We are not “wing it” kind of people, which means we are grateful for the experienced Loopers and other boaters who have provided their experiences so that we do not need to reinvent the wheel. Here are some of the people and websites who contributed to our knowledge.

Great Loop

America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) We can’t imagine doing the Loop without the assistance of the AGLCA. When we first joined, we read thousands of posts in the organization’s forum. Wendy attended a 2-day Looper Lifestyle Seminar in Annapolis, where she connected with people who helped choose the right boat and how to take care of it. Owen and Wendy attended a virtual Looper Rendezvous in 2020, learning so much from experienced Loopers about the route, financial matters, and life as a Looper. The social aspect is fantastic. Also, as members we are eligible for discounts from Loop sponsors, and have a list of Harbor Hosts at nearly every stop who are able to help us out when necessary.

Great Loop Navigation Notes by Alan Lloyd This is one of several guides we used to plan our route. One book, the whole Loop.

Skipper Bob’s Cruising Guides Another set of guides that covers the Loop one segment at a time. We didn’t care for the general books (Cruising Comfortably on a Budget), but we liked the more specific guides (Cruising from Chicago to Mobile). There’s an AGLCA discount on these books.

Buying a Boat

Ludington Yacht Sales On one fateful January weekend, we drove with two of the kids to Michigan to look at a boat. As soon as week walked into the storage shed, we knew our loooong drive was for nothing. Well, we had a fun time with the kids, which is never “for nothing.” On the way back, Owen was looking at boat listings and found one at Ludington Yacht Sales. On a whim, we decided to drop in. We talked to the owner, who said the boat was in storage 45 minutes away. He jumped in his car and met us there. That impulsive stop led us right to our boat! Adam helped us during and after the sale, too.

Curtis Stokes & Associates Even though we did not buy our boat through Curtis Stokes, everything we learned about buying a boat we learned from an AGLCA seminar given by Mr. Stokes and Michael Martin.

Sterling Associates We would STILL be doing paperwork on our boat if Cindy Lewis hadn’t helped us. Whether you finance or not, she knows what needs to be done and does it. She worked with our broker, helped us get insurance, and hooked us up with someone to take care of our Coast Guard documentation. We first heard about Cindy from the Looper Lifestyle seminar in Annapolis.

Living on a Boat

The Boat Galley Our boat has a 3 burner stove, oven, microwave, and toaster oven. Our route never takes us far from shore. But cooking on a boat is different from cooking at home. Wendy learned so much from reading this website, buying the cookbook, and listening to the podcasts.

Fixing a Boat

Captain Chris Yacht Services Captain Chris and Alyse did a couple seminars at the Looper Lifestyle event in Annapolis. They also do YouTube videos and have video training for sale on their website. They both explain everything so well and don’t make their students feel like idiots.

Coastal Cruising Under Power by Gene and Katie Hamilton. We bought this book before we bought the boat! It’s an older book, but we have an older boat, so it works.

Stuff We Use

Star Brite Teak Care Kit We have two tiny strips of teak on the boat. This stuff makes them look brand new.

Oil Extractor This sure does seem to do the job.

Hypervent Aire-Flow Moisture Barrier We love this stuff. It is under all the mattresses on the boat to keep them from getting mildewy on the bottom. It’s kind of like the plastic loopy side of Velcro, and it keeps the mattress up off the platform to allow air to flow under the mattress.

Weather, Weather, Weather

There is perhaps nothing more important than weather watching when taking a long cruise like the Loop. We use multiple apps and compare their forecasts. Wind, fog, flooding, tides, storms, etc. are all important to know. There are hundreds of good apps out there, but here’s what we use most:

Windfinder – Easy to read display that shows wind direction, wind speed, precipitation, air temperature, wave height, and wave direction in three hour increments.

Windy – More detailed app that shows wind and weather forecasts with multiple forecast models.

Accuweather – Normal weather app that isn’t specific to boating.

BoatUS – If you don’t have a membership, get one. Their app is also handy with easy access to NOAA marine weather forecast, buoys, and tides.

Buoys Weather Data – I can’t stress enough how great buoy data is. It’s real time data about everything from temperature to wave height.

Your Eyes – even the best apps can’t always get to the level of detail about what’s happening right around you. Look outside and judge for yourself before you throw off those lines 🙂