What is America’s Great Loop?

Written by The Crew

Rev writes all the posts as "The Crew" at What Yacht To Do. It's just part of the First Mate duties. That list just keeps growing...

April 5, 2019

We decided to conquer America’s Great Loop for our first yachting experience. Oh yes, we are famous for biting off more than we can chew!

And yes, we did it.

But what is the Great Loop?

The Great Loop is a 6,000-mile circumnavigation of the eastern United States and the southern part of Canada. 

The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York State Canals, the Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Loop by Season

A trip of this length, if all goes well, will take one year. On average, about 150 boats will complete the loop in any given year.

We went up the east coast during the Spring.

Then, made a left turn through New York and went up to Canada before heading over to the Great Lakes during the Summer.

We traveled south during Fall by going to Chicago then working our way down through the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Tennessee River, and the Tennessee-Tom River. After reaching Mobile, Alabama, we went east bound on the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida before crossing the Gulf of Mexico.

During the Winter, we traveled around the southern part of the U.S. and spent some time in the Florida Keys.

Intro to America’s Great Loop

Watch this video from America’s Great Loop Cruising Association and you’ll find out why we wanted to go. 🙂

Here is Our Introduction of the Great Loop

We define what America’s Great Loop is from a boater’s perspective.

Click to Watch

Have You Ever Heard of America’s Great Loop?

We didn’t know anything about this phenomenon until a couple of years ago and most people we meet haven’t heard of America’s Great Loop.

Have you?

Let us know below.

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6 Comments

  1. Enjoy your channel. We’re preparing for our great Loop adventure. Curious what headphones you are using on board? If possible please reply to joe.burkard@ki.com. Many thanks!

    Reply
      • Hey Guys, have followed you from the beginning, may I suggest to go just a little past Grand Harbor and stay at Aqua Yacht Harbor. The people and service center and ship store will be favorable. My wife and I live in Texas, but our boat (56 Voyager) is at Aqua. Tony the service manager is the most accommodating person you will ever find and the Marina has loaner vans, a laundry mat, gym. Also much more protected.

        Reply
        • Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂

          Reply
  2. We look forward to every segment of your journey! We learn what to do, what to look out for and even what NOT to do through your candid and insightful messages. Thanks for showing us the way to Loop with a great attitude! We launch on our journey in a few weeks and hope to see you along the way.

    Reply
    • We are so excited for you to start! And yes, I’m sure we will see you out there. 🙂

      Reply

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