The fun is in the details
You can expect the unexpected!
As mentioned before, your lifestyle will be the greatest influence on your expenses and what to expect when cruising America's Great Loop. One of the 'unexpected surprises' mentioned by 1st time Loopers were all the exciting and tempting places to eat out. Cruising the Loop, our very favorite on shore activity is eating out at all the fantastic 'local, regional, favorite restaurants. On the Loop… we never waste our money at Fast Food or National Chain Restaurants. While we have accumulated our favorites, we are always on the hunt for new restaurants locally popular for serving us the best regional favorite foods. We strongly urge future Loopers to try whatever is a local favorite. FYI - we eat out over 500 times in a 330 day Loop. (That is paid for by our "More Fun than Fuel" Looping philosophy.)
We've met Loopers thru the years that almost never ate out at home, and Loopers that started this voyage with enough canned ham, spam, beans, etc. to cross oceans - and still had it all when they 'crossed their wake a year later. So, let this be a heads up... Most Loopers eat out a hundred or more times than they anticipated. Be prepared, and budget fot it.
Cruising Canada
Eleven times around the Loop, three of them across the full length of the Erie Canal, and then, I took the Canadian route, and I've continued that route ever since.
I have to say, my son and I actually sailed from Texas to Belize, to Aruba, up and down the Caribbean Islands to South Africa and on to Italy, Greece, and up the English Channel to Oslo, and back home via the East coast of the Atlantic. But cruising Canada's Heritage Canals, the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay & the North Channel truly is awe inspiring. While I hate to take anything away from the 'Erie Canal" experience, fact is, Georgian Bay and The North Channel is the best freshwater cruising (& fishing if you're interested) in the world.
FYI - when cruising Canada, you will find one of the best marinas in the world in Quinte West, Ontario. The Trent Port Marina is a must stop. They have individual shower/restroom facilities that put all the other marinas in the USA or Canada to shame.
Do you need a Dinghy?
No, you don't need one, it is not a requirement for cruising the Loop, but you may want one, especially if you are cruising with a dog. In the southern half of the Loop, the farther south you go, alligators are just waiting for little FiFi to jump in the water. A dinghy will come in real handy for taking your pet to shore.
We really enjoy our dinghy in Georgian Bay and the North Channel. We also use it a lot in Florida. Other than that, we don't really use it except in a few areas where we anchor out and use it to go ashore.
We have a small inflatable dinghy with a 3hp motor. This makes it easy to stow away when not needed, but not quick or fun when you need it. So, we simply inflate it when we reach Georgian Bay, deflate it when we leave the North Channel, and don't inflate it again until we reach Tarpon Springs, FL. It gets considerable use in Florida and the Keys.
If you have a dog, we strongly suggest a good 'hard bottom' dinghy.
weather
My Experience
My Advice
It's why we cruise counterclockwise, by the seasons. We strongly suggest every Looper cruise by the seasons and remain in each geographical area during its best weather. It will make y our journey and life aboard an awful lot safer and enjoyable.
The Cardinal Rule is "Never leave one safe Destination for another, until you know it is safe
It's why we cruise counterclockwise, by the seasons. We strongly suggest every Looper cruise by the seasons and remain in each geographical area during its best weather. It will make y our journey and life aboard an awful lot safer and enjoyable.
The Cardinal Rule is "Never leave one safe Destination for another, until you know it is safe at your next destination!"
The only 'bad weather' extended 'wait times' we have experienced on the Loop were at Manasquan Inlet, NJ, Leland, MI, Grand Haven, MI, Michigan City, MI, and also at Bobby's Fish Camp on the Tenn-Tom, and Carrabelle, FL, before crossing the Gulf. Not bad at all for 140 cruising days, and 330 total days on America's Great Loop.
When cruising by the seasons, you can expect mostly good & great weather, along with a few rain days. Cruising by the seasons puts you north on the Atlantic ICW near the NY Canal System in time to miss the Atlantic Hurricane season which runs from June 1 to November 30. You will also be cruising in the cooler most comfortable North during Summer. We cruise the inland rivers in Fall and therefore miss the Tornado season in Tornado Alley. While tornadoes can happen anywhere any time, the peak months occur from March to July when we'll be in Florida preparing our journey up the Atlantic ICW. Of course, we spend the much warmer winter in Florida where the average temperature is in the 70s. You also have up-to-the minute weather forecasts on your Marine UHF radio.
My Advice
My Experience
My Advice
America's Great Loop has been competed by well over 5,000 boaters in 5,000 boats. Not one I know of has ever attempted or completed it in a "Perfect Great Loop Boat" - only ones that at best, are perfect for them - and NOT for you or me. We are all alike, yet we are all different in many ways. Our likes, dislikes, lifestyles, bank accoun
America's Great Loop has been competed by well over 5,000 boaters in 5,000 boats. Not one I know of has ever attempted or completed it in a "Perfect Great Loop Boat" - only ones that at best, are perfect for them - and NOT for you or me. We are all alike, yet we are all different in many ways. Our likes, dislikes, lifestyles, bank accounts, incomes, and our spending habits are different and exactly why no one boat is good for all of us.
As a result, my best advice is to plan your boat, budget & voyage well in advance.
Make sure you are a safe boater in a safe, suitable, seaworthy boat and know the rules of the road (waterways). Beyond that, as long as you are familiar & comfortable with handling your boat, your anchoring system, and everything else on it, in all kinds of weather, water, docking, and cruising conditions. You are absolutely good to go. Despite what some proclaim, you don’t need a ton of expertise & experience to complete the Great Loop safely.
We strongly suggest you leave your drama, valuables, irreplaceable items and schedules at home! Don't have or add a schedule to your voyage. Take each day for what it is. FYI - More boating accidents happen because the boater though he/she had to be at a certain place by a certain time! This is a 'Slow Boat Voyage". In fact, taking your time will create your most cherished memories and 'time' will prove to be your most treasured luxury on the entire Great Loop.
My Experience
My Experience
My Experience
My 1st voyage around America's Great Loop was completed in 1972.
My co-pilot, friend and I had just returned from Vietnam. We thought we had more than enough money. My Uncle gave us an old wooden 44' twin engine, fuel breathing dragon. Now mind you, this is before the Great Loop even had a name. There were no books about it, and since the
My 1st voyage around America's Great Loop was completed in 1972.
My co-pilot, friend and I had just returned from Vietnam. We thought we had more than enough money. My Uncle gave us an old wooden 44' twin engine, fuel breathing dragon. Now mind you, this is before the Great Loop even had a name. There were no books about it, and since there was no Internet, there were no websites, blogs or anything else about it, and we found nothing in the library. So off we went. With plans to cruise UP the Mississippi.
We departed Galveston, TX and as luck would have it, we came across a USCG Officer in Beaumont, TX who confirmed it could be done and gave us navigation maps all the way to the Erie Canal and changed our minds about cruising UP the Mississippi. By the time we reached Titusville, FL, we knew we were in trouble financially. What we were spending on fuel ate up all our planned Marina fees and fun Money.
Since that 1st experience, I've made this voyage ten other times over the past 30 years. I simply can't get enough of it. With my "More Fun than Fuel" Looping philosophy, I have downsized 8 times from power to sail and back again. My last two voyages were in my smallest vessel ever, a 26' C-Dory. Costing $5,574 in fuel on my 2024, 5,690-mile Loop. Was it the most comfortable? No. But it was the most stress free, enjoyable, easy handling and fun cruising. I can truthfully say, it was "more fun than fuel" - and it saved me over $17,000 in fuel & marina fees, to have more fun ashore!