S/V Mystic - America's Great Loop Statistics

We left Knife River Minnesota on September 4th, 2016, aboard S/V Mystic, our 1966 Pearson Alberg 35. Our goal was to make it to the ocean. We became "Loopers" after our friends Jim and Linda Weckman shared their dream of completing America's Great Loop. The first stop on our Loop was to visit Jim and Linda in Bayfield, WI. They sent us off with support and encouragement and then followed us all along the way. 

September 4th, 2016, the day we left Knife River, MN

We completed our Great Loop adventure on August 21, 2021, crossing our wake at St. Ignace, Michigan. Our trip took us just shy of five years. This included two extended delays that kept Mystic on the hard for long periods of time. The first was in 2018 when Mystic sat in the yard at St. Augustine Marine Center for 22 months while we took care of things at home. We didn't intend to be off our boat for that long but life had other plans for us including a new hip for Dave and a trimalleolar ankle fracture for Beth. The second delay was in 2020 during the Covid shutdown. Mystic was on the hard at Frank Hall Boat Yard in Avondale Rhode Island for 22 months. We could have continued on our journey during the pandemic but heard that marina's would accommodate us but may not let us off our boat. This defeated our number one reason to cruise; we wanted to explore new places and meet new people. We decided to wait for things to open back up.

August 21, 2021 Crossing our Wake
St. Ignace, MI

Our Great Loop Stops

We kept track of a few statistics along the way. The following are the stats that best tell our story:

6557.5 Miles covered from Knife River, MN (start) to  St Ignace, MI (wake crossing)

452 Days on the Loop

1361 Days on the hard:
22 months in St. Augustine, FL
22 months in Avondale, RI

$1366.52 Diesel Cost (Average = $2.72/gallon)

502 Gallons of Diesel: We burn about 1/2 gallon of diesel per hour and averaged 13 miles per gallon at about 6.5 miles per hour travel speed.

61 days Anchored

65 days Free docks/walls

15 days Free Mooring 

16 days Paid mooring

208 days Paid marina dockage (Average dockage fee $36.00)

$7,450 Transient Marina cost (does not include when Mystic was on the hard)

Cheapest Marinas: 
$15 at Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchie, FL (due to no-seeums swarm).
The MI Harbor of Refuge Marinas were also less expensive than other parts of the Loop.

Highest Dockage price - Half Moon Bay, Croton-on-Hudson - Published "Looper Rates @ 25% off" but charged us $2.85/FT. Gave us 10% off the length of our boat ($3.50 total) saying it was no longer Looper Season in early July. There were about a dozen Looper boats at this marina with us.

Mast stepping/un-stepping: 
Mast down at Anchors Way Marina in St Joseph, MI, $150.
Mast up at Turner Marine in Mobile, AL, $250.
Mast down at Castleton Boat Club, Castleton on Hudson, NY, $50 to use their crane.
Mast up at Perry's Landing Marina in Erie, PA, $150. Stepped by Pennsylvania Port Authority.

Longest 1 day distance: 100 miles - Atlantic City, NJ to Atlantic Highlands, NJ (14 hour day)

Shortest 1 day distance: 14 miles - Erie Canal Brockport, NY to Albion, NY. Our buddy boat Osimo got stuck by a lift bridge failure. We waited for them at Albion.

Warmest temps: in the 90's from Florida through the Carolina's 

Coldest Temps: 28 F with frost on the boat on the TennTom

Largest tide: 9 feet at Thunderbolt GA (along with much of the AICW)

Number of pump outs: zero (We used a composting toilet)

Locks: 69 
1 -   Sault St Marie
24 - Inland waterway
2 -   ICW at Cape Canaveral
5 -   Crossing Lake Okeechobee
1 -   Great Bridge VA
35 - Erie Canal
1 -   Black Rock Lock

Buddy Boats:
Mucho Gusto - Looper
Sea Marie - Looper
Life's TraVails - Looper
Delphinea - from Hawaii
Andromeda Sol - from South Africa
Osimo - Looper

