The Great Loop

This web site is an attempt to provide a quick and easy way for our family and freinds to keep up with us on "The Loop"

The Great Loop is a 6000 mile jouney down the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. From there around the coast of Florida via Key West with a side trip to the Bahamas. Back to the coast of Florida we head up the east coast to the Chesapeake Bay. From the Chesapeake we continue up the east coast through New York Harbour, up the Hudon River, and across the Erie Canal. Through a series of canals we go across Lake Ontario into Canada. We will spend a month in Canada. Back to the US, we will cross Lake Michigan to Chicago. Following the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Rivers back to Tennesse.


LOOP CLOSED: 8/12/09: 310 days, 6170 miles, 107 locks, 3 countries, 16 states, 85 different marinas, 10,050 gallons of diesel fuel, thousands of photos, countless new friends, and priceless memories...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Pickwick








































We are now at Aqua Harbor getting the boat ready for the trip down the Tombigbee. Fun things like laundry, washing the boat, minor repairs, and of course a trip to Walmart. We anchored out 2 nights and ate great! Grilled fish, quiche, soups, and great deserts. Look at the bugs on the boat the next morning. Peaceful mornings at anchor with the fog lifting.

We had dinner with Dave and Marcie Clark on our boat Tuesday evening. They are just completing the loop. I have not seen Dave in over 20 years when he and his family owned Clark Boat Company.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008

Wheeler to Pickwick

We left the Great Loop Association Rendezvous Saturday, October 25th for Pickwick. Saturday we traveled approximately 75 miles through 2 locks, Wheeler and Wilson. We have a week at Pickwick before Lynn returns home for a week and Jessup and Strachan joins me for the trip down the Tombigbee Waterway. Here we leave the Tennessee River to follow the Tombigbee waterway. So far we have traveled approximately 400 miles and through 7 locks. The trip down the Tombigbee is approximately 425 miles and 12 locks.

We are staying 2 nights at Grand Harbour Marina and Resort here at Pickwick. We will probably anchor out a few nights and spend a few nights at Aqua Harbour Marina. I have to get the auto-pilot repaired and a few other minor maintenance items. Saturday night we went with the marina manager, Chip, to a local watering hole called Freddie T's. Great place to watch the TN/Alabama game and cry in our beer. Returned today for their Sunday brunch and Bloody Marys. Today Lynn is doing laundry. Chip is a great source of info about the Tombigbee. He has done the trip 111 times!

































































































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Friday, October 24, 2008

Week 1



























What a way to begin.....
Day1... We did three locks today in the chilly wind. Fort Loudon, Watts Bar and Chicamauga. All were our first experience with this boat....and the wind was there to help!
It takes both of us to complete this task, considering I lost a fender at each lock! I did come along to make the trip more exciting didn't I?
Chattanooga downtown at the public dock was the perfect place for out first night!
Beautiful riverfront with lots of good restaurants, unfortunately we could not find the UT game on anywhere.
Day 2...Up early and my first good workout with mopping the decks! Are we having fun yet?
Onward to the next lock! I am loving that word. Today we got thru the Nickajack lock. Warmer weather and no wind . Our first scare today....the right engine would not go into gear ...Jerry was able to find the problem and correct it in a few minutes! whew.. We called Lisa at the Guntersville Yacht Club, she was very helpful...met us and had a nice spot for us! She suggested we use the truck ...I was so excited...we went to the Walmart and to a great restaurant with fresh seafood.
Jerry has just been putting the boat on a penny.....and it is soooo comfortable!
Day 3...One more lock today...Guntersville and then onward to Joe Wheeler State Park for our 5 day Great Loop Rendezvous.

These last two photos are of the Joe Wheeler Marina. There were 65 looper boats here!
We are in classes all day everyday....Met a lot of wonderful people.
Some are planning to do the loop, most have already completed it , or are on their first or second
time around! What a great source of information! We have been like sponges all week!
The Looper Crawl every afternoon was my favorite! Get to see inside boats and meet more Loopers!
The last day we went into Rogersville, a quaint little town with a great shoe store, grocery store ,
nail repair salon...we'll see how long this lasts....and saw many deer thru the park on our way! Off to Pickwick tomorrow....and to find washer/dryer facilities.....?
I think we are ready for the next leg of the trip!
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