AGLCA Looper Rendezvous Until we met again

We are on the move again, we left Joe Wheeler State Park after a week long stay for the AGLCA Rendezvous. At the Rendezvous there were a total of 57 boats that came in, all in one stage or another of the loop. Boats of all shapes and sizes with homeports from all over the US, Canada, England and Australia. There were Gold loopers (those who have finished the loop), White loopers (those who are in the process of the loop) and people who drove in and stayed at the lodge who are in the planning process or Veteran loopers who came as speakers. The meeting had more than 200 in attendance and was a great time to meet up with people all with the same goal, of doing the Great American Loop. For us, the fall rendezvous is a great place to meet alot of newer loopers, those who will be doing most of their loop in the next 12 months. And a gathering place to catch up with people we have seen or traveled with at some point along the way. We consider ourselves 3/4 looped, we will be finished when we cross our wake. which for us will be in Stuart Florida. We then change out our white burgee (flag) for a Gold burgee.


The sad part of completing the loop is, we are beginning to lose people as they this adventure comes to a close, especially from here on down to Mobile, as we will then lose those who head home to Texas, LA, AL and FL. Many of them however, are planning to continue cruising after they take a break, do further upgrades etc. So to those fine folks I will say, till we meet again! As for everyone else we move onward, head south to the warm salty waters of Florida and the Keys then for others over to the Bahamas and the Abaco's in late winter and early spring. 






This is Kemba and Bob on Spirit Dancer they are possibly the first loopers we met heading south in October 2010 we first met them in Belhaven NC.  This picture was taken in NY at Half Moon Bay when we came back to the boat after visiting home in June 2011 they were docked directly behind us.



There is Spirit Dancer at Joe Wheeler in Alabama they have now completed their loop and are heading home (Texas) for 6 months then back out to the Bahamas for a couple of years.



Here is Carol and Monty (the largest looping dog) we met them in Norfolk Va in June and again on Mackinaw Island MI in August.




Theres Bill and Monty stretching their legs in Grand Harbor TN



There they go, heading home on there boat Trident, you can see Monty up at the helm with Bill, they have also completed the loop hence the gold flag at the bow.  Home for them is Houston Texas they hope to sell their boat as Carol has her eye on something a bit larger, when that happens they too will head to the Bahamas and beyond.






This is GodSpeed and SugarBaby, thats Billy peeking around the corner, they are from Louisiana. They are also heading back home to do some upgrades on the boat and will head back out again to the east coast in the spring. 

Pam and Billy on GodSpeed from Sidell LA

 

Fair Winds and Following Seas