Completing The Great Loop
November 18, 2024
Today we "crossed our wake" at Pickwick Landing, Tennessee, and completed our Great Loop adventure. Novella, our O'Day 25, has taken us on an incredible 5,500-mile journey around the eastern U.S. and into Canada, only to end up back where we started. Novella now flies the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association Gold Burgee, a badge of honor for those who have completed the Loop. We are so grateful for all of the beauty we experienced and all the friends we made along the way.
AMERICA’S GREAT LOOP CRUISERS’ ASSOCIATION:
Congratulations to Meriah & Evan, who completed their Loop on November 18, 2024 aboard their 1983 O'Day 25 sailboat, "Novella".
"The Loop is about sleeping alone in quiet starlit coves. It is the courage to head into open water without knowing exactly what is out there. It is the camaraderie forged with crews following a similar course. It is sacrificing ideal comfort for the sake of a dream always held near. It is about getting by with just enough, and learning you never needed so much in the first place. All of the above is true regardless of the price of your vessel.
"Every adventure must have a beginning and an end, and the Loop offers a clear goal to those who would otherwise be restless with a life of aimless cruising. There is a sense of purpose that inspires progress, driven by the constant need to press onward. Still, it's the beginning that is the most important part.
"So many people talk about their dream but never commit to the course required to see it materialize. If your dream is the Loop, don't waste your years saving for the 'perfect' vessel. Go now. Adventure is for everyone."
Daily Travel Log | The Great Loop
Day 337 • boat chores, business administrative chores, a full day of motoring, went from cruising downstream to crawling upstream
Cape Girardeau, Missouri to Mile 971, Ohio River, Kentucky
Day 338 • we made it to Paducah with gas to spare, treated ourselves to dinner out and some tall beers
Mile 971 to Paducah, Kentucky
Day 339 • coffee shop office, put some miles on the mini bikes, Guatemalan lunch, watched The Shining in the theater
Paducah, Kentucky
Day 340 • baked goods for breakfast, a different coffee shop office, long bike rides in the rain, the quilt museum, buffalo chicken dip
Paducah, Kentucky
Day 341 • a rainy, sleepless night - we’re soggy and low on power, tonight we play games by candlelight and go to bed early
Paducah to Double Creek off the Cumberland River, Kentucky
Day 342 • a very full day - moved the boat, major work projects and client meetings, much needed laundry (3 loads) and showers, swam laps and used the sauna, gas and grocery run via courtesy car, packed a van full of goods into the belly of the boat - no time for photos
Double Creek to Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina, Grand Rivers, Kentuck
Day 343 • motored onto the Tennessee River, found a pretty anchorage and grilled some bbq chicken drummies
Grand Rivers, Kentucky to Ginger Bay, Tennessee
Day 344 • the rain ruined our hiking plans, instead we played games, made music and shared snacks
Ginger Bay to Paris Landing State Park, Tennessee
Day 345 • we hiked and hiked despite the rain, stopped by the nature center, held a tiny turtle
Paris Landing State Park, Tennessee
Day 346 • biked up and down many hills, meal prepped and cooked dinner together, saw a shooting star
Paris Landing State Park, Tennessee
Day 347 • a typical work and motor all day kind of day, went for a short walk, enjoyed some docktails before going to bed early again
Paris Landing State Park to Pebble Isle Marina near Johnsonville State Historic Park, Tennessee
Day 348 • rained all day, warm cinnamon rolls, built Camp Cozy in the cabin, played games, plugged in our little heater
Pebble Isle Marina
Day 349 • another cinnamon roll, motored south a bit more, planned out our final days on the loop
Pebble Isle Marina to Cuba Landing anchorage, Tennessee
Day 350 • beautiful river views, a fish-stealing eagle, dinner with Granddaddy
Cuba Landing to Clifton, Tennessee
Day 351 • turned off the Tennessee and up a little creek to our Aunt’s house on the river, rode bikes into town, cooked in a real kitchen with an oven
Clifton to Saltillo, Tennessee
Day 352 • a super lazy Sunday spent enjoying the convenience of all the creature comforts - warm running water, a bathtub, heating, a square-shaped bed, an oven, plush chairs, and a real (big) television
Saltillo, Tennessee
Day 353 • we crossed our wake, our loop is complete! Just short of one year ago our parents, cautiously embracing our life decisions, towed our sailboat and limited belongings to Tennessee. Today they returned (as did we) waving their arms with celebration from the dock. There were decorations, bubbly, and a frenzied reunion between “sisters.”
Saltillo to Pickwick Landing State Park, Tennessee
LOOP STATS • Total days on Loop: 353 • Miles: 5,466 • Travel days: 185 • States: 16 • Countries: 2 • Favorite destination: Benjamin Islands, Ontario • Locks: 105 • Top speed: 9 knots • High temp: 99° • Low temp: 26° • Longest travel day: 74.3 miles • Free nights: 179 • Mast steppings: 4 • Furthest distance offshore: 30 miles • Largest wave: 6 ft • Longest stretch without land amenities: 10 nights • Visitors on boat: 13 • Favorite luxury: Ice • Worst weather: Tornado • Man overboard: 1 (🐈⬛) • Outboard spring replacements: 7 • Haircuts: 5 & 2 • Bike crashes: 1 each • Books read: 5.75 • Favorite wild animal: Dolphin