GL: Essential equipment for the Loop

[Jim Ague]

> Question: What tricks do you have up your sleeve to find those
> wonderful small rivers.  I plan on hitting as many inlets/rivers as I
> can durning my loop.  Personally, I will find it more enjoyable than
> heading down one of the major rivers/ICW waterways.
>
Don't try to plan the whole trip before you leave your home slip. Eileen 
Quinn who writes songs about the cruising lifestyle (her CD's highly 
recommended) has a song with a line in it where the skipper has all his 
waypoints programmed into the GPS but never leaves the dock.

Maybe have a few "gotta sees" lined up for the loop, but leave the rest as 
you travel. You'll typically travel zero, or 20 to 60 miles a day. You'll 
meet more people along the way than you have already met in this list. 
You'll learn what's on the near horizon, at most one week (200 miles) out, 
as you go. Be ready to change your plan. Sidetrips will find you, you don't 
need to look for them.

It's a journey, not a destination. And keep the lyrics of "Moon River" (near 
Savannah, GA) in mind.

-- Jim Ague