Long term stays at marinas:
Columbus Marina - Columbus, Mississippi
Turner Marine - Mobile, Alabama
SAMC - St Augustine Florida
Anclote Marina - Tarpon Springs
Frank Hall Boatyard - Avondale, Rhode Island
Titusville Municipal Marina - Titusville, Florida
Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach - North Carolina

Erie Canal: 12 Stops
Waterford
Scotia Landing
Amsterdam
Canajoharie
Ilion
Slyvan Beach
Baldwinsville
Lyons
Bushnell Basin
Brockport
Albion
Tonowanda

Forced layovers on the Erie Canal 10 Days:
2 Days - Waterford
5 Days - Canajoharie
3 Days - Baldwinsville

Tows by Towboat US:
1. New Smyrna, FL - Ran aground, towed back into channel
2. Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY - Lost our transmission, towed from anchorage to mooring ball

Ran aground (Mystic's draft is 5.6):
St Mark's - Local family pulled us off,
Bradenton Beach - Waited for tide to float off 
Peck Lake - Got off on our own
New Smyrna - Towboat US 
Isle of Palms, South Carolina - got off on our own

Major Repairs
New Transmission
New wooden spreaders built and replaced
Bilge pump repair

Microbreweries - 55:
Castle Danger - Two Harbors, MN
Keewanaw Brewing Company - Houghton, MI
Vierling - Marquette, MI
Blackrocks Microbrewery - Marquette, MI
Lake Superior Brewery - Grand Marais, MI
Storm Cloud Microbrewery - Frankford, MI
Silver Harbor Brewing Co - St Joseph, MI
Tangled Roots Microbrewery - Ottowa, IL
Rhodell Brewing - Peoria, IL
Serda Brewing - Mobile, AL
Fairhope Brewing Company, Fairhope, AL
Tin Roof - Baton Rouge, LA
Props Microbrewery - Fort Walton Beach, FL
Oyster City Microbrewery - Apalachicola, FL
Silverking Microbrewery - Tarpon Springs, FL
DeBine Brewing - Palm Harbor, FL
Stilt House Brewery - Palm Harbor, FL
Cage Brewing - Tampa, FL
3 Daughters Brewing - Tampa, FL
Millennial Microbrewery - Fort Meyers, FL
Bury Me Brewery - Fort Meyers, FL
Playalinda - Titusville, FL
A1A Alehouse - St Augustine, FL
Prohibition - St Augustine, FL
Hidden Springs Microbrewery - Tampa, FL
Dog Rose - St Augustine, FL
BOG Microbrewery - St Augustine, FL
Old Coast Ales Microbrewery - St Augustine, FL
Intracoastal Microbrewery - Melbourne, FL
Bugnutty Brewery - Merritt Island, FL
Dirty Oar Brewery - Cocoa, FL
Hell and Blazes - Melbourne, FL
Gordon Bierscht Brewing Co - Myrtle Beach SC
Fishtown Brewery - Beaufort, NC
Legend Brewery - Portsmouth, VA
Oozlefinch - Hampton, VA
Grain H20 - Summit Bridge, DE on the C&D Canal
Carton Brewing Co - Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Greysail Brewing - Westerly, RI
Outer Light - Groton, CT
B'eerd Brewery - Stonington Borough, CT
Barley Head Brewery - Mystic, CT
Shunock River Brewery - North Stonington, CT
Bank & Bridge Brewing - Mystic, CT
Stony Creek Brewery - Brandford, CT
Oyster Bay Brewery - Oyster Bay, NY
Subversive Malt House - Catskill, NY
Crossroads Microbrewery - Catskill, NY
WT Brews - Baldwinsville, NY
Seven Story Brewing - Bushnell Basin, Perinton, NY
Stoneyard Brewpub - Brockport, NY
Noble Beast Microbrewery - Cleveland, OH
Masthead Microbrewery - Cleveland, OH
Put-in-Bay Microbrewery - S Bass Island, OH
III Bridges Brewing - Menomonie, MI

