Our America's Great Loop
Welcome onboard Valkyrie. We are cruising the America’s Great Loop. Here you will find our Great Loop Travel Blog, additional brief updates on our cruise, tips to make your loop smoother, photos, and links to our YouTube, FaceBook, and Instagram. We appreciate you following along and hope you enjoy the trip!
Check out the daily blogs (below) which include links to YouTube!
(2/27/28) We are in Georgia! Hard to imagine but we have approximately 80 days left before returning to Buzzards Bay, MA. At this moment we are anchored off Jekyll Island, GA with plans to continue north to Brunswick, GA then to Charleston, SC by March 6, 2026. We entered the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and are following it as we navigate the East Coast. Key West was an absolute highlight and will be one of our top stops. Snorkeling will also be on the top of the list of amazing adventures we experienced. There are a lot of bridges between Miami and Fort Lauderdale that requires some patience. Each bridge seemed to have its own operating schedule opening on the hour and half-hour and will not deviate from that for pleasure crafts. Overall we enjoyed Florida very much. Miami makes it difficult for pleasure crafts to visit unless you stay at a marina. Take note that if you are planning the loop and prefer to anchor, like us, or are on a tight budget, like us, if you want to see Miami, you will need to make a reservation at a marina, otherwise there is no way to get ashore (that we found), so budget for a marina in Miami. We had company stay on board with us in Fort Lauderdale. That was a blast. So much to see and do there by boat; your own or by water taxi or tour boat. As we continued up the AICW we saw countless manatee, dolphin, shore birds, turtles, and when the water was clear enough I saw massive sea stars. The winds have been tricky and kept us at anchor longer than we liked in a few different spots. The historic cold temperatures were not pleasant for us or anyone else, the iguanas were the news headliners as they fell from the trees during the cold spell and were gathered up and brought to designated drop off centers. Each day on the water brings an opportunity for us to embrace the adventure, or on some days dwell on the few things that have gone wrong. Focusing on what our life will be like when we get back is becoming forefront to our conversations in between cruising. We have a lot to get accomplished and purchasing a car is top on the list for when we return home. Thank you for joining in on our adventure. Keep checking in with on FaceBook, Insta, YouTube, and here for everything Valkyrie and her crew of two. Scroll down for info on ways to support us and the latest travel blog!
Puzzle Books include: Mindfulness, Gymnastics, Dance, Pickleball, Horses, Princess, and The Great Loop.
Titles for the recipe books include: Recipes, Boat Recipes, and Camping Recipes
Other options include cash donation, making a purchase off our Amazon wish list, and of course subscribe to our YouTube channel. (see below for links)
Thank you for your support! The appreciation we have for all of you is beyond words! Much love from Valkyrie and her crew of two!
Travel Blog:
WE ARE BACK IN THE USA! OR ARE WE?
Epic Drone Fail x2!
Worlds Largest Freshwater Island!
One of the world’s largest freshwater fjords! Yup – a fjord!
Trent-Severn Waterway Complete! Georgian Bay here we come!
Did we say it was SHALLOW & NARROW?
The HIGHEST POINT on the TSW!
The OLDEST Lock on the TSW!
The 65′ Bathtub Lock! Amazing!
The historic Trent-Severn Waterway!
OH CANADA! How we have longed to get here.
The 1000 Islands! One of our favorite’s so far! Days 26-36
It is yet another Canal! Oswego Canal, here we come!
We made it to the Erie Canal!
Our first LOCK on the Loop!
Day 7, June 3, 2025 – Esopus Island, Staatsburg, NY – Coxsackie, NY
We are on the Hudson River! Days 4 – 9
NYC Baby! Love this city!
Making our way towards NYC and the Hudson River!
It’s official, we started America’s Great Loop!
What is the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway?
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW/AIWW) is a 1,100 mile navigation route along the East Coast of the US from Norfolk, VA to Key West, Florida. There is no charge for the use of this waterway. It is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. It connects rivers, bays, sounds, and man-made canals giving vessels a hazard-free option to cruising in the open ocean.
