biggest yachts on the great lakes

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$85M Luxury Superyacht Spotted Cruising Michigan Waters

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Aside from the freighters, this may be the biggest vessel on the Great Lakes. The magnificent 209' international luxury yacht 'Scout' is in Michigan waters.

Billionaire James Berwind and his partner Kevin Clark began making sketches on a napkin of a ship designed to be a semi-permanent base from which they could explore the world. A few years and $85 million later, they set sail on their dream voyage. With a helicopter pad and a hot tub with a swim-up bar, this boat just might be nicer than your house.

The $85 million superyacht Scout was spotted June 28 on the St. Clair River heading into Lake Huron after passing under the Blue Water Bridge. As of July 1 it was anchored in Lake Huron off the east side of Mackinac Island .

The luxurious superyacht sleeps 10 guests in 5 cabins and has a crew of 17 to keep her sailing the world. Designed by London's H2 Yacht Design, a Dutch company called Hakvoort was commissioned to construct the international behemoth. With two Caterpillar engines, it can cruise at 15 knots just about anywhere in the world. (See more naval-type tech stats here .)

Of course, there are ample sundecks, areas for relaxation and spacious quarters for the guests. The "private owner’s apartment is accessed via a library studded with nautical-themed artifacts" and includes a "hidden bar area." Scout also has a helicopter pad, a jacuzzi with a swim-up bar and a greenhouse and dog park on board.

You can see more photos here and watch video of the massive $85M luxury superyacht sailing Michigan waters below.

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$125M super yacht reportedly owned by an English billionaire is cruising the Great Lakes

No, your eyes don't deceive you — that is a 217-foot, $125-million super yacht cruising the Great Lakes. 

The Hampshire, reportedly owned by English billionaire Andrew Currie, has been making its way around the Upper Peninsula this month, stopping in various destinations, including Mackinac Island. 

Currie, a biofuel executive who is a director with chemical company Ineos, is worth about $3.5 billion, making him the 504th richest person on Forbes' billionaires 2019 list . 

While Currie is not publicly connected to the ship, MLive and the Mining Gazette   report the multibillionaire owns the Hampshire. Currie is also connected to Hampshire I, another super yacht that appeared at the Cannes Film Festival in May. 

The Dutch-built Hampshire can sleep 12 guests and carries a crew of 17 people, according to Boat International . The boat also features an on-deck pool.

The yacht stopped in Milwaukee on Aug. 7, according to the  Milwaukee Business Journal , then headed toward Traverse City.  TV6 also caught the yacht Aug. 12 in Marquette's Lower Harbor, where the station reported that crew members stopped on shore to support local business.

A Mackinac Island State Harbor employee said the Hampshire docked at the island Monday and was still there Tuesday morning. According to boat tracking site Vessel Finder , the yacht has a set destination of "cruising Great Lakes."

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See 20 monster boats of the Great Lakes in gorgeous photos

• Published: Apr. 17, 2017, 11:00 a.m.
• Peter Krouse, cleveland.com

The Great Lakes: A boat-watcher's playground

They're called boatnerds, people who relish the commercial ships that navigate the Great Lakes, delivering iron ore, coal and other aggregates from one port, or one lake, to another.

All of us have a little bit of boatnerd in us. The site of a floating, steel-hulled monster nudging its way up the Cuyahoga River is especially captivating.

Now that the ice (what little we had this year) has melted away and the shipping season has begun with the opening of the Soo Locks between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, we offer up a colorful look at several of the boats that call the Great Lakes home.

These lakers are long, multi-hold vessels with storied histories. Many were designed to bring taconite (iron ore) pellets from the iron ranges of Michigan and Minnesota to the steel mills that dot the lakes, including those at the southern tip of Lake Michigan and the North Coast of Northeast Ohio.

Most of the following information used to describe the boats comes from boatnerd.com, a website for those who relish the commercial ships that navigate the inland seas of the United States. Authors of the information on boatnerd.com are noted when applicable.

By Peter Krouse, cleveland.com

Graphic by Phizzy  ( talk ) under Creative Commons license Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Interlake Steamship

Herbert C. Jackson

The Herbert C. Jackson is 690 feet long and was the last steamer in the Interlake Steamship fleet to be converted to diesel power in 2016.

It began service in 1959 and was named for Herbert Cooper Jackson, then managing partner of Pickands Mather, which owned Interlake Steamship. It was the penultimate boat built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Mich.

It's the shortest laker in the fleet and has occasionally been called on for other duties. In 1970, it helped deliver 50 Christmas trees to the White House, transporting them from a port on Lake Superior to Cleveland.

And in 1986, it rescued two boaters who had been adrift in Lake Michigan for 80 hours.

James L. Oberstar

The 806-foot Hon. James L. Oberstar is an Interlake Steamship vessel named for a former Congressman from Minnesota. It also was the first U.S. flagship to be fitted with exhaust gas scrubbers.

The ship was built by American Ship Building Co. in Toledo for the Shenango Furnace Co. of Pittsburgh and was christened the Shenango II in Cleveland in 1959, according to George Wharton at boatnerd.com. It was sold to Interlake in 1967 and renamed the Charles M. Beeghly, for the then-chairman and CEO of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

The ship was converted to a self-unloading vessel in 1981 and in 2007 it was renamed for Oberstar, considered a great friend to the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Paul R. Tregurtha

This monster is the longest ship on the Great Lakes, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com. The Paul R. Tregurtha, also known as "Queen of the Lakes" can carry 68,000 gross tons.

The Tregurtha is so long it was built in two places. The bow and part of the cargo hold were put together by American Ship Building Co. in Toledo and the stern was fashioned in Lorain. The vessel was christened in 1981 and originally named the William J. De Lancey after the then-chairman of Interlake customer Republic Steel.

The relatively new ship came with elevators and finely appointed decor for crew and passengers. It was nicknamed the "Fancy De Lancey," according to Wharton.

The ship was the last Great Lakes vessel built in Lorain and was renamed in 1990 for then-Interlake vice chairman Paul R. Tregurtha in 1990, who was also chairman of the firm's parent company.

Paul Scinocca

H. Lee White, movie star

The H. Lee White, owned by American Steamship, made its maiden voyage in 1974 and over the years has been a favorite of boat-watchers, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com.

Two things are noteworthy about the ship. It has had a few accidents, including taking out a section of the toll bridge at Grosse Ile, Mich. It's also in the movies.

During the open credits of the movie Major League, you can see the H. Lee White on the Cuyahoga River, according to "The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, folksingers, Long-haired Ojibway Painters and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes," by Ted McClelland.

Mesabi Miner

The Mesabi Miner is one of the 13 super carriers of 1,000 feet or more that sail the Great Lakes, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com. It's maiden voyage in 1977 was from Lorain, to Superior, Wisconsin, to pick up a load of iron ore. It still hauls iron ore and coal for Interlake Steamship.

The ship was christened the Mesabi Miner in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1977 by Muriel Humphrey, wife of Hubert H. Humphrey, former senator from Minnesota and vice president of the United States.

Stewart J. Cort

The Stewart J. Cort was the first boat of at least 1,000 feet in length on the Great Lakes. It holds 58,000 gross tons.

The Cort was named after a former vice president of Bethlehem Steel. Its first trip was in 1972, according to Jody L. Aho on boatnerd.com.

Construction on the Cort began in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and was completed in Erie, Pennsylvania, after being brought into Lake Erie through the Welland Canal, according Aho.

The boat is distinctive because of all the super-long ore boats on the lake, it's the only one with the pilot house at the front of the ship.

Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder

The Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder is well known to Clevelanders as it is short enough to navigate the narrow and winding Cuyahoga River. The Dorothy Ann is a tug and the the Pathfinder is a barge.

The Pathfinder went into service in 1953 as the J.L. Mauthe, according to Jody L. Aho on boatnerd.com. It hauled ore and then mostly grain until it became outdated. Instead of mothballing the ship, it was converted into a barge and connected to the tug Dorothy Ann to become a useful vessel.

Defiance-Ashtabula

The tug Defiance and barge Ashtabula operate as one ship. They began their career shuttling phosphate and coal between Tampa Bay, Florida, and the lower Mississippi River for Beker Industries of Greenwich, Connecticut At that time they were known as the barge Mary Turner and tug Beverly Anderson, according to Tom Hynes on boatnerd.com.

Rand Logistics Inc. bought the barge and tug in 2011 and brought them back to the Great Lakes in 2012 where they began hauling sand.

The Manitowoc was originally christened the Paul Thayer in 1973. It later became the Earl W. Oglebay before being sold to the Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Co. of Lakewood in 2006 and then to Rand Logistics of New York in 2008, after which it was renamed the Manitowoc, according to Brian Ferguson on boatnerd.com.

Paul Scinooca

Arthur M. Anderson

The Arthur M. Anderson will be forever linked to one of the great maritime tragedies in U.S. history. The Anderson was the last vessel to have contact with the ill-fated Edmund Fitzgerald on Nov. 10, 1975, shortly before it sank to the bottom of stormy Lake Superior, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com.

It was built for the Pittsburgh Steamship Division of U.S. Steel Corp. and commissioned in 1952. Three other identical boats, the Philip R. Clarke, John G. Munson and since-scrapped William Clay Ford, were commissioned about the same time.

In 1981, the Anderson was converted into a self-unloading vessel.

Cason J. Callaway

When the Calloway first sailed in 1952, it was believed to be the largest vessel capable of turning around in the Conneaut harbor, according to Jody L. Aho on boatnerd.com. Conneaut was a major unloading port for iron ore destined for U.S. Steel.

The Calloway was built in River Rouge, Michigan, at the Great Lakes Engineering Works. Like many of the ships on the Great Lakes, it has had its share of collisions with other boats. When the Calloway struck the B.F. Jones in the St. Mary's River in 1955, the Jones was a total loss.

The ship was named for a Georgian textile magnate who founded Callaway Gardens and was a member of the U.S. Steel board of directors.

Edgar B. Speer

The Edgar B. Speer is a unique ship in that its unloading system can only handle iron ore pellets and only at the ports of Gary, Indiana, and Conneaut, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com.

The ship was built in two sections, one in Toledo and the other in Lorain, by the American Ship Building. It was commissioned in 1980 and named for a former head of U.S. Steel.

