How This Adventure Began...

JJ's Desire for Adventure!

For a very long time I have dreamed of long distance cruising in my own boat. I always thought I might do it some day when I was no longer actively engaged in private aviation. Now that I have sold my business (US Netcom Corp) and the plane, I am no longer actively flying and I am effectively "retired." So cruising is my next adventure.

The "Boat"

We used to have a boat at our Florida location but sold it several years ago when I was intensely engaged in selling my business. So we need another one. This time I wanted a boat ideally suited to cruise "The Great Loop." After much research, I decided on a Mainship 400, a 40-foot trawler.

"Red Pearl"

We found this one in Sarasota, FL and we purchased her on September 12th, 2014. She was originally named "Go For It." We performed the appropriate ritual to the sea gods with a champagne christening and renamed her the "Red Pearl."

Joan pours the champagne!

Then, in 2015 I found and purchased a used 10-foot "Twin Vee" catamaran with 15 horsepower outboard motor from an individual on the Florida east coast. I towed it back to Riviera Dunes, installed it on the lifting davits on Red Pearl and we had a naming ceremony with our son Joey and daughter-in-law Jessica to name it "Blake Bay" after our two granddaughters.

Jesi pours the champagne this time!

"Blake Bay"

So now we have our boat and dinghy. I'll describe them in more detail later.

The "Great Loop:"

It is possible to cruise your own boat completely around the eastern third of the United States (and some of Canada). From Florida up the east coast of the US to New York then up rivers and canals into Canada, then across the Great Lakes to Chicago, then down the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio rivers, then down the Tenn-Tom canal to Mobile, AL, then across the Gulf of Mexico back to Florida. A total of some 6,000 miles. This is called America's Great Loop.

This adventure is popular among baby boomers and there is an organization called the America Great Loop Cruisers Association ("AGLCA"). Something over 300 AGLCA members are on the Loop at any point in time and over 100 finish the Loop each year. We joined the AGLCA a couple of years ago to learn more. In 2015 we attended a one-day introductory workshop in Fort Myers, FL. This last October we drove from MO to northern Alabama to attend the 3-=day AGLCA Fall Rendezvous where we met over 300 Loopers and many of the 50 or so Looping boats that were at the rendezvous.

Can you find us? Hint--look for the tall guy!

Mini-Loop:

In 2015 and 2016 we took several short (2 or 3 days) local cruises in Red Pearl to gain experience. Based on those trials we are wondering if Red Pearl has enough interior space for two tall people like us to live on it for months? So for 2017 we decided to do the first part of the Great Loop by doing a mini-loop from Bradenton, FL down to the Florida Keys, around to southeast Florida, up the east coast of Florida to Stuart, FL, then west across lake Okeechobee to Fort Myers, Fl and back up to Bradenton. This mini-loop would be about 800 miles and take about 5-weeks. This should tell us whether or not we want to do the rest of the Great Loop on Red Pearl or get a larger boat.