HOW IT ALL STARTED

  Let's go back to the year 2000.  Our first experience living aboard was a one week charter on a 40 foot sailboat.  We enjoyed it so much that we did this two more times. This was our first intro to a cruising life.  Back home we were using our 19 foot open bow runabout for lake and river day trips until we did a few week long cruising vacations on the Ohio River and on Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie.  It was always challenging to find overnight accommodations within walking distance of a marina during these river vacations.  So, we decided, "WE NEED A BIGGER BOAT".

  After much shopping, we decided on a 25 foot pocket cruiser, and in 2002 began regular cruising vacations and weekend getaways mostly on the Ohio River.  We continued to enjoy these short cruising adventures.  One day Dan was reading an article while sitting at the dock about a big cruising adventure called The Great Loop.  It peaked both of our interests, and thus began the seed to Our Dream.  We continued to read articles, blogs, and books about the Great Loop; and in 2005 joined the AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers Association - www.greatloop.org).

  We wanted to know more about this trip and whether this was something we could really do.  So, we went to our first AGLCA Rendezvous in the fall of 2011.  This event has seminars and social gatherings to learn about the Great Loop and meet people who have or are currently cruising The Great Loop - they are commonly known as "Loopers".  After this event it was official, "WE WANT TO BE LOOPERS!".

  We asked ourselves, "How do we make Our Dream a Reality?".  It was overwhelming at first, until we figured out the first step was to get the right boat.  In 2012 we bought our Looper boat - a 40 foot 1999 Mainship 350 and named her Seahorse.

  THIS IS HOW IT ALL STARTED !!