Photo, Paul Scinocca

Great Republic

The Great Republic, formerly known as the American Republic, was built to navigate the narrow and winding Cuyahoga River. It's pilot house was placed at the extreme back end of the boat to give its officers the best view of the twisting river, according to Todd Davidson on boatnerd.com.

The ship was used to deliver the Olympic flame Detroit to Cleveland in 1996.

Roger Blough

The Roger Blough is another biggie. It was launched in 1972 after a delay of nearly a year caused by an engine fired that resulted in the death of four workers who asphyxiated.

The ship is named for a former U.S. Steel chairman. It was built with more flexibility to withstand rough going, as George Wharton explains in boatnerd.com.

"The hull of the Roger Blough was built so that it actually undulates as the vessel works in heavy seas," according to Wharton. "This hull will heave and bend thus arching her back as she negotiates the waves. This form of construction contrasts with older, smaller vessels whose rigid hulls were constructed with two arch supports stretching nearly the full length of the vessel resulting in a 'springing' action while working heavy seas."

Indiana Harbor

The ninth 1,000-foot freighter to be built for operation on the Great Lakes, the Indiana Harbor began service in 1979. It carried a record 69,528 net tons of iron ore through the Soo Locks in 1998, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com.

The ship also has the distinction of being the first U.S. flagged vessel to have a satellite communication system.

American Mariner

The American Mariner was built by Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. Her first voyage in 1979 was from Sturgeon Bay to Escanaba, Michigan, where it picked up iron ore for shipment to Ashtabula, according to George Wharton on boatnerd.com.

John J. Boland

This boat was built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., in 1973 by the Bay Shipbuilding Co. It was originally named for Charles E. Wilson, a former CEO of General Electric and U.S. Secretary of Defense. Owner American Steamship renamed the boat after Boland, one of the company's founders, in 2000.

American Courage

If this ship looks familiar because it is the Fred R. White Jr., a frequent traveler up and down the Cuyahoga River. In 2006, Oglebay Norton sold the White and several other ships to American Steamship Co. and its name was changed to American Courage, according to Brian Ferguson on boatnerd.com.

JuanPDP, Creative Commons

William G. Mather

The Mather was built in 1925 and has long been out of service. It's now a museum on the Cleveland waterfront.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

William G. Mather, the Lego version

If the real version of the William G. Mather doesn't catch your fancy, check out this Lego version of the real thing by Todd Wolfe on display at the Great Lakes Science Center.

Dan Morgan, for Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority

Fortunagracht

The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority began a regular container service between Cleveland and Antwerp, Belgium, in 2014. One of the ships that makes the run is the Dutch-owned Fortunagracht. Unlike the lakers, the Fortunagracht carries containers and other general cargo.

Ships like the Fortunagracht that ply the oceans and also enter the Great Lakes are called "salties."

Travel up the Cuyahoga River on an ore boat (video)

Travel along with the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder as it makes its way up the Cuyahoga River with a loan of iron ore destined for the Arcelor-Mittal steel plant.

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Savoring Superior: A Great Lakes Cruise To Remember

• By Fred Bagley
• September 17, 2024

This was the question we debated all winter long: Could two 79-year-old sailors take on Lake Superior one last time?

My wife, Jennifer, and I have had the great luxury of sailing Catamount , our Caliber 38, for 18 summers on the upper Great Lakes. These summers included nine on Superior—for the past six summers with Jack, our Brittany Spaniel. But the big 8-0 is staring us squarely in the face, and we know our time afloat is nearing its end. Between Covid and Canada’s border closures, we had not been to our favorite Great Lake in four years. Was it realistic to think we could handle the biggest and baddest of all the lakes, where services are few, docks and anchorages are often 50 miles apart, and the weather has sunk many a boat over the centuries?

We got the blessings of our children and decided to give Superior another shot, but with some rules. Two long days were to be followed by a day off.  Naps were encouraged. Sailing on just the jib was still sailing. Motorsailing was still sailing. Heck, even motoring would count as sailing. No more 12- or 14-hour days. No going up the mast. No beating or tacking into waves more than 2 feet high. No white-knuckle entrances into anchorages. Docks were OK. Above all, savor every moment.

Spoiler alert: We broke every one of those rules, except the last.

Lake Superior is almost 400 miles from east to west (the sun rises 35 minutes earlier at its eastern end than its western end). It has more than 2,000 miles of shoreline. Our previous trips had been up and back along the Canadian shore, or up and back along the American shore, or up one shore, across the lake and back via the other. We had never circumnavigated the whole lake. Why not go for it? In for a dime, in for a dollar.

Getting to Lake Superior from our home port of Cheboygan, Michigan, means crossing 40 miles of western Lake Huron and fighting a 2-knot current for another 40 miles up the St. Marys River to the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (the “Soo.”) But we had two days of favorable winds and sailed all the way to the Soo in early July. We felt confident we could do this.

Then another concern: If we did the American shore first, we would encounter prevailing westerly winds and a 1½-knot current that runs clockwise around the lake. That favored going up the Canadian shore first and sailing counterclockwise. But the Canadian shore is also the most dramatic, the most remote (think Maine without people or lobster pots) and has rock-bound anchorages every 5 miles or so. We wanted to save the best for last, so clockwise it was: first the American shore, then back via Canada.

At the Soo, we got our first Lake Superior forecast, including that the mid-lake weather buoy recorded a water temperature of 39 degrees. Yeah, we would be putting off swimming until August.

We were the sole occupant of the 1,200-foot-long lock that raised us 21 feet from the St. Marys River to Superior itself. What service! Then we reached 48 miles to Whitefish Point’s breakwater-protected docks, beating an eastbound fog bank by minutes. We toured the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum with its dramatic display about the 1975 sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, when the gales of November came early. We also met members of the museum’s dive team who were looking for the sunken schooner Annie M. Peterson , which disappeared nearby with its crew of seven in a late-fall storm in 1914. The 191-foot schooner had been built in 1874 by Jennifer’s great-great-great grandfather in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As we prepared to strike farther west, it was sobering to think we might be sailing over the bones of her family’s lost boat.

We anchored out in charming Grand Marais, Michigan, to watch Fourth of July fireworks overhead, and then sailed wing and wing along the colorful cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Contrary winds and fog, interrupted only by thunderstorms, kept us up anchored in Grand Island’s Murray Bay for two days, but two longish motorsailing days got us to the Keweenaw Peninsula, a dramatic arc of land that forces its way squarely into Superior’s maw. 

The Keweenaw is the remnant of a rift in the earth’s crust that filled in with copper-rich magma. Its copper mines in the late 1800s allowed the electrification of America and attracted miners from throughout Europe, most notably Finland. The town of Hancock, Michigan, sits astride the waterway that cuts through the peninsula, and is the only town you will ever visit where the street sings are in English and Finnish.

We sat in the cockpit for four hours waiting out a midnight squall with continuous lightning in Eagle Harbor, farther east on the Keweenaw’s north shore. A three-hour midday nap gave us the energy to carry on to Copper Harbor at the peninsula’s tip, where we gratefully stayed at the town’s neat-as-a-pin (and not much bigger) wilderness marina, which had bear-proof garbage cans.

Rare easterly winds pushed us west for two long days to the hardscrabble town of Ontonogan, Michigan. We goofed by not resting there a full day. Instead, we tried to beat west into 2-footers; that was OK for a few miles, but not the 48 we had to cover to get to the Apostle Islands. So, in a rare burst of good judgment, we turned back for a second night at Ontonogan. Our decision was validated when the harbormaster rewarded us with zucchini from his garden and freshly caught lake trout.

The forecast for going west the following day wasn’t great either, but it was the best forecast for the next week, so we tried it once more. The west wind repeatedly backed southwest and veered northwest, allowing us to tack six times through 90 degrees of apparent wind without once altering our westerly course for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. We staggered into virtually empty Julian Bay on the east side of Stockton Island and rewarded ourselves with three days off.

We have brought Catamount to the Apostles several times over the years. We love the area: lots of anchorages, sandy beaches, nothing to whack your keel, wave-carved sandstone arches and caves. Sailboats outnumber powerboats 10-to-1. We dusted off our dinghy-racing skills by beating through narrow passages, and we hiked the islands’ many trails. It is a seductive place, and our time in the islands recharged our batteries, which admittedly were getting a little low.

But our quest to circle the lake had our bow pointed west and my hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. I grew up on Superior’s rocky shores and was looking forward to bringing Catamount into Duluth’s big commercial harbor. With thunderstorms in the forecast, we left the Apostles early for the 70-mile trip. We almost made it; the storms caught us just a mile outside the harbor entrance. My glorious homecoming was in a downpour, the harbor entrance visible only on radar, but our decks were sluiced clean as we settled gratefully into Barker’s Island Marina. Owned and managed by sailors, Barker’s is the most complete and well-run, full-service marina we have ever seen. We almost wished we had boat problems to fix just so we could take advantage of their skills.

After three days of visiting with family and eating their cooking, we passed under Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge and headed east along Superior’s Minnesota shore, 150 miles of gorgeous but inhospitable rock cliffs and rocky beaches. Northwest winds got us nearly to hullspeed without any seas as we scooted to the only protection, first at the docks at Silver Bay and then 50 miles farther east at Grand Marais (yes, there was a Grand Marais back in Michigan too).

To our south was the looming hulk of Isle Royale National Park. The 40-mile-long island, 12 miles from Canada and 45 miles from Michigan, is American territory courtesy of some cartographic chicanery by Benjamin Franklin at the conclusion of the American Revolution. Maps of Lake Superior at the time showed three large islands in Lake Superior, with Isle Royale smack in the middle. Franklin knew there were rumors of copper deposits on the island and magnanimously said, “You guys take those two, we’ll settle for this one.” In reality, there was only one other big island in the lake; England (and later Canada) got Michipicoten Island, much smaller and less impressive than Isle Royale. We have sailed to Isle Royale several times, but we had to pass this time because they now forbid dogs in the park, even good sailing dogs like Jack.

Our first true wilderness anchorage was at the Susie Islands, just a mile from the Canadian border, where we got an American send-off with another three-hour midnight squall and electrical storm. After a day of catching up on sleep, we were finally at the jumping-off spot for Canada.

We love Canada. (Full disclosure: we have a Canadian daughter-in-law and two dual-citizenship granddaughters.) We love its people, its wilderness, its no-drama way of life. And we especially love its 350 miles of Lake Superior. After a four-year absence, we lustily sang “O Canada” while we hauled up our red maple leaf courtesy flag. We spent our first night hunkered under the 400-foot cliffs of Jarvis Bay, and washed down our version of poutine (alfredo sauce over hash browns) with two Molsons.