What is the Intracoastal Waterway?
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000 mile navigation route along the East Coast of the US from Boston, MA to Brownsville, TX. It consists of river, bays, sounds, and man-made canals maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. It is comprised of two main non-contiguous segments: The AICW and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
What is the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway?
This navigable inland waterway extends 1,300 miles from Saint Marks, FL to Brownsville, TX. Also maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, this waterway gives a hazard-free option to the open waters of the Gulf for both commercial and recreational traffic.
Trent-Severn Waterway Guide to Success:
- Follow instructions of the lock staff.
- Go slow when approaching the lock.
- Do not tie lines to the cables; loop them & hold them securely
- Bridge Clearances: Min. fixed = 22′ (6.7 meters)
- Depths: avg = 8′ (2.4 meters) locks 1-19 & 6′ (1.8 meters) locks 20-45
- Wait for Swing Bridges to be fully clear.
- The blue line @ the lock wall designates a temporary holding area for boaters waiting to lock through.
- Follow the Speed Limit.
- Communication is key! Communicate with lock staff and your boat crew.
- Pay attention to navigation markers.
- Navigating the locks and narrow canals can be challenging – stay patient.
- Wear your life jacket
- Turn off your engines.
- No smoking
- Use your bilge blower throughout lockage
- Lock hours of operation: They change seasonaly so confirm times.
On a side note...I suggest...
- Wear Sunscreen
- Have beverage nearby
- Prep food/snacks prior to departure.
- Use headsets with your crew.
- Have a knife nearby for emergencies.
- Wear Gloves
And...I also suggest...
- Use your hook. Not only to grab the cable/line, but also to guide the boat as needed.
- Fenders and lines on both sides of your vessel.
- Communicate with boaters their intended itinerary.
- Tighten things up – be cognizant of lock wall space & considerate of others who need to share the same space.
This guide was created based on my research and experiences and is not intended to replace any instructions or information provided by Parks Canada or entity with authority over the TSW.
Our border crossing experience.
You must report to the CBSA immediately upon arriving at a Canadian port. It is imperative that you educate yourself with the rules and regulations on border crossings. The information on this website relays our personal experience and is not meant to replace official government processes. The Captain of your vessel has the responsibility of following border crossing rules set forth by the country. A single operator may make the call from the boat to the Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC). In our case, the Captain made the call crossing into Canada. I completed the border crossing procedure returning into the US.
Canada Crossing:
In preparation, a list of food, drink and other misc. items onboard the vessel was compiled. The list provided the Captain with easy access to information we guessed we would be asked about after having done our research on acceptable/unacceptable items allowed on the vessel.
Passports for each passenger, vessel documentation and insurance information were at the ready.
Note! Prior to departing on our loop we had removed items such as plants, firearms, etc. that we knew were illegal to cross into Canada with.
Everyone is to stay onboard until the vessel has been cleared.
Answer all verification questions truthfully.
What sort of questions did they ask?
- They asked for specs of our vessel,
- Our names, dob, passport numbers, passport expiration dates
- How many on board
- How long did we plan on staying in Canada
- What is the purpose of our visit (America’s Great Loop)
- Where will we be staying? (on our boat)
- We had nothing to declare. Any liquor on board was “Ship’s Stores”
- How will we purchase food & goods? (go ashore)
- How much currency is on board?
- Callers phone number?
We were given a reporting number upon clearing which we displayed in our window as instructed. We hung our Canadian courtesy flag.
Some boats may be instructed to take their watercraft to an inspection station. We were not.
You must stay informed of regulations. Always check the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and US Customs Border Protection (CBP) websites for the most accurate information.
Upon return to the US:
We checked into the US via the CBP Roam App that we downloaded onto my phone. Created an account and proceeded to complete the form with all the required information; passport numbers, vessel documentation, etc. There is a fee that must be paid. Proof of payment will be required. I paid the fee on the DTOPS website. Once I paid the fee and submitted the completed form I was contacted by an officer using a facetime call. He asked to see our passports, asked a few verifying questions. Do not check in too early. The verifying app knows your location and will deny entry if it thinks you are off shore. You must also have a good connection because if the connection is lost during processing, you will get a denied status and have to do resubmit your entry application.
