By B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)

Many people think about crossing oceans or circumnavigating as the ideal boating adventure. Loading supplies on the boat for a long haul offshore, nonstop sailing and powering through all sorts of conditions with days spent out of sight of land. But that’s not for everyone.

And far from the only way to make a huge and memorable trip on your boat. There are amazing adventures you can take with a boat that rarely leaves sight of land and stops for the night in comfort. One of the best of these is the Great Loop in North America.

What is the Great Loop?

The Great Loop is a circular navigation of the eastern U.S., heading up the coastal waterways, then into inland waterways, rivers, and the great lakes. Then you back down to the Gulf of Mexico by some of the great rivers. You’ll travel the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and major rivers like the Mississippi and Ohio.

Parts of the trip can take you into Canada, and through at least a dozen U.S. states and several major cities, including New York, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, and several others you can opt to route through. Depending on the route you choose, the total water distance is between 5,200 and 6,000 miles, with options for smaller boats to get to some more out of the way places.

What’s it like on the Great Loop?

Because it’s coastal travel and inland waterways, you can stop every night and most do. Along the way you’ll anchor or stay in marinas, making friends and meeting fellow “Loopers” headed in your direction. There are a few longer travel days, but you can pace your travel to suit your preferences, covering distances you’re comfortable with. And you can easily arrange lay days in interesting locations or to re-provision or get services.

The Great Loop can also be very social, as there are plenty of other boaters making the trip and you will meet them along the way. “Docktails” are an almost nightly occurrence, with Loopers catching up at day’s end for drinks and laughs. Many boats decide to travel in company with new and old friends for a stretch or the whole trip. You’ll be out there for a long time, and you can pace it however you’d like. Some even break it up seasonally and store the boat, completing the loop over successive seasons and years.

It’s a long distance and a big trip, but it’s self-paced without the nonstop offshore sailing which bluewater passage making requires.

Details of the route

While you can start anywhere on the Loop that you like, Florida is a popular place to begin in the spring. This keeps you in optimal weather for most of the trip, where you’re in the northern reaches in the summer and further south in the cooler months.

Most navigate the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, because it gives the most favorable currents on the inland rivers and waterways, but some have done it the other way. There are multiple options and major forks along the way, and your boat may dictate which way you go.

From Florida, head north along the coast, taking the Intracoastal Waterway or heading outside until you get to New York City. Head up the Hudson river towards Lake Ontario. Then across Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, to explore either coast towards Detroit. Head up to Lake Huron, and work your way around Michigan to Lake Michigan, and down towards Chicago.

From Chicago, you’ll enter the inland rivers system, working your way to the Illinois River, then catching the mighty Mississippi in St. Louis. At Cairo, Illinois you can keep heading down the Mississippi all the way to New Orleans, or turn into the Ohio and head upstream a bit before heading south through Tennessee and Alabama. The two routes rejoin in the Gulf of Mexico. From there you coast-hop across the Gulf coast to Florida, and work your way south towards the Florida Keys. You can re-cross your start by sailing around the Keys, or taking the Okeechobee Waterway across the state from Ft. Myers to Stuart.

Check out this interactive route map from the AGLCA for more details.

Good boats for the Great Loop

There is no “best boat” for the Great Loop, and Loopers have made the trip in almost every sort of boat, power and sail. But there are constraints on size that make it easier to choose a boat. If you can go with what you already own, that’s fantastic. But some buy a boat specifically for the Great Loop.

Your good Great Loop boat will:

• Draw less than 5′ of water
• Can have air draft reduced to 19.5′ or less
• Be comfortable to sleep, eat, and live on for long periods
• Carry enough fuel for a 200 mile stretch, or carry spare tanks to match that.

Great Loop Limits

The major limitations on boat sizes on the Loop are draft and height over water. Boat length and width come into play in a few places, but aren’t nearly as restrictive.

The lowest bridge clearance on the Great Loop is 19.6′, along the Illinois River. As long as you can lower your radar, VHF antennas and other high-flying gear, you can get through. People have done the Loop in sailboats, but you will need a mast which is easily stepped and unstepped. There are even lower bridges, such as 15′ on the Erie Canal, but alternative routes exist to get around them all.

Some parts of the Great Loop have low water, and you don’t have the same tidal effects inland which you do on the coast but annual variance in water levels can be an issue. A draft of 5′ is considered about the deepest practical draft for the entire Loop. There are routes where 4′ is a better choice, but you can be route around them. With 5′, you may still need to watch the tides in the ICW. However, deeper draft boats have successfully navigated the Loop, but it requires more care and limits your options.

Length and beam only restrict certain parts of the trip. For example, the Trent-Severn Waterway has a maximum length of eight-four feet, and the smallest lock there is twenty-three feet wide. Those are pretty big limits, and not hard to navigate around.

There’s also a 200 mile stretch from Kimmiswick, MO to Paducah, KY, where there is no fuel available near the water. Any boat should be able to carry enough fuel to motor at least this far. Some make this up with spare cans or fuel bladders.

Living Quarters

You will spend some serious time on your boat, staying on board for weeks and months at a stretch. So a certain amount of living comfort makes the entire trip more enjoyable. You won’t want to shop for groceries every day or eat most meals on shore, so safe food storage and a workable galley are a must.

Comfortable sleeping space ensures everyone on board is well-rested. You are on a boat so you won’t have all the comforts of home, but you will live on board long enough so that you’ll appreciate some of them.

Learning More

One of the best resources for Great Loop information is the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA). This is a membership organization with a wealth of information for members, and a good social network of experienced Loopers to speak with. It’s a good starting place if you’re serious about planning a Great Loop trip.

There are also many good articles and books on the Loop you can start with. Now that you’ve heard of it, you know where to start with Google!

And the best thing to do is talk to Loopers if you can find them, and the AGLCA is a great place to start. Those who have been there and done it are always your best resources.