The great loop
- Thread starter rgranger
- Start date
I met a young woman who built a raft out of scavenged stuff and ran from Pittsburg to the Panhandle. 3 sided shanty with a 10 hp outboard. 2 chickens and a hibachi. her boyfriend bailed so she picked up another guy to "warm the sleeping blanket"
I have visited many of the cities and stops in my road trips, I can probably do without the water navigation in polluted waters and high barge traffic areas. Give me blue water any day. Just me.
I met a couple this summer from Florida who came up through the Hudson, lake Champlain, St. Lawrence then up the Ottawa river, turned left at Ottawa then down the Rideau canal. When I talked to them in Ottawa their plan was to take the Rideau to Kingston, along the North shore of Lake Ontario to the Trent Severn and Georgian Bay then across lakes Huron and Michigan. They were aboard a 40ish foot trawler. Seemed like a wonderful way to do the Great Loop.
I've looked at the Great Loop a couple times but haven't done it. Does seem like an awesome trawler route though!
On the northeast end you have 4 options: up the Hudson River cross the canal to Erie or take the leg to Ontario (that's 2); run up to Champlain and on into the St. Lawrence, (3)- or go up the East coast to the Bay of St. Lawrence and that long leg (4)... Lots more options on other segments. Everyone I've talked to says don't go all the way down the Mississippi....
you can certainly do it in a sailboat, but that route screams trawler... Just my opinion...
dj
On the northeast end you have 4 options: up the Hudson River cross the canal to Erie or take the leg to Ontario (that's 2); run up to Champlain and on into the St. Lawrence, (3)- or go up the East coast to the Bay of St. Lawrence and that long leg (4)... Lots more options on other segments. Everyone I've talked to says don't go all the way down the Mississippi....
you can certainly do it in a sailboat, but that route screams trawler... Just my opinion...
dj
I brought my old Allied 31 down the Tenn-Tom from Huntsville Al (Gunthersville) to Mobile and then over to New Orleans in the late 80s springtime. Fantastic trip, scenic and met some great people along the way. 14 locks to go thru including Wilson Lock (100’) drop. We would tie up in marinas along the way and also anchored a few nights. Took 5 days traveling daylight hours to Mobile.
Thanks everyone. The book is a fun read if you like fantasizing (doh)
so the book says it is about 5,500 miles. I don’t haveany experience in a power cruiser. What is the typical miles per gallon for a trawler? I guess I’m asking how much fuel should guesstimate for a trip like this?
I’m one of those sailors who seldom burns five gallons in a season
so the book says it is about 5,500 miles. I don’t haveany experience in a power cruiser. What is the typical miles per gallon for a trawler? I guess I’m asking how much fuel should guesstimate for a trip like this?
I’m one of those sailors who seldom burns five gallons in a season
The sleek shape of a sail boat gives it an advantage as a powered boat, at least up here in the PacificNW waters. Fuel consumption in the .7 gallon per hour range while steaming at 6.5 knots is pretty economical.
If I were getting a trawler, I'd be looking for a Buehler designed diesel duck. They tend to be quite efficient, for a trawler. Consumption will often be in the 1.1 to 1.6 gallons per hour. Of course that's nothing like the sailboats tending down below 1 gallon per hour. I think next year I might check my motors consumption. Looks likes it running down somewhere near 0.25 Gallons per hour or possibly less. Which is actually falling within the ball park of SFS's calculation as I have a 12 hp engine..
dj
dj
i have 2 friends who did different parts of the loop. 1st ones were coming from cape may NJ -hudson river- erie canal to lake erie in a beneteau 42. the powers who be decided that the erie canal should close for a week to prepare for some celebration. it did. they spent an unanticipated week at a marina on the lower hudson, got to see some NYC sights , but the delay was a real problem , employers just don't understand nautical things. on another trip, an erie canal lock was nonfunctional for mechanical reasons. boats were backed up for several days waiting and trying to get through. the next set of friends were bringing their enw to them trawler from sarasota fl.-- tombigbee- ohio river--to pittsburgh. the tom is not particularly well marked for shifting sandbars. the new 'captain', in a 40 ft twin engine carver motorboat , ran aground. they wrecked a prop, and bent the prop shaft. on one engine , they limped into a marina. the boat spent 3 more weeks there waiting for prop parts. they had to fly home , then fly back to bring the boat home. they started their engines and 1/2 mile form the marina, both the engine overheat alarms sounded : sand had sucked into the raw water pumps and destroyed the impellers . of course the marina did not have the right impellers in stock.... 4 days later they departed. their employers were not understanding of such nautical things...
the great loop is off my list until i buy the 31 command bridge triple steer station ranger tug which the dog and i want. however the spouse doesn't.
the great loop is off my list until i buy the 31 command bridge triple steer station ranger tug which the dog and i want. however the spouse doesn't.
Right!@rgranger, by the time you've bought the trawler, provisioned, and gotten all of your prep done, that $7k worth of diesel fuel along the way will be a walk in the park.
I have an entire set of ulterior motives at play
I read a couple years ago about 2 College Girls who after graduation were a bit lost. They hatched the idea of “Let’s do the Loop”. They immediately went to their Michigan Fathers and asked “Daddy, can you get us a boat to do the Loop?“ I think I could heard the echo of the fathers laughs as I read the story.... The girls went out and bought an old boat, fixed it up (here I think the parental fathers stepped in and helped) then took off and completed the loop in about 2 years. They have been writing about it and giving public speaking engagements at yacht clubs.