THE GREAT LOOP LIST

Who knew that a huge chunk of America is an island? Sure, we have lots of smaller islands, from Manhattan in New York to Catalina in California, but this one is about 1,000 miles across and 1,100 miles north to south—and a lot of skippers have discovered that you can circumnavigate it.

These skippers are called Great Loopers, and their Great Loop route takes them up the East Coast, across rivers and canals to the Great Lakes, down rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, and around Florida to the East Coast again. Or the other way.

But before you cast off on this 6,000-mile, all-American (or mostly American, if you tiptoe into Canada) cruise, there’s a lot to know. A whole lot.

First, what craft can