The Loop That Changed Everything
What is the Great Loop?
The Great Loop is a continuous waterway route that circumnavigates the eastern half of North America.
Starting from any point along the route, you can travel a complete circle using the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, the Great Lakes, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Most Loopers complete it in about a year, though some take longer, others go faster. You'll navigate hundreds of locks, pass through dozens of states, cross into Canada, and experience every type of water condition from open ocean to narrow canals barely wider than your boat.
Before my 39th birthday, everything changed
The alarm goes off at 5:30 AM. Again. I check the weather. Again. Another lock in 47 miles. Another town I've never heard of. Another day where my boat, my skills, and my decisions are all that stand between me and... well, let's not think about that.
This is the Great Loop. Not a vacation. Not a cruise. A test of everything you think you know about boats, about yourself, about what really matters when you're 1,000 miles from home port.
I completed it in 2018, before my 39th birthday. The experience - navigating Lake Michigan in 6-foot seas, timing the Erie Canal before it freezes, making split-second decisions in narrow waterways - that became the foundation for Bourbon City Marine Center.
The Reality
Nobody Tells You
Before I started, people showed me photos. Beautiful sunsets. Calm anchorages. Happy hour on the deck. What they didn't show me?
Weather Controls Your Schedule
The three-day forecast becomes your bible. Lake Michigan calm for 48 hours? You're leaving at dawn whether you feel ready or not.
57 Locks on the Erie Canal
Each one is different. Each lockmaster has their own quirks. You learn patience - real patience, not the kind you think you have.
Something Will Break
Your tender becomes your lifeline. Running for parts when something fails at the worst possible moment. That's why I'm particular about the RIBs we sell.
Loopers Become Family
You leapfrog each other for months. Share weather intel on VHF. These people will help you at 2 AM when your engine alarm goes off.
AGLCA isn't a yacht club
It's 6,000 members who have done it, are doing it right now, or are planning to do it someday. Power or sail. Trawler or rowboat. Hell, you don't even need a boat yet.
Started in 1999 at TrawlerFest by Ron and Eva Stob with a sign-up sheet on a table. That first rendezvous in Grand Haven? Twenty boats showed up. By 2006, they had 70 boats and 250 people at Joe Wheeler. Now it's 6,000 memberships strong with 150 sponsors.
The members-only forum is where the real knowledge lives. Which marinas will let you sit out a three-day blow. Which locks are... let's say "temperamental." What equipment actually works versus what looks good in a brochure. Current closures. Water levels. Ice-out dates.
As a Lifetime Member and Sponsor, I didn't just complete the Loop - I joined the community that makes it possible for everyone else. That membership means something. It means you've earned your place in a community that understands what it takes.
I documented every mile on The Adventures of Knot Kidd'n
Featured on NBC's Today Show
My Great Loop journey caught national attention when NBC's Today Show featured the adventure. From navigating New York Harbor to peaceful passages through tree-lined waterways, the Loop tested everything I thought I knew about boats.
The Journey in Photos
6,000 miles of memories. From the Statue of Liberty to Chicago's skyline, through 57 Erie Canal locks, and countless sunsets along the way.
What the Loop taught me
Completing 6,000 miles before my 39th birthday wasn't about adventure - it was about learning what actually matters when you're living on your boat for months, navigating waters you've never seen, relying on equipment you chose.
Your tender is your car
You use it every single day. Getting to shore. Exploring. Supplies. Running for parts when something fails. It needs to be reliable, easy to handle, and built for the conditions. That's why we only sell Highfield and Zodiac aluminum RIBs - they're what actually works when you're 1,000 miles from home.
Community is everything
The AGLCA network isn't theoretical. It's the people who tell you about the marina with the good mechanic. Who raft up with you in that anchoage. Who share their cruising guides and charts. Who help at 2 AM when your engine alarm goes off. Real people, real help.
Quality over features
Flashy features don't matter when something breaks in the middle of Lake Michigan. Simple, well-built, proven equipment does. That's the filter for everything we sell. Not the newest. Not the cheapest. The stuff that works when you need it to.
Why Bourbon City Marine Center exists
Real advice, not manufacturer specs
I've been there. I know what actually works in the Erie Canal locks, what holds up in Lake Michigan chop, what equipment you'll wish you had when you're anchored in some no-name town waiting out weather.
Access to the network
Planning your Loop? I can connect you with AGLCA resources, the rendezvous events, the members-only forum, the Harbor Host program - the community that'll actually help when you need it.
Equipment that's Loop-tested
We specialize in Highfield and Zodiac aluminum RIBs because they're what I'd trust on the Loop. Not the cheapest. Not the flashiest. The ones that work when you need them to. Every time.
Born from Passion, Experience & a Few Glasses of Bourbon
Louisville is the heart of bourbon country. But the name isn't just about geography. It's about those late-night conversations over bourbon - talking boats, planning routes, debating equipment - where the best decisions get made. Where experience gets shared. Where bullshit gets called out.
Like a fine bourbon, great boats are crafted with precision, patience, and passion. No shortcuts. No compromises. Just quality that you can trust when it matters.
That's the spirit Bourbon City Marine Center was founded on. Real experience. Real advice. Real equipment that works. No sales pitches. No inflated claims. Just honest guidance from someone who's actually done what you're planning to do.
"It's not just about the boats - it's about sharing our love of the water and helping you get the most out of every moment spent on it."
Planning your Loop? Need a reliable tender?
Talk to someone who's actually done it. I can help you figure out what you really need, what you don't, and what'll actually matter when you're out there.
Learn more about AGLCA at greatloop.org