Superior’s Canadian shore has legendary fog when warm air from the American prairies moves over all that frigid water, and that’s what engulfed us as we crossed the 19 miles of Thunder Bay, with its commercial shipping lanes and myriad islands. Visibility fell to nothing. Distinguishing thousand-foot-long islands from thousand-foot-long freighters was tough. The radar contact we were puzzling over proved to be the latter, but the gray pall lifted just enough for us to be confident we would sail safely in front of it.

Now we were truly in the wilderness. Rocky shores, abundant anchorages, high cliffs, no other boats. As we worked our way across the top of the lake, a dilemma arose. Every hour under sail meant having to choose or ignore a world-class anchorage. The prosaically named Boat Harbour or Fish Harbour? The charmingly labeled Old Man’s Pocket or Uncle Dave’s? The fan-shaped basaltic columns and caves of Woodbine or the mile-long black sand beach of Shesheeb Bay? Tough choices. We couldn’t overnight in all of them, so we anchored for lunch stops and dog runs, then moved on every night as we worked our way east.

We cautiously threaded our way past shoals into tiny Walker Channel to take another day off, and the next day sailed between majestic cliffs directly to the anchorage in Loon Harbour. There, we dinghied to a tiny nearby island for a wilderness sauna. No one knows who built it, who maintains it and how it hasn’t burned down after all these years, but its rusty stove got the temperature up to 180 degrees. We also finally had the courage to swim in Lake Superior, with “swimming” being defined as belly-flopping into 3 feet of water and then racing back into the sauna.

We sprung for two nights at the dock in the tiny community of Red Rock, Ontario, for more fuel and Molsons. The town is so close to the 49th parallel that it’s farther north than most of Newfoundland. Then it was off to the Slate Islands in Superior’s northeast corner. We had following winds and seas, poled out the jib and put the preventer on the boom for a 20-mile wing-and-wing romp, finally dropping sail deep into the archipelago’s interior. The Slates are the remnant of an ancient meteor impact crater, and a network of cliff-studded islands protected us from a series of storms that blew through for four days. Jennifer went up the mast to retrieve a halyard I hadn’t secured properly, and when we finally hauled the anchor, we had to disengage it from a 12-foot log.

From the Slate Islands back to the Soo is 200 miles of the most remote shoreline anywhere this side of Labrador or British Columbia. We threaded between skinny islets just big enough to support solitary pine trees into well-protected Pulpwood Harbour, part of Pukaskwa National Park. It was white-knuckle time slipping past shoals with just 2 feet under our keel at the entrance into tiny Dampier Cove, surrounded by pine-fringed islands. When the forecast called for 30 knots from the northwest, we hunkered in well-protected Pilot Cove for two days, put out two anchors and a shore line, and watched 9-footers gallop by the harbor entrance.

A brief weather window allowed us to reach 30 miles with a double-reefed main and scrap jib toward Indian Harbour. We were unwilling to turn broadside into the seas to drop the main sail into the wind, and I struggled with the downwind take down, causing some anxious moments on deck (me) and in the cockpit (Jennifer) before we got it sorted out. But Indian Harbour was just as we hoped it would be: empty, protected, tranquil, restorative. Three days there seemed way too short.

As we left Indian Harbour, while motorsailing off a lee shore, the fan belt broke, leading to more anxious moments. Jennifer worked the sails while I crawled into the engine room, wrench and replacement belt in hand. It was a good thing we’d had three quiet days in Indian Harbour; this Lake Superior cruising life is tiring stuff.

By now it was late August. Nights were cooler, maple trees were changing color, and Orion had begun his autumnal march across the southern sky. When a high finally settled over the lake, it was time to head south, and we hustled back to the Soo.

We gazed wistfully over the stern as we left Lake Superior. Left her forever. We had been greeted by loons in Loon Harbour and an eagle at Eagle Harbor. We had walked beaches rarely trod by human feet. We had sat out at night with only our masthead light and the International Space Station on its appointed rounds between us and the Milky Way. We’d had glorious sails past some of the most stunning scenery anywhere on the planet, and we’d only seen two other sailboats in four weeks and 350 miles on Superior’s Canadian shore.

We had heeded Mark Twain’s advice: “Years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from a safe harbor.” We’re not ready to call the broker quite yet, but we know that should this Lake Superior summer be the last we ever spend on Catamount , it was challenging and rewarding and memorable. We are regretful and grateful, and proud of what we did.

Yes, we broke every one of our own rules at least once, but not the last one: we savored every moment.

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Great Lakes cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

The Great Lakes probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of cruising. But in recent years, the region has grown enormously as a cruise destination — and for good reason. Touring the Great Lakes by ship is by far the easiest way to see a wide range of the area's attractions — from vibrant cities to natural wonders — in a single trip.

When planning Great Lakes cruises, you have many things to consider: when to go for the best Great Lakes cruise experience, which cruise line is best suited to your travel style, the best Great Lakes cruise ports to visit and which shoreside activities you want to prioritize. It's not the kind of trip you want to throw together at the last minute, especially since the best fare deals typically go to organized travelers who book early.

Here, The Points Guy offers up a guide to everything you need to know about planning a sailing in the Great Lakes.

Why cruise the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes region may not be a bucket list destination on the scale of Alaska or Antarctica. But it has a lot to offer — more than many people may realize.

Along the banks of the five lakes that are at the core of the region — Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior — you'll find some of Middle America's greatest cities, charming small towns, historic sites and wonders both natural and human-made. Plus, there are the lakes themselves, which together are roughly the size of the U.K. and make up the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. Accounting for 21% of all the world's fresh water, they truly are a marvel.

All this can be seen via an overland trip, of course, and many people explore the Great Lakes region by car or on motorcoach tours. But the region is so sprawling — the Great Lakes touch eight U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario — that logistically it's almost impossible to experience the area in a broad way on a single trip without going by ship.

On a single Great Lakes cruise, you can see the world-class architecture and museums of Chicago, take a carriage ride through the carless streets of Mackinac Island, Michigan, and gaze upon the splendor that is Niagara Falls along the New York border — all without having to get behind the wheel of a car or unpacking and re-packing your suitcase more than once.

When do cruises go to the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes cruise season is a short one, due mostly to the weather. With winters being cold and snowy in the region, cruise lines stick to the warmer months of May to September for Great Lakes sailings.

The weather isn't the only limiting factor. The cruise season in the Great Lakes is also limited in its length by the opening and closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway — the system of locks, canals and channels that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Cruise vessels that operate in the Great Lakes can't access the region until the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway open for the summer, something that typically happens the last week of March. They need to be out of the Great Lakes before the St. Lawrence Seaway closes for the winter (typically in December).

Great Lakes cruise weather can be chilly at the start of the season, with low temperatures in the 40s in May in some areas and highs in the 60s. It warms up considerably by July and August, with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

When you want to go will depend on which activities you want to do, how you feel about cool weather and the price. Cruises at the beginning of the Great Lakes cruise season in May are generally a bit less expensive than those in June, July, August and September.

Best Great Lakes itineraries

A relatively small number of ships sail in the Great Lakes during any given year. But, even so, they offer a wide range of Great Lakes itineraries. Some of the ships that operate in the region will alternate between three or even four different routes during the short summer season, giving you lots of choices.

Lengthwise, you'll find Great Lakes voyages ranging from seven to 15 nights. Some of the sailings travel across all five of the Great Lakes. Others focus on just three or four of the interconnected bodies of water. Some of the ships also offer sailings that combine travel on one or more of the Great Lakes with a passage through the St. Lawrence Seaway. In some cases, these latter trips include travel all the way to Montreal.

The diversity in Great Lakes itineraries extends to their start and end points. A large percentage of all Great Lakes cruises begin or end in Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto. But there also are Great Lakes sailings that begin or end in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Duluth, Minnesota; Montreal and Detroit.

In most cases, Great Lakes sailings are one-way trips. You'll start in, say, Toronto, and work your way west to Chicago — or vice versa.

Some Great Lakes itineraries only include stops at relatively small towns such as Midland, Parry Sound and Little Current in Ontario; and Muskegon, Marquette and Houghton in Michigan. Others mix in calls at some of the bigger cities of the Great Lakes region, notably Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland and Toronto. On longer sailings, vessels often will overnight in such places as Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Thunder Bay.

Car-free Mackinac Island at the top of Michigan is a common stop on Great Lakes voyages, as is Niagara Falls, which sits between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Pro tip: If your Great Lakes cruise begins or ends in Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto, add a pre- or post-cruise stay of a night or two in the cities to see them in more depth.

Best Great Lakes cruise lines

Most of the world's biggest cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line — can't operate in the Great Lakes because their ships are too big to enter the region through the St. Lawrence Seaway. This has turned the Great Lakes into an exclusive zone for a handful of smaller cruise operators that focus on very small vessels.

The two main players in Great Lakes cruising are Viking (a newcomer in 2022) and Pearl Seas Cruises. Each has one vessel devoted to the region (Viking Octantis and Pearl Mist, respectively).

Both cater to a generally older crowd, which is the main market for Great Lakes cruises. Viking's itineraries have the most outdoorsy options, while Pearl Seas Cruises offers trips with a lot of small-town stops.

Two more lines that occasionally operate sailings in the region are German line Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and France-based Ponant. Tour organizer Smithsonian Journeys also occasionally offers Great Lakes sailings using chartered Ponant vessels.

All of the above lines operate ships in the Great Lakes that carry fewer than 400 passengers. Some carry as few as 202 passengers. In general, the vessels are intimate and relatively high-end, with pricing to match.

As a rule, Great Lakes sailings don't come cheap. For example, seven-night Viking sailings in the region start at $5,995 per person.

Things to do in the Great Lakes

As noted above, the Great Lakes offer a wide mix of attractions and experiences. During a Great Lakes cruise, you might find yourself climbing aboard the bus where Rosa Parks took a stand at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit on one day and kayaking through the wild marshlands of Point Pelee, Ontario, the next.

