Are you an experienced boater looking for information about cruising americas great loop. Many of us have a great loop cruise on our bucket list. Books and maps about cruising americas great loop raven. A looper boat is one which the owners plan to use to circumnavigate the eastern half of the united states and canada. Since 1987, pilothouse nautical books and charts has served the informational needs of the yachtsman, the fisherman, and the professional mariner of all peop. The great loop pilothouse nautical books and charts. The great loop 2018 makin memories cruising the world. If you are one of these adventurers hoping to join the ranks of successful loopers such as george and pat, this book is for you. Were launching the section of the site devoted to the great loop and other waterways with a directory to sites of people who have already cruised the loop. I had been aware for some time that boaters could circumnavigate the eastern us via an all water route. Hero is the dog that mike and dennise liles took on their cruise of the great loop. Sep 29, 2018 week one of americas great loop cruise is now in the books. Cruising the great loop is the ultimate for many of us power cruisers, and each year the list of loopers seems to grow.
If you are going to buy just one how to plan, prepare and what to expect cruising the great loop book this should be the one. Youll find these books for sale at marine stores and offered online from their publishers and at these guides list the navigational charts needed for each area, as well. This map is a vital tool to use with the book which is also available from. An illustrated cruising guide to the great loop inland waterway book. In 1999 they bought a grand banks trawler and cruised americas great loop. The great loop experience from concept to completion a practical guide for planning, preparing and executing your great loop adventure. The great loop experience from concept to completion a practical guide for planning, preparing and executing your great loop adventure hospodar, george on. The great loop boating adventure great loop cruising blog. An illustrated cruising guide to the great loop inland. He was born and raised in terrell, texas, and after a 20 year career with a fortune 500 company, capt. The loopers companion guide is the allinone guide to planning, preparing and cruising the great loop. The best selling guide to cruising americas great loop. I live aboard and cruise the great loop on a fulltime basis. Great loop, and you want to know exactly what it takes and what to expect.
Cruising on a frugal budget bring your own boat wright, capt john c on. Great loop cruising audiobook by katie hamilton, gene. Aglca burgee even though we have closed the loop, because it often starts conversations when people walking the docks ask what group it represents. Equipping the boat for the loop is another matter which we have addressed in several longrange cruising articles on our americas great loop cruise smellin da roses web site, so we will limit this discussion to the vessel selection process and its amenities for individual lifestyles and cruising needs. Discusses what charts and cruising guides you need, how to schedule the trip, what to expect and when and where to go. Many people dream of taking the trip of a lifetime, but keep pushing it aside for many different reasons. This interactive map makes a fantastic route and trip planner. For many cruisers, the highlight of their great loop is the trentsevern waterway across ontario. Great loop boat requirements what you need to know. What weve learned from reading accounts by others is that you will miss a great deal on the americas great loop cruise. I cant quite say when the idea of cruising our macgregor 26x on the american great loop first took hold. Order books and maps about cruising americas great loop.
Come aboard the katy leigh with bob and mavis duthie and cruise the 5,000 mile great loop that circumnavigates the eastern united states. Phil and crew finally leave fort pierce after a two week delay. This map can also be used as a reference for the stobs latest cruising book, great loop side trips. Weve found from experience that its good to be prepared when the need arises. It is the most northerly part of the great lakes and the great loop. But, few actually move beyond just dreaming of the loop to investigating whether and how to make it a reality. How did boaters cruising the great loop overcome obstacles. Information contained in this book was okay, but it was actually painful to listen to the narrator. If you would like to listen to a very pleasant description of a great loop cruise, i recommend this book to you. Katie smith and i began our loop in northport, michigan on september 4th, 2012. There was no useful information with regard to boating or the great loop, just the authors itinerary and social plans. Great loop boats for sale curtis stokes yacht brokerage.
