Information On Cruising The Great Loop

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Curtis Stokes of Curtis Stokes & Associates joins us to talk about what to expect when you engage a buyer's broker.  Curtis will address the basics of the broker/buyer relationship and provide suggestions on how to know whether you're dealing with a reputable broker.  He'll also touch on the pros and cons of engaging a buyer's broker when getting ready to purchase a boat or yacht.    

On this week's episode of the Great Loop  Radio podcast, Chad Buchner returns as our guest.  Chad is the Manager of Canal Operations in Ontario for Parks Canada, and he'll share information about the discount being offered through March on season passes for the Trent, as well as what you can expect from cruising the Trent Severn in the upcoming season. Chad will also reference a link to a website during the podcast.  Here it is:  http://www.parkscanada.gc.ca/trent From there Loopers can begin to trip plan, purchase their permits and do the final countdown to a memorable trip to Ontario.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio Podcast, Justin Joyner, Manager at Beneteau Powerboats, joins us to discuss reasons you might consider buying a new boat for the Great Loop rather than a previously owned boat.

AGLCA will soon be retiring the "Meets" feature on our app and website that allows members to locate one another while on the Loop. We're thrilled to be switching to Nebo as the "official" AGLCA locator app!  On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Nebo's Managing Director, Stephen Winter, joins us to share details about Nebo's features, which go way beyond simply finding other Loopers while cruising.

This week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast features short discussions with each of the four couples who are finalists for the True North Harbor Host of the Year award.  Learn more about the Harbor Host program from these Harbor Hosts who went above and beyond to assist their fellow Loopers in 2018.  AGLCA members can vote for your favorite now at www.greatloop.org.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, authors Gene & Katie Hamilton join us to talk about getting started in the cruising lifestyle.  They'll cover moving from weekend cruising to longer-term cruising, ideas for making money along the way, and thoughts on kids and pets aboard.  In addition, we'll touch on stargazing on the Great Loop.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Cindy Lewis of Sterling Associates joins us to discuss marine lending basics, including how the process of finanacing a boat works and what requimrents to expect from the bank.

On this week's episode of Great Loop Radio, Tom Hale joins us to talk about considerations for tides and current on the Atlantic ICW. 

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Gold Loopers Scott & Karen Devoll join us to talk about cruising the Bahamas as part of your Great Loop adventure.  They'll provide details on planning, crossing, and daily life in the islands.

This week's episode of the Great Loop Radio features Captains George & Pat Hospodar sharing information on wintering in the Florida Keys as part of your Great Loop Adventure.  

Gold Looper Dave Fuller joins us on this week's episode of Great Loop  Radio.  He'll tell us what there is to see and do on the portion of the Great Loop Route that runs along Florida's east coast from Miami to Jacksonville. He'll also share his favorite stops, recommended side trips, and how much time to budget for this segment of the Loop.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, we'll discuss The Rules of the Road for boating with our guests, Captains Andrea and Rick Gaines.  Join us to learn about the basics of these important rules.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio Podcast, we complete our series on options for dealing with the 2020 closure of the Illinois Waterway by giving details on whether and how you can trailer your boat to bypass the closed sections of the waterway.  Our first guest is Ken Fickett, Founder and President of Mirage Manufacturing who builds Great Harbour Trawlers and the trailerable TT35.  Ken will discuss the advantages of selecting a trailerable cruiser for the Great Loop, especially if you plan to Loop in 2020.  If your boat is not trailerable, you'll want to hear from our second guest, Molly Vervair of Cross Country Boat Transport.  She'll discuss what size boat can be trucked and what preparations you'll have to make to the boat to do so.

On this week's episode of Great Loop Radio, we continue our series on how to deal with the closure of the Illinois River from July 1 - October 31, 2020.  This week, we tackle the idea of doing a clockwise Loop so that you're through the Illinois River in the spring, prior to its closure.  We recognize there are some challenges to doing a clockwise Loop.  Our first guest is Captain Matt Hahn.  He will address concerns about running upstream on the inland rivers.  Our second guest,  Jim Healy gives details about being on the Atlantic ICW in the fall and the implications of hurricane season on a clockwise Loop.

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Kevin Dyer, Service Manager for Northport Bay Boatyard, joins us to talk about winter storage for your boat.  As many contemplate how to do the Great Loop in 2020 when the Illinois River will be closed from July 1 - October 31st, one option is to continue exploring the Great Lakes and other side trips into the fall, store the boat for the winter, and then resume the Loop the following spring.  Kevin will share details about how and when to put you boat in to winter storage.

As we continue our series on options for dealing with the 2020 closure of the Illinois Waterway, this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast gives details on heading through the Illinois River before it closes on July 1, 2020.  Gold Looper, Joe Pica, joins us to share details about the side trips we can take during the summer after come through the Illinois River in June, and Jon Horton shares insurance considerations if you decide to continue south to the Gulf and/or Florida for the summer rather than exploring the rivers via side trips.  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio Podcast, we begin our series on the options available for dealing with the 2020 closure of the Illinois Waterway.  This episode discusses the possibility of "waiting it out" including options for waiting near Chicago until the scheduled November 1st opening, as well as moving as far into the Illinois River as is possible to wait for each lock to reopen.  We'll also discuss the availability of facilities as you proceed south later than the "normal" Looper schedule and how AGLCA can support you if this is the option you choose to handle the Illinois Waterway closure during your 2020 Great Loop.

On this episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Cheryl Brown (Global Managing Director) and Darryl Bushaway (Operations Director) of Le Boat join us to talk about opportunities for chartering boats on Canada's Rideau Canal.  They'll discuss this great option for trying out the Looper Lifestyle before buying a boat.  

On this week's episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast, Guy Conner, owner of Midway Marina, shares information on cruising the TennTom waterway, including details about marinas, anchorages, and towns along the way.

Winston Fowler of Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net is our guest on this week's episode of Great Loop Radio.  Winston will share information that Cruisers' Net has collected on the status of the ICW in North Carolina post-Florence, including details about marinas, shoaling and more.