A couple of years ago Karen and I were at the Long Beach Boat show looking for a small boat to use for local cruising. While waiting in an extremely slow line for lunch at the “roach coach” we struck up a conversation with a gentleman next to us, who told us about his experiences on The Great American Loop. www.greatloop.org We had never heard of the loop before, but we were intrigued. Basically, the existence of the loop proves that the eastern 1/3 of the U.S. is an island. The adventure can be started anywhere along the loop but most “Loopers” start in Florida, work their way up the Intracoastal Waterway, through the Chesapeake Bay, out into the ocean around New Jersey, into New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River. From there they have the option of crossing the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes or heading up into Canada, past Montreal, and west along various rivers to the Great Lakes. Either of these tracks will put Loopers into Lake Michigan with Chicago being a major stopping point. After cruising through Chicago, the voyage is continued south along the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers and the Tenn-Tom Waterway to reach Mobile, Alabama. The Loop is completed by crossing the Gulf of Mexico back to Florida and ultimately “crossing your wake” by returning to your starting point. The loop is approximately 6,500 miles long and has been completed in vessels ranging from ski-doos to 70 foot motor yachts. Most Loopers spend approximately 1 year on their voyage.
WOW! That sounded fantastic. What a perfect way to spend our first year of retirement which luckily was right around the corner! So, we decided not to purchase a boat here in California and instead set our sights on the loop. I have been a sailor for many years and have a love of boats and the ocean but Karen’s boating experience was limited to a few bareboat cruises in the Virgin Islands, our honeymoon included. I can’t tell you how happy I was that Karen was also excited about the loop. To help make sure she knew what she was getting herself into, we booked a 4 day “Taste of the Loop” trip in Florida with Karen and Scott Duval of “Capable Cruising.” www.capablecruising.com Well…Karen liked it!!! We were on!! Although I have loved being a veterinarian and thoroughly enjoyed my clients, owning a veterinary hospital for over 30 years kept us on a very short leash. With that thought in mind, we decided to name our boat “Off Leash.” Now all we needed was a boat! But that, as they say, is a story for another day….
