Rogersville, Al (Port #35); Oct 15-21

Hey Blog Followers,

Sorry for the lack of updates, we have been very busy this past week at the AGLCA Looper’s Fall Rendezvous in Rogersville Alabama (AGLCA = America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association).
The event is 1 of 2 annual events for AGLCA members.
The intent of the Rendezvous is to share Great Loop knowledge between folks who have Completed the Loop, Current Loopers, and Loopers in Planning.
The event was held at the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge & Marina in Rogersville Alabama.
It was a week long event with about 260 attendees and about 50 boats (about 100 active Loopers & 150 planners).

The activities this week included the following –
1. Classes discussing the upcoming sections of The Loop
2. Looper Crawls
3. Social Dinners
4. A Polo Match
5. Dinghy Races
6. Meeting a lot of new people & new friends.

1. Classes discussing the upcoming sections of The Loop
These classes are given by folks who have already completed the Loop multiple times. The classes at this weeks seminar included travel sections of the Loop between Rogersville Alabama & Norfolk Virginia (the Spring Rendezvous in Norfolk will cover the Loop between Norfolk & back to Rogersville). The classes include recommended marinas, anchorages, and potential high risk areas due to high & low tides/current, shoaling, etc.
The classes in the main conference room included the following sections of America’s Great Loop (the classes were mainly for Active Loopers).
– Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile, AL
– Mobile to Tarpon Springs, FL
– Crossing the Gulf w/o Drama
– Tarpon Springs to Jacksonville, FL – via Lake Okeechobee
– Fort Myers to Stuart, FL – via The Keys
– Side trip – Cruising the Bahamas
– Jacksonville, FL to Beaufort, SC
– Beaufort to Norfolk, VA
The classes in the secondary conference room included the following topics (these classes were mainly for Loopers in Planning).
– Buying your Looper Boat
– How to Finance your Boat
– Insurance
– Marine Electronics
– Emergency Medicine at Sea
– Reluctant Partners
– DIY Maintenance
– Locks
– Looping on a budget
– Selling your Boat after the Loop

2. Looper Crawls
Looper Crawls are a daily event where the newbie “Loopers in Planning” can come on all 50 of the “Active Looper” boats and talk to the owners about their boats.
You typically discuss why you bought your type of boat, what you like/dislike, and how you have your boat outfitted for the Loop. If you are in the process of buying a boat to Loop with, this is a great opportunity to compare many different types and sizes of boats.

3. Social Dinners
At the end of every tutorial day, there is a large group dinner for all 260 participants to compare notes from the day of classes and socialize.

4. Polo Match
On Wednesday of this week, the social dinner was off-site from the Joe Wheeler Park.
The dinner was held at a nearby Polo Field. The Loopers were treated to a Polo match, followed by a dinner, a band, and a lot of dancing.

5. Dinghy Races
This was a very fun event where Loopers race against time as a couple, against other Loopers, with one spouse giving directions to the other spouse who is blind folded. The dinghy race is also run in reverse gear (not so easy to steer). They only announced the winners, but me & Nellie finished in the middle of the pack. There were 12 boats that participated in the Dinghy race.

6. Meeting a lot of new people & new friends.
We met so many new friends at the Rendezvous. Many of the new people we met are not currently Looping, they have either completed the Loop or are in the process of planning their future Loop.
The most interesting of the new friends were Bobby & Wendy Wilson.
Bobby & Wendy completed their Loop in 2015/2016, but what was most interesting is that they completed the Loop in a 32 ft Bayliner, WITH THEIR 4 DAUGHTERS (remember, Jonell & I are doing the Loop in a 43 ft vessel with only 2 of us).
A large part of their desire to do the Loop with their entire family was that their youngest daughter Mia was born with a congenital heart defect. Mia’s heart condition affects her pulmonary function, and she has to do similar breathing treatments as our son Dan (imagine coordinating all the medicine deliveries).
Their desire to do the Loop was because they do not have certainty of Mia’s future health condition, and they wanted to create the family memories while they were still able to.
Bobbie worked while Looping, he runs a business which helps process credit card transactions. Wendy home schooled the 4 girls while Looping.
The Wilson’s are very active in AGLCA teaching courses such as ; Looping on a Budget & Looping with a Family.
They are wonderful, inspirational people.

The Joe Wheeler Lodge Complex
Aerial Video compliments of Ken Murphree = https://youtu.be/vN3jCC7vXko

The Joe Wheeler Marina

 

The Conference Room Environment

The Looper Crawls

 

The Polo Match

The Dinghy Race

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncJhz9sOHuk