Hey Tom & Marlene, thanks for your kind comment. It goes to show that route planning and watching weather are in fact both useful skills! Thanks for watching!😎
That was some good sound advice before and during the loop. You two pulled it off due to being a great team! Rachel did a great job of capturing and narrating their adventure. Enjoyed watching.
I have been following several "Loopers" along their journey and I have to say you two are the best "team" I've had the pleasure of watching. Your calm communication with each other and confidence in your abilities reflect the fact that you obviously followed your own tips in preparation for the Loop which made your trip more enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Just have one question - did you encounter any single Loopers along the way and how did they adapt to making a solo trip?
So kind of you to say Susan… we appreciate it! We do work well as a team, not to say there aren’t moments with choice words!😳😆 We met several single loopers along the way and they seemed to adapt well. They enjoyed the trip and loved meeting other loopers. Two that we know, want you to do the loop again!🩵😎
Hi guys. Another hit video with some great advice. Looking forward to next week's video. Come the dead of winter, I am going to re-watch the entire trip which should prove to be a welcome diversion from a cold, snowy Calgary winter.
Hi Gary, WOW! Re-watching the whole trip…that’s a lot of Stay Cool!😎😂 Unless you love winter, we Canadians do like a diversion from the cold snowy months. Stay warm and thanks for watching!🩵💛
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Glad you enjoyed following our journey. It was fun sharing our experiences.😎 What a great way to start our retirement! Thanks for watching 🙏
Thanks so much Buck! It is an adventure we will cherish with many fond memories. Thanks for being a loyal follower... we appreciate it! Hope you're having a great day! 😎
We always enjoyed watching your looper videos. Love both your wonderful personalities. Hope you will still be making videos of your adventures and maintenance tips even though you have completed your 1st loop.
Hey Robert, thanks for your kind comment.😊 We plan to share future adventures as well as parts of Vancouver Island, where we live, so stay tuned for lots more to come. If you haven’t already seen it, checkout our Great Loop summary which explains some of that. ruclips.net/video/1HkjqpM9r9w/видео.htmlsi=unUqfdRZFg8xCpOu Thanks for watching!😎
I am already missing your loop updates. Lots of people have started, are in the progress of and completed loop video's. Yours is by far one of the best. Up there with What Yacht to Do and Bob
Rachael & Malcolm, I have been binge watching your journey for the past few weeks living my life vicariously through your experiences. This was especially rewarding during the deep freeze that blanketed most of the nation the past 2 weeks and my furnace crapped out - darn part is on a 4-week back order. GRRRRR!! or should I say BRRRRRR!!! Your videos made the chill much more warming and tolerable. Rachael, you have a very good eye for framing videos. Well done! 👍👍 I live in land locked Edmonton and hope to one day return to the warm blue ocean for boating and scuba diving. THANK YOU.
Hi Patrick, We hope your furnace part arrives sooner than 4-weeks! 🥶 Thanks so much for your kind comments and glad we could keep you company!😎 All the best in your goal to return to boating. Thanks for coming along for the journey.
Malcolm and Rachel - Great tips, thanks. My wife and I have been planning our loop adventure for a couple years now, and we are starting next May 2024 - we cannot wait. Thanks again, great advice.
