The Great Circle Loop

The Great Circle Loop is a circumnavigation of the eastern US and part of Canada. We will begin our Loop journey from Sarasota, FL and move counterclockwise, first heading south to our familiar cruising ground of the Florida Keys. Although, technically not part of the Great Loop route, the Bahamas are so close to the east coast of Florida, we plan to take a side trip there. We plan to cruise to Bimini, the Berry Islands, Nassau and Grand Bahama Island before returning to the east coast to resume our trek to the north.

We will move up the eastern seaboard utilizing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) all the way to Norfolk, VA. We will enter the Chesapeake Bay, cruise the eastern side of New Jersey and enter New York Harbor. Here we will pass the iconic Statue of Liberty and proceed to the Hudson River traveling north past the West Point Academy and onto the Erie canal north of Albany. Off the Erie canal we will travel north via the Oswego river and canal to Lake Ontario. We will cross into Canada and follow the St. Lawrence Seaway to Montreal. From there, we will cruise north and west to Ottawa and down the Rideau canal system back to Kingston, Ontario. A beautiful time to spend the summer in Canada, will allow us to cruise up the Trent Severn waterway and canal system to the north Georgia bay of Lake Huron. As summer fades, we plan to make our way back to the US via Mackinac Island, Michigan. From there, we will move south along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan until we reach Chicago. We will enjoy the fall weather as we move down the Illinois river, the Mississippi river to the Ohio river. Near Paducah, KY we will cruise south along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico. From there, we will work our way along the Florida panhandle and then shoot across the Gulf of Mexico to return to our home port of Sarasota. Returning to our starting point is referred to as ”crossing our wake”. Overall, we will cruise in excess of 6,000 miles and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. We are happy to share our adventure as we make our way.