Ala. couple plans to circle eastern US in boat

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — Carlton and Becky Moore will have their 40-foot boat, SeaMoore, all to themselves when they embark on their 6,000-mile trip next year.

But they’ll hardly be alone.

The Decatur couple will be one of more than 100 boaters cruising around the eastern United States on a route known as America’s Great Loop. They’ll motor along the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, the Intracoastal Waterways of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and through several Great Lakes.

“It will be an adventure,“ Carlton Moore said of why he and his wife plan to sell their house and everything else they can’t keep on their boat to begin cruising next October. “Around every bend there’s going to be something new.

“There’s just a lot to see and do,“ he said. “You go right by the Statue of Liberty and go through New York harbor with huge cargo ships. If your boat is not too tall, you go right through downtown Chicago. You go right by the Arch in St. Louis.“

Many “Loopers,“ as some call themselves, will be at Joe Wheeler State Park from Sunday till Wednesday as part of America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association and its annual Fall Rendezvous. They will reminisce with friends made along the way and pass on valuable tips to the Moores and others planning the trip for the first time.

Adventurous boaters have made the loop for decades, but the association formed 10 years ago to disseminate information that can enhance the cruising experience.

“It will save you a lot of money,“ Don Deeke, of South Pasadena, Fla., said of attending the Fall Rendezvous.

He recently completed the loop with his wife, Linda Laplante, earning a gold-colored AGLA flag he can fly as a badge of honor on their 24-foot catamaran.

He said members gave him valuable tips, such as locations of safest anchorages, expensive marinas to avoid, best places to eat, reliable refueling stations and hospitable ports where residents shuttle boat owners to local stores.

Becky Moore said she hopes to meet people this weekend who live full time on their boats to get advice for storage.

“I think the biggest concern I have is where I’m going to put the clothes. Like what do you do with your winter clothes the rest of the year,“ she said.

The association has a diverse membership. Some boats already moored at the state park have come from Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, Florida and Louisiana.

Some, such as Deeke, travel in small boats with few frills, while others, such as Tam and Beth Delcambre of New Iberia, La., have a 44-foot trawler featuring satellite television and a washer and dryer.

Some Loopers will take several years to complete the trip so they can take in more sights. Others, including the Moores, will do it in a year.

Carlton Moore said a year is plenty of time to do the trip without rushing or taking risks.

They will spend their winter in Florida and should find pleasant cruising conditions the rest of the time.

A main objective is to be out of Canada by fall, he said.

“There’s a little bit of danger involved, Carlton Moore said. “Lake Michigan can be treacherous. But we’re not going to be in a hurry and will take our time.“

The association calls the loop one of the safest long-distance routes in the world because the entire trip can be made within site of land and much of the route is along rivers and canals.

The Moores will embark on their trip next October. Carlton Moore will retire in March after turning 65 and sell the house. Becky Moore, 62, plans to keep working as a nurse until September.

The Moores will cruise in a 40-foot trawler, which they describe as slow moving but dependable and economical at 31/2 mpg.

Carlton Moore estimated he will use 2,000 gallons of fuel on the trip, and at $3.50 per gallon, his overall fuel cost will be more than $7,000. That sounds expensive at first, he said, but becomes more reasonable after considering it’s for an entire year.

Deeke, 70, said the cruise is monotonous in some stretches, particularly the commercial traffic areas of the Illinois River, but the route’s scenic gems and unique sights make it an enlightening experience.

Trip highlights he retrieved quickest from memory included drought-stricken Lake Okeechobee set ablaze after an electrical storm; Mackinaw Island, Mich., which has no cars; the 240-mile stretch through Trent Severn in Canada, which features the only hydraulic locks on the loop; and the Big Chute Marine Railway, which carries boats in a cradle up a 60-foot electric incline.

After completing the loop, Becky Moore said, she and her husband plan to revisit areas they enjoyed the most or lacked the time to fully explore.

“We’ll do this till we get tired of it, I guess,“ she said. “There are just so many side trips you can take and so much to see. Hopefully we will do this for several years.“

America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association has about 2,100 memberships, almost all of which are couples. In any given year, more than 100 boats will cruise the 6,000-mile route. The association estimates between 750 and 1,000 boats have completed the loop. To learn more, including route location, visit http://www.greatloop.org.