Mark and I are both US Citizens. The above accounts is is an account of our experience and yours could be different. There are no guarantees how your experience will go so go into the process informed and follow the process based on your situation.
Brief updates:
(1/1/26) After a 2-week Christmas Vacation, we are back on board Valkyrie and cruising. Valkyrie spent one month moored in Fort Myers Beach, FL. We spent time here visiting with friends then drove to New England for Christmas. We drove almost as many miles in 2-weeks as we have cruised in 6-months! We arrived back in FMB in time to ring in 2026 leaving January 1 to cruise to the Keys. Stops included Marco Island where we had some of the best ice cream ever, then to a beachside anchorage off Cape Romano, finally reaching Key West on January 3, 2026. We are anchored off Wisteria Island, next to Key West. Duval Street is everything everyone said it would be, fun and crazy!
Unfortunately 2025 ended with some unwanted expenditures. Valkyrie needed new house-bank batteries. 6 of them costing $2,500. In addition to the batteries, Valkyrie’s windlass motor burnt out. Anchoring is imperative for us and our budget so $1,000 later we have a new windlass motor.
Many have asked us if we are retired. No, we are not! How are we affording the loop? In reality, we are not! We left Massachusetts with an educated guess on what this year-long adventure would cost us. Mark owner financed the sale of his business so we have a small monthly payment that we receive from that. I work from on board. My work equates to a small part-time salary. Most importantly my work gives me the flexibility to live this lifestyle. Another source (albeit very small) comes from the puzzle books, and recipe books I create and sell on Amazon and then there is YouTube. We will go home 4 1/2 months from now with debt. If you would like to support us while we complete this journey the easiest way is to subscribe and like, and watch the YouTube videos. Another is to purchase a low-cost puzzle book, or recipe book, or make a purchase off our Amazon Wishlist, and lastly you could make a cash donation. The most important thing you can do is to continue to extend your words of encouragement and kind comments on FaceBook, Insta, YouTube, email and texts. It is all very much appreciated! We knew we would take a hit financially. Its ok. This is Mark’s big once-in-a-lifetime bucket list item and we had to do it before we couldn’t! Life is too short and unpredictable not to embrace opportunities, and money does grow on trees, right?! 🙂
3,446 miles as of 11/21/25. Wowza! Valkyrie is running like a champ, we have had amazing weather, and we are thrilled with how Our Great Loop is unfolding. We welcomed guests onboard, completed the River Section of the loop and are now in the “Big Bend” region of the Gulf. The River Section of the Great Loop provided us with an amazing diversity of landscape and topography. You just never knew what you were going to see from one bend to the next. The locks were challenging, some with up to a 2 1/2 hour wait before being allowed to lock through. We had some interesting anchorages, incredible night skies, and foggy mornings; as thick as pea soup as the saying goes. The White Cliffs of Epes were impressive! We stopped in Mobile, AL the home to the original Mardi Gras. Playful, energetic dolphins swam along side Valkyrie starting in Alabama and through out the Gulf we were joined by these fun-loving mammals. Manatee were the animal of the hour in Crystal River, FL. Such gentle, peaceful animals. Our goal is get to Sarasota, FL by November 26th to meet our daughter who is flying in for the weekend. We will be taking a break from cruising for the Holidays so please stay tuned. Don’t for get to scroll down and click the links to show your support. All proceeds go to our journey! Thanks for following along!
