Fastest Great Loop Completed!

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

The fastest Great Loop Trip Record has been set!
By a guy in a Jon Boat by a 71 year old no less!
Fantastic journey for anyone and a nice inspiration for anyone!



https://www.obawebsite.com/71-year-old- ... oop-record

I wonder if there is a record for completing the Great Loop in a MacGregor???

If I’m not mistaken there are at least two on the forum, if not more, I recall Chinook and Ris both completed the Great Loop!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Stickinthemud57]

It's nice to see someone who understands what retirement is all about. I feel if you are not busier after retirement than you were before, then you're not doing it right.

[NiceAft]

3 forum members have made the journey.
One from Washington state (Chinook & wife)
One from Florida (Ris & wife)
One from Texas ( I’ll look him up)

[ris]

Most people spend a year doing the great loop because you spend the winter in Florida so the average for traveling loop without staying three months in Florida is about nine months. We are still members of the American great Loop cruisers association, so we heard about this guy‘s journey. The great thing about the great loop is all the people you meet in the interesting places you visit. If you travel 6000 miles in a boat in 19 days, you didn’t visit very long with anyone.
Lee Morgan was the third person that traveled the loop in 2016 in a Mac. Mike on Chinook and I traveled along with Lee from Cape May New Jersey all the way to Albany, New York together at that point, Mike went up the Champlain canal and Lee and I took the Erie canal route. We separated at the Oswego canal as Lee couldn’t go into Canada without a passport.
We actually visited with Lee who lives in Texas and with Mike and Sandy, who at the time lived in Washington in 2021 as we were touring national parks in our camper. Mike and Sandy and Jill and I still have our Mac’s but Lee sold his after he finished the loop in 2016. Since then Lee has built several boats to do the Everglades challenge. At this time Lee is building a boat in which intends to do the Everglades challenge in 2027.
Just about every year someone does the loop in a Mac.

[OverEasy]

Wow! We’d love to spend 9 months in a row doing the Great Loop!
That would be a lot of fun!
But our practicalities kinda get the priorities over the adventuring

We did the Beaufort-to-Charleston and back section two years ago.
This years plans for two to four weeks on the ICW were nixed to go further north due in large part to this year’s snaffles with the dramatic rising in prices (that still haven’t dropped back down and have actually continued to rise…. ).

The best we can figure out is to do the Great Loop is incrementally via one way segments where we might be able to trailer back home. We suspect that is a process others have utilized as well. We’d love to hear from/of those who have/are doing the Great Loop in this manner.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[ris]

OverEasy there are numerous people doing the loop in segments. I know several people doing segments of 2 weeks to 3 months at a time. Several use Sea Dory 23 or 25 foot, one starting next year just bought a Sea Dory Tom cat. That is a 25 foot sea dory power cat. Also several use Rosborough 246’s they are almost 25 ft long. Next are 23, 25, and 27 ft ranger tugs. I will ask on the looper blog if anyone is currently using a Mac. You can usually leave your truck and trailer in a boatyard fairly cheap by the month or week. When you get to your destination just rent a car and go pick up the truck and trailer.

[OverEasy]

Hi Ris!

Thank you!
Yes we would be interested in learning of and from other’s experiences! There is so many different aspects to learn about from those that have done it.
The Ranger and Sea Dorys are very nice vessels for doing the Great Loop! Several years ago we had been looking at them before buying our Mac26X. They were all very nice but the Mac26X won us over on the actual space, draft and towed weight. Each vessel has its own unique advantages.

Right now we are contemplating heading north from Beaufort SC for an initial leg of two to three weeks. Based upon our trip to Charleston two years ago we would be traveling about 6 hours a day at about 8 mph average speed. (No hurry ) that would get us to Charleston in two days where we would like to spend about 3 nights to see the sights again. From there we would continue north at roughly the same 6 hours a day pace of 6-to-8 mph or roughly 40 miles a day. That would add up to roughly a maximum of about 300-to-500 miles or so. At that point we’d be in NC or VA where we’d need to get a rental car to drive back south to pick up the van and trailer.

As you can see it’s just a basic plan that will need a good bit of planning, learning and logistics yet to be done. Every journey starts with the first step….

Best Regards
Over Easy