Big plans for the little loop

Serenity - our Mainship 350 trawler

Several years ago when my husband, John, and I bought a boat we had no idea that we would eventually plan a trip around the Great Loop which circumnavigates the eastern United States via various waterways. This summer we will be doing the small Canadian loop, going from our home port on Lake Champlain to Ottawa, down the Rideau Canal to Kingston, Ontario and then down the St. Lawrence River through the Thousand Islands to Montreal, returning to Lake Champlain through the Chambly Canal. We will be traveling for 4 weeks and hope to have plenty of time to stop and visit cities and towns along the way.

2012 Rendezvous

We were so enthusiastic about the big trip that we attended the semi-annual "Looper Rendezvous" this spring in Norfolk, Virginia. We were greeted at the hotel by a lovely mermaid who pointed the way to adventure, travel and new boating friends. We went to several seminars covering many sections of the loop, such as the Chesapeake Bay, and lectures on provisioning your boat and safety on the waterways.

Steve, Micki, John (sporting his new looper hat) and Kathy

We have been planning this trip for two years with friends Micki and Steve who will be joining us on their Ranger Tug 27, Endurance. We have met many times for lunch to discuss the big plan, go over charts and share thoughts and ideas. Since we live about an hour apart we have exchanged many calls, emails and texts. Thank goodness for modern technology! We have set our departure date for June 15 when we will meet at Deep Bay on the New York side of the lake near Plattsburg and we will keep you posted.