Of the two lines operating in the Great Lakes, Viking has the greatest focus on outdoorsy stops such as Point Pelee (a tiny sandspit that juts into the northwestern corner of Lake Erie and is famous as a stopover for migratory birds). Some of Viking's sailings include a call at Alpena, Michigan — the gateway to a National Maritime Sanctuary, where passengers can kayak past shipwrecks in shallow waters. Another destination that Viking visits, Silver Islet, Ontario, brings the opportunity for a trail walk through Ontario's 94-square-mile Sleeping Giant Provincial Park — a rocky, forested park named for a long line of mesas that resemble a giant lying on its back.

The city-oriented stops that Viking and the other lines make, such as visits to Milwaukee or Chicago on Lake Michigan, give you time to explore the urban sensibility of the region. Brew-town Milwaukee offers the chance to explore the city's craft beer and brewing scene or to take a walking tour to the city's many outdoor sculptures. Chicago is famous for its world-leading architecture (which you can see on walking and boat tours), its Magnificent Mile lined with more stores than you've probably ever seen in one place and its world-class cultural institutions.

Then there are stops at quieter places such as Mackinac Island, where your sightseeing might include an excursion by horse-drawn carriage to historical sites. Of the three main lines operating in the Great Lakes, as noted above, Pearl Seas Cruises focuses the most on the region's small towns, with fewer stops at bigger cities.

One thing that all three of the main lines operating in the Great Lakes have in common is that they include tours during at least some stops and sometimes every stop in their base fares. Pearl Seas Cruises and Viking are particularly known for including lots of shore excursions in their base fares.

Included tours are part of what you're paying for when you pay the high prices noted above. So you can go off on your own in any of the places these ships visit. But you might just have a no-extra-charge outing including many of the highlights of each place already planned for your voyage.

Best Great Lakes cruise ports

The best Great Lakes cruise ports include the handful of relatively big cities in the region, such as Chicago, that are loaded with cultural sites, nightspots and restaurants, as well as charming small towns such as Holland, Michigan. Great Lakes cruises also bring days that are all about getting up close to wonders both natural and human-made — from towering Niagara Falls to the engineering marvel that is the Welland Canal.

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Known as "Canada's Gateway to the West" because it's the final navigational point on the Canadian side of Lake Superior, Thunder Bay is one of Ontario's most vibrant cities and a center for art and culture. It's also a hub for outdoorsy pursuits including mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking and angling, as it's nestled within boreal forests.

Great architecture and cultural institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago — along with lots of nightlife, shopping and world-class dining — make Chicago the premier city destination in the Great Lakes region. Many Great Lakes cruises begin or end in Chicago, with some including an overnight in the city, allowing time to explore. Don't miss a stroll down the Magnificent Mile and a sightseeing boat ride on the Chicago River (a great way to get an overview of the city and see some of its architectural gems).

Wisconsin's biggest city is often surprisingly delightful to first-time visitors, home as it is to a Santiago Calatrava-designed art museum with a world-class collection, a Harley-Davidson Museum that our sister site Lonely Planet has dubbed "badass" plus stylish eating and shopping enclaves. Settled by Germans in the 1840s, "Brew City," as it's known, also is a mecca of sorts for beer lovers — and not just because it's home to the original Miller Brewing Company complex, which is open daily for tours. You'll also find lots of craft breweries that you can visit on your own or as part of a tour, and you can tour (and drink at) the original Pabst Brewery.

Holland, Michigan

As the name suggests, Holland is a little bit of The Netherlands transported to the Americas. Settled by Dutch immigrants in the 1800s, it's home to the annual Tulip Time Festival, which takes place every May, and offers up such Holland-themed attractions as Windmill Island Gardens, where you'll find a working Dutch windmill, canals and dikes. Holland's downtown is a charmer with cobblestone sidewalks and more than 100 specialty shops, breweries and restaurants.

Sault Saint Marie, Michigan

Located at the northeastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Sault Saint Marie is the site of the Soo Locks, a marvel of engineering that connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The locks themselves are the big attractions in Sault Saint Marie — head to the observation deck at Soo Locks Park to watch freighters passing by and learn more at the Soo Locks Visitor Center.

But there are other allures, including the Museum Ship Valley Camp. It's a retired Great Lakes freighter (named Valley Camp) that you can climb into and explore. In addition to touring the living quarters for its 29-person crew, you'll find a 20,000-square-foot maritime museum in its cargo hold with exhibits on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and more.

Mackinac Island

The Jewel of the Great Lakes has been a summer getaway for Midwesterners since the Victorian era and it retains much of its Victorian-era charm. The iconic attraction on the island is the 135-year-old Grand Hotel , with its seemingly endless, rocker-lined front porch (the longest in the world). Afternoon tea in the hotel's parlor, or a game of croquet at its Tea Garden, are among Mackinac Island's allures. Tours in a horse-drawn carriage are another popular pastime; cars are banned on the island, leaving horse-drawn carriages as one of the main ways of getting around, along with bicycles. When visiting, don't miss Fort Mackinac, which dates to the 1700s.

Niagara Falls

Located on the short waterway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls is one of the world's most spectacular waterfall complexes (it's actually three waterfalls, not one) with a flow rate greater than any other waterfall in North America and a vertical drop of more than 160 feet. Visitors can take it in both from viewing areas on land and from a tour boat.

Note that Great Lakes cruise vessels don't travel directly on the 36-mile-long strait that connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which is known as the Niagara River (lest they go plunging over the falls). Instead, they use the Welland Canal — another marvel of engineering and an attraction in its own right.

Motor City should probably be called Museum City, as it's home to a wonderful array of museums worth a visit, from The Detroit Museum of Art and the Motown Museum to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. Passengers on Great Lakes cruises will find that stops in Detroit often revolve around an included visit to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, a sprawling history museum complex that is home to the limousine that President Kennedy was in when he was assassinated, George Washington's camp bed, Buckminster Fuller's prototype Dymaxion house, the bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested and countless other rare artifacts.

When to book a Great Lakes cruise

The best time to book a Great Lakes cruise is right when a cruise line first opens bookings on that sailing, often more than a year in advance. You'll have your pick of itineraries and cabins and often the best fares.

Because the Great Lakes has such a short season with a limited number of ships, sailings in the region are often in high demand and people plan early. Newcomer Viking, notably, has told TPG it has seen brisker sales this year for its Great Lakes trips than sailings to Antarctica — one of the world's ultimate bucket list destinations.

If you wait to book, you're not entirely out of luck. Cruise lines often run sales in the fall or in the early months of the year (a period known in the cruise industry as "wave season" ). You can take advantage of discounted fares and other perks. Some of the most desirable cabins might be sold out; being flexible about your sail date or itinerary can help.

In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in a gateway city such as Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto and don't need to book flights. While some less preferred sail dates or cabin categories may have availability a few months out, spurring cruise lines to drop rates, you might have trouble finding affordable airfare and pre- or post-cruise hotel accommodations that do not eat up your cruise savings.

What to bring on a Great Lakes cruise

When it comes to packing for a Great Lakes cruise, your mantra should always be: dress in layers. It can be chilly in the morning in the more northerly parts of the Great Lakes, particularly at the start of the Great Lakes cruising season, but then warm up fast.

If you're planning to do some outdoorsy pursuits, such as kayaking or hiking, be sure to bring appropriate activewear. And don't forget to pack a rain jacket, if not a complete rain gear outfit, including a wide-brimmed waterproof hat, rain pants and waterproof shoes or boots.

Also, and this is critical: Don't forget your passport. Many of the places you'll visit in the Great Lakes will be in the United States and do not require a passport. But every Great Lakes cruise includes at least a few — and sometimes many — stops in Canada, where a valid U.S. passport, passport card or NEXUS card is required to enter if you're a U.S. citizen.

Bottom line

There's a lot to see and do in the Great Lakes region, and it's hard to argue that there's a better way to see and do it than on a cruise. Cruise vessels departing from such cities as Chicago and Toronto can take you to all of the highlights of the region — from the breweries of Milwaukee to thundering Niagara Falls — in a single trip. That's something that you'll be hard-pressed to accomplish any other way.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
• What to pack for your first cruise

My Cruiser Life Magazine

The Best Boat for the Great Loop in 2023: Your 6 Boat Options

Embarking on this nautical quest called the Great Loop demands more than wanderlust alone. Selecting the optimal vessel to navigate the Loop’s diverse waterways makes all the difference on this marathon route. Whether you covet the comforts of a spacious trawler, prefer the performance of an agile cruiser or need maximum versatility to “trailer hop” inland rivers, the choice of boat profoundly impacts the journey. In today’s post, I give my recommendations the perfect Great Loop boat.

Table of Contents

6 best boat types for the great loop, what is the great loop, what is involved with the great loop boating adventure, classic trawlers, fast trawlers and downeasts, tug style trawlers, cruisers and motor yachts, power catamarans, the boat you’ve got, great loop size limits, comfortable cabin aboard and long-term living space, engine choices: gas vs. diesel, single vs. twin, 1. draft and height limitations, 2. fuel range and efficiency, 3. living quarters, 4. navigability and handling, 5. type of boat, 6. accessibility and safety features, 8. personal preferences and experience level, 9. research and planning, boat requirements for the great loop, which is your best boat for the great loop, best boat for the great loop faqs.

• Unconventional Boats

The Great Loop stands as one of the premier long-term boating adventures in North America, and arguably, across the globe. Spanning over 6,000 miles, this journey offers boaters an experience akin to a cross-country RV road trip, but on water. It presents a unique opportunity to view the countryside through a different lens, as you navigate through a mix of seaways, canals, and rivers at a relaxed pace.

Let’s explore the ideal boats to embark on this remarkable journey.

Let’s get this out of the way – what’s the Great Loop in the first place?

The Great Loop is an adventure for recreational boaters that takes you on a giant circuit of the eastern half of the United States and Canada . It’s the joining of many smaller waterways, open water stretches, rivers, and canals to make an entire journey that’s about 6,000 nautical miles long. 

Where you begin and end your Great Loop journey usually depends on where you buy or keep your vessel.

Here’s an overview using Norfolk, Virginia, as the starting point.

• Norfolk northbound through Chesapeake Bay, through the C&D Canal, and seaward on Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey.
• Northbound along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey to New York harbor.
• North on the Hudson River to upstate New York. From here, you have several choices depending on how one wants to transit the Great Lakes and how much of the Canadian Heritage Canals one would like to cruise.
• Westbound through the Erie Canal.
• West through the Great Lakes to Chicago.
• South from Chicago through the inland rivers to the Gulf Coast.
• Eastbound along the Gulf Coast to Florida, then southbound on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
• Either through the Okeechobee Waterway in south Florida or around the tip of the state, through the Florida Keys.
• North from south Florida on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) back to Norfolk.