You’re welcome Bill! So glad you found this episode useful. Good luck to you both as you prepare to head out on your loop in May! We know you’ll have so much fun! Thanks for watching!😎
Loved your list! Thanks for sharing. My wife and I are in our early 50’s. We have a bit more work to do before we can go, but we are excited and we have learned a great deal through youtube. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thanks Troy and glad you found the list useful! If we have learned one thing, it's to take advantage of our healthful years while we can. We hope you can go on your loop soon... it is a wonderful experience and no two loops are the same!😎
Glad you enjoyed our journey Irvin and thanks for following along! We definitely plan to get out on the water in the Straight of Georgia to start. Up to Alaska would be fun… definitely very ambitious going down to Mexico! 😎
Husband sprung this trip idea on me last week! We’re both retired, him as a Boeing mechanical engineer, are in our mid 60’s, and in fairly good health. The only experience we have is on our pontoon boat. We live in Fairhope, Alabama and live on a small canal that empties into Weeks Bay, Fish River and Mobile Bay. Big decision is should we sell our house, buy a 40’ boat and possibly live the rest of our lives cruising around. We’ve been watching your videos and greatly appreciate all the great tips! Couple years ago we rented a 50’ boat in the Seattle area and cruised with 2 other couples to Victoria, BC and back. Husband took a day long class on boating, and did an amazing job Captaining the whole trip! I still say we are novices to more serious boating. We’re thinking of looking for something like a used 35’ -40’ Mainship or Meridian. A few questions we’re wondering is we should keep our house or not and if we do, what do most do with their house for possibly a year. We really don’t want to rent it out. Could I ask what y’all did with your house while you were gone, how’d you get your Rx and did you ever need to see a doctor or dentist while you were on the Loop? It sounds like y’all sold your boat after your trip (?). Are you aware of any places we can find a boat from people like you that did the Loop then sold your boat? Did you have much trouble with cell service or know of which company has the best service for coverage? If so, was Did y’all have a lot of boat experience before your trip? Did you purchase the Novamar Loop Boating Insurance? If so, do you think it was worth it? Which tow company do most purchase? Any more tips we should consider as novices? It sounds like you had an amazing experience! Would you do any part of the Loop again? Thank you for sharing your experiences! We decided we really want to take this giant step but I’m not really certain which first step to take…besides buying a boat, of course. Thank you again. Sorry I’m rambling, it’s about 3:00am and after watching so many videos my head is spinning!
Hi Cindy and thanks for your long message! Glad you have enjoyed some of our videos. The Great Loop is a fantastic experience. As most loopers will tell you, it's an adventure, not a vacation! While looping, we did not rent out our house in BC and we had someone check in every few days and pick up our mail. Halfway through our year-long trip, our daughter moved into our house and took care of it. Selling your house is a personal choice. Our thought was we wanted somewhere to come back to, in case we unexpectedly needed it. We have several years of boating experience in various sizes of vessels. Any experience you get will assist you and make you feel more comfortable navigating in different waterways. As Canadians, we got insurance from AVIVA, one of the only companies in Canada that offers marine insurance. Make sure you have insurance that covers your entire trip (including Canada and Bahamas, if you plan to boat there). We purchased TowBoatUS. We travelled home twice during the year and had any medical requirements dealt with at home, including Rx renewals. We purchased travel health insurance for the year to cover us in the event of an emergency. We recommend you join the AGLCA (greatloop.org) for lots of information that can help you. Members will post their boats for sale as they near the end of their loop. There are also sponsors, boat brokers who can help you find a boat. If you haven't already seen them, you might like to watch some of our other videos to help answer more of your questions: ruclips.net/video/1HkjqpM9r9w/видео.htmlsi=l2lRZNMlnh5gdLsh ruclips.net/video/tTpawNb3HR0/видео.htmlsi=ZM3AuRjOQ9An8iUm ruclips.net/video/e-4prtjzFzo/видео.htmlsi=AwRE4fSloJoo1ST3 Thanks for watching and we wish you all the best in your boating adventures. 😎
Thanks for all the tips. Looking to start in 2025. What did you use for camera(s) and obviously a drone. I noticed microphones in the last videos again what did you use? Thanks and your wife did a great job on putting the adventure together on RUclips.
