Participants in the Great Loop seminar at TrawlerFest-Bay Bridge Marina will receive an automatic one-year membership in the American Great Loop Cruising Association or AGLCA.

The Great Loop is a 5,000-mile-plus circumnavigation of the East Coast using the Intracoastal Waterway and inland rivers and the Erie Canal. 

 For many liveaboard and long-distance cruisers, the Great Loop is a bucket-list item. See GREAT LOOP DISTANCES below.

“The Great Loop: How To Prepare, What To Expect” is presented by Kim Russo, executive director of the AGLCA, who will award each attendee with a membership and an official association burgee, which is an easy icebreaker for meeting like-minded folks on the water.

Russo’s seminar, which happens Tuesday Sept. 26, 1-4 p.m., will address which boats are most suitable and how to plan and budget for the yearlong trip. Kim will also intersperse her seminar with brief presentations made by some AGLCA members who have completed the route, a.k.a. “Gold Loopers.”

AGLCA members receive discounts on services and marinas, and special offers from sponsors all laong the Great Loop route, including 50 percent off your basic Boat U.S. membership dues and 10 percent off Enterprise Rental Cars. Members have access to the association’s online Discussion Forum, a clearinghouse of valuable intelligence about the Loop.

Camaraderie at the semi-annual association rendezvous is another very real benefit of membership, as well volunteer “harbor hosts” who assist and inform loopers as they move from place to place. Visit www.greatloop.org.

REGISTER HERE

The best value at the TrawlerFest registration site is to purchase a VIP pass for $375, which entitles the purchaser to attend eight seminars, including Russo’s. The  5 Day VIP PACKAGE includes:

• General Admission to all Three (3) days of TrawlerFest’s In-Water Boat Show
• Unlimited access to seminars (Tuesday-Saturday) (Diesel Engine course and Boat Handling Hands On is NOT available as part of the VIP package)
• Entry for one (1) to Thursday’s Welcome Dinner & Boater Trivia
• Entry for one (1) to Friday’s Trawlers At Twilight Docktail Party
• Value: $1105, 55% savings

SEMINARS: Tuesday, Sept. 26 – Saturday, Sept. 30

IN-WATER BOAT SHOW: Thursday, Sept. 28 – Saturday, Sept. 30

LOCATION: Bay Bridge Marina, 357 Pier One Road Stevensville Md. 21666

TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $15 in advance, $18 onsite

QUESTIONS: [email protected] or (410) 990-9086 ext. 22

GREAT LOOP DISTANCES

Atlantic ICW: Miami, Florida, to Norfolk, Virginia — 1,095nm

Chesapeake Bay: Norfolk, Virginia, to C&D Canal — 185nm

Delaware Bay: C&D Canal to Cape May, New Jersey — 60nm

Atlantic Ocean: Cape May, New Jersey, to Manasquan, New Jersey — 100nm

Atlantic Ocean: Manasquan, New Jersey, to New York, New York — 35nm

Hudson River: New York, New York, to Erie Canal — 155nm

Erie Canal: Waterford, New York, to Three Rivers, New York — 160nm

Oswego Canal: Three Rivers, New York, to Oswego, New York — 25nm

Lake Ontario: Oswego, New York, to Kingston, Ontario — 50nm

Lake Ontario: Kingston, Ontario, to Trenton, Ontario — 60nm

Trent-Severn Waterway: Trenton, Ontario, to Port Severn, Ontario — 240nm

Georgian Bay’s Small Craft Route: Port Severn, Ontario, to Killarney, Ontario — 175nm

North Channel: Killarney, Ontario, to Drummond Island, Michigan — 100nm

Lake Huron: Drummond Island, Michigan, to Mackinac Bridge, Michigan — 50nm

Lake Michigan: Mackinac Bridge, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois — 280nm

Inland river system: Chicago, Illinois, to Mobile, Alabama — 1,250nm

Gulf of Mexico: Mobile Bay to Carrabelle, Florida — 250nm

Gulf of Mexico: Carrabelle, Florida, to Tarpon Springs, Florida — 180nm

Gulf of Mexico: Tarpon Springs, Florida, to San Carlos Bay, Florida — 150nm

Okeechobee Waterway: San Carlos Bay, Florida, to Stuart, Florida — 150nm