Chinook's Great Loop

[sailboatmike]

Congrats on the trip, I have been following you posts.

Sorry to hear about the sickness in the family ending it those tantalizing 250 miles short a complete circuit.

It will be hard to get used to life on land again, we find it hard enough after a week out

[Obelix]

Congratulations on completing this incredible adventure!
Thank you for your detailed blog, my mandatory first reading every morning, that enabled us to peek into the life of adventure without getting wet.
Did you ever consider making a book of this blog? I'd be buying
We sincerely hope, that your family issues turn out OK as well.

Greetings from SW-Florida

Obelix

[Starscream]

We've put a lifetime of use on the boat in just one year, and the wear and tear certainly shows.

Disagree. From what I saw a few weeks ago Chinook shows like dealer's floor model (ok, except for the scum line). Clean, comfy, seaworthy...that's how I saw her. I was cleaning my floor the other day and wondering if I was ever going to get it as clean as Chinook's.

Congratulations on completing the loop! I hope things go well for your family, our thoughts are with you.

[dlandersson]

Ditto Starscream. Chinook's boat could be used as a showroom model

We've put a lifetime of use on the boat in just one year, and the wear and tear certainly shows.

Disagree. From what I saw a few weeks ago Chinook shows like dealer's floor model (ok, except for the scum line). Clean, comfy, seaworthy...that's how I saw her. I was cleaning my floor the other day and wondering if I was ever going to get it as clean as Chinook's.

Congratulations on completing the loop! I hope things go well for your family, our thoughts are with you.

[Chinook]

Chinook now rests on her trailer atop our driveway, her Great Loop cruise already receding in time. I've been organizing pictures and sifting through log book pages, in an effort to quantify certain elements of the trip. We were away from home for 359 days. We spent 10 days on the road, trailering between home here in Washington State to Lake Michigan and back. We were on the boat, on the water, for 322 days, taking a 3 week Christmas break to fly home, and another 5 day rental car trip to western New York. We cruised a total of 6,421 statute miles, which included going around Florida to the Keys, a side trip to the Bahamas, and the long way around up north, via the Champlain and Chambly Canals, the Ottawa River, and the Rideau and Trent Severn Waterways. We pulled out 240 miles short of our Grand Haven MI starting point, at Mackinaw City, in order to speed our trip home (dad in failing health). We anchored out for 92 nights, spent 184 nights in marinas of various sorts, tied up to free docks 16 times, spent 17 nights on Canadian lock walls, took a mooring ball once, and stored the boat on the hard for 21 days while home for Christmas (don't check my math because the numbers don't come out quite right, but they're close). I logged a total of $3,200 spent on gas, 885 gallons worth, at an average price of $3.61/gallon. Overall fuel consumption worked out to 7.2 miles per gallon for the entire trip, which I consider excellent, with very little pure sailing but quite a bit of motor sailing. Average speed was around 6mph, with only around 40 miles at close to full throttle. We spent around $7,500 on overnight moorage, which includes marinas, mooring ball, and dry storage/haul out. The season pass for Canada's locks and lock wall mooring cost us $480, a real bargain. I didn't bother tracking grocery and restaurant expenses. We did eat out quite a bit. Visiting local restaurants and staying at marinas helped to offset somewhat the challenges of living aboard a 26 foot trailerable boat for nearly a year. Those folks who anchor out and eat aboard to the maximum extent could save a considerable amount of expense, but we opted for comfort, convenience, and the ability to socialize with fellow boaters in marinas to a greater extent. Service and repair costs tallied up to around $1,800 for the trip, including 2 haulouts for lube and oil change, and 3 repair bills involving mostly electrical problems. I've got a lengthy list of repairs and replacements facing me after such a lengthy cruise. I need to replace the genoa, which suffered from extended UV exposure and is tearing along the leach. I need to replace the anchor and chain which I lost up on the Georgian Bay (I think I snagged a rock), and the list of lesser repairs is rather long. If anyone out there is considering cruising the Loop, I can heartily recommend the experience, but good preparation is essential. I'll be selling my charts and cruising guides (one time is enough for us), so get in touch if interested. And feel free to PM me with questions. I'm always glad to talk cruising.

[FlyboyTR]

I have greatly enjoyed following your adventure. Congratulations on a successful voyage.

[Herschel]

I, too, have been much impressed with your journey. I have to admit that I followed ris and his wife a little more closely on their loop because I got to meet them during their fitting out period of preparation (and they are from Florida just south of Orlando where I live and boat). But, I am a great admirer of your travels. I do not plan on doing the Great Loop, but am considering trying a "Florida Loop" from Sanford down river to Jacksonville and then south on the ICW and a cut through Lake Okeechobee and up the GICW to my father-in-law's house near Venice. Your stats will be very helpful in any plans that develop for that trip. Bravo Zulu and Sierra Hotel! You have earned 5 smiley faces:

[ris]

I tried to keep records but just couldn't keep it up. I think our largest budget item has been eating out. Followed by marinas and fuel was the lowest.