There are many choices to make the Great Loop your own adventure.

Loopers usually put between 5,000 and 7,000 miles under their keels while making the trip. However, it’s not a race, and there are plenty of opportunities to make side trips and adventures off the main route.

For example, the Downeast Loop is an extension that adds Maine, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edwards Island. The St. Lawrence Seaway will then take you west to the Great Lakes by way of Montreal. Another good example is extending your trip on the south end by adding an adventure in the Islands of The Bahamas.

For the most part, the Great Loop is a motorboat adventure . There are many open water spaces where you might sail, but it’s often constrained to a narrow navigable channel, making sailing much less appealing. In other words, even sailboats wind up motoring for most of the trip. 

Furthermore, the trip transits canals and waterways with many bridge spans, both fixed and opening. The fewer bridges you have to have open for you, the easier your trip. Many fixed bridges mean you’ll have to take the mast off for long sections of the trip.

The trip spans many rural areas, interspersed with small towns and a handful of big cities. Many nights you’ll be anchored or docked in the middle of nowhere. Other times, you’ll have a new city to explore and check out. 

Your boat should suit both styles. You will want the best family boat that is comfortable to live on, with sleeping, bathroom, and cooking facilities that you and your crew find comfortable. Yes, you can do the Loop in an open go-fast boat–but you will miss what many consider the best parts of the Loop. 

Six Best Great Loop Boat Options By Type of Boat

There are too many makes and models of boats in the world for anyone to make a specific recommendation here. Instead, here is a list of six types of boats you’ll find doing the Loop and what makes them well suited for this particular adventure. 

Remember, this is anything but an all-inclusive list. There are hundreds of boat makes out there, hundreds more that aren’t built anymore but can be bought used, and even more when you include custom and one-off designs. These lists are provided simply as a starting point for your research!

The classic trawler is basically the power version of a sailboat–slow-moving, heavy, and economical to operate. They have been around forever; tons were built in the 1970s and 1980s, many in Taiwan. That means that the design is time-tested–they are good-looking and seaworthy. Plus, you can readily find them on the used market for reasonable prices. Most have a maximum speed of about 10 knots.

The popular cruising blog Scho and Jo have set out and completed the Loop on their Albin trawler. Check out their Great Loop expenses for information on the adventure and how it’s done. For more about their boat, check out their boat tour.

Examples of Classic Trawlers:

• Monk 36 (no longer built)
• Grand Banks
• Camino Troll (no longer built)
• Nordhavn 40

The fast trawler is a classic one with a modern hull. Thanks to their improved hull design, they’re capable of faster speeds but use a lot of gas going fast. The best thing about them is probably the simple fact that they can do both comfortably–go slowly and economically or cruise faster (about 15 knots) while still giving a nice ride.

Examples of Fast Trawlers and Downeast Boats:

• Beneteau Swift Trawlers

What was once a unique niche in the boating world has caught on, and quite a few companies are now making tugboat-looking trawlers. They’re sportier than the traditional trawler and have an aesthetic that looks right at home on the rivers of the Great Loop.

Examples of Tugs Include:

• Kadey Krogen
• Lord Nelson Victory Tug (no longer made)

A cruiser is built on a planing hull to go faster. That means more miles per day, fewer nights at anchor, and more fuel consumption while doing it. 

There are many sizes and styles that are appropriate for the Loop, so the key is to find the layout that is most comfortable for you. The two most popular styles include express cruisers and aft-cabin cruisers. 

Examples of cruisers and motor yachts include:

• Sea Ray (many of the best models for the Loop are no longer made)
• Cruiser Yachts
• Bayliner Motoryachts (no longer built)
• Hatteras Cruisers (no longer built)

Power catamarans are popular for the same reason that sail cats are. Thanks to their increased interior volume, two hulls make for a more comfortable living space. Your beam should be less than 23 feet, as the Trent Severn Waterway in Canada limits this. Still, that leaves several interesting power cats that would make fantastic Loop boats. 

Examples of power cats that would be good when boating the Great Loop:

• PDQ 34 Power Catamaran (no longer built)
• Endeavour 440 TrawlerCat

Finally, it has to be mentioned that the best boat is always the boat you’ve got. Lin and Larry Pardey once famously said, “Go small, and go now.” If the Loop is on your bucket list, it’s better to find a boat you can get your hands on that will suit you well enough to travel and enjoy the ride. Don’t spend years saving up for a “maybe adventure.”

Examples of unconventional Looper boats:

• Jet skis that camp along the way
• Open runabouts, sport boats, and fishing boats
• Sailboats–just take the mast off and motor like a trawler!
• Trailerable boats that do it in sections–a trailerable boat lets you do a section and then tow the boat to the next section to cruise at your leisure

What Features Make Good Looper Boats?

So, how do you ever choose the right boat for the Loop? Here are some thoughts on what features make the best Looper boats. 

The limits for your perfect Looper boat will be based on its physical dimensions. According to the Loop Cruiser’s Association, the average looper boat is 39.5 feet long, with more than half between 35 and 45 feet. But this doesn’t tell the whole story, as you must consider each vessel’s dimension.

Air Draft (Bridge Clearance or Height Above Water)

The most limiting fixture on the Loop is a fixed railroad bridge in Chicago that will block any vessel taller than 19 feet, 6 inches. 

But, if you want to do the entire Erie Canal, two bridges offer only 15 feet, 6 inches. Another bridge in downtown Chicago is 17 feet. So, the Loop has lower limits, but most can be gone around by bigger boats. 

Four feet or less of draft is ideal and will mean the fewest problems–although caution is still warranted in many areas. Draft is how deep the hull sits in the water and dictates the minimum water depth for a boat . Any deeper than that, and you will need to be extra cautious. Boats with six-foot drafts have reportedly done it, but few recommend it.

The width of your boat is usually limited to about 16 feet due only to marina slips. 

Catamarans with 23 feet or less can make the trip but require T-heads at most marinas. As a result, finding slips on this trip will be difficult, and finding a place to haul out for boat maintenance is even harder. In addition, there are sections where you’ll need to take a slip occasionally, so anchoring isn’t always an option. 

There’s no limit to length. Some yachts up to 70 feet have made the journey, but it’s a tight fit and most boats that long won’t make it under the bridges. Most Looper boats are under 50 feet, after all, for many reasons.

Think of the Great Loop as an RV adventure where you’re taking your home with you. To that end, realize you’ll be spending a lot of time living aboard your boat. Therefore, the boat should be comfortable, with indoor and outdoor living space and all the amenities you’d want or need. 

Here’s a list of things most people want their boat equipped with when they set off on the Great Loop. Many of these are similar to the considerations people make when living on a sailboat , but some are quite different.

• A comfortable bed, usually an “island queen” (not a v-berth)
• A large galley (kitchen) with plenty of cooking space and the appliances they’re used to (fridge, microwave, coffee maker, stove, oven, etc.)
• A comfortable living room (salon) that has a good view, lots of light, and plenty of ventilation
• An outdoor patio (cockpit) area for open-air dining, socializing, and relaxing
• A descent-sized bathroom area with a separate shower
• Air conditioning and heating (which may require a generator if you plan to anchor overnight extensively)
• Inside and outside helm positions (upper deck on a trawler)

Tankage refers to your boat’s storage space for liquids–water, fuel, and sewage. The larger the tanks are, the longer you can stay away from marinas for refills or pump-outs. 

The Loop has several long stretches through the inland river system that go hundreds of miles between facilities and services. Therefore, your boat should have a fuel range of at least 450 nautical miles and hold enough water for at least a week. 

Some river stretches have fewer gasoline sellers, meaning gas-powered boats need a greater range than diesel boats. They’ll need about 450 miles of range, whereas diesel boats can get by with less.

Beyond that, gas and diesel engines will both work fine on the Loop. Generally, the most popular trawlers and boats of this size come with diesels, which are praised for their longevity and reliable, simple operation. In addition, diesel is safer on a boat because it is less explosive, which could lower your insurance premiums.

Likewise, having a single or twin screw boat is a matter of preference. Single-engine boats can make the journey without problems, but two engines give you redundancy should something go wrong with one and better maneuverability in tight spaces. But, of course, operating and maintenance costs are higher with two engines.

How to Find the Best Boat for You for Sailing the Great Loop

The ideal boat will vary based on personal preferences, budget, and specific requirements for the journey. Here are key considerations to help you find the best boat for your Great Loop adventure:

• Draft: The Great Loop has areas with shallow waters, especially in places like the western rivers and parts of the Intracoastal Waterway. A boat with a shallow draft (ideally less than 5 feet) will have more flexibility and fewer navigation concerns.
• Air Draft: Bridges with fixed heights are a consideration along the Great Loop. To avoid detours, your boat’s air draft (the height from the waterline to the highest fixed point on the boat) should be less than 19 feet, though lower is often better to accommodate all routes.
• Opt for a fuel-efficient boat that has a range of at least 300 miles to comfortably reach fueling stations along the Loop without anxiety, considering both the boat’s fuel capacity and its consumption rate.
• Comfort is key for the long journey. Look for boats that offer adequate living space, a functional galley, comfortable sleeping quarters, and sufficient storage. The size and amenities should match your tolerance for space constraints and your lifestyle needs.
• Choose a boat that handles well in various water conditions. Both inland rivers and lakes, as well as coastal sections of the Loop, can present challenges like currents, tides, and weather changes.
• Trawlers, Sailboats (with a retractable mast for bridges), and Motor Yachts are popular choices because they balance living space, fuel efficiency, and navigability.
• Sailboats can offer the advantage of wind power but consider the need to lower the mast for certain sections of the Loop.
• Catamarans are another option, offering stability, shallow draft, and spacious living areas, but be mindful of their beam (width) and how it may limit access to certain marinas or slips.
• Look for boats with easy access to the bow and stern, strong handholds, and a cockpit or helm that offers good visibility and protection from the elements.
• Safety features should include reliable navigation and communication systems, life-saving equipment, and possibly a dinghy for exploring shallow or narrow areas.
• Consider both the purchase price and the ongoing costs, including maintenance, fuel, marina fees, and potential upgrades. Buying a used boat can be a cost-effective option, but ensure a thorough inspection to assess its condition and suitability for the Loop.
• Your comfort with the boat’s operation, maintenance requirements, and overall feel is crucial. Choose a boat that fits your level of boating experience or one that you’re willing and able to learn to handle confidently.
• Join forums and groups, such as America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA), to gain insights from experienced Loopers.
• Consider renting or chartering different types of boats for short trips to gain firsthand experience before making a decision.
• Size/Draft: Boats should generally be less than 60 feet with a draft of 6 feet or under to navigate the various locks, rivers, and waterways along the route.
• Propulsion: Twin engines or a single engine with a bow or stern thruster provides the best maneuverability and redundancy for covering long distances.
• Fuel Capacity: A range of 350-400 miles between refueling is recommended to have a buffer given the distances between marinas in some regions.
• Accommodations: Comfortable sleeping quarters, a functional galley, and enclosed head are needed for multi-day and multi-week trips.
• Hull Type: Displacement hull trawlers, cruisers, and motor yachts are well-suited for the journey. Planing hulls can complete it but will take a fuel efficiency hit at slower canal speeds.
• Navigation: GPS chartplotters, radar, depth finders, and other instruments and marine electronics for navigating varying conditions.
• Operation: Vessel and systems should be completely reliable and redundant where possible given the several thousand mile journey.
• Insurance/Documentation: Vessel documentation and insurance is required for coastal, Great Lakes portions.

