This is the place to get exactly what you want and need to know about cruising America’s Great Loop. From planning & preparations, from boats to budgets, we give you all the helpful hints, tips and suggestions to make your voyage around America’s Great Loop as safe, comfortable and affordable as it can be. It’s all free, as we believe it should be.
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For cruising America’s Great Loop, “The Looper’s Companion Guide” is a must have. It includes everything you will need and want to plan, prepare and actually cruise the Loop. From boats to budgets, it will help you plan and prepare yourself, your finances, your boat, your equipment, supplies and amenities for a safe, comfortable, successful, and most enjoyable voyage around the Loop.
The UPDATED 2023 EDITION gives you each and every single ‘cruising day’s’ distance, miles, estimated cruising time, fuel range, bridge heights, controlled depths, and what to expect along the way, as well as when you get there. You get mile markers, waypoints, the route, route options, detours, recommended side trips and directions to the safest anchorages and the cleanest, affordable, people and pet friendly marinas including phone numbers. Best of all, it ends each one of your cruising days at a free dock or wall, safe anchorage or marina before dark.
From the frugal to the flamboyant, from the best dives to the dining elites, Tiki Bars, Ice Cream Parlors, tourist attractions, and Looper favorite destinations, “The Looper’s Companion Guide” prepares you for actually cruising the Great Loop like nobody else can or does. The #1 BEST-SELLING “Great Loop Guide” on the market since 2016, it now includes “Looping By The Numbers” and was awarded 2022 & 2023 “Book of the Year”. It’s proof positive no one knows more about what you need and want when cruising the Loop better than Capt. John.
Are you dreaming of a big boat? Or dreaming of cruising the Great Loop? If dreaming of a ‘BIG’ boat, you might want to think again. According to the USCG, of almost 13 million registered boats in the USA, 99.25% are under 40′ long. Many Loopers are in boats between 26′ and 39′. Which is where you will find the most fuel-efficient vessels. To cruise the Loop, your boat simply must be safe, suitable, seaworthy and comfortable. It doesn’t need to be big, expensive or fast. Instead, it should be extremely fuel-efficient, no bigger than your comfort requires, and no smaller than your safety permits. For the safest, easiest, most stress free and affordable voyage around the Loop, think “transportation & lodging” not a “home on the water”. Our advice? Think how small you can go, not how big.
Believe us, there are two tons of fun to be had cruising the Great Loop. One ton is cruising it. The other ton of fun is being a tourist, eating out, and experiencing all the incredible on shore attractions, activities and destinations along the way. While Loopers talk of places like New York or New Orleans, fact is there are many more unexpected destinations along the way that will end up making your most cherished memories. Our most fervent advice is, “Don’t underestimate your budget for ‘Fun Money’. Many of us spend more money ‘on shore’ eating out and being a tourist, than we spend on fuel & marina fees. If this voyage is anything, it is far beyond that of a ‘boat ride’. It is much more like a yearlong vacation where you will be visiting lots of exciting and incredible destinations that will beckon you to stop, shop, stay and linger. This voyage should never be a question of not having enough money, but it should be a question of how you want to spend it. We would rather spend the bulk of our ‘Cruising Kitty’ on ourselves having fun instead of pouring it all down our fuel tank(s). Which is the reason for our “More Fun Than Fuel” motto and Looping philosophy.
We’re not crossing oceans here. In fact, for about 80% of this voyage, you will seldom be much more than a stone’s throw from shore. As a result, almost daily, you will discover places that will tempt you off your boat to stop, shop, stay and linger. For many of us, it is the restaurants known locally for offering regional favorite dishes that tempt us off the boat. These restaurants will introduce you to incredibly fresh, locally obtained, delightfully delicious culinary delights. So, plan on it. We never eat out at Fast Food or Chain restaurants on this voyage simply because the ‘regional’ food favorites are so different and so incredibly delicious.