Tag: The Great Loop
12 Unexpected Lessons from The Great Loop
Full of anticipation and excitement starting our Great Loop, we had no idea what surprises lay in store! Now as Gold Loopers, we wouldn't trade the last 12 months for anything, but that doesn't mean there weren't some unexpected lessons along the way!
After The Loop Update: Buying A Boat for The Great...
Now that our Great Loop is finished, would we have chosen a different boat? Comparing the 20 boat considerations we thought we needed to what experience says we actually used.
Optimystique Goes GOLD!!!
Optimystique crossed her wake after spending the last 330 days enjoying this 5200 mile geography lesson called The Great Loop. 118 travel days, hundreds...
Florida’s Big Bend Great Loop Route
Decision time ... will you do the 170 mile overnight passage from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs ... OR will you dare explore Florida's Forgotten Coast. We chose to explore the Forgotten Coast! Here's our route, miles & specifics.
Fun With Friends Along the Gulf Coast
Headed east along the Gulf Coast ... if we weren't having so much fun with Looper friends, maybe I could have written a real CC post, but in the meantime, enjoy a few photos from this week....
Great Loop Challenges: Demopolis to Mobile Bay
How we conquered the challenges posed between Demopolis and Mobile -- 200+ miles, limited anchorages, dwindling daylight, early morning fog, no marinas, almost no cell service. 4 days, 3 nights, dodging thunderstorms, tornado watches, meeting tows/barges on hairpin turns. Our route, our anchorages, our strategy and at the end ... DOLPHINS welcoming us back to salt water.
What’s The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Anyway???
What waterway is the largest building project in the history of the US Army Corp of Engineers? Surprisingly, If you answered the Panama Canal, you'd be wrong! It's the Tombigbee Waterway, running 234 miles is 5 times longer with 3 1/2 times more lift than the Panama Canal!
5 Secrets to Mirror Finish Varnished Teak.
Step by step instructions to that glossy reflective varnish finish that gives your boat the best curb appeal. For under $250, we made Optimystique's teak look amazing. Here's how...
Hurricane Michael Closes Gulf ICW…. What Now?
Hurricane Michael's impact of the Gulf Coast areas of The Great Loop made us change our plan. Best to slow down and get the bottom painted and redo our teak varnish before proceeding south. Since we can't stay aboard, we play tourist for a few days while the bottom gets painted.
Cruising Downtown Chicago
Day 1: 61 bridges, 2 locks and a skyline like no other from the Chicago River, PLUS that infamous 17' bridge that will turn your Great Loop into the Great U Turn ... Day 2 ... the reportedly worst 3 locks in Looper Lore and barge traffic blocking the entire river. And we not only survived, but had a blast!
