Need authoritative resource book on The Great Loop

J

johnniethek

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
414
Fluid Motion Model
C-30 S
Hull Identification Number
FMLT29211617
Vessel Name
Salish Searcher
Time to cross things off of my bucket list, mes amis.
No. 1 on that list is The Great Loop, which I will start next summer in the Great Lakes.
In advance of that, though, I would like to find out from Loopers here what authoritative book best prepared them for their trip. I know the coronavirus has dramatically changed things in terms of what's open/what's not.
But I will deal with those things when the time requires it. I'm just looking for the best pub that will prepare me -- even give me some special places to visit -- for the trip, which I think will take 10-12 months, including a side trip to The Bahamas.
Thanks, in advance, for any help you can provide.

Johnnie the K
 
If you have joined the AGLCA there is all kinds of information there From past Loopers to Currently doing the Loop. It is a very good resource of information.
 
How many engine hours are generally accrued to complete the Great Loop?

One needs to make sure the canal system south out of Lake Michigan is open. I generally understand it was going to be closed for construction for a period of time. I'm sure Brian is up to date on this.
 
J the K! - don't forget about John and Laurie Gray's blog about doing the Loop in their R-29 classic Andiamo, and Lisa and Jim Favors' blog Trailer Trawler Life. I'd start in the USA-EAST Archive.

Cheers,

Bruce
 
I’m cruising the Great Loop in sections in my R27. I’ve bought some Waterway Guide books on various sections, but have used them very little. Here’s what I have done:

1) Study a map of the Great Loop and become generally familiar with the various waterways it encompasses. Maps are available online.

2) Join AGLCA and read the forum often. Make notes or cut and paste into documents from forum posts about the what-where-when-how experiences of people on the loop now and from people who have completed all or parts of it. I’ve been doing that a couple years. Being familiar with the route will help you understand what the posters are writing about. Right now with all the virus craziness, currently there is not a lot of useful what-where, etc. on the forum. That will change when things settle down.

3) Buy a tablet computer and get the Aqua Maps app. It is a great back up to your chart plotter and it can display Active Captain and Waterway Guide reviews of marinas, anchorages and has alerts to navigation hazards. Those reviews and alerts function as a cruising guide themselves. Although it is the most expensive option, the iPad gets the the first software updates from Aqua Maps as they become available.

4) This should maybe be the first item: Study the blogs of John and Laurie Gray, owners of R25, 27, 29 Tugs. They did the entire loop in one contiguous trip in the 29, and sections and side trips of the loop in the 25 and 27. John writes with the completeness and precision of an ex-police chief that he is and Laurie illustrates them with great photography. The blogs contain a wealth of information about how to equip, provision, and maintain a Ranger Tug on a trip. Here’s link to their Great Loop Blog via their R29:

https://www.andiamo-ranger29.com/great- ... ation.html
 
I have known John and Laurie for 11 years, and agree their blogs on the various sections of the Loop, plus sage advice on how to live aboard, are excellent. They were nice enough to supply me with some guidelines given the general nature of my planned trip:
1. Start in the Upper Midwest
2. The best timing for being on the Gulf Coast
3. Crossing the Gulf of Mexico from Panhandle to West Coast of Florida
4. Thanksgiving and December on West Coast of Florida and Keys.
5. Find crossing window to The Bahamas, and spend the winter there.
6. Be in Florida/Georgia in early April and head up ICW.
7. Navigate the canal system and head into the Great Lakes.

That's the general nature of my plan.

Thank everyone SO much for all the excellent insights and recommendations. This will be a trip of a lifetime and I want to get it right! Obviously, part of that means being flexible and going with the flow.

Johnnie the K
 
There is tons of information out there. My experience is pick one good source and read it. The waterway guide has updates regularly on various conditions that affect navigation. Most important is reading about routes, fuel availability or lack thereof, the lock experience/transitioning if you are not familiar with it. I found that trying to plan the entire trip can be daunting. Figure your general route and then make a detail plan a few days to a week in advance as you are on the trip. Weather changes things, sites you come upon often result in staying longer or shorter, people you meet along the way give recommendations as well as mechanical issues are all a factor. Don't rush it and smell the roses along the way. It is all about the journey, not the destination!
 
John,

I too am planning the loop for September 2021, starting in St. Louis.
You will want to google Illinois Lock Closures as the 3 upper locks are scheduled for closure next year.
The lower six are closed this year.
The virus may change the maintenance schedule.

Regards,

Jeff Radwill
R27
 
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