We’ve written about the Loopers before. These are the people that are a part of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association. That’s a 6000 mile loop that starts anywhere from Florida, up through New York City, and the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, various waterways into Lake Huron, the North Channel, Lake Michigan, the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Tenn-Tom rivers, Mobile Bay, the Gulf ICW and back to Florida.
It’s primarily done with Trawlers and Cabin Cruisers, individually or in groups. They fly a burgee (small flag) that shows the great loop and the parts that they have completed.
When we sail, we monitor the marine radio and are equipped with AIS (Automatic Identification System). We’ll hear radio calls that include their boat name, and it will also display on our chart plotter and our other charting programs. And if we are in a marina, we can just look at their transom for the name of their boat.
When we were in Gore Bay, a boat with the name ‘Eleven X’ was there. As we worked our way west from there, we stopped at Thessalon, De Tour Village, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City and Beaver Island. From Beaver we sailed south to Northport. As we were getting into Grand Traverse Bay, up pops ‘Eleven X’ on the AIS. In time, we hear their radio call to the marina in Northport, along with other boats, ‘L’Attitude Adjustment’ and ‘Lil Big Blue’, ‘Slowpoke’ and ‘Layover’ seemed to be travelling together.
As we were heading north from Northport, to round the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, the armada, as we have called the group, has left ahead of us. We knew that the winds were going right on the nose, and the waves would be choppy, but once ‘around the corner’ we’d have good wind to go south towards Frankfort.
One by one, we saw them turn around and head back to Northport. It was later that day, as the waves got uncomfortably choppy, that we went in the marina at Leland. The next day, on our way to Frankfort, the armada passed us. We could see on the AIS that they too were heading into Frankfort. Not being the anchoring out kind of boaters, they all went into a marina.
When we left Frankfort for Ludington, there they were again, heading south to round Big Sable Point.
We could still see them, as it was a very clear day, as we rounded the point and onwards to Ludington, that they were going to go to Pentwater.
As I write this, midday on Saturday, September 19, I can look at the website marinetraffic.com and see that they were in Grand Haven two days ago, and between Douglas and South Haven yesterday. Still travelling together as they work towards leaving Lake Michigan and getting much further south.
We will be crossing our wake early next week, when we go back to Great Lakes Marina in Muskegon, and prepare Reflection for haulout and winterization. And then it’s seven long months before we will be washing, waxing and painting the bottom for the adventures of 2027.
Does it seem like the summer has gone by quickly? Glad you have had a safe and interesting venture. Thank you for taking us along. I love the photos, even though just looking at the water here make me seasick!
We’ll do a numbers post later, but we’ve been away from Muskegon for over 110 days, sailed 42 days and been in over thirty unique anchorages or marinas. September is going fast, as the weather is cooler and stormy, and some marinas have already closed for the season – both in Canada and in Michigan. We expect to go back into the North Channel next year and go further east towards Killarney.