Hopefully, this article has provided some ideas and examples of what your best Great Loop boat might be. Beyond a few hard limitations, it’s a matter of taste and style. There’s no right or wrong answer–you’ll often see many unexpected vessels doing the Loop. 

If you’re considering the Loop, check out the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association for more details.

What size boat is best for the Great Loop?

There’s no set size limit for length, but all boats looking to complete the Loop must pass under a low fixed bridge in the Chicago area. If your boat is more than 19 feet, 6 inches above the water, thou shall not pass.

What is the largest boat to complete the Great Loop?

Some people have reported that boats as long as 70 feet have completed the Loop. But taking a vessel of this size is not recommended, as you must navigate numerous tight locks and low bridges along the route. Most Loopers choose boats less than 50 feet long.

What is the smallest recommended boat for the Great Loop?

The smallest boat is the one that you’re comfortable on. Jet skis have completed the Loop, but they’re limited to staying in hotels or camping. It’s best to have a boat that will be comfortable to live on for the better part of a year. Most people want a boat at least 35 feet long to do that.

What is the average time to complete the Great Loop?

Most cruisers take about a year to do the Loop. Several factors affect this plan, and it’s always an individual choice. Generally, you’ll be northbound in the spring to be westbound through the Great Lakes in the summer. Then you “fall down” the rivers in the autumn so that you can over-winter in Florida. But many people take breaks, leave their boats in storage, and complete the Loop in sections. Furthermore, many folks want to take their time and enjoy the scenery. It’s not a race, after all.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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13 Great Sailing Destinations on the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a hugely popular sailing destination, known for their cruising grounds and fun lakeside locations. When the temperature starts to creep up in Chicago, savvy sailors begin to turn their thoughts to days spent out on the Great Lakes - sailing, sunbathing and socializing in one of the many lakeside communities. This list brings together some of the top sailing destinations on the Great Lakes, so you can get out and enjoy them as soon as the summer hits.

13 Top Sailing Destinations on the Great Lakes:

Saugatuck, lake michigan, door county, lake michigan, erie, lake erie, endymion island, lake ontario, manitoulin island, lake huron, saint ignace island, lake superior, bad river, lake huron, bowers harbor, lake michigan, beaver island, lake michigan, the apostle islands, lake superior, michigan city, lake michigan, mackinac island, lake huron, little presque isle, lake superior.

Read on for more details on each Great Lakes destination to find one that’s right for you… or better yet, try to visit them all!

A brilliant starting point for sailing Lake Michigan. Saugatuck can be found 90 miles northwest of Chicago. The town’s harbor has capacity for over 900 boats, which is enough to demonstrate its popularity as a top Great Lakes destination for sailors. From Saugatuck harbor, it’s a short journey down the Kalamazoo River and into the channel, passing the pier heads and out into the open waters of Lake Michigan.

One of the main draws of Saugatuck is its natural beauty. From stunning views of Lake Michigan stretching to impressive sand dunes and long sandy beaches, this part of the lake is perfect if you’re looking for a picturesque sailing experience. Hike up to Mount Baldhead or ‘Mount Baldy’, an easy 1.8-mile hike, and get a new perspective on the harbor. Saugatuck is also known informally by another name, the Art Coast of Michigan, thanks to the Ox-Bow School of Arts, which is linked to the Art Institute of Chicago. It also has over 30 galleries dotted around the area.

Door County is a haven for sailors, offering scattered islands to explore, on top of the beautiful Door Peninsula itself. The Door Peninsula separates the southern area of Green Bay from Lake Michigan and from there you can sail to Washington Island, Plum Island, Cana Island, and The Grand Traverse Islands.

All these stops are perfect for hiking and the Grand Traverse Islands - Rock Island, Gull Island, Little Gull Island and Gravelly Island - are particularly rich in biodiversity. They remain almost entirely undeveloped so you can find a slice of wilderness just a short sail away. Things to look out for are rare wild orchids, butterflies and bats. The seas in this part of Lake Michigan can get choppy so choose your weather window carefully. However, in the right conditions and especially in the summer, it doesn’t get much more delightful than these sailing grounds.

The peninsula of the Presque Isle State Park provides the city of Erie with a vast natural harbor that has helped it grow into a major port city. Located in Pennsylvania, Erie is an all-round destination for visiting sailors, ideal if you’re also interested in water sports, swimming and scooting around in dinghies.

As it’s a much bigger city than many other locations on this list, Erie also has a range of marina facilities and yacht clubs to choose from, as well as restaurants, museums, water parks and hotels. The lake can get busy in mid-summer so it’s best to go earlier or later in the season to avoid the crowds - June or September are the best options.

The fourth largest of the great lakes, Lake Erie is also the shallowest and the warmest! This makes it a nice choice for swimmers, but sailors should note that the shallow depth can also lead to some impressive waves. Thanks to its clean and nutrient-rich waters, Lake Erie boasts rich biological diversity and fish numbers - this is helped by a rigorous conservation strategy that has helped to rescue Lake Erie from chronic pollution and habitat destruction in recent years.

Formed from ancient mountains, Endymion Island is a captivating sailing destination in Lake Ontario. Connecting New York’s Adirondack Mountains and The Canadian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau, Endymion island has been worn down and chiseled away by natural processes over millions of years to form the flatter landmass sailors can find today.

Endymion Island is included in Canada’s Thousand Islands National Park and is only accessible by boat. There are two public docks on the island and a good number of anchorages available. Unlike the activities and amenities on offer at other Great Lakes destinations, the appeal of Endymion Island is getting lost in a day of sailing around the surrounding islands, seeking out secret hideaways to enjoy the summer months in peace.

If you’re keen to find a more cultural destination in the Great Lakes, choose Manitoulin Island. This island, which covers an area of approximately 80-miles by 40-miles, is known for its art museums and galleries. Visitors can pass many happy hours wandering in and out of the shops and galleries, stopping for lunch or an ice cream cone or two. Little Current is the largest town on the island and it’s just 100 yards from the mainland, across the North Channel of Lake Huron.

With four marinas around the island and a great many more hidden anchorages along its shores, Manitoulin Island has much to offer intrepid sailors out on Lake Huron. However, thanks to the narrower regions of the North Channel the currents can change rapidly, making it a more challenging sail. The interior of Manitoulin Island is also striking with a number of enormous inland lakes, the biggest of which is Lake Mindamoya. The Kagawog River, which flows from Lake Kagawog to the North Channel, forms the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls near the town of Kagawog and is definitely worth a trip.

The largest and deepest of the great lakes, Lake Superior is the most challenging choice of sailing grounds among the Great Lakes. The weather can change quickly, with thick, heavy fog and fierce winds, not to mention the cold! It also happens to be the size of Austria.

Lake Superior is a truly unique sailing destination and Saint Ignace Island is an excellent place to start. One of the largest lake islands in the world, Saint Ignace offers a vast number of secluded coves, friendly campsites and stunning hiking routes. It’s also part of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. From Saint Ignace Island, you can sail round to Duncan Cove, just south of Saint Ignace Island.

Lake Huron also boasts an enormous number of stunning sailing areas and is a popular destination for many sailors looking to explore the Great Lakes. Bad River is a particularly picturesque part of the lake thanks to its collection of narrow inlets and empty wilderness.

As well as touring by boat, it’s well suited to kayaking and canoeing too. For keen fishermen, the bass, pike and walleye should be enough of a draw. One thing to watch out for around the Bad River area is shallow rocks and reefs so follow your charts and cruising directions carefully.

Known for its calm waters, Bowers Harbor is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the view, look out for Traverse City in the south. This deep, natural harbor is situated north of Power Island in West Grand Traverse Bay. It offers protection from the north and east and makes a great stopping point for picnics and sunbathing.

With a wide range of activities available on land as well as on the water, Bowers Harbor is a nice, varied destination on the Great Lakes. You might like to visit Bowers Harbor Vineyards where you can join tasting sessions and tours of the vineyards. Alternatively, you could play a round of tennis or grab a bite to eat in one of Bower Harbor’s local restaurants. When you fancy a change of scenery, sail on to Suttons Bay for more adventures. One of the best things about Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay is that it’s about five hours from Chicago and four hours from Detroit, but it has all the drama and vast, empty space that the Northern Great Lakes are famous for.

This evocatively named archipelago, located 32 miles northwest of Charlevoix, was originally known as the land of the beavers by Odawa fishermen. Just 13 miles long and six miles wide, Beaver Island is now known for its welcoming island community, along with excellent fishing, hunting and hiking trails. The largest settlement on the island is the village of St. James, which still keeps its old world charm harking back to the original village established in the 1800s.

Beaver Island is known among fisherman as one of the top locations for fly fishing in Lake Michigan. It’s home to some of the best flats in the Great Lakes for fly fishing giant carp and it’s also an outstanding destination for smallmouth bass. Inland, the island also has four lakes with pan fish, perch, pike and largemouth bass, as well as walleye in Lake Geneserath. However, to avoid overfishing, Beaver Island residents request that if you’re visiting the inland lakes, you release the majority of your catch to preserve their stocks.

