Information On Cruising The Great Loop

 Capt. Sterling Kennedy and Capt .Bill McKay will talk about doing repairs and maintenance of your trawler. If you are considering doing the Great Loop it is important for you to know how to repair your boat. There may not always be a mechanic close by!

Chuck Baier talks about what to do and where to go while in the Bahamas.

Chuck Baier talks about crossing to the Bahamas.

Our guest this week is the new Director of AGLCA, Kim Russo. Kim will share with our listeners some of her own history as well as plans for the future direction of AGLCA. This should be a great show for anyone interested in the organization.

Our Guest Hosts this week are Flint and Leslie Firestone.  Leslie and Flint have been helping our Loopers ever since 2007.  Members since 2003, the Firestone’s completed their Loop in 2011 and are now living Life After the Loop, wintering in Marathon, Florida. They will tell us all there is to see and do in the Florida Keys during winter.  

Gold Looper Jim Favors will join us to talk about his favorite anchorgaes in the Florida Keys. Jim and his wife Lisa are the authors of two books related to cruising.

Our guest this week is Capt. Chuck Baier.  Chuck is a frequent contributor to the AGLCA Discussion Forum and a recognized expert on all things Cruising!  Chuck and his wife Susan Landry have published several books detailing anchorages along the loop, and they’ve been members of our organization since 2011.  They currently are cruising in Florida aboard their 34’ Marine Trader, Beach House.  Today, Chuck will talk about various weather sites that can be used to monitor weather throughout the Loop.

Our guest this week is Lester Branch.  Lester is a fairly new member of AGLCA and currently cruises on his 44’ Gulf Star, Robyn’s Nest.  There have been some recent posts in the AGLCA Discussion Forum about the Lower Mississippi, and Lester has been getting several phone calls a week from members wanting to know more about this alternate Loop route. He is joing us today to talk about it.

Our guests this week is Kevin Hopper who splits his time between Bradenton, FL and Cincinnati, OH.  An AGLCA member since 2006, Kevin completed his Loop in 2013 aboard his 48’ Ocean Alexander, “Island Hopper”.    His current cruising waters are the west coast of Florida and Kevin will help us become familiar with the area.

Our guests this week are Russ and Cindy Varney.  The Varney’s home port is St. Petersburg, Fl, and they’ve been AGLCA members since 2009. Russ and Cindy completed their Loop in 2010 on their 46’ Heritage East, Ladybug. Russ has been cruising the west coast of Florida for more than 55 years.  Today, he’ll share his thoughts on crossing the Panhandle, how to make that tough decision, alternate towns to cross to and things to do if the weather isn’t cooperating for your crossing.

This week our co-hosts will be Bob and Vicki Riggs, members and Gold Loopers. They will take us on a tour of thier home port of Fairhope, Alabama. This spot is a Looper favorite and they will tell us why!

Our guest this week is Kevin Dyer, Service Manager with AGLCA Commander Sponsor, Northport Bay Boatyard in Northport, MI.  Northport Bay Boatyard has been an AGLCA Sponsor since 2008.  Kevin is kind enough to walk us through the steps involved in winterizing your boat.

Our guest this week is Tanya Binford.  This self-sufficient lady just finished her Loop single handed.  Fairly new to AGLCA, Tanya started the Loop in April of this year, and she’ll tell us about her adventure.  Topics may include: Story about Why she Did the Loop Alone – if not too personalRoute that she TookType of Boat and the Reasons it was Suitable for a Single-Handed JourneyConquering Locks & Docking Single-HandedHelp Along the WayIsolation or Loneliness Experienced?High Points of TripLow Points of TripAdvice to Others Considering Single-Handed LoopWould she do it Again?  

Interview with Eddy Johnsen on the weather for Gulf Crossings

Curtis Stokes is once again the guest. As a follow up to last week's show, this week we will be discussing how to sell your Looper boat, and finding the right yacht broker to help you do it.

Curtis Stokes is the guest for this rebroadcast discussing what to look for in a Looper boat, and a yacht broker.

Barbara Wolfe is the guest host of this rebroadcast discussing doing the Great Loop with your pets. If you plan on taking Fido or Felix with you, this is  a must listen.

Today we will be broadcasting live from Trawlerfest in Baltimore, Maryland. Our guests will include AGLCA's own Kim Russo, Strategic developement, and George and Pat Hospodar, Gold Loopers. George and Pat make frequent presentations on the Great Loop.

Kitty Nicolai will be our guest once again. She will pick up where she left off last time, discussing the ups and downs of cruising the inland rivers which are part of the Great Loop.

Our guest host this week will be Kitty Nicolai.  She will be talking about navigating the Great Loop's Inland Rivers.