Looper-palooza includes two seminar tracks. The Route Briefing track includes more than 7.5 hours of seminars covering the southern portion of the Great Loop Route, from Punta Gorda, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia as well as the Bahamas. Speakers will lead you through these waterways, pointing out favorite marinas, anchorages, things to see and do, and navigational information along the way.
Route Briefing Track Sessions
Dates & times subject to change.
Tuesday 28 January
2.30pm – 4pm
Punta Gorda to Miami
Punta Gorda to Miami
Route Briefing Track
Tsali and Jacque Bentley will share navigation information as well as things to see and do along the western coast of Florida from Punta Gorda to Miami by way of the Florida Keys. The presentation will be highlighted in three sections – Punta Gorda to Marathon, the Keys, and Marathon to North Miami. As an addition, they will cover the Lake Okeechobee route across the southern section of Florida.
Speakers
Tsali & Jacque Bentley
4.15pm – 5.30pm
Miami to Jacksonville
Miami to Jacksonville
Route Briefing Track
This session will cover cruising highlights, navigational tips and overnight options along the east coast of Florida and many shore excursions as you cruise North from Miami to Jacksonville on the Great Loop. This presentation will also include an overview of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) and an introduction to the Bob423 resources and tracks available for free download and use.Speakers
Tim & Diane Vandersall
Thursday 30 January
9am – 10am
St. Johns River Side Trip
St. Johns River Side Trip
Route Briefing Track
Many Loopers on their way north each spring make their way out of Florida quite quickly to keep up with the group. But are they missing one of the Loop's gems? Tim and Diane Vandersall along with their 5-year-old Australian Shepherd, Maggie, ventured up and down the St. Johns in Spring of 2023 and found it to be one of the most memorable sections of their Loop. They will review their stops and highlights along the way and provide additional anchorages and marinas available to make your journey into the St. Johns River also one to remember.
Speakers
Tim & Diane Vandersall
10.15am – 11.15am
Jacksonville to Southport
Jacksonville to Southport
Route Briefing Track
Robert & Kay will cover their favorite stops, marinas & anchorages, mileage between stops, tourist destinations, basic Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) markers, describe “weather days” when crossing/entering large bodies of water, and how AICW markers change in shipping channels.
Speakers
Robert & Kay Creech
11.30am – 12.30pm
Southport to Norfolk
Southport to Norfolk
Route Briefing Track
Keith and Malinda Martin will cover the route from Southport, NC to Norfolk, VA, getting you to Waterside Marina for the Spring Rendezvous. Their briefing will cover the base route but highlight options, decision points and side trips. Those topics will include: Elizabeth City and Dismal Swamp, Albemarle Loop, Coinjock, and the Outer Banks. In addition, they will highlight the tools they use to manage the route(s) they have taken.Speakers
Keith & Malinda Martin
The second track is our Looping 101 track. This encompasses more general Looping information, such as finding the perfect Great Loop boat, weather, marine electronics, and more. Attendees will be polled about two weeks after registration opens about topics of interest to them for the Looping 101 track. The top vote-getters will then be used to create the Looping 101 track.
Attendees are free to move between the two tracks at will. You are not required to pre-register for individual seminars.