Found just off Wisconsin Shore, the Apostle Islands are a group of 21 islands close to the Bayfield Peninsula. This makes Bayfield an easy starting point for sailing between the islands and you can choose your pick of the islands to set up camp and make the most of the spectacular hiking trails crisscrossing through the interior.

This area is also known for its incredible sea caves, formed from the erosion of the iron-rich sandstone bedrock. Hollowed out by the waves, the sea caves punctuate the cliffs of the Apostle Islands, ranging from small dimples to enormous caverns. The caves are best explored by kayak or alternatively, jump into the water and swim for a closer look.

For another big city starting point on the Great Lakes, Michigan City is a popular choice. The annual In-Water Boat Show is one of the largest in the Midwest. Michigan City is also a stop in the Labor Day Tri-State Regatta, which sees sailors race from Chicago to St. Joseph to Michigan City to Chicago - it’s now been running for more than 60 years. It’s not a race for the faint hearted, to compete you’ll need endurance, determination and the wind on your side!

The first thing that strikes visitors about Mackinac Island is its tranquility. Thanks to a ban on motorized vehicles, Mackinac Island benefits from a slower, calmer pace of life. This makes it an ideal location for sailors looking for a lazier afternoon exploring the island after a good morning’s sailing.

The approach to the island involves passing under the Mackinac Bridge. The island can be found in the eastern region of the Strait of Mackinac, the stretch of water separating Lake Huron from Lake Michigan. You can moor your boat at the Mackinac Island State Harbor and venture inland. Visitors can hire bikes and breeze around the island, taking in the sights and stopping to sample some of the famous local fudge!

Twice a year, Mackinac Island becomes a hub for yachts thanks to the 333-mile annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac and the Bayview Mackinac Race. The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac proudly holds the title of oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world, dating back to 1898.

Known as the crown jewel of Lake Superior, Little Presque Isle lies 7 miles northwest of Marquette. With thick forests and empty sandy beaches, this area is fantastically beautiful, even more so because of the rough cliffs that line the shoreline of Lake Superior over an area of 4 miles. These rocks are some of the oldest exposed formations on the lake, dated to around 2.3 billion years old. The bedrock, granitic, is also the rarest bedrock along the Great Lakes shoreline. The natural beauty of this stretch of coast is enough of a reason to visit Lake Superior this summer.

Which of these Great Lakes destinations will you choose?

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If you cruise the East Coast long enough, sooner or later, someone will ask you if you have completed T he Great Loop . This is a fun filled 5,000 miles plus adventure that takes the cruiser through 16 states and Canada. It makes a wonderful one-year and spectacular two-year cruise. For an outline of the route refer to the image below.

The Great Loop is completed almost entirely in protected waters, with only a few open water passages. These open water passages can easily be crossed in good weather, and thus are enjoyable as well. Starting in Florida, the boater would proceed up the East Coast of the United States on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. After cruising the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, the route goes offshore from Cape May to New York harbor.  At New York City the route proceeds north up the Hudson River to Troy, NY, then west via the Erie Canal to either Lakes Ontario or Erie. Most "loopers" take the Lake Ontario route which leads to the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and North Channel in Canada. Then it's Lake Michigan to Chicago. Next, the route heads south down the Illinois River to the Mississippi, down the Mississippi to the Ohio and up the Ohio a short 50 miles to the Tennessee River at Paducah, KY. Then, it's south from Paducah, KY via the Tennessee River and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (usually referred to as the Tenn-Tom) to Mobile Bay and the Gulf Coast.

The cruiser then heads east from Mobile following the protected waters of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to Fort Myers, FL. Finally, at Fort Myers the cruiser crosses Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway to Stuart, FL and completes the Great Loop.

Nearly any type of personal watercraft can be used to make this trip. Large and small boats, sailboats, trawlers, motor yacht, houseboats, canoes and jet skis have completed it. You must know your vessel's height and draft requirements.

See this story about the kayaker who completed The Great Loop in 2023.

Your vessel's characteristics will decide, to a certain extent, the route you take. If your vessel draws less than 5 feet and can clear a height of 15', there are no restrictions. You can follow any of several routes. If your vessel draws more than 8 feet or has a height requirement of more than 19'.7", you cannot make the trip. (Chicago is the limiting spot with a fixed bridge of 19' 7".) For sailboats with masts that can be un-stepped or powerboats/trawlers with high structures, some adjustment must be made to the vessels height to get it down to at least 19' and preferably 15'.

In general, height restrictions apply only after you enter the New York Canal System at Troy, NY and continue until you reach Mobile, AL on the Gulf Coast.

It is possible to put the mast of sailboats back up once the vessel has reached the Great Lakes, so the vessel can sail while cruising these waters. However, if you do put the mast back up when you enter the Great Lakes, you will have to un-step it again when you reach Chicago, IL on Lake Michigan. Mast stepping and un-stepping can be performed at marinas just before and after you enter the New York Canal System, Chicago, or Mobile, AL. Information in cruising guides recommended in this book tells you which marinas perform this service.

For vessels sailing north from Florida that draw less than 8 feet and have a height of less than 63 feet there is no need for concern until you reach the New York Canal System at Troy, NY. Before you proceed north of Troy you must get your height down to 20 feet and preferably 15 feet. Once you reach the Waterford, NY you must choose one of 2 basic routes. Via Lake Champlain your height restriction is 17' (Champlain Canal) and depth restriction is 5' (Rideau Canal). The Lake Champlain Route is longer and has more locks and is not recommended as it adds so much to your long trip already. However, if you do not plan to travel the northeast waters again or you are taking more than one year, you may want to squeeze these extra 3 canals into your plan.

The other choice, and the shorter route, via the Erie Canal, starts with a clearance of 20 feet and the water has a controlled depth of 12 feet. At mile 160 of the Erie Canal, Three Rivers, you must choose between one of three routes based on your height and depth requirements. They are in order of preference:

• Trent-Severn Waterway
• Complete Erie Canal
• Welland Canal

The figure below depicts the height and depth restrictions of the three routes. As you can see, most vessels can transit the Trent-Severn Waterway. Some must go the complete Erie Canal route, but a few each year must go via the Welland Canal.

The Trent-Severn Route

A major part of your decision in choosing the Trent-Severn route is your height and depth requirements. The Trent-Severn has a controlled depth of 6 feet and height of 22 feet. However, if you draw more than 5', you must sign a waiver. The issue with a deep draft is not in the locks, but in the channel and shoaling. For vessels drawing 5' or less there is no problem. From 5 to 6' you must use extra care and get approval to enter the Trent Severn. If you cannot meet these requirements, you must choose one of the two alternatives.

The Trent-Severn Waterway provides the greatest protection, the most to see and do, and most beautiful water to cruise while crossing the Great Lakes. If you can, and do choose this route, you also avoid Lake Erie and Lake Huron while crossing the Great Lakes, thus traveling in more protected waters. The Trent-Severn route starts when you proceed north via the Oswego Canal from Three Rivers on the Erie Canal. You then cross Lake Ontario and enter the Trent-Severn Waterway at Trenton, Ontario in Canada on the northern shore. While crossing the Trent-Severn you will encounter all this historic canal has to offer including, but not limited to, lovely villages, friendly people, the famous "lift locks" and the railway lock. At the west end of the Trent-Severn Waterway you enter Georgian Bay and the area of "30,000 islands". Here you travel in protected waters that are crystal clear providing visibility down 10-12 feet. There are thousands of beautiful quiet anchorages with almost pristine conditions. Georgian Bay and the North Channel, your next destination, provide some of the best cruising waters in North America. Once you cross the North Channel, you enter the top of Lake Michigan and rejoin those boaters who chose or had to go across Lake Erie.

The Complete Erie Canal Route

If you draw more than 6 feet, your first alternative is to go completely across the Erie Canal and enter Lake Erie at Buffalo, NY. However, to proceed west of Three Rivers, mile 160 of the Erie Canal, you must have your clearance down to 15 ½ feet. The western half of the Erie Canal is rich in history and provides many free stops with water and electric. The downside of going the complete Erie Canal route (or the Welland Canal route) is Lake Erie. Over 240 miles long with few natural harbors, Lake Erie can be a burden to cross. When you stop overnight you must go into man-made harbors and often there is no place to anchor. Thus, you are forced to pay to stay in marinas or yacht clubs. Also, because Lake Erie is so large, you can only move in good weather. The prevailing southwest wind will be on the nose. Crossing Lake Erie does not provide anywhere near the interesting stops and beautiful waters that the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and North Channel provide.

The Welland Canal Route

If you can't go the complete Erie Canal or Trent-Severn Routes, then you will have to go through the Welland Canal. Vessels that draw more than 6 feet and have a clearance of between 15 ½ and 19 feet will have to go this way. Following this route you go north from Three Rivers, mile 160 of the Erie Canal, to Oswego on Lake Ontario via the Oswego Canal. Then you transit Lake Ontario, proceeding over 150 miles west. The same restrictions on weather and ports as those on Lake Erie, apply on Lake Ontario. To add insult to injury, when you get to the end of Lake Ontario, you must go up the Welland Canal Locks. These locks are not pleasure craft friendly. It's not that the operators are unfriendly, rather these locks primarily serve Great Lakes freighters and as a result frequent delays are experienced. In addition, because the currents in the locks are so strong you are required to have at least three adult crewmembers on board while transiting the canal going west. If you are short one or two crew members they can be hired at the lock at the Lake Ontario end, to assist you through the locks. You will need 8 to 12 hours to transit the locks and there is no stopping overnight within the Welland Canal. In other words, once committed, you keep going until you reach Lake Erie at the other end. 

For more information on the height restrictions and choosing the best route for The Great Loop, purchase a printed Skipper Bob Cruising America's Great Loop or purchase a digital version in the Waterway Guide Mobile App.

I think your omission of the Lake Champlain, Montreal, Ottawa route to get to Trent Severn system is skipping some of the unique boating experiences on the "Loop". Carillon Lock, Ottawa Staircase Locks, Rideau Canal, Kingston Ontario just to name a few. The whole experience from Waterford, NY to the entrance of the Trent Severn was some of the best of the "Loop".