Bob and mavis duthie cruised the loop from 20032005. Americas great loop passage planner bluewater charts. Or are you a beginner boater searching for cruising inspiration. They have authored two other books on boating, upside of downsizing to a trailerable trawler about trailerable trawling, and women on board cruising 25 women share their experiences of longdistance cruising. Words and places mispronounced and the cadence was just read instead of told as a story. Great circle loop information and resources passagemaker. Sep 14, 2017 midwestern retired couple complete americas great loop in their 32 foot sailboat in august 2017. Apr 01, 2015 great american loop raw1 paul catalanotto. Capt john if i thought there was a good seaworthy houseboat capable of cruising americas great loop in its entirety i would have one. They board phils 1968 57foot chriscraft constellation. What follows is a list of the cruising guides we found most useful when traveling the great loop. Instead of traveling to exotic foreign lands with strange cultures and odd rules, you stick to the good ol usa, close. The great loop is americas great boating adventure on the waterways of eastern north america, in canada and the usa.
Jan 23, 2019 from there, cruising lake hurons north channel puts you in a crystalclear body of water north of the u. This is the largest and most popular great loop website on the internet. John cruising americas great loop,best map and route. It is now the best selling great loop guide book on the market. Cruising the great circle loop by skipper bob 17th edition. Midwestern retired couple complete americas great loop in their 32 foot sailboat in august 2017.
Varying from 5,000 to 7,500 miles depending on the route taken, the great loop usually takes loopers a year to several years to complete. The stobs are founders and former directors of americas great loop cruisers association, an organization dedicated to providing information on the great loop cruise. This is the definitive book that popularized the movement of cruising americas great loop. Everything you want and need to know about cruising americas great loop. Learn all about the boat requirement, and what to expect along the way. Cruising america s great loop, 17th 2017 edition on. A family discovers that you dont have to cross oceans to have a great cruising adventure. Whatever youre looking for, hoping to learn, or wishing to find. According to americas great loop cruisers association, at any time, about 300 loopers are tilting at completing the full circle of about 5,000 miles or more, depending on specific. The great loop experience from concept to completion a.
A cruising adventure of americas great loop by ron and eva stob. Cruising and rv touring adventure stories in the usa and. We started this blog while cruising the great loop. For adventurers more tethered to home and work obligations, there are more modest and manageable options generally referred to as mini loops, which include sections of the great loop. Tom and tracys americas great loop adventure rev 3 youtube. If youre a great looper, or looking to get started, many dockwa marinas are proud supporters of the american great loop cruisers association. The very best of americas great loop top 100 most essential and faqs answered.
Discusses what charts and cruising guides you need, how. Our stories about great loop cruising can be found here. The ideal looper boat first, lets define what a looper boat is. For those of you who are not familiar with this unique boating adventure, the great loop a circumnavigation of the eastern united states from the heartland rivers to the north atlantic seaboard, canada and the great lakes. In 2007 after completing the loop they purchased a winnebago rv and drove to just about every place in canada and the usa.
This is the funniest loop book since honey lets get a boat. A catamaran takes on the american great loop sail magazine. The awardwinning book is considered a must read for those planning to cruise americas great loop. Skipper bob publications skipper bob cruising guides. This book makes it feel like cruising for those who dont want to face the big, bad world out there. The skipper bob series of cruising guides consists of 8 titles featuring the waterways of the great loop, the gulf coast and the bahamas and 2 titles featuring marinas and anchorages along the atlantic intracoastal waterway. Fort lauderdale, fl curtis stokes and associates have long been supporters of great loop cruisers by supporting the americas great loop cruisers association and bringing great people and boats together to do the great loop. From there, cruising lake hurons north channel puts you in a crystalclear body of water north of the u. Boat, size, fuel and financial requirements for cruising americas great loop, the great lakes and inland waterways. Cruising americas great loop, 17th 2017 edition on. Americas great loop cruising guide cruising americas.