Boat Improvements:
New RIB Dinghy
New E-propulsion dinghy motor
Custom winter boat cover
Custom mast cradle that doubles as frame for boat cover
Dinghy Chaps
Solar Panels
Upgraded Refrigeration
Rain Tarp
Sun Shade
Wind Scoop
New dock lines
New laminated fir spreaders
Storm Tri-sail and mast track
Tiller bracket reinforcement
Settee tabletop refinish to mahogany
New mahogany interior doors
Solar anchor lights
45 pound Mantus anchor

Maintenance:
Oil changes every 100-200 hours
New water pump impellers every year
New Alternator belt yearly
Bottom Paint (2 times on the Loop over 5 years)
Teak varnish (3 times on the Loop over 5 years)
New lines, docking & running rigging
Bilge pump float replacement
New Batteries

Best Looper Docktales: (This was always tied to the Number of Loopers present although some of our very best docktale memories were with our buddy boats.)
Green Turtle Bay
Turner Marine
Canajoharie
Baldwinsville
Cleveland

Questions about our Looping experience:

In 2018, our Looper friends, David Taylor and Susan Beabes, completed their Loop aboard Veritas, their 40 foot Island Packet sailboat. We posed the following list of questions to them, knowing that one day we'd be able to answer them for our adventure. Here are our answers in reference to our America's Great Loop experience.

1. Favorite Marinas:
Titusville Municipal Marina (FL)
Chagrin Lagoon Yacht Club (Lake Erie)
Castleton Boat Club (NY)
Turner Marine (AL)

2. Favorite Town:
Frankfort (MI)
Tarpon Springs (FL),
St Augustine (FL)
Avondale (RI)
Baldwinsville (NY)
Presque Isle (MI)

3. Scariest Moments:
Leaving St Joseph, MI with mast on deck
Entering Dog River with mast on deck
Near collision by tow on the TennTom while we were anchored

4. Most Special Moments: 
The day we left Knife River
Meeting our first buddy boat and friends Scott and Rhonda Joiner on S/V Mucho Gusto
Seeing family and friends along the way
Crossing our wake

5. Biggest Relief: 
Surviving Frankfort, MI storm
Getting off Lake Michigan
Making it through the shallows of the AICW
Arriving at Turner Marine

6. Worst Weather:
Frankfort, MI (3 day storm)
Atlantic City (4 day storm)
Lake Erie (80 mph winds)

7. Coldest Day: 28 F in November on the TennTom

8. Hottest day: In the 90's Mosquito Lagoon near Titusville, FL

9. Best decision in hindsight:
Not going to the Bahamas due to timing (Can't be in a hurry on the Loop)
Turning back to Cleveland on Lake Erie (80 mph winds)

10. Favorite Crossings: (weather is everything when making a crossing)
Gulf of Mexico
Lake Huron

11. Favorite Restaurants:
Bobby's Fish Camp - Alabama
The Blue Gill - Mobile, AL
Ivy - Robertsdale, AL
Meg O'Malleys Irish Bar - Melbourne, FL
Blue Hen Cafe - St Augustine, FL
Don and Paul's Coffee Shop - Waterford, NY

12. Favorite meal on board:  Nibbles, (finger foods for docktails)

13. Windiest day: 80 mph - Cleveland, OH

14. Best Sailing Areas:
Great Lakes
Gulf of Mexico
Chesapeake Bay
Green Bay

15. Biggest Boat Repair: Transmission Replacement, Oyster Bay, NY 2021

16. Favorite Comfort Item on the Boat: Fans and Wind Scoop

17. Greatest lesson learned on the Loop: Plan for A, B and C, but be prepared for none to work out

18. Best Advice You Got on the Loop:
Delaware City Marina Dock Master Tim helped us plan our timing for tides on the Delaware bay
Transmission replacement advice from friends Jim Weckman and Mark Sauchuk
Advice to try yacht clubs if marinas are not an option.

