The Great Loop Launch

8/1/2023

It's official we have launched on The Great Loop! 

Big picture...for this first leg we are basically going from Vermont to Chicago! We head north from Vermont on Lake Champlain to Canada. Lake Champlain will lead to the Chambly Canal,  onto the Richelieu River and at Montreal into the St. Lawrence Seaway. A little past Montreal we head west jumping on the Ottawa River, towards Ottawa. After visiting the Canadian capital we will connect with the Rideau Canal, a favored cruising destination for Loopers (that is what we are affectionately called while doing this trip:)) We stop in Kingston, ON on Lake Ontario before traveling another favored passage for Loopers,  The Trent Severn Waterway. The Trent Severn leads us to Georgian Bay, an inlet of Lake Huron. From here we re-enter the US to Lake Michigan travel south to Chicago with stops on the Michigan and Wisconsin sides along the way! 
August 1, 2023 is our 25 wedding anniversary! We did not intend to launch on our anniversary but when planning the loop we decided it was a perfect way to spend our anniversary. Walt and I met in the early 90s in San Francisco. Walt was already an accomplished sailor. I was a water lover, but no sailing or boating experience. I learned to sail with Walt on San Francisco Bay - love is truly blind, but so good! We have since sailed/boated  US coasts, Europe, Caribbean and the South Pacific so we thought The Great Loop makes perfect sense to celebrate 25 years of marriage.

A BIG thank you Burlington Harbor Marina for an amazing 2 days where we could fully provision, fill our water and fuel to the tippy top and enjoy a festive Bon Voyage party. Viv and Jack and all the staff at BHM are the best! To our followers if you are ever in Burlington, The Burlington Harbor Marina is a must stop - gorgeous location, exceptional staff and amazing facility! 
Burlington Harbor Marina - Burlington, VT to Gaines Marina Rouses Point, NY
35 Miles

Gaines Marina is our first stop. A short trip from Burlington to Rouses Point, NY puts us right at the Canadian border for an easy passage in the morning. In a past life Walt spent a lot of time at Gaines Marina so we were welcomed with open arms by Gabi the General Manager.

We ate on the boat that night. Did a little grilling before we left home and packed it up. We planned to go to Casa Capitano, a great Italian restaurant in Rouses Point but forgot it wasn't open on Tuesday night. I would highly recommend if you are in this area.

Milo also spent a lot of time at Gaines Marina when he was just a puppy so for him he was in his element, walking the docks and feeling right at home!

Anniversary and Full Moon! Its always hard to capture a Full Moon, we tried our best. This was the Sturgeon Moon, the Native American tribes in this area named the moon for its brightness to see the large sturgeon fish in the Great Lakes, including Lake Champlain (honestly why isn't Lake Champlain a Great Lake???) 

In the morning before we left we had to make a stop at Lakeside Coffee. Not only an adorable and community gathering spot - the BEST coffee in Rouses Point!

Milo has also spent some time at Lakeside Coffee so he knows they will give him treats - sometimes biscuits and sometimes peanut butter straight from the jar. He is a charmer!!!

We are grateful to start to the trip with send off from marina friends ! 
I plan to update this blog a few times a week at least. You can also follow our day to day happenings on Instagram @coastsabre38 or Facebook www.facebook.com/coastsabre38
Be well family and friends from Captain Walt and Coast crew Aimee and Milo