best 2 or 3 weeks on the Loop

[Crewdog]

Ok, so we're looking at next summer and trying to come up with a portion of the Great Loop to do for 2 or 3 weeks next summer.

My initial idea that sticks with me is to trailer up to NJ and come up NY Harbor past the Statue of LIberty, maybe spend a couple days in NYC, and up the Hudson, and as far out the Erie Canal as time allows.

Any votes out there for a favorite section of the Loop?

 

[pugtug613]

The Ranger rendezvous in Aug. 14 (look up the actual days). How about New Jersey thru NY Harbor. NYC is always nice, you can get a slip in Gramecey Park area on the west side of Manhattan. Then go under all the bridges and the East River and around to the LI Sound. Then you can hop along the North Shore and around Orient Point and to Greenport. That's where the rendezvous is.
There's also a southern route. NJ to Brooklyn, Sheapshead Bay, Then go in the East Rockaway Inlet. Now you can go inside all the way to Greenport.
If interested, PM me and I can suggest a bunch of really great stops.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Hi Bill:

A favorite part of the Great Loop for one, like anchors, batteries and bottom paint will yield many different suggestions. Certainly the route you choose is one of them. For a 2 to 3 week trip you might also consider the Erie Canal, cross over to Canada and cruise the Trent Severn. Maybe the Erie and Rideua Canal in Canada. Or consider Georgian Bay and the Eastern side of the North Channel. From Elizabeth City, in North Carolina up to Norfolk and then the Chesapeake Bay is also another consideration to time being in Washington DC for July 4th. The big advantage we have with trailerable boats is being able to tackle parts of the Great Loop at our leasure or as time allows. I don't think there is a bad choice.

Jim F

 

[Scuffy]

The Erie canal and the eastern inter coastal waterway can be stifling hot in the summer. We launched and the Liberty Park boat ramp near the statue of Liberty in Jersey City N.J. Good ramp and safe temporary parking. It is only about two miles from a nice marina that has water taxi service right there to NYC. We grabbed a rental car in Jersey City before launching the boat. We left the rental unit at the Liberty Island Marina and launched the boat a couple miles away at the Park. Then we motored up the marina and got the boat in a slip and spent the night. Then the next day my wife followed in the rental car we took the truck and trailer up to Rouces Point New York which is right on the Canadian border at th top of Lake Champlain. Then we went back to the marina and turned in the car and started up the Hudson river. Try to head up the Hudson on an incoming tide, no sense fighting it. It's about 100 miles up to Kingston which was a fun stop. Plenty of places in between. Then we headed on up to Troy which is where there is the intersection of the Champlain Canal and the Erie Canal. We headed on up the Champlain canal stopping on a wall in Ford Edward I think for free. Then on up the canal and into Lake Chaplain. We stayed at a marina called Chipman Point Marina on the Vermont side which was a great place. Loads of information and genuine nice people. Lake Champlain offers plenty of places to stop, Essex , Otter river up to the falls. We stayed at the Chipman Point marina in Rouces Point and then continued up into Canada on the Richelieu river to the Chambly Canal. Took that over to Chambly at the end of the canal. Beautiful marina right there and made the flip and headed back to Rouces Point. Check out some more info on Active Captain and check out this site. http://www.tug44.org. for places to stay and points of interest. Maybe cooler up there in the summer. Beautiful country. There is train service in between Rouces Point and NYC. You could do that instead of the rental car. Once you get back to NYC you could catch a cab and a water taxi to get back over to your boat at Liberty Landing Marina. Just a few ideas. It also is a fun trip to head up the Hudson just past the George Washington bridge and get on the Harlem river which takes you right past Yankee Stadium and over to the East River. Then down the East river back to the Liberty Landing Marina. You circle Manhattan so there is plenty to see including The statue of Liberty. We liked it a lot.

 

[knotflying]

Bill,

Jim is dead on. We will all have our favorite and they will all be different. You can spend two or three weeks on the Chesepeake alone. However I assume you are looking further north because it is summer. I have done the Hudson up through the the Champlain Canal to Burlington, VT. and that was very scenic.
There was mention of the Tug Rendezvous in August and that will be in Greenport, Long Island, NY. I'll tell you, if it isn't the loop you are trying to accomplish then you could do a lot just starting at Ny Harbor, go up to the Long Island Sound and you can hit Greenport, Long Island, Montauk, Block Island, Newport RI, Cuttyhunk, MA and Nantucket as well.

So many places to see and so little time!

If you want more details and other places to stop. Call or e-mail me.

Mike Rizzo

 

[Pilotnavigator]

Most loopers fly through the north channel of Lake Huron but this area is considered the best cruising grounds in fresh water and you can easily spend three or more weeks exploring it. Little current is a good starting point. A ranger tug rendezvous was held there last summer. Temperatures are in the high 70s during the day and 60s at night.

 

[Todd]

3 weeks would be perfect for the Erie Canal. Did it a couple of years ago and went all the way to Niagara Falls. It takes about a week to cross each way so the extra week could be used to explore a few of the towns along the way or for side trips into the finger lakes. I would suggest you trailer up to Catskill or Hudson area and launch from there. The Canal is great and you can tie up for free just about everywhere making it one of the cheapest trips you will ever take.