Perfect Day on the Great Loop

Summer Camp for Adults?

Life is very social when loopers arrive in a marina. Right now we are heading for the Annual Great Loop Association Rondevoux. It is 60 miles up the Tennessee River at Joe Wheeler State Park. We have basicly timed our whole trip to arrive here at the correct time for this. A lot of loopers are going to it and we are all heading to the same few marinas right before Joe Wheeler .

Talking with Kristen I was trying to describe what we had been doing for the last few days and she exclaimed – “It sounds like summer camp for adults! Maybe it is, that‘s why we’re having so much fun!!! This social aspect has been the biggest surprise of all doing the Great Loop. I had expected it would be Bill and I on the boat together all the time alone. It’s so far from that… For example:

A few days ago when we arrived at the marina (Pickwick Lake- Grand Harbor Marina) there were the standard docktails at 5:00. In the morning the boat “It’s always 5:00” hosted Bloody Mary’s onboard. About an hour later a boat arrived that was just finishing their entire one year Great Loop trip , “crossing their wake”. We had a little party for them on the dock as they arrived with water balloons, noise makers and champagne. At 5:00 it was docktail time. Most of the loopers decided to go to dinner together, the restaurant (Freddie T’s – awesome) sent a free shuttle van and 11 of us all piled in the van to go to dinner. The next morning “It’s always 5:00” hosted mimosas. The marina gives us free cinnamon rolls, coffee and orange juice in the morning. At 5:00 its docktails again. In between I went swimming and went for a long walk – what a great life!! Many of the marinas provide courtesy cars free for loopers to use to go to town for provisions. Bill and I don’t do all the social stuff, it can be too much! Any looper boat that arrives is included – a great big adventurous family! Everyone has stories to tell, and engine problems to complain about. Anchoring out every once in a while gives us needed rest and downtime.

It wont be like this on other parts of the loop. Boats will be all spread out.
I think it is really on these rivers where you keep seeing the same boats over and over again. We have just realized that the majority of the people that we have met will be done with their one year trip when they arrive in Florida. We have a different agenda than most. We are doing the loop 3 months at a time, store the boat, go home, come back and resume the trip - over 3 years. What this means is that we are going to make new friends over and over again as the peole we have been traveling with will have left us.