Our America's Great Loop
What is America’s Great Loop?
Many would say it is the Boating Experience of a Lifetime!
The Great Loop is a 6,000-nautical-mile journey
navigated onboard your own personal boat. It goes around the East Coast into Canada, the Great Lakes, and then back down the Midwest Rivers. Depending on route choice, cruisers can go through at least 15 states and Canada, which optionally can include an innumerable number of smaller rivers and lakes.
On average, there are approximately 300-400 boats that
circumnavigate this amazing voyage. It is an independent decision as to
how long it takes. No two loop stories are the same. The trip is to
be taken counter-clockwise and is seasonal. Boaters will want to be in
the northern part of the loop during the warm summer months, the inland rivers in the fall, spend the winter in Florida, and the spring following the Intracoastal Waterway along the eastern portion of the route.
We are planning to take one year to complete our loop. We will be
departing from Buzzards Bay, MA, cruise south to NYC, and then cruise north up the Hudson River at the end of May or early June 2025.
Planning for the Great Loop.
First we….
We have been planning…let me start that over…MARK has been planning our trip for many many many years. The plan started to come to fruition in 2020 when we sold our house and bought Valkyrie. Valkyrie is the ideal boat for us and checked off all Mark’s must-haves. We have been onboard ever since. We have made some other big life-changing decisions to make this trip happen for us besides selling our home. Mark sold his business, and I started my own so I can work from onboard. We also became empty nesters. Although we would love to have them cruise with us, our girls are working and living independently and doing all the things young adults should.
What else have we done to prep? Winter 23/24 we cruised to the Atlantic Yacht Basin, Chesapeake, VA to have maintenance done, new props installed, bottom painted and a laundry list of other things. (You can find all the details here). Mark purchased, and studied the Great Loop Companion Guide, which we referenced during our two winter cruises south, and we became members of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association. YouTube is a great resource. We subscribed and watched other Loopers document their journey which was very helpful.
Planning for the Great Loop.
Then we..
Winter 24/25 we spent in New Bedford, MA at Fleet Marina. Mark started a new temporary job as a Marine Mechanic/Technician here in New Bedford. I continued to work from onboard. Although a lot of prep is last minute, we were able to check a few things off the list over the winter, which included a lot of maintenance items.
- Purchased Starlink
- Got the updated version of the Great Loop Companion Guide
- Entered way-points for all recommended marinas & anchorages, and hazards around the entire loop into Navionics
- Ran barnacle buster through everything we possibly could
- Changed the impellor pump and thermostat and zincs on the tender
- Replaced the steering cable in the tender
- Installed charge port plugs so we could charge our devises using the boat battery instead of inverted 110volt power
- Installed a solar panel that was gifted to us in hopes that it will keep the iPads charged during use for navigation
- Made all of our annual Doctor & Dentists appointments
Planning for the Great Loop.
Now we..
Provision
I have spent hours creating a meal plan for us, which includes noting all the ingredients. There is access to shops along the way, but to make things as easy as possible, I am purchasing as much as I can before departure. It is not like I can jump in my car for a quick run to the grocery store.
Boat Maintenance Supplies
These include engine oil (8-5-gallon pails), air, oil, and fuel filters for both engines and the generator, which is a big pile, a huge pile!
Storage
Creativity is the key when it comes to storing all the provisions. There are things stuffed everywhere; in the mid-cabin shower, the bench seat in the salon, the mid-cabin closet, underneath the bed in the V-berth (VIP cabin), and the engine room. The maintenance supplies are also stuffed in these same areas, including all the above-bed cabinet space in the mid-cabin. The only open space is the V-berth for guests.
The goal is to have as much as we need to get through the summer months in Canada.
Sold!
We sold our car!
Healthcare
We fit in our annual Doctor appointments, Dentist appointments, haircuts, and arranged for vacation override authorization for medications. Not that easy, but something to think about when planning to leave the country for 3 months.
Renewals
Driver’s licenses were due to expire in July 2025, so off to the RMV we went. Credit cards were also due to expire this summer, so we arranged for new ones early.
Goodbyes
“Who said you could leave?” Our friends hosted a bon voyage party. It was amazing and we appreciated it very, very much. On top of that, we had an engagement to celebrate (our daughter). Plus, many other goodbye dinners with life-long friends who made a big effort to come to New Bedford to wish us a safe trip.
Departure day is near!
After a family vacation to Louisiana to celebrate our nephew’s graduation, we plan to depart New Bedford on or near May 23, 2025. Stay tuned! We can’t wait to share our adventures!