What the heck is THE TRIANGLE LOOP?

Life is either a grand adventure, or nothing at all.

Helen Keller

Man, oh, man! We’re less than a month from actually hitting the water to cruise the “Triangle Loop” section of the America’s Great Loop. What does that mean? Well, honestly, we’re not exactly sure. It may turn out slightly different Jeff and me because there will be options along the route. When I think about it, this loose plan is a lot like our lives together: we tend to focus on the grand idea and let all the details fall into place!

In its truest form, the 5,0000 mile America’s Great Loop typically takes boaters anywhere from 6 months to over a year. It’s amazing how many adventurous sailors commit to being away and on the water for so long. They follow the good weather up the eastern seaboard from Florida, into Canada, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes, and back down to Florida through Chicago, the Mississippi and smaller river systems. Some also add the Florida Keys to their voyage.

Like many other “loopers”, Jeff and I will be taking on the Great Loop in sections. Over the next few years we’d like to spend summer through fall cruising and exploring the beauty of America. We’ll then head back down to our active “senior camp” landlubber life in Florida for the winter. It could be the perfect balance of enjoying two polar worlds of excitement along with beautiful weather year round to boot!

That said, let me give you an idea of what the Triangle Loop and other so called “mini loops” are all about.

THE TRIANGLE LOOP

THE TRIANGLE LOOP route runs 700+ miles north through the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Richelieu Canal toward Montreal, southwest along the St. Lawrence River or Rideau Canal, Lake Ontario, then east on the Oswego and Erie Canals back to the Hudson. It is a typically well-revered trip that includes numerous canals, locks, and the beautiful Thousand Islands.  

Jeff and I expect to experience the better part of the Triangle if not all of it, but as I said, the details of the how’s, what’s and when’s are cloudy at this point. It is our hope to meet up with friends who live on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa and also family and friends in the Finger Lakes in New York and other stops.

The trip as described above can take as little as a few weeks, so that also leaves room for taking our time and exploring as much as possible. Our goals are simple: savor the boating experience, and hop off-board routinely to tour the wonderful sights!

MORE LOOPS TO DISCOVER IN THE FUTURE

THE DOWNEAST LOOP      

This loop runs 2,700 miles north on the Hudson, Lake Champlain, the Richelieu River, east on the St. Lawrence River, then the east coast of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and New England, and Long Island Sound to New York and back to the Hudson. 

We had actually considered the Downeast for this year, but realized that the voyage is definitely not meant for inexperienced boaters. We’ll hold off on this one until we’ve gained a lot more experience so as to deal more handily with the challenges of fog and the cold and open waters of the Canadian coast.

THE CAROLINA LOOP       

This route consists of theDismal Swamp, Pasquotank River, Albemarle and Cuttituck sounds to Chesapeake, Virginia

We would like to do this loop eventually and then proceed down the coast south to Florida along the easy-going and protected Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).

THE FLORIDA LOOP        

This route runs through the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, St. Luce Canal and river, and south along the east coast through the Keys and back to Ft. Myers.

The nice part about this loop is that our little home in Florida is essentially on the Caloosahatchee. This could be a perfect loop to round out our travels. And heck, maybe the Bahamas will be in order by then, too! 

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SPECIAL THANKS FOR MAPS AND INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THIS POST DERIVED FROM:

BOATUS.COM “The Allure of the Mini-Loop” WATERWAY GUIDE GREAT LAKES, Vol. 1, 2019

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