GL: Essential equipment for the Loop

[bill fiero]

Matt --

     We completed the Loop on a 20' Flicka, so know the constraints of space.
However, we did have a covered cabin to allow inside sleeping space -- you can
do the same under canvas.

      Essential equipment:  On any trip (and we travel overseas a lot), there
are only four essentials:
     1. Passport: (you'll need it for Canada entrance)
`    2. Pills: any perscrption meds you regularly take.
     3. Tickets: Not critical for you -- your BW is the ticket.
     4. Credit Card:With this, you can buy anything you've forgotten or need
for the trip.

     Cruising on a small boat, we would add the following as essential for
safety and navigation:
     1. A good weatherproof UHF radio:  Handheld, with a dash mount, might be
best in your limited space.  Check the weather channel obsessively and take no
weather risks.
     2. A good weatherproof GPS system:  Garmin has some small units you could
mount on the dash, preloaded with all coastal charts.  Add other charts with
chips as needed.
     3. A mounted depth sounder: Essential for navigating the shallows, if you
plan to anchor out or camp ashore (and we would suggest that instead of
marinas -- for us, marinas are supply points not motels).
     4. A good inflatable PFD for your safety.

      We are  backpackeers (hiked the Appalachian Trail).  So, your clothing,
bedding, 'camping' needs are more akin to backpacking than a 45' trawler.
There are informative internet sites (or visit REI) and buy excellent gear
(but keep it minimal and light).  We lived 6 months with everything required
(food, shelter, clothing) on our backs, and resupply from a boat will be much
easier than from a mountain trail.

     So, keep your list (and purchases) minimal, keep things light, and keep
everything well-organized in watertight containers (dry bags are great!).  We
were white-water river guides, as well, and have spent months on downriver
kayak and raft trips -- that's the model you should be using for your trip.
Light, trim, simple -- for cooking, meals, clothing, everything.  Remember the
backpacking adage -- "if in doubt, throw it out"  You can always buy what you
need along the way.

     Take your time.  Explore the marvelous side rivers (think of the Loop
route as the freeway, and you take time with your small nimble boat to cruise
the "blue highways" off the four-lane.  Drive slowly -- enjoy the sights,
smells and sounds your mode of travel affords.  Think of yourself as the VW on
the road -- go slowly, see things slow speed, your small boat, and unimpaired
vision affords you.  You are not traveling at a disadvantage to the big boats
-- quite the contrary -- you will have an incredible experience quite
different than that of the average Looper.  Everyone chooses their way through
life -- don't rush your trip; take advantage of the simple life.

     We have lived aboard our 22' C-Dory most of the past 5 years (cruised
over 24,000 miles on her) and it's comfortable, easy, and joyful. Your life
will be dramatically different than that of other boaters on the Loop -- and,
in another backpackers adage, "you'll live a life the city folk will never
know."

     Bon Voyage.  El and Bill (Halcyon - www.geocities.com/bill_fiero)