Hi Brian, I (Rachel) simply use my iPhone SE for all the videos. I just got some cheap lapel microphones from Amazon. Malcolm is the drone pilot using our DJI Mavic Air. We try to be respectful of flying rules including avoiding airspace near airports, not flying them in Federal or Provincial parks (includes locks), and simply respecting others’ privacy. Good luck in your upcoming adventure! We appreciate your kind comments and thanks for watching😎
Hey Sean, as Canadian loopers travelling in US waters, we chose to return to our home province twice to maintain our BC healthcare (October & April). We also left the US and cruised for 2 months in the Bahamas in the winter (February & March). I believe it is possible to travel in the USA longer than 6 months but that has implications for income tax. Thanks for watching!😎
Hi you two. It’s been fun watching you from the beginning. My wife and I are approaching retirement and have been dreaming of doing the loop. We appreciate all you’ve shared. Thanks for sharing your expenses. I think that could be the most challenging part. Was your boat in the expenses as a monthly cost or was that separate? We been trying to figure out if buying outright is best or having a monthly payment is. How did you two deal with that part? Thanks again for sharing. We’ll continue watching and enjoying. Ken & Denise
Hi Ken & Denise, Thanks so much for following our Great Loop journey! We appreciate it! With regards to our costs, the total cost we shared in this episode includes everything except the cost of the boat itself. It did include all of the operating expenses for the boat. We purchased our boat and then sold it after we completed the loop. This scenario worked best for us at the time and obviously depends on the market.😎
@staycool123 I have been following you guys for months now (well done!!) One question... following this thread... a big expense I'm trying to avoid is the broker commission expense when selling our loop boat (typically 10%). How did you do it? For-sale-by-owner or a broker? If broker, do they ever do deals for < 10%? BTW...We have not purchased our boat yet... we are in the planning stages... hoping for a start date of April/May 2024.
Hey John, we sold our boat ourselves without a broker. Be aware that prices can differ for different markets, so knowing the market where you are and being willing to travel may help. I don't know if brokers ever adjust their rate, but it couldn't hurt to ask. All the best searching for your looping vessel and on the loop itself - you will have so much fun!😎
During your shakedown year, how many times did you travel to your boat before actually beginning your loop? You suggest a year, but since you don’t live near your starting point, how much time did you actually spend actively aboard? I am envisioning a shake down period of about a month to learn the particular vessel, but that would be 30 or so consecutive days. In your opinion, does that sound realistic?
Good question DrLaura. 30 days of learning your vessel sounds reasonable, especially if you have prior boating experience. The more time with your vessel, the more confidence you’ll have maneuvering and also more chance to discover any issues, allowing you to make any necessary changes/upgrades. In our case, we lived near our boat for over 2 full boating seasons (in Ontario) which allowed us to get to know our vessel quite well prior to starting the loop. Because of the pandemic and the border closures, our plans to start the loop in 2020 and then move to BC after the loop changed and we ended up moving to BC prior to starting our loop. Many loopers do start their loop away from home and I would be interested to know how they managed. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!😎
Great idea to have bikes for those activities. E-bikes would extend your range but much heavier to lift on and off the boat. Main concerns are storage and weight. For provisioning we recommend using grocery delivery. Hope this helps and thanks for watching William!😎
I have a couple questions if you don't mind my asking. Stay Cool is a beautiful Boat!! Now that you've sold her, would you have liked a little bigger boat? Say...40 or 43 foot? Also, in your opinion, would you rather have had a twin-screw boat? Or were the thrustes find for maneuvering .
Hi Greg, While there is no perfect boat, Stay Cool was great for the intended use of living one-year aboard for the Great Loop. If we had regular visitors, it would have been nice to have a bigger boat. They say you should buy something that is big enough to live on but small enough for 2 people to handle comfortably. For a boat with an inboard engine, it’s much easier to do maintenance on a single engine than twin engines (because of space). The thrusters made maneuvering much easier and the rear thruster was a game changer. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!😎
Over 6000 miles with no breakdowns, no anchor drags and no meeting of the bottom! A testament to your boating skills and planning. Some great tips!
Hey Tom & Marlene, thanks for your kind comment. It goes to show that route planning and watching weather are in fact both useful skills! Thanks for watching!😎
That was some good sound advice before and during the loop. You two pulled it off due to being a great team! Rachel did a great job of capturing and narrating their adventure. Enjoyed watching.
Glad you enjoyed the journey TMac. We sure enjoyed having you along for the ride and look forward to your comments!😊🙏
I have been following several "Loopers" along their journey and I have to say you two are the best "team" I've had the pleasure of watching. Your calm communication with each other and confidence in your abilities reflect the fact that you obviously followed your own tips in preparation for the Loop which made your trip more enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Just have one question - did you encounter any single Loopers along the way and how did they adapt to making a solo trip?
