About Capt. John

I am currently 78 years young and still have an obsession for adventure. I grew up on a farm that had a 15-acre pond, that of course, to me, was as big as the ocean. At an early age I was pretending to be a everyone from Tom Sawyer to Columbus or Captain Cook & Captain Hook. I built everything out of anything that I thought would float. From rafts and Jon boats, some floated, some didn't. Then after getting a set of plans in the library, during High School, I built a pretty decent Houseboat. Then came college, the Draft, and a 4-year hitch in the Army that started with Helicopter Flight School and ended in Vietnam. Be it God's hand or coincidence, I was teamed up with Terry Richardd, who had a similar background, similar interest, a love for boats and we became lifelong best friends. When we arrived home, after surviving Vietnam, and after over 3years of talking about what we wanted to do when we got out, we were itching for civilian freedom and having a real fun adventure.

A boating adventure was the obvious answer, and we soon enough found ourselves cruising around North America's waterways. In 1972, 'America's Great Loop' didn't even have a name. There were no books about it. The Internet had not been invented so there were no websites, or blogs about it. In fact, the great debate around the Marina was whether or not such a voyage was even possible. Some of the 'Old Salts' said it was, but most of them said it wasn't. 

We made plans to cruise from Galveston to New Orleans and head up the Mississippi river but had conflicting opinions about where to go from there, even though we knew some barges coming down the Mississippi were from the Great Lakes. However, we came across two lucky breaks. The first was when my Uncle Johnny heard of our plans, he offered us his old 44' wooden twin engine cruiser to make the trip. The second was meeting a USCG Auxiliary Officer in Beaumont that warned us about cruising 'up' the Mississippi and gave us directions and copies of a map to lead us from the Gulf ICW to the Okeechobee waterway and up the Atlantic ICW to the Erie Canal. What a blessing that turned out to be!

WHAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT WAS THE UNEXPECTED:

So, after provisioning our boat with fishing gear, and enough canned ham, spam, canned spaghetti with Meatballs, Fruit Cocktail, canned chicken, beef stew, creamed corn, and canned beans. . . with some back pay in our pockets, a free boat, and some USCG help, directions and map, as prepared as we thought we were, but not, we were soon on our way on an amazing adventure, and the most amazing part of it was not knowing what to expect.

By the time we reached Titusville, FL on the Atlantic ICW, we had determined money was going to be really tight. In fact, my Uncle Johnny's 44' cruiser turned out to be a real fuel breathing dragon. We had overwhelmingly underestimated our fuel usage and cost. We were too proud to turn back, but we were not sure at all we would have enough money just for enough fuel to get home. There would be no more overnight Marina stays for us for the rest of the entire journey.

WHAT ELSE WAS UNEXPECTED?

Neither of us had never been in brackish, salt or tidal waters. The tide water change reverses the current, your boat swings around a wide 180°, and depth changes were absolutely scary. Going to bed at night and waking up with your boat leaning over 30° on its side will forever prevent you from having another good night's sleep - until you learn to use your anchor and anchoring system safely and properly, while make double sure your anchor is set. 

UNEXPECTED WATERFRONT DESTINATIONS ALONG THE WAY

 I'm not going to tell you this voyage is 100% wonderful. It's not! It is a 6,000-mile 'slow boat' voyage. We start this voyage with our adrenaline flowing with excitement & anticipation. Truthfully, depending on where you start, after the first month or so, the voyage itself can get pretty boring. 

Of course, there are some great sites to see, beautiful landscapes and ever-changing scenery, but be prepared to actually 'want to leave your helm and get off your boat'. I know, it's hard to believe, especially when we have a long history of working 5 days a week while yearning for a good weather weekend for a chance 'to take our boat out'. But cruising the Loop by the seasons will be just the opposite. You will be behind the helm 5 or mosre days a week and start looking forward to being off your boat. It's also much like taking a long vacation in your car. Every now and then, you see something interesting that makes you want to stop and check it out. That's the way it is cruising the Loop. Sitting at the helm cruising near 9mph day after day can be dangerously unsafe. It makes you tired, sleepy and unalert. While you will find a few 'long stretches of boring', you will also discover an amazing portion of America's Great Loop is packed full of interesting, exciting and incredible destinations along the way that will tempt you off your boat.

UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE - DESTINATIONS - FUN

It was that 1st voyage, were the destinations along the way injected us with an incurable desire cruise the Loop again. Only get it right the next time! It was our 2nd voyage in a 29' twin engine Chris Craft Cavalier (that still burned too much fuel), that I came up with my "More Fun than Fuel" Looping philosophy. Since then, my Looping goal became, making the voyage in the perfect most comfortable & fuel-efficient boat, just so we could afford to stop and explore all the destinations we were unable to the first time around because we didn't have the money. It took me 7 additional voyages and over 20 years, swapping from power to sail and back again, while downsizing 6 times to reach my goal. Where I once paid a high of $17,000 (today's dollars) for fuel - I now cruise the Loop in a 26' C-Dory with a 60hp outboard motor that has not taken me 2 times around the Loop on less than $5,600 in fuel and less than $7,000 for 124 nights' paying to stay in a Marina. My "More Fun than Fuel" philosophy now saves me over $20,000 in 'boat & boat related expenses, and gives me more than enough money for stopping, shopping, eating out, being a tourist, and having fun ashore. And FYI - my son cruises the Loop in a 27' Ranger Tug and loves it. If I were his age again, I'd have one just like it. I'm not attempting to suggest anyone purchase any particular boat. I would not have considered a C-Dory when it first came out in 2022, or Ranger Tug when they came out in 2010 as a new boat, they were too expensive for my blood. I've never purchased a brand-new boat. Mine have all purchased used.

RESULT OF MY EXPERIENCE

What have I leaned from cruising the Great Loop 11 times? I know it's not for everybody. I also know it is safe & easy. It doesn't take an expert level of anything. For the most part, it takes a boat load of good common sense, being a safe boater in a safe, seaworthy and suitable boat. Whatever boat you have or buy, some days you will want a bigger boat, and other days you will wish you had a smaller boat. Solo voyagers and Backpacker types that enjoy 'roughing it' can do this in a small fuel-efficient boat on the cheap. Couples, however, should all plan and budget for stopping, shopping, eating out, being a tourist and having fun ashore. Guys. . . If you don't have more than enough money to cover your boat, fuel & marina expenses, as well as stopping at very often, to eat out, and have fun ashore, your cruising companion might want to jump ship. Anchoring out can save a 36' boat as much as $26,000 by staying in Marinas only 2-nights on weekends, vs spending every night on a yearlong voyage around the Loop. A good fuel-efficient small, single engine 'true' trawler can cruise the Loop on less than 2-gph. The same size 'fast or swift, (fake) trawler with a planning hull and large single or twin engines will easily burn 2 to 3 times the fuel even trying to cruise at the same speed as the 'true' trawler with a displacement hull. Sailboats, up to near 40 feet, motored around with their really small diesel inboard engine, will undoubtedly result in the least possible fuel usage for any vessel that size. Consider the fact that just an average breeze can move this baby thru the water at near 7mph, and it is easy to understand why the 'true' trawler can do the same with such a small engine. If you like sailboats and dream of someday cruising the Carribean, Bahamas or Ocean Blue; we suggest, (which we had done), replacing that 50'+ tall mast with a 15' above the water pole and motoring around the entire Great Loop. We made this voyage once with the mast up and found that we couldn't sail enough to compensate for the hassle & expense of having it unstepped and stepped where needed. The cost of which runs about $500 or $250 an hour, or between $5 - $10 per foot length of your mast. So our 2nd time round in a bigger 36' sailboat, we replaced the mast with a 14' above the water length pole on which we mounted our antennas & anchor lights. Marinas - some are good, some are great, and some are not worth paying to stay at no matter what the cost. We only stay in a Marina that is clean, friendly, and has amenities such as restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, a lounge and onsite or nearby restaurants, shopping, and provisions. I've learned no one gives a flip about the age or value of your boat. As long as it is in 'ship shape', clean, polished, and uncluttered, no one cares or even notices. Boaters, and especially Loopers, are friendly, eager to help or give advice and seek advice. Most every Looper meets and makes lasting friendships on this voyage. Bot Bum or Billionaire, at some point on this voyage we all end up 'Buddy Boating' and end up at the same places having the same amount of fun.   

Get some! You will want some! And they will come in extremely handy. They are NOT business cards, they are 'Boat Cards'. They should have your name, your boat's name, your Home Port location, and an email address. I have a line on the back, where I can enter my phone number when necessary. Over the past 20 years or so, the popularity of America's Great Loop has led to the popularity of "Boat Cards". Now days, it is almost an expected thing. Loopers meet and collect other Loopers' Boat Cards. You will want some and you will need to get them made before shoving off on this adventure. We often exchange Boat cards with 100 or more Loopers each time around. We now have accumulated over 1,000 and given away plenty more as they work great for checking in at marinas. 

I'm no mechanic. If it can't be fixed with Duck tape, WD40, pliers or a screwdriver, I'm probably out of luck. So what you see above contains more tools than I've ever used on any of my journeys around the Loop. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

'Good Common Sense' goes a long way on this voyage. There is absolutely no sense in having a boat load of tools and spare parts, if you don't know how or don't want to fix whatever is broken. Some suggest everyone carry spare propellers in case you run aground or hit something that renders your props unusable. Problem is, if you don't know how to replace it, or if you are totally unwilling to jump in alligator infested waters to fix it. . . What good is a spare? Suggestion? Have your vessel checked out by a CERTIFIED Marine Surveyor and Mechanic before starting out on this voyage. Since I started doing that, I've had zero, not one, disabling issue on any of my vessels.