Great Loop Yacht and Boat Articles

Boating Info- Great Loop and More

Please find below yacht and boat articles submitted by boat owners, yacht consultants and others for Curtis Stokes and Associates. CSA hopes you find this material useful and remember CSA services when the time comes to buy or sell a yacht. Contact Us through our many offices throughout the USA.

Cruising Delaware Bay on the Great Loop

by Jim Healy
There is little to nothing to attract the cruising and destination interests of cruisers on the Delaware Bay. Cruisers must review the weather forecast carefully before transiting the Delaware Bay in either direction! This large, open, exposed body of water lies geographically Southeast to Northwest. Because of the combined tidal and river flow, ebb currents are 2+ kts, and flood currents are 1-1/2 kts. Ebbs also last longer than floods. Winds from the Southeast or Northwest create steep, short period, choppy sea states on the Delaware Bay ESPECIALLY when tidal flow is against the winds. There is no place to run for cover along the Delaware Bay. It’s a fine ride in settled weather…

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Refurbishing Leaking Windows

by Jim Healy
When we bought Sanctuary, we inherited several window leaks. Yes, they were known, but undisclosed, by the seller, not found or tell-tales not recognized and understood by the surveyor, and so, they became ours to discover. For us, a leak in the non-opening stern window in the aft cabin was at the absolute top of our “must fix” list. That particular leak, you see, was above the pillow on the Admiral’s side of the bed!

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Boat Pre-Cruise Preparation

by Jim Healy
1. Prepare a Float Plan; communicate plan to an independent, non-crew safety contact.
2. Ensure that navigation charts are onboard and, optionally, cruising guides for entire range of the float plan.
3. Prepare Chart Plotter waypoints and eRoutes, if desired.

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Great Loop Cruising

by Jim Healy
The Great Loop cruise is many different things to different people. It is unquestionably a mix of opportunity and challenge. Social, travel and sightseeing opportunities abound, and are very satisfying and fulfilling. Challenges come in the form of piloting and navigation tasks, weather and facility delays…

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Anchor Rode – Calculating Capacity

by Jim Healy
In the United States, the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) publishes a table of rode sizing that is suitable for use in coastal and intracoastal waters. This table makes rode selection safe and fairly easy for the vast majority of boaters. It also provides a criteria against which to evaluate installed ground tackle systems…

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Great Loop Chart and Guide Recommendations

by Jim Healy

I am a strong advocate of cruisers having paper charts aboard. This article describes how we accomplished that for our Great Loop cruise. This article focuses on paper charts and print Cruising Guide resources, not on the many available electronic resources.

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George and Pat Hospodar, authors of “Reflection on America’s Great Loop”
Please see the articles below from George and Pat Hospodar for Great Loop cruising for some great first hand knowledge of the conditions you may find on your cruise.

• Choosing Your Great Loop Route – the Atlantic to the Great Lakes
• Just Another Day on the Great Loop
• A “Biting” Situation on the Great Loop
• Traveling the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway
• “Looping” Through the Great Lakes
• Passing Commercial Traffic- Great Loop Midwest Rivers
• Crossing the Big Bend of Florida while on the “Loop”

Disclaimer: Curtis Stokes and Associates does not necessarily agree or promote the content by the above authors. This content is to be used only with the reader’s discretion.