GL: Right Boat, Right Schedule?

[George Hechtman]

I always get a kick out of these discussions. It's nice to see people  
get passionate about these subjects, but I would caution the newbies  
and wouldbies to have several grains of salt on hand. Just because  
someone has or is doing the loop, does not, despite their evangelical  
fervor, mean that THEIR type/size of boat or THEIR schedule is the  
best... for you.

The Loop has been done on jet skis and it has been done on 70 foot  
yachts. It has been done in a couple of months and over a couple of  
decades. Some people have a lot time and some don't. Some can live on  
a 25 footer with another person and a dog for months at a time,  
others for minutes at a time, if that. Some are comfortable and  
thrive on being at anchor, others can't sleep a wink for the anxiety.  
Some people are "seriously" on the Loop, some don't take it seriously  
at all. And so on and so on. You are not a bad person if you fall at  
any of the extremes or somewhere in between. Well that's MY opinion.

So the first, maybe only rule that matters is "to thine ownself be  
true" or should I say, for those traveling with others "to thine own  
selves be true". Don't be dissuaded from having fun because you don't  
fit someone else's definition of it.

George

Not so seriously taking the bites we feel like taking out of the  
Loop, "off course" and now happily moored out in beautiful Westport  
Harbor, Mass on a big sinfully comfortable and energy inefficient  
Hatteras 56MY and confronting going back to "earning" after an  
impulsive year of cruising and goofing off. And loving it way too much.