Still in Alpena, MI

We are staying in Alpena for the weekend. Their downtown is right next to the Marina which is convenient for replenishing supplies. 

I thought that since you might not have the why’s and wherefores that we are making this journey, I should give you some background information. You see, several years ago, Fred’s mother gave him the book, “Honey, Let’s Get a Boat”.  That book was also the beginning of America’s Great Loop Cruiser Association.  See the history that began in 1999 here -- https://greatloop.org/page/About_AGLCA?&hhsearchterms=%22honey%22. 

You might wonder how Loopers recognize other Loopers along the way. There are a couple of different ways. We have the Nebo app, which allows you to search for Looper boats. All Loopers know about this app and most of them use it.  You can see Taurus (our boat) on this picture from Nebo. And there are currently several Looper boats on the same dock that we are on.

The image under “Taurus” is the AGLCA image showing the Great Loop route. 


The other way that we recognize other Loopers is by the burgee (small pennant or flag) that we all put on our bow (front of the boat).  

You can see the burgee on Taurus in this picture.

We have the white burgee because we are new to the Loop and working on our first time around. Once you “cross your wake” (finish your first Loop), then you get the gold burgee.  The platinum burgee is for those who have completed two or more Great Loops. 

We also have boat cards, similar to a business card. When Loopers meet, they exchange boat cards. We have only met one Looper boat that did not have cards made. 

Our boat card that we give to other Loopers we meet

We currently have 33 boat cards from other Loopers. Our daughter asked if we travel with the same Loopers. The answer is “not really”.  Other boats may travel slower than we do; some travel faster than we do. We cruise at 13-14 knots. A lot of Loopers travel 6-8 knots. And a few travel 20-25 knots. Some Loopers want more or less time in a port than we do.  We go to different marinas in different places, depending on our boats’ capabilities. Sometimes we end up in a marina with Looper boats that we have already met. That usually happens within a day or two of meeting them. 

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