Our boat, Fika, is currently wintering near Norfolk, VA. Regarding The Great Loop, cruisers often voyage along the eastern coast of the United States in spring.

America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA) has a Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk during the first week of May. We want to attend this conference, as it will be an excellent opportunity to get expert advice on the route and all-things Great Loop. The Spring Rendezvous is a driver for our desired start date.

Moving to Fika: April 2023

We plan to move aboard Fika in April 2023 to settle in, make a few upgrades, and then find our way into Norfolk for the rendezvous with other “Loopers.”

Our official launch date is set for April 17th. This is when our boat will be moved off land and into the water.

Our family will leave our Michigan home on April 15 and take two days to drive to Deltaville, Virginia where our boat is currently stored. We’ll move aboard, have the boat placed in the water, and get settled in over the next couple of weeks as we make a few hops south to Norfolk, Virginia.

Starting Our Loop: May 2023

The rhythm of traveling The Loop is generally done seasonally over about a year. Loopers will “spring up” the east coast, summer in the Great Lakes, “fall down” the river system, and winter in Florida.

We’ll begin our official Loop from Norfolk after the AGLCA’s Spring Rendezvous. The Rendezvous will provide us with seminars about the first half of The Loop, opportunities to meet other Loopers (or “Planners” who haven’t started The Loop but hope to someday), and ask lots of questions. The Rendezvous is May 1-4 this year.

On May 5 (which also happens to be Alison and Chris’ 16th wedding anniversary) we’ll officially start our Loop and begin traveling north!