So kind of you to say Susan… we appreciate it! We do work well as a team, not to say there aren’t moments with choice words!😳😆
We met several single loopers along the way and they seemed to adapt well. They enjoyed the trip and loved meeting other loopers. Two that we know, want you to do the loop again!🩵😎
Hi guys. Another hit video with some great advice. Looking forward to next week's video. Come the dead of winter, I am going to re-watch the entire trip which should prove to be a welcome diversion from a cold, snowy Calgary winter.
Hi Gary, WOW! Re-watching the whole trip…that’s a lot of Stay Cool!😎😂
Unless you love winter, we Canadians do like a diversion from the cold snowy months. Stay warm and thanks for watching!🩵💛
I too have watched several loopers and you two come in as number (1) of my top 10.
The music, dialog, videos are top notch.
Enjoy the retirement.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Glad you enjoyed following our journey. It was fun sharing our experiences.😎 What a great way to start our retirement! Thanks for watching 🙏
Thank you for another interesting and enjoyable video.
Thank you for watching Andrew!😎
Thank you for sharing your adventures. I am so looking forward to the next chapter.
You’re welcome Harold and thanks so much for watching!😎
Well done list of tips. Would be a great, once in a lifetime journey. I envy y'all and glad your trip was successful.
Thanks so much Buck! It is an adventure we will cherish with many fond memories. Thanks for being a loyal follower... we appreciate it! Hope you're having a great day! 😎
We always enjoyed watching your looper videos. Love both your wonderful personalities. Hope you will still be making videos of your adventures and maintenance tips even though you have completed your 1st loop.
Hey Robert, thanks for your kind comment.😊 We plan to share future adventures as well as parts of Vancouver Island, where we live, so stay tuned for lots more to come. If you haven’t already seen it, checkout our Great Loop summary which explains some of that. ruclips.net/video/1HkjqpM9r9w/видео.htmlsi=unUqfdRZFg8xCpOu Thanks for watching!😎
Great advice and tips you guys. Thanks again for all the information along the loop and for taking us along. Be well and best wishes youngsters.
Hey Byron, glad you like our top tips and thank you for watching this episode!😎 Hope you’re having a great day!😊
Thanks so much for taking us along on your adventure and also the very helpful tips. Greatly appreciated!
Thanks for joining us on our journey Mark! 😎
The bloopers were my favourite 😂😂❤️
Haha…. bloopers 😂
I am already missing your loop updates. Lots of people have started, are in the progress of and completed loop video's. Yours is by far one of the best. Up there with What Yacht to Do and Bob
So glad you enjoyed our journey David!😎 It’s fun to see different perspectives and each loop is unique. Thanks for watching!😊
Fantastic Information!
Straight Forward!
Meat & Potatos!
I feel I can trust your honesty!
Thank you!
Thanks Rory! We appreciate that. Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!😃
Great suggestions, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!😃
Rachael & Malcolm, I have been binge watching your journey for the past few weeks living my life vicariously through your experiences. This was especially rewarding during the deep freeze that blanketed most of the nation the past 2 weeks and my furnace crapped out - darn part is on a 4-week back order. GRRRRR!! or should I say BRRRRRR!!! Your videos made the chill much more warming and tolerable.
Rachael, you have a very good eye for framing videos. Well done! 👍👍
I live in land locked Edmonton and hope to one day return to the warm blue ocean for boating and scuba diving. THANK YOU.
Hi Patrick,
We hope your furnace part arrives sooner than 4-weeks! 🥶 Thanks so much for your kind comments and glad we could keep you company!😎 All the best in your goal to return to boating. Thanks for coming along for the journey.
Malcolm and Rachel - Great tips, thanks. My wife and I have been planning our loop adventure for a couple years now, and we are starting next May 2024 - we cannot wait. Thanks again, great advice.
You’re welcome Bill! So glad you found this episode useful. Good luck to you both as you prepare to head out on your loop in May! We know you’ll have so much fun! Thanks for watching!😎
Loved your list! Thanks for sharing. My wife and I are in our early 50’s. We have a bit more work to do before we can go, but we are excited and we have learned a great deal through youtube. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thanks Troy and glad you found the list useful! If we have learned one thing, it's to take advantage of our healthful years while we can. We hope you can go on your loop soon... it is a wonderful experience and no two loops are the same!😎
I thoroughly enjoyed your adventure. Looking forward to your next adventure. Maybe cruising the Pacific coast. 😉 Alaska to Mexico.🤣
Glad you enjoyed our journey Irvin and thanks for following along! We definitely plan to get out on the water in the Straight of Georgia to start. Up to Alaska would be fun… definitely very ambitious going down to Mexico! 😎
The cost info is very helpful.