A cruising adventure of americas great loop by ron and eva stob this is the definitive book that popularized the movement of cruising americas great loop. The first swift trawler 34, next step up in the line, successfully completed the great loop upon its introduction in 2012. This article deals with the importance of spending a year or more doing ones homework before attempting the 5,000 to 7,000 great loop great circle voyage where 4,500 or more miles will be in unfamiliar waters. Mar 15, 2016 according to americas great loop cruisers association, at any time, about 300 loopers are tilting at completing the full circle of about 5,000 miles or more, depending on specific. Wright is the award winning author of two best sellers in the byob bring your own boat cruising series. Youll find these books for sale at marine stores and offered online from their publishers and at. This book gave me a good idea of the diversity of adventures possible. In fact, we had actually sailed on several portions of the great loop on previous trips back east. Yes, plenty of boaters peck away at the loop, cruising sections over the space of years, but its still a large and lengthy commitment. This section is reserved for our sponsors special financial supporters of americas great loop cruisers association. Cruising the great loop and other waterways on trawlers. The great loop is a 5,000mile route that essentially circumnavigates the east coast of the united states, using the intracoastal waterway, hudson river, erie canal, the great lakes and the illinois, mississippi and tennessee rivers. Larry came through our marina, kenlake, in 2002 a year before mavis and i left on our great loop trip.
Curtis stokes has also been a speaker discussing finding the right boat for your great loop cruise at the aglcas. You start out at your home port which can be anywhere from the navigable waters of florida, atlantic coast, hudson river, the great lakes or inland rivers. Depending on how many side trips you choose to take, the great loop is 5 to 7 thousand miles. From boat to budget, from tossing those lines to crossing your wake. It left me think8ng that i ought to join aglca, go to. Cruising americas great loop up the east coast, across the great lakes, down the mississippi and tenntom canal to the gulf coast, and across the gulf coast to florida. The voyage is between 5,500 to 7,000 miles plus or minus, depending on the route selected and is usually called the americas great loop cruise. In preparing for the great loop weve been stocking up on engine pencil zincs, fuel filters, oil filters, oil, belts, impellers, tools, spare anchor and rode all in preparation for departure day. First published in 1999, it is the story of a couple who encounter each other and a quirky boat as they discover america from the waters edge. Covers best boats, routes, equipment, amenities, requirements, costs, and how to cruise the loop safely.
Americas great loop cruisers association aglcatm is an organization of people who share a sense of adventure and a curiosity about the boating adventure known as americas great loop. How did singlehanded loopers do the 6000mile trip alone. Another said, exactly what i needed to start my journey around americas great loop. The captain of a soupedup pontoon boat takes on the historic great loop, and makes his dream of seeing the heartland come true. Also route options, best boat options, boat requirements, size restrictions, fuel range requirements and favorite places to visit. The gold burgee is the gold standard and is reserved for members who have completed the great loop cruise.
Our itinerary began with our leaving on saturday the sixth and cruising out to anclote island for our first anchorage. This smart, stylish boat is a contemporary rendition of a classic trawler, from a builder that knows a thing or two about the realities of longdistance cruising. It was a blustery night with waves noisily pushing on our stern all night. Ever wonder what its really like to cruise americas great loop. Select stopovers a suggested itinerary divides the route into portions that can easily be cruised in a day with a recommended marina or anchorage at the end of each day. Hundreds of boat owners attempt the loop each year. Rv touring and cruising americas great loop are dream and bucket list items for those who long for adventure on the land and water. Links to websites, books and blogs about cruising americas great. Americas great loop cruisers association is an organization of people who share a sense of adventure and a curiosity about americas great loop and its many side trips. A cruising adventure of americas great loop, by ron and eva stob.
I am sure it will not replace a proper cruising guide, though. Prep for great loop trip archives great loop cruising. Whenever possible, we encourage members to patronize the companies that take extra. Crossing our wake two years later to the day, september 4th, 2014 aboard a cal 27 named louise americas great loop. John retired to living and cruising americas great loop. Ron and eva stobs latest book, great loop side trips. Includes favorite stops, distance between marinas, fuel capacity and fuel range required. Heading north from florida, the next aglca dockwa marinas are windmill harbour marina in hilton head, south carolina on your way up the coast of north carolina, plan a stop at new bern grand marina. This marina goes above and beyond for its guests, takes pride in its service, and loves to share new bern with new visitors. It takes the guess work out of planning it, and the stress work out of cruising it. Cruising and rv touring adventure stories in the usa and canada. It is a great tool for planning your cruise around americas great loop.
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