Information On Cruising The Great Loop

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Cindy Lewis of Sterling Associates joins us to share her expertise on how to finance your Great Loop boat. Cindy will talk about current requirements for financing and share some of the reasons why financing may be the best option, even if you're able to pay cash.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, yacht broker and AGLCA Admiral Sponsor Curtis Stokes joins us with a status update on the boat buying market.  He'll share insight on inventory, pricing, deposits, and how the process of bringing buyers and sellers together working during the pandemic.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, the Home Port Crew delivers information on the "State of the Association" by wrapping up 2020 on the Great Loop and giving you a look at what's ahead for 2021. Topics include stats for 2020, AGLCA events planned for 2021, advocacy issues, membership dues, planned waterway closures, and more.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, we'll be talking about wintering in the Florida Keys with Gold Looper, Wendy Wilson. Wendy & Bobby Wilson and their four daughters have made the Keys their winter home since completing their first Loop in 2017. Wendy will share tips on where to tie up, what to do, and how to save money during your stay in the Keys as part of your Great Loop adventure.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop  Radio Podcast, we discuss how to best work with a boatyard to avoid surprises when it's time to pay the bill.  Our guest is Brian Donovan of Donovan's Shady Harbor Marina.  Brian brings a unique perspective to the topic as both a marina owner with a boatyard on site and the owner of a 75' Hatteras he cruises between Florida and New York each year.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Dave Fuller teaches us what to do if someone falls overboard. Dave is a Gold Looper and the new U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Education Director. He'll walk us through how to prevent a "man overboard (MOB)" incident, how to be prepared to handle the situation, and the steps to take in the unlikely event that it happens during your Great Loop.  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Mark and Sherri Rinkel share the details of their emergency at anchor.  When a health issue incapacitated Mark, Sherri was left to take on tasks aboard the boat that she had never tackled before.  We hope listeners will learn from their experiences and be inspired to ensure "cross-training" of the different roles aboard your boat.

Join us for this week's Great Loop Radio podcast when Scott & Karen DeVoll, Gold Loopers and owners of Capable Cruising, Inc., share details on cruising to the Dry Tortugas.  Learn what to expect when visiting this most remote U.S. National Park aboard your own boat.

Considering working from aboard while "boat-schooling" the kids and Looping at the same time? On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, hear how the Bowlin family fits it all in. Brent & Sarah will share details and practical tips on this increasingly popular lifestyle.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Cherie Ve Ard and Chris Dunphy join us to talk about staying connected in order to work while Looping. Cherie and Chris are Loopers whose site, Mobile Internet Resource Center, includes guides to help you select the gear and services that can help you ensure internet connectivity while you cruise. They'll offer their suggestions and tips during the podcast.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Keith Ruse, President of Deltaville Boatyard, talks about preventative maintenance on your Great Loop boat. Keith is an American Boat & Yacht Council Certified Master Technician and on this episode, we cover oil and filter changes.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, the Home Port Crew fills you in on the details of the upcoming Virtual Fall Rendezvous.  Learn about the seminars, social interactions and fun things on the agenda, what technology will be used to make it all happen, and important registration deadlines.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, we're doing something a little different!  We're replaying an episode of PassageMaker's new podcast, Trawler Talk. Kim Russo, AGLCA's Director, was invited to discuss the Great Loop on this episode of Trawler Talk.  We hope you enjoy it!

This week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast is Part 2 of "Ladies on the Loop".  This week we'll talk to authors of two more chapters of the e-book.  Sarah Bowlin will share why "It's Not All Sunset and Chardonnay" and Reenie Boyer will talk about the importance of your boat's name on the Loop. Download "Ladies on the Loop" now!  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Susan Costa, the woman behind the new "Ladies on the Loop" e-book, joins us to talk about how to book came to fruition and what readers can expect.  Also with us is Gold Looper Jodi Symes who shares the details of her chapter titled "There's No Crying on the Flybridge".  Jodi shares the things she put in her "toolbox" to make the Loop more enjoyable.  This is part one of a two-parter.  Next week we'll hear from the authors of two more chapters of "Ladies on the Loop".

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Gold Looper Jim Lund shares some of the mistakes he and Leslie Poole made on their Great Loop.  Jim hopes that by sharing their missteps, he can help others avoid making those same mistakes.

With the U.S./Canada border still closed and the Oswego Canal opening soon (which will allow Loopers to reach Lake Ontario), some Loop boats will be transiting the Welland Canal to get from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie next week.  On this episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, we discuss the still-vague Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) requirements to transit the Welland during COVID.  In addition, our guest, Rodger St. Amand, who has transited the Welland hundreds of times, explains how the Welland is different from other canals on the Great Loop route, and what you need to know to safely transit it.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Gold Looper Bill Webster joins us to talk about Looping on a small boat.  Jim and his wife, Molly, completed the Great Loop aboard their Rosborough 246.  Bill will share the advantages and disadvantages of Looping on a small boat, as well as some tips for making a smaller boat more usable and comfortable for the Great Loop.  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Bill Drage, Immediate Past Chair of Canal New York, returns to update us on the status of the Erie Canal and the Save the Erie Initiative.  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, we have two guests sharing details about Georgia's new anchoring law that re-establishes the freedom to anchor in the waterways of that state.  First, James Newsome, Founding Member of Save Georgia's Anchorages, describes the history of this issue from 2019's HB 201--that had many boaters vowing to bypass Georgia--to the new law that just took effect reopening anchorages in that state.  Then, Ron Stephen, Gold Looper and Georgia State Representative, shares why he introduced HB 833 this year and how it returns the freedom to anchor to boaters in his state.