I'm as bad as GFC. Now this applies to trips of a month to six months.
I start with top down planning. This is the area we want to go to and the time we're thinking about allocating. I think of any fixed events or dates that need consideration. For instance, on our loop trip for this year, I started with this general overview.
-We want to leave NYC as near May 1 as possible.
-We want to leave Chicago around the end of Sept, no later than Oct 15.
-We want to dock on the TN river and leave the boat there by Oct 31.
-The coast isn't important as we cruise it often.
-From Pickwick to Mobile won't happen for another year or two.
Next, if it's a long trip we break it into segments based on general distances and we then assign approximate times to those segments. Our initial run at that was:
-NYC to Oswego 18 days
-Lake Ontario 21 days
-Lake Erie 10 days, docking in Sandusky
-Fly home 21 days
-Lake Erie 11 days
-Lake Huron 25 days
-Lake Superior 13 days, docking in Duluth
-Home for 21 days
-Lake Superior 8 days
-Lake Michigan 20 days
-Chicago to Pickwick 16 days
Then we worked from bottom up. We listed every possible stop along the way. We checked marinas. We researched things to do. We rated each stop on a 1 to 5 scale. We used every resource we could from guide books from sites on the various lakes from city sites from Travel Advisor to online marina listings and reviews to books we've read on cruising the areas to blogs. We detailed distances, locks, bridges.
At that point then we end up with much more than possible in the time. On most of the lakes we had 15 to 20 places we wanted to see, but figured in the time we had more like 11 was possible. In a painstaking process we start reducing stops. We make sure we have time to enjoy where we're stopping.
We then readjust the top level based on what we've learned.
The plan changed to this:
-NYC to Oswego 17 days
-Lake Ontario 17 days
-Lake Erie 14 days, docking in Sandusky
-Fly home 21 days
-Lake Erie 11 days
-Lake Huron 16 days
-Lake Superior 16 days
-Lake Michigan 17 days, docking in Chicago
-Fly home 17 days
-Lake Michigan 17 days
-Chicago to Pickwick 7 days
-TN River 14 days
Now we refine more and along the way make changes. We did stay extra some places but simultaneously eliminated days elsewhere or deleted a stop. It's always subject to change but we've thoroughly build a knowledge base and our desires. We did the run from FLL to NYC in advance and docked the boat there, handling it much like a delivery run.
Here's then what we ended up with when we actually did it.
FLL to NYC, quick delivery run, 9 days, 7 stops, dock in NJ
Fly home for 14 days
Now, the real start on May 1
NYC to Oswego, 16 days, 9 stops
Lake Ontario, 20 days, 8 stops
Lake Erie, 21 days, 6 stops, leave boat in Sandusky
Fly home for 14 days
Lake Erie, 2 days, no movement
Lake Huron, 18 days, 9 stops (mostly Georgian Bay)
Lake Superior, 11 days, 7 stops
Lake Huron, 3 days, 3 stops
Lake Michigan, 18 days, 10 stops, leave boat in Chicago
Fly home for 18 days
Lake Michigan, 23 days, 6 stops, last 12 days in Chicago
Chicago to Pickwick, 12 days, 8 stops
TN River, 8 days, 5 stops
7066 nm, 447 hours
We got to see 71 towns or areas between NYC and concluding on the TN River over 152 days on the boat with 32 days of breaks to fly home.
We averaged just under 3 hours of cruising a day with the pattern being more like 6 hours every other day. Our longest day of cruising was 13 hours. Our only night cruising made for an 18 hour day from Hoppie's in Imperial, MO to the Cumberland Towhead in Smithfield, KY.
Our cruising speed was typically around 25 to 27 knots. We averaged only 15.81 knots dues to the Erie and Oswego with slow zones and many locks and the Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers with locks and slower speed, plus locks on the TN River.
We normally start planning well ahead, the longer the trip, the further ahead. Our most recent 6 week trip to the Eastern Caribbean we started planning about a month ahead. Trips for three weeks or so on the East Coast or to the Gulf of Mexico, we'll normally start only a couple of weeks ahead. Before that we'll just simply say our next trip is in that direction. A few days or a week to Bahamas we might decide at the last minute. 3 weeks to the Bahamas we'll typically start a month ahead.
Right now, all we have planned is"
-3 weeks in the Bahamas starting late March, no details.
-5 weeks on the TN River starting early May, no details.
-4 weeks East Coast starting late June, no details
-3 weeks Cumberland River starting mid August
-3 weeks Returning south on the East Coast starting mid September
Between those times a couple of short trips to the Bahamas, a couple to Key West, one or two elsewhere in FL, a lot of day trips around home.
We are determined to finally make it to Fantasy Fest in late October.
We also know in late November to early December we'll go somewhere. Likely the west coast of FL, but could be Bahamas.
In a way though we're always planning. Next year we'd like to return to the Western Caribbean, we'd like to see the Ohio and Missouri rivers, cruise west to Corpus at some point.
2019, perhaps up the East coast, around and down the St. Lawrence to see more of Canada, then perhaps some time on the Great Lakes.
Sometime in future, Europe
Sometime in future, back to the West Coast
Sometime in future, the South Pacific
Sometime in future, the Galapagos.
Always places to go. We'll never make them all but we'll always be dreaming ahead.
As to details, we do route every day and change it as required. We also always have an escape plan before starting and make sure we know and feel ok with the weather and conditions. i believe in planning, all subject to change, vs no planning.