie Loopers. Wanted to see if we might find some Aggie boaters as we leave Canada and begin to head south. Heck of an adventure !

TailG8TR said:

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My wife and I are about 4000 miles into The Loop having left Kemah last Halloween....and have not yet met any other Aggie Loopers. Wanted to see if we might find some Aggie boaters as we leave Canada and begin to head south. Heck of an adventure !

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Very cool. How big is your boat? Are you able to fit under that bridge for the shorter route?

36 foot trawler and yes we can lower the radar mast to clear the lowest fixed height bridge in Chicago.

First I've ever heard of it.

RCR06 said:

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First I've ever heard of it.

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This.

6000+ mile circuit ....across the Gulf Coast, around Florida, up the East Coast, up the Hudson, Erie and Oswego Canals, cross Lake Ontario, Trent/Severn Canals, cross Georgian Bay and North Channel of Lake Huron, pass Mackinaw Island, South the length of Lake Michigan to Chicago, Illinois/Des Plaines/Mississippi/Ohio rivers, Tenn-Tom waterway back down to Mobile and the Gulf. Only a couple hundred boats complete The Loop each year. Takes around a year and follows the seasons. Gulf and Florida in winter, up East coast in Spring, Summer in the north and Fall headed back down the rivers southward. We are presently in Little Current, Ontario and will return back into US waters in the next week or so.

Sounds like a great adventure!
If only there was some way we could see what you are seeing!

Looks pretty cool curiosity got the best of and checked into it and linked some items for people to look at :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGreatLoop/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/great-loop-is-the-epic-us-adventure-you-have-never-heard-of

Map - holy crap it's long
https://www.captainjohn.org/GL-4-Scoop2.html



What is your boats name?

I can meet you in Leland, Michigan. Gig 'Em!

whoop1995 said:

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Looks pretty cool curiosity got the best of and checked into it and linked some items for people to look at :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGreatLoop/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/great-loop-is-the-epic-us-adventure-you-have-never-heard-of

Map - holy crap it's long
https://www.captainjohn.org/GL-4-Scoop2.html



What is your boats name?

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It better be Jenny.

Cool ! Seeing a friendly Aggie face in Leland would be awesome ! I hear the Michigan DNR Marinas are well run. I will PM and we can work out a rendezvous if you'd like.

Cool Breeze

As requested.....here ya go ....

You started this last Halloween and are just now posting to the OB about it?? My friend; this is a flagrant violation of OB rules. You have a LOT of ground to make up.

You have to be ready to be self sufficient. We have at least a 1500 mile range on flat water - more so when going downstream like on the Tenn/Tom. Water and food aplenty onboard. Overnight anchorages are a part of The Loop in many sections.

I did not want to start a post like a "dear diary" of day by day recounting of the day's adventures. I had hoped that we would encounter Aggies along the way to be "buddy boaters" with...but none thus far after meeting and mixing with Lots of boaters.

As far as any catching up to do regarding past experiences....sure, I'm willing to if the good folk of the Outdoors board would like to see or hear about the trip.

What an awesome adventure! Do you travel solo or with other boats?

Yes. I believe all you Aggie brethren in this OUTDOOR topic specific MESSAGE BOARD would love at least occasional updates from you as you CAPTAIN your ship all over 'Merica.

The route itself is traveled by other like minded boats.....and some do have travel partners...but we have traveled pretty autonomously with only occasional buddy boats for a few days at a time before one or the other of us wants to linger or explore longer than others....we might leap frog one another a half dozen times in a month but we don't actually travel together.

Sounds good....you asked for it...just don't dog me with "humble brag" abuse.....deal ?

Just sharing a really unique and cool adventure that is within the reach of a lot if folks. It takes time and commitment....but can (and HAS BEEN ) done on a wide range of boats that are NOT huge and expensive.

We are taking our time...
Exploring ports and towns and only travel about 35 to 40 miles a day. Our trawler is quite economical - displacement hull speed of 7 knots yields about 1.1 gallons of diesel per hour. Many stretches are speed limited anyway so a "go fast" boat can only idle anyway.
We will probably make around 150 to 160 stops and cover 6000 miles in around a year.
Costs depend on how you choose to live. Marinas average about $2.50 foot per night. Eating out along the way is enjoyable but can get costly. Anchorages are free. There are some municipal free docks. Cooking and eating onboard is enjoyable and pretty easy. USA locks are free...Canadian Locks require a modest fee.
Boat maintenance is always ongoing. (Diesel oil and filters every 100 hrs is just the beginning)
But if you like the idea of a big adventure that is almost entirely within protected waters and is well charted and documented....give The Loop a little investigation.

No t me but have a close friend and his wife doing it. They are on Luck to Yours! A Nordic Tug

Has anybody said "username does not check out"??

Wow what an adventure. I have a new dream to add to the list

that would be a dream of a trip

TailG8TR said:

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I did not want to start a post like a "dear diary" of day by day recounting of the day's adventures.

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"The Loop Chose Me" would be a great name for this diary.

Marauder Blue 6 said:

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TailG8TR said:

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I did not want to start a post like a "dear diary" of day by day recounting of the day's adventures.

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"The Loop Chose Me" would be a great name for this diary.

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"One Long Left Turn"

"Counterclockwise Cruise of the Country"

TailG8TR said:

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I did not want to start a post like a "dear diary" of day by day recounting of the day's adventures.

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Do a weekly photo/video dump. Or make a youtube channel/IG account to post your adventures! We'd love to follow!

Other titles

" Nasboat USA"

"Left turn Flipper" - Clint Eastwood " left turn Clyde"

Doing the loop has been a bucket list item for me for several years. There are a few YouTube channels that I kept up with that documented their experience that have been fun to watch. It would be great if you would continue to update this thread with your experience along the way.