The Great Loop can have a huge range in cost, some loopers spend less and some spend much more. Glad you found it helpful and thanks for watching!😎
Excellent!
Thank you! Cheers! 😃
Husband sprung this trip idea on me last week!
We’re both retired, him as a Boeing mechanical engineer, are in our mid 60’s, and in fairly good health. The only experience we have is on our pontoon boat. We live in Fairhope, Alabama and live on a small canal that empties into Weeks Bay, Fish River and Mobile Bay. Big decision is should we sell our house, buy a 40’ boat and possibly live the rest of our lives cruising around. We’ve been watching your videos and greatly appreciate all the great tips!
Couple years ago we rented a 50’ boat in the Seattle area and cruised with 2 other couples to Victoria, BC and back. Husband took a day long class on boating, and did an amazing job Captaining the whole trip! I still say we are novices to more serious boating. We’re thinking of looking for something like a used 35’ -40’ Mainship or Meridian.
A few questions we’re wondering is we should keep our house or not and if we do, what do most do with their house for possibly a year. We really don’t want to rent it out. Could I ask what y’all did with your house while you were gone, how’d you get your Rx and did you ever need to see a doctor or dentist while you were on the Loop? It sounds like y’all sold your boat after your trip (?). Are you aware of any places we can find a boat from people like you that did the Loop then sold your boat? Did you have much trouble with cell service or know of which company has the best service for coverage? If so, was
Did y’all have a lot of boat experience before your trip? Did you purchase the Novamar Loop Boating Insurance? If so, do you think it was worth it? Which tow company do most purchase? Any more tips we should consider as novices? It sounds like you had an amazing experience! Would you do any part of the Loop again? Thank you for sharing your experiences! We decided we really want to take this giant step but I’m not really certain which first step to take…besides buying a boat, of course. Thank you again. Sorry I’m rambling, it’s about 3:00am and after watching so many videos my head is spinning!
Hi Cindy and thanks for your long message! Glad you have enjoyed some of our videos. The Great Loop is a fantastic experience. As most loopers will tell you, it's an adventure, not a vacation! While looping, we did not rent out our house in BC and we had someone check in every few days and pick up our mail. Halfway through our year-long trip, our daughter moved into our house and took care of it. Selling your house is a personal choice. Our thought was we wanted somewhere to come back to, in case we unexpectedly needed it.
We have several years of boating experience in various sizes of vessels. Any experience you get will assist you and make you feel more comfortable navigating in different waterways. As Canadians, we got insurance from AVIVA, one of the only companies in Canada that offers marine insurance. Make sure you have insurance that covers your entire trip (including Canada and Bahamas, if you plan to boat there). We purchased TowBoatUS. We travelled home twice during the year and had any medical requirements dealt with at home, including Rx renewals. We purchased travel health insurance for the year to cover us in the event of an emergency. We recommend you join the AGLCA (greatloop.org) for lots of information that can help you. Members will post their boats for sale as they near the end of their loop. There are also sponsors, boat brokers who can help you find a boat. If you haven't already seen them, you might like to watch some of our other videos to help answer more of your questions:
ruclips.net/video/1HkjqpM9r9w/видео.htmlsi=l2lRZNMlnh5gdLsh
ruclips.net/video/tTpawNb3HR0/видео.htmlsi=ZM3AuRjOQ9An8iUm
ruclips.net/video/e-4prtjzFzo/видео.htmlsi=AwRE4fSloJoo1ST3
Thanks for watching and we wish you all the best in your boating adventures. 😎
@@staycool123 Thank you for your long reply! Happy boating!
7:59 👍👍
Thanks for watching!😎
Thanks for all the tips. Looking to start in 2025. What did you use for camera(s) and obviously a drone. I noticed microphones in the last videos again what did you use? Thanks and your wife did a great job on putting the adventure together on RUclips.
