The Great Loop...What is it?

What is it called you guys are doing? Something like the big circle? I can't believe I haven't dedicated a post to the great adventure we are about to conquer, The Great Loop. The Great Loop (also called the Great Circle Route) according to Wikipedia is "The circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water." The trip can vary somewhere from 5,000 miles to 7,500 miles depending on several route options. We will lean toward 7,000 miles as we will be spending time in the Florida Keys, dry Tortuga's and the Bahamas (which is not part of the loop). We have spent time in The North Channel, Ontario, Canada, which is the body of water located on the North shore of Lake Huron, and will not be taking this route on our return leg (more about this in a future post). 

The Great Loop is mostly traveled counterclockwise, and to avoid hurricanes and ice, you spend the summer in the Great Lakes, head south in the fall, winter in Florida and head up the east coast  around April/May. This is our plan anyway.

We leave the Door County area beginning of August and take some time to travel across Lake Michigan to some of our favorite spots; Elk Rapids, MI, Northport, MI and Leland, MI to name a few. We will then start to pick our way to Chicago where we will be entering into the river system beginning of September. We hope to accomplish this endeavor in one year, but have the time to take if we find that we absolutely love a certain spot and want to stick around for a bit. 

So far what we have planned gets us to Florida. We will travel downstream on the Illinois River, Mississippi, up to the Ohio River, to the Cumberland which will get us to the Tennessee and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom). We will come out in the Gulf of Mexico from Mobile, Alabama. Then the Intercoastal Waterway to Florida we go! From there, I'll have to post about later!

We joined the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) a few years ago to begin planning. We have great resources at our fingers and as members we fly a white burgee that shows we are active "loopers". Once we complete the loop we will be able to fly the coveted gold burgee (we can't wait for that day! Huge party in my future!). Being members we have access to all other members who are in the process of doing the loop through discussion forums and live feeds. Also flying the white burgee is recognizable amongst other loopers which is a nice feeling to know someone else is out there to buddy boat with if we want. The AGLCA organizes two reunions a year, we were not able to get reservations for these events so you NEED to sign up EARLY!  

Check out the AGLCA website here.

Hope this helps explain where the heck it is we will be traveling the next year or so. Stay tuned to future posts to follow us along our trip. Emotions are high over here, I'm having a hard time controlling both my excitement and nerves...but this is what life is about. Taking the adventure together and learning while growing along the way. I CAN NOT WAIT to share this journey!