2014 The Great Loop Review

The news always has a year in review, so we decided to have a 'Great Loop Review'.

We started our 6,000 mile loop in Elizabeth City, North Carolina in May, not really knowing what to expect or the learning curve that was to come.

We began our memorable journey in the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a green forested marshy wetland.  Fortunately the tall trees protected us from the stormy rain as we came through the narrow channel.   We learned that current in the water is strong and no match for us.  We untied and left a good rope behind because we could not tie up the boat to a concrete wall.  What we learned: always come in to a dock or wall against the current.

We learned the importance of weather web sites that give specific wind and wave height forecasts. Our challenges were high winds and big waves as we entered into the Chesapeake Bay.  We felt like we were sitting on a bucking bronco as we hit the big waves.  Fortunately, we made it safely to our anchorage and had a beautiful calm night.

Safely, we continued across the Chesapeake, down the Delaware River and up the Atlantic Ocean. We had an enjoyable trip, much due to our new found website passageweather.com,  windfinder.com, and waterwayguide.com.   We anchored four days at Brigantine in Atlantic City, New Jersey, waiting for a calm day on the Atlantic and we were rewarded with a calm, long 11 hour day to New York City.

Many of our blog photos show the front of our boat with the AGLCA flag, which signifies membership in the America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association.

The 134 mile Hudson River is a boater's reward for the long trip up the Atlantic.  We enjoyed the spectacular sights and sounds of NYC from the water.  We continued up the Hudson preferring to see small towns and tourist sites.  We highly recommend a visit to Tarrytown, NY and Sleepy Hollow
Cemetery, West Point and the Franklin Roosevelt home and library at Hyde Park, NY.

Locks proved to be the next new challenge.  Due to heavy rains and debris in the waterway, the Erie Canal locks were closed.  We arrived at the first lock, the town of Waterford, a lovely little town that caters to boaters, and waited two days for the locks to open.  King came hurrying to the boat at 4:00 p.m. and said, "I've talked to the lockmaster, we can leave but we have to get there by 4:30.  The first six locks are called a lock flight and all six must be completed in one trip, there is no stopping until after lock six."  So, not having too much of a clue what to expect, off we went.  King drove the boat into the lock and I grabbed a hanging, slimy wet rope and tied the boat to the line.  Sounds easy, but it was a challenge and left us really tired by the end of lock six.  We were fortunate because there were only two other boats in the lock with us, so there were fewer boats to navigate around.  Also, we set up a routine of entering, positioning and exiting the locks.

After thirty-some locks in 6 days, we crossed a totally smooth Lake Ontario and cleared customs at Picton, Canada.

The Trent Severn with its picturesque towns and friendly people were a favorite part of our trip.

We crossed Georgian Bay and North Channel, making it to Killarney. Killarney, Ontario, that is.

Mackinac Island was a beautiful treat, as were the small towns along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.  The Lake itself provided smooth seas with lots of haze, which required us to use the radar.

We visited Chicago, then continued down the Illinois River.  Again, the towns and other loopers made this a very enjoyable segment of the trip.  We will always remember visiting Ottawa, Illinois and sitting in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Memorial Park.

We spent Thanksgiving in Mobile, Alabama at Turner Marine with about 70 other Loopers.  We crossed along the ICW of the Gulf  of Mexico to Apalachicola, Florida.  We had a very good crossing in three days across the open water of the Gulf of Mexico.

We made our last stop of 2014 in Dunedin, Florida and were treated to the Christmas light boat parade before coming home to Texas for Christmas.

We are not master sailors, but we have learned to become accomplished at the necessary tasks to get from point A to point B. This past year on the water, we've learned to slow down, visit the local towns, and enjoy what is around us.  We usually travel around eight miles per hour, or about 40 miles a day, allowing for time to take in the site. We've enjoyed the thrill of coming into New York City harbor, viewing the Statue of Liberty while dodging the zig-zagging boats of every size, color and description;  the apprehension of learning to navigate the locks on the Erie Canal; waiting for a week at Mackinaw City, Michigan for the 5-8' waves on Lake Michigan to calm to 1-2'; to navigating the Illinois River which was at flood stage, with 5 knots of current and large trees floating in the river; and to finally the most dreaded section, at least for me, crossing the Gulf of Mexico.  We had good weather with small to moderate waves, so it turned out to be thankfully a non-event.  Now we will spend the winter in Florida, with its palm trees and white sands.

Other loopers have written that it's the friends you make on the Loop that make it so special, and we have discovered that to also be the case. People in small towns along the waterways in the U.S. and Canada were so welcoming.  Total strangers would drive us to a store, give us a ride on their jet ski, include us in their Canada celebration, invite us to dinner, or help us in any way that was needed.

We've met special people that I hope are friends even after we stop the Loop.  We've also become friends with a couple of special dogs that are our surrogate pets since we have decided not to have a boat pet.

As we start 2015 in Florida, we look forward to an even slower pace this coming year.  There are many historic sites yet to visit, new people to meet and maybe we'll even get a fishing license.