19. Where do we wish we'd stopped but didn't: Bahamas, Cuba, Key West

20. What would we do differently?
Add a dodger
Made fewer long term stops
Talked to more yachts clubs for dockage

21. What's next: Cruise Lake Michigan, Georgian Bay and Canada, Return Mystic to the Ocean

22. Biggest Surprise on the Loop:
The color of the water in the Detroit River, St Clair River and Lake Huron
How little we could sail on the Loop due to head winds and our mast being on deck.

Beth & Dave on Mystic - Reflections; Lake Superior

We had the time of our lives on this journey of a lifetime.
We can't wait to get back out on the water to continue exploring...beyond the Loop!

Crossing Our Wake - St Ignace Michigan

We woke at 4:30 am at the Presque Isle Marina; much earlier than usual, excited about the day ahead. After drinking a pot of coffee, we took a walk out the marina pier and watched a bright red sun rise over the pine trees. This is a big day for us! We'd decided to make the 75 mile trek to St. Ignace where we'd complete our Great Loop adventure. A part of that decision was the impending rough weather forecasted for the next few days. Our other option was to move to Cheboygan. That would leave us only about 20 miles from our final destination. Instead, tt made sense to just make our last day a long one. We needed to get to Door County in time to catch a plane to Connecticut in a little over a week. Timing was tight!

Sunrise over Old Presque Isle Light

Mystic at Presque Isle

Sunrise peeking over the pines - Presque Isle, MI

After packing up our folding bikes and securing them along Mystic's deck, we were ready to head out onto Lake Huron. We slipped past the red channel marker in Presque Isle Harbor and turned north on the lake. It was a cool morning with light winds. As the day opened before us the temperature rose and warmed us. 

Passing Old Presque Isle Light

Passing New Presque Isle Light - tallest light on Lake MI

New Presque Isle Light

New Presque Isle Light

Passing the red channel marker Presque Isle Bay

40 Mile Point Lighthouse - Rogers City Michigan

40 Mile Point Light -  Lake Huron

While we cruise, we monitor the Nebo tracking app to see if other Loopers are nearby. We noticed that LegaSea had left the sheltered North Cove at Presque Isle and were catching up to us. We sent messages back and forth with Paige who told us that they planned to stop in Cheboygan. She said they would slow down as they passed and take photos of Mystic on her last day on the Loop. This was a wonderful surprise and a early celebration of our accomplishment. It meant so much to us to share this moment with Paige and Jim. 

Beth at the helm as LegaSea passes Mystic

Jim and Paige wave to us from LegaSea's deck

LegaSea moves ahead

Photos by Paige on LegaSea

Mystic heading for St. Ignace

Mystic under the Looper Burgee

Mystic on Lake Huron

Close up shot - Mystic

Sharing our wake crossing with LegaSea

By the time we got to the Straits of Mackinac we were weary. We'd covered more than 200 miles over the last few days. We'd been pushing to keep on track since we passed under the big Blue Water Bridge and entered Lake Huron. The channel between Cheboygan and Bois Blanc Island was busy with fishing boats and sailboats zig-zagging around us. We could see big dark clouds approaching from the southwest and knew it was possible we wouldn't beat the weather. We passed Mackinac Island under increasingly rough and windy conditions. 

Poe Reef Lighthouse off of Cheboygen, MI

The Mackinac Bridge

The Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island Ferry

As we approached St. Ignace harbor, a ferry cut in front of us. Dave made a quick u-turn maneuver to get out of it's way then lined Mystic up for the entrance. We'd requested a slip that was starboard tie but found it was actually port tie when we got there. We thought we had enough time to move our fenders but the wind pushed us up between the two docks at a rapid pace then took control away from Dave and swung Mystic's bowsprit dangerously close to a big trawler. Between the two of us, we were able to fend off just in time to avoid a collision. Mystic's bow swung away from the trawler but, in the process, our bowsprit smacked into a dock post. The impact cut through a 3x5 section of the varnish that protects the wood. OUCH! That bright work is sacred to us!

