353 days on America’s Great Loop
THE GREAT LOOP
5,500 MILES | 2 COUNTRIES | 16 STATES
COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER OF 2024 ON OUR FIRST SAILBOAT, NOVELLA
OUR SHORT (25’) STORY
After reading a number of sailing paperbacks, we decided to stop dreaming and start living a life centered around adventure. We bought the first decent “trailer sailor” we found near our home in the Midwest and began to learn to sail while outfitting our boat for The Great Loop.
It took us just short of one full year to complete the loop on our O’Day 25 sailboat, Novella. This adventure forced us out of our comfort zone and gave us an entirely new outlook on life. Our self-guided tour of the eastern half of the United States and parts of Canada was a thrilling and challenging voyage full of exploring communities, making friends, discovering local eateries, and experiencing nature in an entirely new way.
The sheer amount of memories made can be difficult to recall at times, and we quickly found that our days were blurring together. We started a tradition of posting every day while underway. These nightly summaries were a way to take stock of the day’s activities, both the good and the bad, while cementing them to memory.
Looking back at and reminiscing about what was supposed to be a short sailing story is now one of our favorite pastimes, and we are excited to continue this tradition while traveling on our new sailboat, Origami.
For a day-to-day log recounting all of Novella’s travels, check out our Instagram account @sailingnovella. For detailed information concerning our Great Loop adventure, visit the Loop Gallery page or read any of our blog posts starting at the bottom of this page.
DAILY LOG OF OUR GREAT LOOP ADVENTURE @SAILINGNOVELLA
HIGHLIGHTS
CONNECTING WITH NATURE
SECLUDED ANCHORAGES
MAKING FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY
TRYING LOCAL FOOD & DRINK
THE ROUTE
From purchasing the boat in Michigan to learning to sail in Nebraska, we towed the boat to Tennessee, where we officially splashed and started The Great Loop.
ABOUT THE BOAT
We won Novella from an eBay auction (sight unseen) for $3,200, trailer included. She was in a slip on the Great Lakes and turned out to be in fantastic condition. Novella is a 25’ O’Day shoal draft sailboat. We trailered her home to Iowa and got to work turning a boat designed for short weekend trips into our full-time home.