Planning my next boating adventure ...

Hello,

I've had the Great Loop on my bucket list for quite some time, and with my son getting closer to completing high school, and moving on to college, I'm now beginning to solidify my plan for my next boat.

I spent quite a bit of time on some friends boats in the Seattle area, and then bought my first "big" boat in the early 1990's - a 63' Monk re-fit that I lived on in Gig Harbor, WA while consulting up there. I spent time cruising from Olympia to the San Juans, while continuing to co-pilot trips on friends boats up into Canada and around Glacier Bay in Alaska. That boat was sold just before I got married in the late 1990's.

During that time I learned about the Great Loop. It's been on my list since.

I've been studying the trip for several years, on and off, but now have a ~3 year plan to get back on the water and explore the Loop. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and have been on the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio ... but never in my own boat. Since I have not yet cruised the Mississippi I'm looking to pick up a boat and begin to learn the ins and outs of river travel over the next couple of years to prepare for a longer journey in three years.

I'm a technologist and have been involved with boat navigation gear and sensors for a long time as a side interest and hobby. I used to be on the NMEA 0183 standards committee and worked with engineers from many of the big marine electronics companies. This is still something I am working with, and hope to develop some new solutions for personal interest.

I look forward to conversations here to learn and share, and hopefully meeting some of you out on the water in the future!

Scott

Hello Humancell,
Welcome to the forum. Looks like you already have some experience to draw on, and to offer to us all. Hope you enjoy it here.

Welcome - Appears you will fit well into TF boating discussions. Always good to have new members with knowledge to share! - Art

Good luck realizing your plan and welcome!

Wifey B:

After googling Heber City, I figured out you're not keeping your boat there. So, where have you thought of keeping it while you start to explore, or do you intend to regularly give it a new home?

I'll be moving away from Heber City in about 3 years, and so I'm preparing to buy something and keep it on the Mississippi or tributaries until then.

Initially I'm thinking of buying something between the Great Lakes and Florida, and then getting it into the Mississippi River system someplace.

The longer term goal will be fairly constant relocation to spend a few years on the Loop.

So maybe try to buy something and get it to the Quad Cities area or such, but eventually be constantly moving.

Welcome Mate.


Sounds like you have a great plan.


Cheers


H.

Humancell said:

Initially I'm thinking of buying something between the Great Lakes and Florida, and then getting it into the Mississippi River system someplace.

The longer term goal will be fairly constant relocation to spend a few years on the Loop.

Click to expand...

Given the spotty access through Chicago these days, if I was buying a looper in the Midwest, I'd want to start downstream from the closure in the mid-late summer to enjoy the northern tier at its best. As you complete the Loop, you get to check out the northern tier including the finale in Lake Michigan.

Welcome aboard TF
Sounds like you have a plan and will implement it...enjoy the adventure.
Lots of great boating in the NE, Canada, and all around the Great Lakes. The multi year loop approach should ad to the enjoyment significantly.

Art said:

Welcome - Appears you will fit well into TF boating discussions. Always good to have new members with knowledge to share! - Art

Click to expand...

+1

Cheers.

H.

Welcome!

You are probably already aware of the AGLCA Home - America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association
and I recommend you join now as it is a good resource for information, experiences of others, a forum, and planning. There is a rendezvous twice a year that is well worth attending as well even if you haven't started the loop.

FlyWright said:

Given the spotty access through Chicago these days, if I was buying a looper in the Midwest, I'd want to start downstream from the closure in the mid-late summer to enjoy the northern tier at its best. As you complete the Loop, you get to check out the northern tier including the finale in Lake Michigan.

Click to expand...

Spotty access through Chicago?

Jeff F said:

Spotty access through Chicago?

Click to expand...

Is America's Great Loop in danger of cosing?

Thanks. This is a slow-moving story with no easy solution. I can't see how the navigation link between the lake and river can ever be permanently closed though. It's not just loopers that require that access. The idea of a railway is interesting. The Big Chute passage on the Trent Severn was constructed in lieu of a lock in part based on the desire to control fish migration.

FlyWright said:

Is America's Great Loop in danger of cosing?

Click to expand...

Not a new or really changing story. The electric fence has helped but so many ways for the carp to migrate. Also, not limited to the Great Lakes. They had an interesting Carp Madness Fishing Tournament on Kentucky lake in 2013 and caught about 40 tons of carp in two days. This year they had a lot of unexplained dying of Asian Carp. They were apparently killing themselves.