Wow! Can you believe we are almost 2,500 miles into this 6,000+ miles adventure? I can’t! We are in Lake Barkley, Kentucky, on our way to the Tennessee River. We have visited 10 states and 2 countries so far. Recently our adventures have brought us to Chicago, pass the arch in St. Louis and the music city, Nashville. We have had family come visit. My brother and SIL came to cruise with us a few days which included the Mississippi River, and my mom and niece visited us in Nashville. I cannot explain how great it was to see family. Thank you for your continued support. Don’t forget to scroll down and click the links to the puzzle books. Each purchase goes directly to me, the author and creator, and of course our Amazon Wish List and you can also donate to our Winch Fund (cash donation). The daily blog links below are a great companion to the YouTube videos. There are details in the blogs that are not included in the videos. You can access the videos directly from the blog! Please like and subscribe to our channel, every click helps us a lot! (October 29, 2025)
Lake Michigan has been amazing. We have enjoyed it very much. Do not ever take this beautiful body of water lightly. It can become a wicked beast in a matter of minutes. Treat her with respect and you will have an incredible experience exploring this lake. We cruised the eastern side of Lake Michigan. The water is as close to the Caribbean as you could get. Each of the towns we explored have been delightful. We had some weather that kept us in some ports longer than we would have otherwise chosen to stay but we had to keep ourselves safe. Highlights of our journey on Lake Michigan have been Mackinac Island, Charlevoix, and Grand Haven, to name a few. We are headed to Chicago and the the next segment of our loop; the rivers! Stay tuned and make sure you read those daily blogs! Thanks again for your support. As of today we are 111 days into our adventure traversing approx. 1600 miles. (September 15, 2025)
We are back in the United States. We checked into border control this afternoon, August 7, 2025 in Drummond, MI. We are excited to explore Lake Michigan. First stop after Drummond is Mackinac Island! Unfortunately, we did not get out of Canada unscathed. We need a new winch! Plus, our drone crashed itself into a tree, and then again into the water. (Video to be released soon.) If you are interested in contributing to our journey and towards helping us replace our winch we would appreciate it. Scroll down to find the link, or click HERE. (Buy us a drink) What is a winch…well to simplify it…we cannot raise or lower our tender without it and we cannot continue to tow it everywhere we go, it becomes a bit of a hazard when docking. Thank you again for following along! We appreciate it. For all you future loopers out there…let me know if this has been helpful.
It is July 16, 2025 and we are 50-days into Our Great Loop! Thank you for following along! We have travelled the Hudson River, NY, gone through the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, crossed the border into Canada, and today we complete the Trans Severn Waterway! We conquered 72 locks, and cruised almost 900 miles. We are excited to be in Georgian Bay! The weather has been amazing. We are trying to take our time and enjoy this once in a lifetime trip, at the same time be strategic about moving about the hundreds of other boats doing the loop, and of course the local boaters that are enjoying their own local waterways.
Many have asked how they can support us while on our one-year journey:
First, and most importantly, keep those emails, texts, phone calls and social media comments coming. Being away from friends and family is difficult.
Second: Checkout Amazon and consider purchasing one of the books designed and created by me. This is not affiliate marketing, it is my work with the goal of supporting our journey with profits going directly to this trip.
Puzzle Books include: Mindfulness, Gymnastics, Dance, Pickleball, Horses, and Princess.
Titles for the recipe books include: Recipes, Boat Recipes, and Camping Recipes
Other options include cash donation, making a purchase off our Amazon wish list, and of course subscribe to our YouTube channel. (see below for links)
Thank you for your support! The appreciation we have for all of you is beyond words! Much love from Valkyrie and her crew of two!
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.
Insurance:
Like many, our boat insurance has limitations on our coverage based on geography. Now that we are cruising inland waterways, we had to notify our insurance. No word yet on what that will do as far as premiums.
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 Set!
We have returned from our trip to LA. It was an amazing time filled with fun adventures, laughter and celebration. Congrats to our nephew who graduated from LSU and thank you for allowing us to celebrate alongside you.
Shortly after our return we lost a beloved and dear friend unexpectedly. We delayed our departure and have set a new date, Wednesday, May 28. We will skip our first planned stop, Block Island and maneuver around some weather that is coming in on Thursday. It would be impossible for us to leave without showing our support to our boat community, especially our friend’s fiancé whom we love so much, his daughter’s, and family.
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!