John & Lucy Ready for Departure: Year 2 Great Loop

July 21 & 22 we are doing final shopping and provisioning for Calucy Too our Mainship 390 trawler docked at Toledo Beach Marina (TBM) in La Salle, Michigan. We were getting excited about embarking on our continuation of the Great Loop journey for 2021-22. The map below outlines the 5,400+ mile route around the eastern USA. We started our "Loop" in 2019 from Rochester, NY and were able to complete 604 miles before John accepted the interim president's position at Transylvania University (2019-20) and then COVID-19 (2020-2021) delayed our continuation for another year. If you are wondering about the origin of our boat name—Calucy Too—see below.

About our boat name—Calucy Too

John’s stepmother, Grace, was quite creative with words. She loved the Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy watching these two programs religiously every evening. She was also someone who did the daily crossword puzzle in the printed newspaper in “ink” every day. When we bought our first boat in Florida to cruise along the Caloosahatchee River, she offered the name of Calucy playing off of the Florida river with a similar name and my wife’s first name of Lucy. Grace died in 2017 at age 98 so when we purchased our “Loop” boat in 2019, we thought it only fitting to continue her wonderful creativity by naming our 2003 Mainship Calucy Too.

The Great Loop

Information from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states.......

The Great Loop is a continuous waterway that recreational mariners can travel that includes part of the Atlantic, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals, and the inland rivers of America's heartland. Anyone who completes the journey is then named an official 'Looper.'

For a safe and enjoyable trip, there are a few things to consider when traveling the Great Loop—a great amount of time, a boat with less than a five foot draft to travel inland waterways, NOAA nautical charts, and a NOAA radio. Along the way, it is possible to visit a number of national marine sanctuaries and estuarine research reserves.

How does a boater embark on the Great Loop? If you start in Chicago (...or Toledo Beach Marina), continue south in a counter-clockwise direction to take advantage of the river currents of the Chicago Ship Canal & Illinois River that run into the Mississippi River. While a few people stay on the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, most 'Loopers' choose to exit the Ohio River then to the Tennessee River (at Paducah, KY) to avoid heavy barge traffic on the larger waterway. This path leads to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which also flows to the Gulf at Mobile, AL.

Regardless of the Southern route selected, boaters can float downstream to the warm waters of the Gulf and explore the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. From there, cruise east on the Gulf's Intracoastal Waterway. While soaking up some Florida sun, visit the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Then travel north up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and discover the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Continue north on the Intracoastal to New York City. From the Big Apple, it's a straight shot up the Hudson to the Erie Canal. Then head west across to the Great Lakes of Erie, Huron and Michigan. Boaters may visit Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary when sailing up Lake Huron and then finally returning back to Chicago.

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America's Great Loop Cruising Association (AGLCA)

The Great Loop is a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S., and part of Canada. The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York State Canals, the Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. "Loopers" take on this adventure of a lifetime aboard their own boat. The Great Loop is a minimum of 5,250, but depending on which route choices and which side trips you do, it can be extended to include thousands more miles. Most Loopers report their Great Loop trip to be in the 6,000-mile range.

How Long Does It Take to Do the Great Loop?

The Great Loop has been done in as little as six weeks and in as much as 12 years. Traditionally, Loopers have spent about a year on the route. After all, it is a seasonal trip. You’ll want to be on 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 warm weather up the eastern portion of the route.We’re seeing a trend towards people doing the Great Loop in segments, cruising for a few weeks or months, and then returning home to take care of business or other responsibilities, and returning to the boat for another segment when possible.

For more information on the AGLCA Association click here.