Great Laker said:

Welcome!

You are probably already aware of the AGLCA Home - America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association
and I recommend you join now as it is a good resource for information, experiences of others, a forum, and planning. There is a rendezvous twice a year that is well worth attending as well even if you haven't started the loop.

Click to expand...

Yes ... I am aware of the organization, and was looking to join soon. Looks like lots of good information and contacts.

Might try to make an event too! I'll have to see when the next one is coming up!

BandB said:

Not a new or really changing story. The electric fence has helped but so many ways for the carp to migrate. Also, not limited to the Great Lakes. They had an interesting Carp Madness Fishing Tournament on Kentucky lake in 2013 and caught about 40 tons of carp in two days. This year they had a lot of unexplained dying of Asian Carp. They were apparently killing themselves.

Click to expand...

BandB ... I found a thread where you are planning a 2018 trip up the Ohio and into the Allegheny and Monongahela? I'm originally from Pittsburgh, and my father grew up in Brownsville on the Monongahela. Part of my "boating bucket list" is to do that exact trip ... great to see you've done some of the leg work for me, and laid out the estimated time, etc.

Are you still going?

BTW ... what type of boat are you in these days?

Humancell said:

BandB ... I found a thread where you are planning a 2018 trip up the Ohio and into the Allegheny and Monongahela? I'm originally from Pittsburgh, and my father grew up in Brownsville on the Monongahela. Part of my "boating bucket list" is to do that exact trip ... great to see you've done some of the leg work for me, and laid out the estimated time, etc.

Are you still going?

BTW ... what type of boat are you in these days?

Click to expand...

We will still do it. Not definite it will be 2018, but this year we've done the TN River and we're going to do the Cumberland River very soon. We will be doing that in the boat we got for the Loop which is a Sunseeker Manhattan 65.

It's amazing how many people do the loop but never think of some of the rivers they can do. I believe arriving at Three Rivers will be a magical moment. The Ohio locks can get very crowded from what I know.

Scott,

The annual AGLCA Fall Rendezvous is being held at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL, October 16-19, 2017. You can come without a boat as a wanabe looper. It is already sold out, but there is a waiting list. There is also an annual Spring Rendezvous held in Norfolk, VA.

Welcome and sounds like a very interesting plan and I'm sure that's the interesting part for you as well!

All the best!

BandB said:

We will still do it. Not definite it will be 2018, but this year we've done the TN River and we're going to do the Cumberland River very soon. We will be doing that in the boat we got for the Loop which is a Sunseeker Manhattan 65.



It's amazing how many people do the loop but never think of some of the rivers they can do. I believe arriving at Three Rivers will be a magical moment. The Ohio locks can get very crowded from what I know.

Click to expand...

I agree with you completely about exploring the tributaries! Being from Pittsburgh originally, it has always been my goal to do the Ohio, and further up. As I started my research I've been amazed at the number of navigable rivers that are accessible, and how many major cities are on them. It obviously makes sense, as the river system was the original "highway" for trade.

I just read a blog post of someone taking the Black Warrior River to Birmingham! Amazing.

I'm curious ... your Sunseeker is quite a boat, and has a deeper draft than a lot of boats. Have you had any issues or worries because of that?

Great Laker said:

Scott,

The annual AGLCA Fall Rendezvous is being held at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL, October 16-19, 2017. You can come without a boat as a wanabe looper. It is already sold out, but there is a waiting list. There is also an annual Spring Rendezvous held in Norfolk, VA.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'll make the October event ... but maybe the Spring event in Norfolk. Sounds like I ought to be investigating now!

Humancell said:

I'm curious ... your Sunseeker is quite a boat, and has a deeper draft than a lot of boats. Have you had any issues or worries because of that?

Click to expand...

Our draft is 5' and it's presented no issues to us. The air draft was something we had to make modifications on, however, as standard with a factory hardtop is 22' or so, but we're at 21' with the electronics mast up and under 19' with it lowered.

These are all navigable waterways and used by much larger vessels. We couldn't take the Erie all the way west but took the Oswego. I know of boats up to 85' that have gone down the Oswego and Erie. On the Great Lakes you have many larger boats. Size may eliminate a few marinas but there's another near that isn't a problem. Even the TN river is maintained for commercial shipping, as is the TN Tom.