Great Loop question

[George68fs]

Sorry guys if this is the wrong area to post. I have an 1984 O'Day 222 on which I am seriously thinking about doing a modified Great Loop in the next year or two. My plan is to launch on the Ohio River where both Indiana and Ohio meet. By pass the Mississippi and take the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, and so on and so on. As much as I would like to, I am trying to avoid sailing the Great Lakes to Chicago. I am looking for a nav route that would take me from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, and hopefully to my original launch site. The problem is that I don't think such a route even exists. The only thing I can find is the Maumee River at Todedo and then into north-west Indiana. My plan is to solo the route and, hopefully, not take more than a year due to physical problems.

I have complete confidence in the boat, all I really need are some newer sails. I have a 6hp Nissan Xtra long shaft O.B., which just sips gas.

I will accept any and all advice which you good people can give me.

Thanking you in advance, Georgre

 

[Stu Jackson]

Uhm, great sails most likely won't help you at all unless you can guarantee a beam reach with consistent west or east winds on your NS journey.

I can't speak to your Indiana cross state route idea, WADR a chart or a map might come in handy, 'cuz if you can't find it, it probably doesn't exist. :dance: Yours is a perhaps unique perspective. Perhaps also a vessel unsuited for its task.

Have you checked with the Great Loop Association website? For some bizarre reason, I'm sure that if it was there they woulda found it by now.

Sorry to seem to be a wise a$$, but them's the realities of a question like this one.

I wish you all the best of luck on your potential journey, and at the risk of being banned yet again, suggest you do your homework.

Why? I've been reading about this trip for the better part of at least the last decade, and am aware of the GL Association as well as www.activecaptain.com, both of which should be able to answer your question almost immediately. Sure, avoid Chicago, they may close the connector, but...

Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, or perhaps I've just mentioned the obvious sources, or maybe missed your entire point. If so, I apologize in advance.

Good luck.

 

[sailaway78]

Very rarely

Do I suggest that someone not just go for it. And I'm not in you situation, but I would very strongly advise that you trailer the boat to the launch site on the Ohio River. Here's why. You have stated that want to avoid the great lake route to Chicago. Probably a wise move. But even if you can find a river route south to the Ohio, I think that you will find this a very isolated and rural route. There will be shoals and obstructions not found in a well used waterway. And the biggest obstacle by far would be bridges. Rural bridges are not going to be high enough to clear your mast, and they certainly will not be opening bridges. You would just have to leave the mast down the entire route. Live your dream, and when you get to the gulf coast, give a shout to some of us gulf coast sailors.

 

[gettinthere]

There is no waterway short cut.
But, you could loop as far as Buffalo NY and have your boat hauled and trucked to Pittsburgh Pa where you can run down the Ohio.

We ran into a young lady who ran a 10' X 20' home made raft from Pittsburgh to Pensacola, Fl via the Tenn Tom.

You need to dig up the info on bridge heights on the Tenn Tom. I did the route from Chicago with mast off, 61'. But the T T might have enough bridge clearance for a small sailboat. The really low bridges are in Chicago.