Sunday Summary #84

Goodbye Great Lakes, Hello Midwest Rivers!

Hi ,

Welcome to Scho & Jo’s 84th Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written on a Monday aboard PIVOT who is tied up to a stationary barge on the Illinois River. Yes, a barge - you read that right. We’re tied up to a barge with 6 other boats heading south for the winter. Another new experience on the Loop!

Last Week.

We left off two weeks ago when we were waiting out a weather window in Saugatuck, Michigan. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our subscribers, Bruce and Cindy, who invited us to stay on their dock while we waited out a weather window. It was incredibly helpful for us to have dock access during that week as it allowed us to easily take Ollie to shore and go for walks. A very simple task made a little bit harder when living on a boat. We had a great time getting to know Bruce and Cindy and hearing about their boating background and aspirations for their Great Loop journey in 2023. It really excites us to meet people who are in the planning stage as the adventure that awaits them is truly one of a kind.

After being told countless stories about how we needed to keep a sharp eye on the weather because it could change quickly and conditions can turn rough on Lake Michigan, I was convinced I wasn’t going to enjoy Lake Michigan and it was going to be rough and nasty the whole 300 miles south. Our approach was to only go out on good weather days and make the most of those days making the most miles we could on those days. That’s exactly what we did. We had some very long cruises down Lake Michigan, and only a few moments of nerves gone awry. Our six cruises down Lake Michigan were some of the most beautiful scenery on the loop and I’m so glad we were able to enjoy it! We’re really going to miss Michigan and we know we’ll be back one day to visit the cute small towns we missed.

Having a schedule on the Great Loop, Chicago is important and challenging all at the same time. If trying to complete the loop in one year, it’s essential to make the seasonal deadlines, although there are no exact dates for those deadlines. The suggested dates to be off Lake Michigan range from Labor Day (the first weekend in September) to the end of September (recommended by locals). When planning our time in the Great Lakes region this summer, we broadly planned to get to Chicago by mid-September, giving ourselves 3-4 weeks to make that goal. We arrived in Chicago on September 16th; pretty close to our mid-September goal. We were so impressed!

As we cruised closer and closer to Chicago and the skyline slowly appeared in the distance, the sense of accomplishment, relief, and joy filled us both. After 3,103 nautical miles, we arrived in Chicago! It was honestly one of the best days on the loop!

Chicago was both restful and restorative while also so much fun and non-stop. After several early mornings to take advantage of cruising on the calm water, we had a slow morning on a mooring ball followed by many city life and touristy activities. We began our time in Chicago with a date night to a Chicago Fire FC (soccer, or football for our international readers) game at Soldier Field - reminiscing of our time in Atlanta when we would attend Atlanta United games.

One of the BEST things about the Great Loop are the friends you meet along the way. There’s a term called ‘loop frogging’ which means you basically hop back and forth with various boats on the loop. There are 500 boats doing the Great Loop this year and as we cruise, we’ve found a few people that are truly special to us. We can laugh together, commiserate on difficult cruising spots, and share some really awesome memories together.

We met Stewart and Tracy on Dog House (43 Jeanneau Velasco) and Chris and Lisa on Taylor’d for 2 (4518 Bayliner) while we were in the Florida Keys and have been loop frogging with them for the past 3,000 nautical miles. It was incredible to be able to meet up with Chris, Lisa, Stuart, and Tracy when we were in Chicago because boat timing doesn't align very often unless we're intentionally cruising together. We spent the next few days getting Chicago-style pizza, going on a kayak tour of Chicago, and catching up over lunch. Chris, Lisa, Stuart, and Tracy inspire and lift us up every time we spend time with them. We feel so lucky to have met them on the loop and feel so grateful to have them in our lives.

After a few days in Chicago, we dipped our toes in Lake Michigan for the last time before we started down the midwest rivers beginning with the Chicago River followed by the Illinois River. Thanks to our friend, Stewart, for snapping this epic photo of PIVOT!

The midwest rivers are working rivers, meaning that large tug boats move barges up and down the rivers carrying a variety of goods, but from what we’ve seen so far it’s a lot of gravel and sand. The towboats vary in how many barges they carry from 1 to 15, so it’s important to establish clear communication. As we’ve begun our journey down the midwest rivers, we’ve started learning our new boat terminology: “see you on the 1, see you on the 2, and jump in a hole.”

This was evident to us on our second day on the river on the free city wall in Joliet, Illinois when Elliot woke up to the sound of one horn being blown which he thought must have been a bridge. Seconds later, five horns were blown, meaning “caution, danger, move out of the way.” We later learned that a barge was coming through at the same time several boats were getting off the free wall to begin their journey down the river for the day. Some boats were in the way of the barge (hence the five horn blasts from the barge) and others had to move over to make room for the boats in front of the barge. One boat malfunctioned and ended up running into a boat that was tied to the free wall, cracking some of their fiberglass and breaking the stantions on the docked boat. It was a bit of boat drama to wake up, but it was a good reminder of the barge always wins, so stay out of the way of the barges.

So far we’ve enjoyed some great bakeries and have been getting into a flow with various “flotillas” or “convoys” of boats heading south. Since the barges range in quantity, they can take several hours to pass through a lock. If a towboat is pushing 12 barges at one time, they have to make several trips up and down to push all of their barges through the lock, which can take several hours. In hopes of efficiently passing through locks, we coordinate ahead of time with the other pleasure boats. Our largest group of boats in one lock was 16!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet up with some of Elliot’s family from Illinois. Elliot’s aunt and uncle stopped by and we were able to catch up with them over lunch. It was really special to be able to show them PIVOT, explain some of our routines on the boat, and recount some of our stories from the past 5,000 miles of learning how to boat.

This Week.

Today we’re finishing up the Illinois River and will be entering the Mighty Mississippi River! We’ve been really enjoying these past few cruises down the rivers for their protection from the wind, but it’s also revealed a totally different side of the United States that we have yet to see on the loop.

“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”-Rumi

 Videos. 

In case you missed it, here are all the vlogs we’ve released since our last Sunday Summary:

Incredible Food Cruising from Kingston to Hudson, New York

 Great Loop Recommendations. 

We are looking for recommendations for destinations and spots along our Great Loop to go see, visit, and enjoy. It's been a real challenge for us to keep track and stay organized with the many wonderful recommendations we've received thus far. So we've created a Google Form to help us stay organized. Thank you to everyone sending us recommendations so far! We really appreciate it.

 Gratitudes. 

The Great Loop has many challenges, but the goal to reach Chicago has been our goal for the past two years since buying our boat and deciding to do the Great Loop. Arriving at the Chicago mooring ball field with the skyline as our backyard had a rush of emotions. From our nightmarish docking experience during our maiden voyage, dragging anchor in South Carolina after running aground, Elliot breaking his wrist in May 2021 and having to turn around, to now, we decide to dock for a few hours just because (something we would never even think about when we first were learning how to boat) or helping other boaters in need. Every learning experience led us to this milestone of reaching Chicago. It felt AMAZING! We’re so grateful to be on the midwest rivers, but remain students open to the lessons ahead. 

If you read this far down, you’re a legend! 🤙

Peace and love,Jenn + Elliot