The great loop

[gettinthere]

Katie and Jesse. Ran into them in Oriental getting their stuffing box fixed.
Jesse ended up meeting Luke at a Forespar party in Annapolis in (I think) 2015. They announced their engagement at the next years party. They are now cruising on another boat and did a loop of the N Atlantic for their honeymoon.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I have been up and down the ICW from the Gulf coast of Florida to Nova Scotia and back. Sailed out of New Orleans once and kayaked whitewater on the upper Hudson. It was so long ago, I doubt I could provide any useful information, but it was fun and beautiful. I think the trip sounds exciting. Often, AMC through hikers will tackle the trail in sections instead of all at once. You could be comfortable on a smaller trailersailer and just trailer out and back for each section. Your mast would be easier to drop and you wouldn't need to pack as heavily.

When you get near lake Champlain, give me a call and I'll come join you for a part of it. With any luck, I can bring Dragonfly and we can convoy for a bit. Linda too, likes the idea of a canal adventure.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Lots of sailboats pass through my area at Mile 24, just south of the Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. My boat neighbor did the full loop in a Hunter 356. I have a 356 and have been from Kentucky Lake to SW Florida twice down the Tenn-Tom and back up once. Either you ship your mast from Chicago or build a cradle and become a longer sailboat with your mast sticking out the front and back. It’s a great trip down Tennessee River to Mobile via the Tenn-Tom waterway. A properly equipped sailboat is an economical way to do the loop because the fuel consumption is much smaller than a trawler or motorboat. There are 13 locks from KY Lake to Mobile and a lot of bridges. At standard pool the max bridge clearance is 52 feet. My first trip down in a CaboRico 38 in 2007 we had 2 inches clearance on one bridge but made it fine to Mobile with the mast up. My 356 has 58.4 feet mast height and I have to go mast down and put it back up in Mobile. The GICW on the northern Gulf is limited to 49 feet at Navarre, Fl. I had to go out at Pensacola Bay. We crossed over to Clearwater, then down the ICW to Punta Gorda. We use our 5KW generator full time when away from shore power and it burns about .25 gallons per hour so when motoring or motor sailing we burn an average of .85 gallons of diesel per hour. Compare that to a trawler and it’s less and a whole lot less than a motor yacht. You are limited between locks to the slowest boat so speed is not a factor as the lock masters send groups down the locks together. The first lock there is always somebody who flies to the next lock only to wait for the rest of the group to get there, Also, you are responsible for your wake, so if you speed down the Tenn-Tom and throw a big wake, the Sheriff is likely to meet you at the next lock and haul you to court. There is barge traffic and the commercial tugs have lock preference, so so exes you have a wait until they are through the lock. Research the Great Loop Association site and you will get some great information. Also, the guy who owned Active Captain did the complete loop in a time lapse video in his motoryacht and posted it to YouTube. Google Active Captain Great Loop and you’ll find that plus a lot more info. I’m only personally knowledgeable about the part from Mile 24 on the Tennessee River to Key West. I think 65 feet is the controlling height north from Key West to the Hudson River in New York. SW Florida any draft greater than 5 feet will restrict you somewhat, so shallow draft sailboat keels and boats are better.
Here is what our boat with the mast on a cradle looks like.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Who are the preferred facilities for dropping and restepping the mast? Are there just one or two at either end of a low clearance leg who specializes in this service or do sailors stop at any marina they find convenient?
Is it better to travel with the mast down the whole time you're on the canals and rivers or does it make sense to get the mast off the deck as soon as possible for each low section?

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Turner Marine in Mobile did mine - down and back. Took about half a day from start to finish including running all rigging and electronics connections. They do a lot of them and some have shipped their masts there and had them re-stepped upon arrival. Turner is just to the west of the Bridge on Dog River. I’m sure there are others at other locations in Illinois and around the Upper Hudson.
Once you get used to maneuvering the boat with the mast on the cradle it’s no big deal. Think ahead about radar and antennas for AIS and VHF. The locks have AIS and both radar and AIS are very helpful as in the fall and spring if coming back north, there are foggy days and you can’t see around bends with radar but AIS will let you know where the next Tow you will encounter is. You have to plan your bend encounters with the tows as they are restricted in how they can respond and staying clear is mostly on the recreational boater.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Some insight on the Erie Canal portion of the trip here -

 

[DArcy]

Having run canals with a mast on deck, I would really suggest shipping the mast if you can. I came up the Hudson, dropped the mast on deck at Albany for the Erie Canal and Oswego Canal up to Lake Ontario. Having the mast on deck is awkward to maneuver around and became a bit of a concern crossing Oneida Lake. The wind really whipped up out of the West and we had quite large and steep waves crashing over the bow. I had to run lines fore and aft on the mast then winch them tight to keep the mast from shifting around as the boat pitched over the waves. It was a bit more excitement than we had expected for a canal run.