Hi Brian, I (Rachel) simply use my iPhone SE for all the videos. I just got some cheap lapel microphones from Amazon. Malcolm is the drone pilot using our DJI Mavic Air. We try to be respectful of flying rules including avoiding airspace near airports, not flying them in Federal or Provincial parks (includes locks), and simply respecting others’ privacy. Good luck in your upcoming adventure! We appreciate your kind comments and thanks for watching😎
thanks for all the great videos and advice. how were you able to leave Canada for more than 6 months?
Hey Sean, as Canadian loopers travelling in US waters, we chose to return to our home province twice to maintain our BC healthcare (October & April). We also left the US and cruised for 2 months in the Bahamas in the winter (February & March). I believe it is possible to travel in the USA longer than 6 months but that has implications for income tax. Thanks for watching!😎
Hi you two. It’s been fun watching you from the beginning. My wife and I are approaching retirement and have been dreaming of doing the loop. We appreciate all you’ve shared. Thanks for sharing your expenses. I think that could be the most challenging part. Was your boat in the expenses as a monthly cost or was that separate? We been trying to figure out if buying outright is best or having a monthly payment is. How did you two deal with that part?
Thanks again for sharing. We’ll continue watching and enjoying.
Ken & Denise
Hi Ken & Denise,
Thanks so much for following our Great Loop journey! We appreciate it!
With regards to our costs, the total cost we shared in this episode includes everything except the cost of the boat itself. It did include all of the operating expenses for the boat. We purchased our boat and then sold it after we completed the loop. This scenario worked best for us at the time and obviously depends on the market.😎
@staycool123 I have been following you guys for months now (well done!!) One question... following this thread... a big expense I'm trying to avoid is the broker commission expense when selling our loop boat (typically 10%). How did you do it? For-sale-by-owner or a broker? If broker, do they ever do deals for < 10%? BTW...We have not purchased our boat yet... we are in the planning stages... hoping for a start date of April/May 2024.
Hey John, we sold our boat ourselves without a broker. Be aware that prices can differ for different markets, so knowing the market where you are and being willing to travel may help. I don't know if brokers ever adjust their rate, but it couldn't hurt to ask. All the best searching for your looping vessel and on the loop itself - you will have so much fun!😎
During your shakedown year, how many times did you travel to your boat before actually beginning your loop? You suggest a year, but since you don’t live near your starting point, how much time did you actually spend actively aboard? I am envisioning a shake down period of about a month to learn the particular vessel, but that would be 30 or so consecutive days. In your opinion, does that sound realistic?
Good question DrLaura. 30 days of learning your vessel sounds reasonable, especially if you have prior boating experience. The more time with your vessel, the more confidence you’ll have maneuvering and also more chance to discover any issues, allowing you to make any necessary changes/upgrades.
In our case, we lived near our boat for over 2 full boating seasons (in Ontario) which allowed us to get to know our vessel quite well prior to starting the loop. Because of the pandemic and the border closures, our plans to start the loop in 2020 and then move to BC after the loop changed and we ended up moving to BC prior to starting our loop. Many loopers do start their loop away from home and I would be interested to know how they managed. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!😎
Thinking of bringing e-bikes for provisioning, sightseeing and dining out. Good or bad idea?
Great idea to have bikes for those activities. E-bikes would extend your range but much heavier to lift on and off the boat. Main concerns are storage and weight. For provisioning we recommend using grocery delivery. Hope this helps and thanks for watching William!😎
I have a couple questions if you don't mind my asking. Stay Cool is a beautiful Boat!! Now that you've sold her, would you have liked a little bigger boat? Say...40 or 43 foot? Also, in your opinion, would you rather have had a twin-screw boat? Or were the thrustes find for maneuvering .
Hi Greg,
While there is no perfect boat, Stay Cool was great for the intended use of living one-year aboard for the Great Loop. If we had regular visitors, it would have been nice to have a bigger boat. They say you should buy something that is big enough to live on but small enough for 2 people to handle comfortably. For a boat with an inboard engine, it’s much easier to do maintenance on a single engine than twin engines (because of space). The thrusters made maneuvering much easier and the rear thruster was a game changer. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!😎