It's now official! Karen and I have joined the AGLCA and are taking an active part in the organization as Harbor Hosts. So what exactly is the AGLCA? The AGLCA is a volunteer driven organization that supports and helps connect various "Loopers" as they undertake, plan and complete the Great Loop. The association provides a real treasure trove of information about the loop and the motor cruising lifestyle as well as partnerships with various service and equipment providers. As I mentioned in my last post Karen and I had the pleasure of meeting various "Loopers" as they entered the Trent Severn portion of their journey and we were truly inspired! Thank you to Bad Habit, Shell Belle, and Cork Screw among many for your kindness, friendship and inspiration.So what is this Great Loop? I like to think of it as North America's nautical version of Spain's El Camino de Compostela. Where the Camino is about the journey so is the loop. Where is the starting point? That's the great thing about a loop, there is no start and the end is when you return to your starting point also known as "crossing your wake". So what is the route that the loop takes? Well if we were to start from our home port of Trent Port Marina, we would work our way up through the Trent Severn Waterway into Georgian Bay. From there, continue up through the North Passage linking Lake Huron and Lake Michigan passing through the Mackinac Straights. From Lake Michigan we would head down towards Chicago and through a river system that leads all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Entering the Gulf of Mexico cruising along the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, passage to the Bahamas for the winter is possible, or simply explore the Florida Keys. As the weather warms up, it's time to head back up North through the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) travelling through Florida, Georgia, The Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York. Once in New York, the journey continues up the Hudson river system towards the Erie Canal or further up into the St Lawrence via lake Champlain. Depending on the boat, the Erie Canal may be taken right out into Lake Erie or the Oswego spur canal can be taken leading to Lake Ontario. If the St. Lawrence route is taken then, there is the option of traveling along the lower Ottawa River and Rideau Canal or through the Thousand Islands.
There are so many different routes and variations to take, one could spend years following the seasons and exploring different areas that the Great Loop has to offer. This is our eventual plan. For now we are getting ready and making sure that Tropical Horizons will be able to carry us along this journey. For the time being, we continue to gain more experience in various weather conditions as we explore our home waters first. We meet various "Loopers" at our home port, extend to them friendship and hospitality and lend a helping hand when needed. We listen to other "Loopers" stories and learn from their experiences and finally we're just enjoying the time we spend planning this grand adventure.
Now the title of this entry also mentions Fireworks! Well did we have a great show on the 14th of July! Mystical Fireworks put on a great show. From the ground up into the sky overhead of the Trent River the display was just amazing. I've taken some video and Karen was taking photos of the entire 25 minute display! We'll have the video up on YouTube shortly, once I finish editing and Karen has some choice photos up on our Facebook page for you to enjoy.That's it for now, may the winds be in your favor and the seas carry you gently to your tropical horizons.
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