After 2000 Miles on The Great Loop: Lessons Learned

After 2000 miles on The Great Loop, we’ve learned a bit and enjoyed more than we thought possible!  We began our Great Loop in Bradenton, Florida on February 5, 2018.  Our first 400 miles featured a steep learning curve miles straight up …  “1st 400 Miles of The Great Loop: Lessons Learned

The Great Loop quickly got easier!  Thank goodness!

A few tips after 2000 miles ….

FIRST, NEVER NEVER be on a “schedule” if you can avoid it. We made a mistake before even starting our Loop.

Before we bought Optimystique, we made not one, not two, but several family commitments & there was no way we’d miss seeing our family together since they’re scattered all over the USA.  BUT, it put us on a “schedule” that made it less relaxing to just slow down and enjoy OUR Loop.

Ideally, plan your year before departing for the Loop – the less ink on your calendar, the better.

SECOND, having said that, it is possible and even easy to leave your boat almost anywhere along the Loop and return home for a few days or a few weeks.  We left Optimystique in Utsch’s Marina in Cape May and also Trent Port Marina in Trenton, Ontario.  Both were last minute decisions in an effort to get as close to the Trent Severn Waterway as possible.

We have a Checklist for leaving Optimystique for short durations in marinas around the Loop.  If you’d like to download a PDF copy to use as a basis to start your own leave the boat checklist:  Short Term Leave the Boat Checklist, click here.   

Airports weren’t exactly easy & we didn’t have enough advance notice to know where we’d be at a given date, so we rented a car from Enterprise. They picked us up. Originally we planned one way rentals, but after discovering the ugly truth about one way drop fees, it was much less expensive to keep the same car and return it when we returned to the boat. Be sure to ask about pricing options! Probably not the least expensive way but very convenient.

THIRD … and perhaps this should have been FIRST!  We’ve been absolutely blown away by the helpfulness of the American Great Loop Cruising Association (AGLCA) network.  From the very helpful and informative online Forum to the amazing Harbor Hosts, the support for Great Loopers is above and beyond — and GREATLY appreciated!  Anywhere you go, you know there’s a local Harbor Host to help with almost anything you need – from getting to an airport, to getting provisions, to finding a Cummins diesel mechanic and more.  Use the AGLCA resources.  They make it much more enjoyable (even Foster’s recommendation of the best Butter Tarts in Canadian waters!). Join the American Great Loop Cruising Association (AGLCA) here.

FOURTH …  Provisions, Amazon and boat repair are available within a few miles of almost anywhere making it much easier to just enjoy and not worry about where the next roll of toilet paper will be available if you happen to forget to stock up…  We had a minor leak in our cooling system and were able to get it fixed in Cape May while we left the boat by contacting the Cape May Harbor Host who put us in touch with a Cummins mechanic.  Thankfully it turned out to be very minor and he not only fixed it but changed a worn alternator belt and provided another for future!

FIFTH … Great Loop boats are “built in” friends. Just watch for the AGLCA burgee flag flying and you’re guaranteed to know someone, even if you don’t know them yet! Not every boat “clicks” with every boater, but all are there to help and enjoy. We’ve had docktails, enjoyed dinners, walks, bike rides, exploring new locales and more with so many different folks that we would have never met except for The Great Loop.

They say the best thing about The Great Loop is the friends you make, and it may be very true.  We keep “hotscotching” with the same and different boats – with them for a few days, then one boat or another will be ahead only to be rediscovered at a future location to catch up on the best parts of the cruise. Overall, a great cruising community.

SIXTH … We’ve had a lot of foreign check ins and never has anything been easier than checking in to Canada. Our first port of call was Trent Port Marina (where we left the boat to drive back to the US). We went up to the marina office to check in, they took us to a private room and dialed a telephone number where a nice customs/immigration person took our boat information and immigration (i.e. passport) information.  We were provided with a number to post where it’s visible on the boat and that was it.  Friends called an 800 number that had been posted on the AGLCA Forum and they checked into Canada from their boat directly rather than do it at the marina.  We had ZERO issues. Easy peasy….

SEVENTH … I’m amazed at the Loopers who have gotten this far north and don’t have Trent Severn Waterway/Canadian National Park “passes”.  They’re easy to buy online and then you don’t have to wait at the lock to buy your waterway pass (also mooring pass if you’ll be staying at national park TS canal walls or national park moorings during your summer). We just figured this way we didn’t have to worry about finding someone to pay and doing it while we were also trying to figure out how to lock through and find a place to stop for the night. P.S.  They’re also good for other Canadian waterways….

Are you a Looper?  What have you discovered on your Loop so far?  Anything to add?  Please leave a comment and share!  Cheers!  Jan