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U.S Navy Commissions USS New Jersey, First Ever Submarine For A Mixed Gender Crew

World’s Largest Hotel-Branded Superyacht Sets Sail For Maiden Voyage

India Establishes Its First Maritime Arbitration Center

Yanmar Unveils Its First Electric Propulsion Product For Emission-Free Sailing

M/V Paul R. Tregurtha-The Largest Vessel to Sail Great Lakes

Unanimously known as the ‘Great Lakes’ Queen’ across the global maritime community, the M/V Paul R. Tregurtha is an unparalleled and peerless bulk carrier vessel. Commissioned over three decades ago, the biggest bulk carrier still sets a perfect epitome of absolute operational class, constructional excellence and above all, a unique value addition to the maritime operations carried on the Great lakes.

Originally built to be used as both a bulk cargo carrier and as a passenger ship, the biggest Great Lakes ship bears the constructional hallmark of the American Shipbuilding Company which built the vessel according to specifications charted by her owner, the Interlake Steamship Company.

Unlike other ships which are constructed and outfitted at one particular shipbuilding yard, the construction of the largest bulk carrier was distinct in that, that the vessel’s prow was built at the Shipbuilding Company’s Toledo shipbuilding yard while its aft was built at their Lorain yard. The two separate portions of the vessel were then soldered to form one single vessel unit at the shipbuilding company’s Lorain yard.

M / V Paul R .  Tregurtha: Features and Key Points

• The vessel was put into operation in the year 1981 and was under the operational chartering of the Republic Steel corporation
• The largest vessel on Great Lakes was originally christened as William J. De Lancey, the chairperson of the Republic Steel corporation
• Post the expiration of the clientele contract of the Interlake Steamship Company with the Republic Steel corporation, in the year 1990, the vessel was re-christened as the M/V Paul R. Tregurtha after the vice chairperson of the Interlake Conglomerate

M / V Paul R .  Tregurtha: Technical Specifications

• The operational route of the vessel is between the Lake Superior and to the necessary ore discharging factory units located in the province of Lorain and Indiana
• The vessel measures almost 309 metres lengthwise with a beam of 32 meters and a draught of almost 18 meters
• The largest bulk carrier boasts of cargo carrying capacities of around 68,000 tonnes of chert (iron ore) and over 64,000 tonnes of char (coal)
• Five cargo decks account for the vessel’s cargo storage capacity while the its automated offloading facilitation enables for a faster offloading of its cargo
• Two four-stroke combustion diesel engines account for the biggest Great Lakes ship power, helping the vessel attain navigational speeds over 15 knots

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Great ‘Inland Seas’ Fishing Boats

When I lived in the Florida Keys , most of us multi-species anglers drove “white boats,” a generic term we used for the 17- to 30-foot, outboard-powered fiberglass center console boats that remain popular in coastal areas for their fishability and adaptability – and are still most often offered in a shade of white. If you were primarily a flats angler, you ran a flats skiff. In fishing ports around the Gulf of Mexico , bay boats dominate the fishing scene. On western rivers, dories or ‘drift boats’ of glass, aluminum and wood or inflatable rafts are the craft of choice for float fishing trips, while on the rocky inland lakes of the north country, aluminum outboard-powered boats get the nod, many tiller-controlled for better maneuverability and the option to back troll.

Then there are the sleek, high-speed bass boats that are found wherever bucketmouths thrive – which is most everywhere.

The Great Lakes and the boats that have developed here are no different. While each is unique, the seven water bodies share similar conditions that anglers pursuing walleye, bass, trout and salmon have learned to navigate aboard boats that continue to evolve in design to offer the safest, most comfortable and effective fishing platforms for our favorite waters.

We talked to the owner of Erie Marine Sales (www.eriemarinesales.com) of Sheffield Lake , Ohio , Brian Zarembski, about what boat features are popular among Great Lakes anglers, who are his primary customers.

Zarembski said that 20- to 24-foot boats are popular with anglers who want to trailer their watercraft, yet have a rig large enough to handle the rough stuff.

“We sell a lot of 22-footers,” he said. “I’d say 24 feet is about as long as most guys want to trailer, and if you are planning to dock your boat, a 24-footer on up is the way to go.”

As for power, Zarembski  says the industry is moving toward outboards, even for the bigger boats, because the technology has gotten so much better, and outboards require less maintenance and are getting more fuel efficient.

To achieve optimum slow-trolling speed and as a safety backup, “Most boat buyers still opt for 9.9 to 25hp trolling motors on their fishing boats, while others rely on an electric trolling motor or troll on their main engine,” Zarembski said, adding that the new primary outboards will slow down to a sub 2hp pace, and anglers can use trolling plates, drift bags or buckets to slow their craft down.

For hull design, he said a deep-vee is the way to go, and many customers prefer a hull offering a reverse chine design to help keep the spray down and to assist with side-to-side stability.

Whether that deep-vee hull is constructed of glass or aluminum, a good Great Lakes fishing boat needs to have plenty of storage, a quality livewell and lots of rod holders to score points with anglers. Zarembski noted that tracks mounted atop the gunwales flanking the cockpit allow rod holders and other track-mounted accessories to be positioned wherever they are needed, and that rod holder ‘trees’ are popular, especially on smaller boats, to allow one base to support multiple rods. A washdown hose is desirable for easy post-fishing cleanup, and a back-up bilge pump is a popular safety option.

And safety is a key consideration when boating and fishing any of our Great Lakes – which are referred to as the “inland seas” for their size and their ability to kick-up and get downright dangerous to boats of any size in the blink of an eye.

Guide Spotlight: Captain Lee highlights Captain Jim Woods

Woods handles the majority of the open water fishing trips and prefers welded aluminum for his charterboats “for its ruggedness” and appreciates the lighter weight and fuel efficiency that goes along with it. His first Hewescraft was 21-foot Sea Runner model, which sold him on the brand.

“I’ve never been on a boat that size that could handle the rough water on Lake Erie ,” he said of the 200hp Evinrude E-TEC-powered charterboat.

“My clients loved it. That thing could run through 4- to 5-footers and I’d just trim the bow down and plow through them with no problem whatsoever,” Woods explained of the 21-foot Hewescraft. “I can only imagine what it’s going to be like with my new 27-footer!”

You can find Woods’ Hewescraft Alaskan tied fast to Dock E-13 in Lorain ’s Spitzer Riverside Marina this spring, or get in touch with him via their website www.fishandfowl.net, via email at [email protected] or by phone at 440-371-3767.

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Wisconsin’s historic year-round research vessel prepares for another winter on the Great Lakes

The Korean War-era Neeskay helps place buoys for scientific research and teaches students about the geology and history of the lakes

When winter descends on the Great Lakes, most boats retreat to the harbor to wait out the icy weather. But one research vessel based in Milwaukee will keep on sailing and helping scientists in the state gather valuable data.  

The Neeskay got its start more than 70 years ago as a supply vessel in the Korean War. Today, it travels Lake Michigan on various research projects for UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences and other agencies. 

The ship’s captain, Maxwell Morgan, told WPR’s “ Wisconsin Today ” that the main challenge of operating through the winter is how isolated you get out on the lakes, in addition to the ice, high waves and strong winds. 

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“When we’re going out to the mid-lake reef, which is 30-35 miles offshore, we’re the only boat out there,” he said. “The Coast Guard is miles and miles away. You really have to be careful. You really have to be ready at a moment’s notice and jump on those good days when they come around.” 

The Neeskay is in the midst of wrapping up a buoy maintenance project for the Great Lakes Observing System, or GLOSS. The buoys monitor weather conditions constantly, which scientists can then use to observe the impacts of climate change on the region. 

Morgan talked with host Kate Archer Kent about currentresearch projects, life on the Neeskay and the future of Great Lakes science. 

The following was edited for brevity and clarity. 

Kate Archer Kent: We are reaching you on the Neesaky. You’re on a hydroacoustic testing project from what I understand. Can you tell us what you see around you on the ship? 

Max Morgan: Right now, we are sitting on the anchor, or “on the hook,” as we like to call it, in the south section of the outer harbor in Milwaukee. I can see the Milwaukee skyline and all the happenings in the city. It’s nice to be out here and just watch the hustle and bustle on land. 

We’re out with a company called OceanComm, and they do hydroacoustic testing. They are looking to develop technology that can send signals through the water without using a cord. At the moment, remote-operated vehicles and anything that communicates from the ship to the water require a tether to send information. This is more like WiFi but through the water. It’s very cool. 

KAK: The ship’s first job was as an Army T boat in the Korean War. Why keep using the Neeskay as a research vessel over 50 years later? 

MM: The Neeskay has been very well taken care of and it’s had a lot of updates. It’s a stout, sturdy vessel. But it’s also pretty small, so it’s good on fuel economy and it can go in near shore, which was its purpose in the first place. It’s very diverse in the things that it can do.

We could use a little bit more classroom and laboratory space on board, so we’re looking at updating our research vessel fleet. But it has everything you could need in a laboratory. We’re getting a brand new sonar this year, which is going to be really great for underwater mapping and fish finding. 

KAK: Can you talk a little bit about the different types of projects that may occur on the ship? 

MM: I like to say that the Neeskay is a vessel of opportunity, like a jack-of-all-trades. We do a little bit of everything. We are a research vessel for the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, so one of our main missions is to support the school. That includes supporting the professors there, their research projects and any types of experimentation they’d like to do with their grad students or anything they’d like to look at in the Great Lakes. It’s a way for them to get their feet wet, per say, and to get some hands-on experience.

KAK: One of the Neeskay’s projects is deploying buoys to measure weather patterns. How challenging are buoy deployments in the Great Lakes? 

MM: They can be very challenging for a lot of reasons. Weather basically rules all on the lakes. You’re dealing with very heavy equipment and a very complicated mooring setup. It’s very delicate, it’s very expensive and it’s very heavy. And then you have to go try and set that in a very exact spot in potentially very deep waters. It comes down to good planning, really good weather and a little bit of luck.

KAK: You’re working with different groups that are placing buoys on the Great Lakes. What data do researchers hope to get from maintaining these buoys?  

MM: The great thing about our buoys is there are multiple functions for them. One of the functions is long-term weather monitoring. So, we can monitor climate change as it goes over a long period of time and we can see what’s happening and we can compare it to older data. 

The other great thing about these buoys is the data is there for everybody. You can go on the website and access it from your phone. Any recreational or commercial mariner can click on there and see exactly what the water temperature is through the water column and down to the bottom of the lake. You can see the direction of the wind, too. All that stuff is very important to fishermen and to boaters.

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

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