We needed a few moments to secure Mystic and catch our breath after this near catastrophe. It is another reminder that things can get complicated in an instant on a boat. Wind and docking conditions are not always perfect. We got lucky! After acknowledging that we'd dodged a bullet on our last day on the Loop we were ready to celebrate. We toasted our arrival with a glass of our son's home brewed Meade then headed into town for dinner. It was a busy Saturday night but we found seats at the bar at MI Patio Bar and Grill across from the marina. We ordered a beer and fish tacos. The bartender told us there were fireworks which we could watch from our boat. A local guy sat next to Dave and began chatting with us. He asked where we were from and got really excited when he learned that we'd just completed America's Great Loop. He informed us that he would be starting the Loop in two weeks. He wanted to celebrate our accomplishment with a toast. Dave suggested peppermint schnapps but our new friend wanted to go big and ordered tequila. 

Our new friend in St. Ignace

MI Patio Bar and Grill

Needless to say, we never saw those fireworks. Instead, we chatted about our Great Loop experience, and answered questions for several hours before making our way back to Mystic for a much needed rest. 

WE MADE IT!!! We left Knife River Minnesota on September 4th, 2016 and arrived in St. Ignace on August 21, 2021. After over 6,000 miles and almost exactly 5 years of travel, we crossed our wake, completing the circumnavigation of the eastern United States aboard our Alberg 35, sailing vessel Mystic. 

We stayed in St Ignace for two nights, mainly to wait out weather but also to rest. The morning after our arrival we woke to high winds; happy that we pushed to get there before the weather changed. We walked to the Dollar General for groceries then got our bikes out to explore the area further. We rode south to view the Mackinac bridge from the shoreline, making it to the Vistor's Center along the roadway that takes cars over the bridge. We could have ridden our bikes over but decided it wasn't for us. One of us is a bit afraid of heights! 

Scenes around town - St. Ignace Michigan

How Cool! 350 Years Old!

Things to do in St. Ignace

Wawatam Lighthouse St. Ignace

North Graham Shoal Bouy

Bentley's Cafe

Movie Theatre

Murdick's Fudge

Zac & Mac's Chocolate Haus

The Gold Mine

Indian Village Shop and Museum

On our way back, we stopped at the Double Decker for ice cream. I had Peanut Butter Mackinac Island Fudge and Dave had Strawberry Cheesecake. He found a piece of plastic embedded in his treat. It appeared to be a piece of the tub lid. He told the server so she could check for other broken pieces. 

The Double Decker

Our folding bikes at the Double Decker Patio

We walked to the American Legion Park to watch an outdoor concert with the Rough Boys, finding a nice spot on the lawn to relax and enjoy the show. We were slowly unwinding from our hard journey. Back aboard Mystic, we began planning our way to Marinette where we would leave our boat for the winter. We would be hauling out early so we could catch a flight to Connecticut on the 29th. Our schedule didn't leave much room for error.

85 foot Appledore IV Tall Ship on Lake Michigan

View of the Appledore IV Tall Ship from American Legion Park

Seagull - front row seat at the Rough Boys concert

The Rough Boys Concert

Sunset over Mystic at St. Ignace

Mystic at St. Ignace

Moon over St. Ignace Municipal Marina

The Rough Boys concert wrapped up our adventure nicely by covering a Bob Seger favorite. Our long journey is complete but our adventure is not over. It's time to turn the page and explore more of our world aboard Mystic. We're deep into planning and negotiating where we'll go next. We'll regroup in Marinette next spring and begin a new chapter in 2022. 

The Rough Boys - Turn the Page

See here I am
On the road again
There I go
Turn the page...