America's Great Loop Cruise

The adventure of circumnavigating eastern North America by boat is known as “cruising the Great Loop.” Some adventurers set out wanting to be surprised. Bob Duthie developed an interactive CD-ROM elearning program for those who prefer knowing what to expect on the trip. Click to see Previews

Cruising boaters can start the Great Loop from any point on the route. If one were to start in New York they would set out in May and head up the Hudson River to Waterford. Most head west on the Erie Canal, turn right on the Oswego Canal and cross Lake Ontario to Trenton, Ontario. The Trent Severn Canal takes them to Georgian Bay and the beautiful North Channel of Lake Huron. The season is only 6 weeks long up here from July 1 to Aug 15 so you don't want to miss the window where the weather is warm (but never the water). Cruisers use August to get to Chicago on Lake Michigan and stop in at the many harbors every 15-20 miles along the east side of Michigan. From Chicago its down the Illinois River, Mississippi River and up the Ohio River to the Tennessee River. Most spend autumn along the Tennessee River with a visit to Chattanooga. Some will also visit Nashville on the Cumberland River. In November it is time to head down the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile Alabama. Winters are spent in Florida or the Bahamas. In the spring it's time to head north up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway with time in Chesapeake Bay arriving back in New York mid May. The trip has taken one year. What most people say when they have completed the loop is “It's not so much the trip it's the people we met on the way that we enjoyed the most.

Not everyone does the loop in a 30-60 ft trawler. People are doing the loop on jet skis, kayaks, row boats, fishing boats, a solar powered canal boat, and sail boats.

The CD-ROM or USB Flash Drive  What to Expect Cruising America's Great Loop contains over 2,400 maps and photos to show what awaits you. Each photo is captioned, narrated and associated with a map. The photos were taken by Bob and Mavis Duthie between October 2003 and July 2005 as they cruised the Loop in the Katy Leigh, a 36 foot 1981 Grand Banks classic trawler as pictured above.

This unique program, What to expect Cruising America's Great Loop provides you with valuable information on what to see and do while cruising the Great Loop. Instead of dreaming about the Great Loop, boat lovers can now experience it 6 hours!

“I believe it's the best available preview for anyone planning to cruise the Loop and will prove to be a most helpful companion when they finally get underway.”
--Fred Myers, CruiseGuide Author, Florence AL

“I'm mad at you Bob! I got your CD yesterday and I can't stop watching it. I always say just 5 more minutes and 2 hours later I'm still watching. The pictures are nice in that it's more like family vacation pictures rather than professionally staged boring photos. I find the commentary, short, sweet, and right to the point and it seems to always hit the important points.”
-- Michael Shields, Bradenton FL