I just found out about this today, seems like something we would have enjoyed from the start.

71 year old Robert Youens of Austin set out to break the Great Loop speed record of 19 days and change - solo on a jon boat custom built for the adventure. He's currently in Lake Erie. It seems that the record may have been broken in the last couple days by a crew in center console (if so it's 12 days and change)... but even if the speed record isn't in play any longer - this is a hell of an adventure. Seems like adventuring is a jonboat is what this fella does - he mentions some of his kit went with him to the Arctic and I see he posted a video a couple years ago from the Inside Passage.

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AgelessWandererNow/videos

Progress story from a local news station along his route

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rwyouens

Hull Truth mega thread

and lastly... the Garmin track to follow his progress. He got underway in the last hour.

https://share.garmin.com/robertyouens?fbclid=IwY2xjawLfUTtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFBNjd5R2U1N0xzRDVnMmsxAR5w58iZyMn94Im9TSSHGVAnrWVW_SGfkUi8ZsvckycukMjbVmOSMhKlDsNV1Q_aem_wQaJloWqxg7GMuZS4NdqPw





Dangers of sleeping while boating... Some boaters following his trip that were local came and helped him extract his boat and make repairs...

I have been following this on facebook. I am a jon boat lover but dont know that I would have the cajones to do this. Especially at his age. I get nervous in my johnny when it starts whitecapping in Chocolate Bay. Couldn't imagine crossing the great lakes in a tin boat.

I have a healthy respect for the sea that would probably keep me from undertaking something like this. I'm not saying it's foolhardy - but it takes a lot of cajones. At least for all the open water parts.

Stay near the shore

Centerpole90 said:

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I have a healthy respect for the sea that would probably keep me from undertaking something like this. I'm not saying it's foolhardy - but it takes a lot of cajones. At least for all the open water parts.

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Don't tell me your days of running offshore in bay boat on a flat day are behind you

Dude my days fishing are behind me if something doesn't change.

That said, hell no, I'll run up and down the beach on the right day - but there is a switch that flips when I pass the farewell buoy. I respect all of it; the sea will kill you. That said, I think this guy is an old salt and quite well prepared for what he's doing.

He's welcome to beach it at my place, should the need present. I'm sure we could assemble a team of younger backs to make it happen. I would make an excellent coxswain.