Great Loop 2022: The Packing Begins

I start packing for my next Great Loop adventure.

As I detailed in my first Great Loop 2022 post back in November, I got the opportunity to be a crew member on another boat traveling along the Great Loop: a 36′ Carver heading north up the Intracoastal Waterway from Charleston, SC.

Making Travel Arrangements

Capt John and I have been in communication on and off since then, planning and then updating our departure. His boat was in Charleston for maintenance and some repairs and over the winter it wound up on the back burner. The delays were mostly due to Covid at the facility and pushed back our departure from an optimistically tentative date of mid February to what looks like a solid date near the end of March. I’ll be on board from March 22 when I arrive in Charleston to May 1, when I must head home to go to work. (Yes, I still do work for a living.)

I booked my flights about a month ago and had to change the flight from Wenatchee to Charleston because of another delay that set us back about a week. (In hindsight, I probably did not need to make the change. Oh, well.) I booked my return flight from Washington DC, although we have no idea where we might be by May 1. I figured that DC is easy enough to get to from most places and, if worse comes to worse, I can always change my flight again. (I’m hoping that I don’t have to because I splurged on a first class seat for the long flight home.)

Packing

Now, with about 8 days until my departure, I’m thinking about packing and starting to set things aside to go into my suitcase. I’m also making lists.

I know from my last trip what I should and shouldn’t bring. My PFD, which is an inflatable collar, is definitely coming along again; it’s super comfortable for the times when I need to maneuver on the gunwales while we’re under way. (I’m a lot more likely to wear a life jacket if it’s comfortable.) A little research on Alaska Air’s website and I learned I can pack it in my luggage, despite the CO2 cartridge. Definitely shorts and t-shirts and the quick dry hiking pants I bought for last year’s trip and only wore a few times. Deck shoes and a bathing suit, which I hope to get to use this time.

I’m still sitting on the fence about bringing my fleece sleeping sack and cotton insert; it seems that Capt John has comfortable cotton sheets and blankets for me in my berth. He also says he has rain jackets on board and although I guarantee they’re a lot better than mine, I’ll still bring mine, which is lightweight and similar to a windbreaker. It’ll be good enough for light weather; I can always put on one of his for heavier rain. Of course, I’ll bring my rain pants.

On this trip, I’ll also be bringing along some local wine. Alaska Air allows travelers to check up to one case of wine for free on flights out of wine country, so I’m hoping to pack at least 6 bottles to bring along. Capt John has already said he’d share it with me and I’d like to get his take on what I bring. So many folks just don’t know Washington State wines. (Tip: They’re better than most of that mass-produced crap out of California — but maybe I’m just partial to what my friends here are producing.)

I’m also bringing along the usual collection of electronics: laptop, iPad, iPhone, GoPros, and Mavik Pro drone. I’m hoping to get a lot more footage from this trip and make videos, perhaps similar to the ones I produced this winter during my trip to point south. I want to get more multimedia savvy and produce more content about the interesting things I do. Between my phone, the GoPros, and the drone, I should get plenty of footage. Let’s just see if I can sit down at my laptop and edit it into something worth watching.

Getting in the Mindset

I have to admit that after a semi-enjoyable trip south for 2 1/2 months this past winter, I’m really enjoying the comfort of my home. I’m also dreading leaving my two pups behind. That’s making it tough to even think about leaving. But this trip will offer an entirely different range of experiences from the previous trip in several ways:

• Navigating the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). It’s not like a canal where there’s only one way to go. Real navigation is required, with the added challenges of shoaling that may not be charted.
• Tides and tidal currents. The ICW is connected to the Atlantic Ocean at many inlets along the way and is affected by tides and currents. This should add to the challenge of maneuvering the boat, especially in narrow channels.
• Marina living. Capt John likes to spend more time at marinas along the way — usually two to three nights vs Capt Paul’s normal one night with occasional two or three nights. He likes to socialize with other boaters, which I’m really looking forward to. I expect I’ll learn a lot about boating from folks who have been doing it a long time.
• Anchoring out. Although Capt John doesn’t do much anchoring, he does do some. We didn’t do any on my trip with Capt Paul. I’m interested in seeing how that affects boat stability and power use and general living conditions. Anchoring out is a lot cheaper than pulling into a marina every night so I’m interested in it as a cost-saving measure on my own trips.
• Activities ashore. With more time ashore we’ll likely get to do more things ashore. On my trip with Capt Paul, I’d originally planned to do a long walk every morning before it got hot. That was a no-go since we departed early every morning, sometimes before sunrise. I’m hoping to get more exercise on this trip. Capt John has bicycles, too, so we’ll be able to cover more distance on land. And there’s a ton of history along this east coast route.
• Different boat. Capt John’s 36′ Carver is very different from Capt Paul’s 27′ Ranger Tug. Although I really like the Ranger Tug amenities, it’ll be interesting to see how the Carver rides and handles compared to the Ranger. And whether the layout inside is more or less comfortable. With 9 feet more length, it should be very different all around.

So even though I’m enjoying my time home, I’m looking forward to the learning opportunities on this trip. The opportunity is really too good to pass up and I wish it could be longer. I hope I make a satisfactory crew member; I’m certainly going to try my best.

Look for more blog posts about this trip as it progresses. You can subscribe to get notifications of new posts by filling in the form at the top of the sidebar. Be sure to confirm your subscription in the confirmation email you get. The only thing you’ll get are new post notifications; I don’t spam subscribers or even look at the list.

And, as always, your comments here are welcome. I especially want to hear from folks who have done the trip and can offer some tips. Use the Comments link or form.