The Dream

It’s called The Great Loop.  Or just the Loop. At the most basic level, it involves the nautical circumnavigation of the eastern 1/3 of the continental United States.  (What?! You didn't know it was an island?  Did you sleep through high school Geography? Sheesh. Check out the map below. )

The Loop  involves the use of Atlantic and Gulf Intercoastal Waterways; the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Tombigbee rivers; a minimum of three Great Lakes; some 250 locks and lifts; and half a dozen manmade waterways.  It covers some 6,000 miles of coastal or riverine waters bordering 15 US states and Canadian provinces.   

Those who travel The Loop call themselves Loopers, and we are thrilled to now count ourselves among their number.  It’s a somewhat exclusive club.  There have been more summits of  Mt Everest than completed  Loops.   In most years, there are more successful English Channel swims than completed Loops.  The good news is that, unlike in these comparative endeavors, there have been no reported deaths during Loops.   Some call it the ultimate low-risk high adventure.  You can begin wherever on the route you choose.  And finish, in whatever time frame suits you, where you started by “crossing your wake”.

We Loopers have a club, the American Great Loop Cruisers Association (www.greatloop.org).  Founded by Ron and Eva Staub in 1999 with the publication of their wonderful book, “Honey, Let’s Get a Boat”, the AGLCA today is run masterfully by Kim Russo and her team. The Association maintains a community for Loopers to share experiences, assistance, and expertise, and it acts as a registrar for Loops.  Without these wonderful people, nothing you read here would be possible.   God bless ‘em!