"Looper." It
sounds like a kind of pesky forest caterpillar. But that’s the name for boaters who are travelling the route
called "The Great Loop."
We just spent three days at
the “fall rendezvous” of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA)--an
event held every year at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama.
The Cap’n sends this guest blog about
the experience.
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| The docks and lodge at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama |
We joined about 200 other “Loopers”
for lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and social events. Participants
included people like us, who are currently looping (most arrived by boat), plus
Looper “alumni” who have already completed the trip and folks who are planning (or fantasizing) about some day taking
a year to circumnavigate eastern North America. Also on hand were boat brokers,
marina managers, and marine supply dealers.
For Cynthia and me, some of
the most useful sessions dealt with specific reaches of the journey, like the
detailed orientation to the Tenn-Tom Waterway given by Fred Myers, the author of
numerous books and articles about inland waterways. The first mate was mightily
excited to learn that, once our boat reaches the salt waters of the Gulf, our
spider infestation will disappear.
I was impressed that, without
exception, the speakers made a point of sharing their personal phone numbers
and email addresses. All of them urged Loopers to get in touch as they approached
the speakers’ home ports: for advice, for a ride to the supermarket, or to tie
up to their guest dock. Yes, some Looper alumni maintain “guest docks” just to
accommodate other Loopers – including people whom they have never even met
before.
Other events during the
meeting included the very popular “Looper Crawl,” a kind of open house where
you could visit other people’s boats (very helpful for people thinking about Looping
and deciding what kind of boat they want). There were free vessel safety checks by Coast
Guard-certified inspectors, a dinghy race, and safety equipment demonstrations.
One session was held at the
park’s outdoor pool. Four Loopers jammed themselves into an ocean survival life raft equipped with everything they’d need to survive an emergency ditching in the Gulf of
Mexico. Of course, the simulation was curtailed after 20 minutes to allow for
cocktail hour, but I’m quite confident that they could have survived in that four-foot
deep pool until the Coast Guard arrived.
The Great Loop has been
described as the “adventure of a lifetime.” It’s a unique adventure because, though
it can be strenuous, challenging, even scary, it’s not like climbing Everest or
mushing sled dogs to the North Pole or even sailing singlehanded across the
Atlantic. You don’t need to be a world-class athlete to Loop.
Most Loopers we’ve met are
retired couples, and they have a wide range of knowledge, skills, and physical
strength. At the upper end of experience, we’ve met couples who are both Coast
Guard-certified master captains, with incredible training and experience. At
the lower end, you have, well, people like us! We started our trip with exactly
four days of previous experience running a powerboat, plus what we’d learned
from an on-line class. And every
night (so far) we exchange high fives and chant, “We didn't sink the boat today!”
Any two people with a boat
(even a small boat), motivation, and a whole lot of time could embark on this
trip, because they wouldn’t be doing it alone. On every stretch of the Loop,
they could expect to find a support network of other Loopers willing to lend a
hand. It’s that network that makes this “adventure of a lifetime” something
just about anyone can undertake.
By the way, if you’re
thinking YOU might like to be a Looper, the “Spring Rendezvous” will be held in
May 2011 in Norfolk, Virginia, on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
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