Great Loop
Great Loop | |
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Details | |
Location | Eastern portion of United states and Canada |
Length | 6,000 mi (9,700 km) |
The Great Loop is a system of waterways that encompasses the eastern portion of the United States and part of Canada. It is made up of both natural and man-made waterways, including the Atlantic and Gulf
Overview
There is no single route or itinerary to complete the loop. To avoid winter ice and summer hurricanes, boaters generally traverse the Great Lakes and Canadian waterways in summer, travel down the Mississippi or the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway in fall, cross the Gulf of Mexico and Florida in the winter, and travel up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in the spring. Depending on speed of travel, the route can take as little as two months, but more typically it takes about a year to complete the trip.[2] The route may also be completed in segments.
Loopers can begin at any point along the route, and when they return to their starting point, they are said to have "crossed their wake" and to have finished the Great Loop.
Route information
Assuming one is starting in the
Traveling down the inland
Traversing the 184 mile length of Kentucky Lake, Looper boats continue up the
Continuing eastward using the
The Loop continues up the ICW along Florida's Atlantic Coast, through coastal Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. To reach
Entering the
Lake Huron is a destination for all Looper boats, regardless of route and any side-trips. All boats have to transit the Straits of Mackinac at the top of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and enter Lake Michigan. Optional side-trip is going through the Soo Locks and visiting Lake Superior.
Loopers have the option to follow either the Wisconsin or Michigan coasts as they make their way south on Lake Michigan back to Chicago.
Looper culture
Those boaters who are on the loop often fly a white burgee, and those who have completed the loop fly a gold one.[2]
The America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) assists Great Loop cruisers by sharing safety and navigational and cruising information, while providing a networking platform for Loopers through its members-only discussion forum. Boaters can exchange information about topics such as marinas, locking through, water depth, hazards, repairs, fuel prices or dinner reservations and sight seeing.[4] The AGLCA also hosts twice-yearly gatherings for Loopers currently on the Loop and those planning a Great Loop trip.
See also
References
- ^ "What is the Great Loop?". NOAA FAQs. NOAA. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ a b Schulte, Brigid. "The Great Loop By Pontoon Boat". BoatUS. BoatUS. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "Inland Rivers". Retrieved 2023-09-14.|CaptainJamesLowe.com
- ^ "America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association". America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association. Retrieved 14 January 2017.