Alex Hill, owner of Island Girl, asked us to post the following.

" Want a short break away into some less sailed waters?  Or would you like to trailer up and join me for part of the adventure on the Upper Great Loop?

I am trying to get some ideas of when close family, friends, and crew might want to join me for part of the Loop cruise.  Then I will open the generic invitation to other contacts, some of whom have already expressed an interest.  A few generic photos are now on Facebook.

Island Girl easily sleeps 3 couples in separate cabins and has room for another couple.  The basic plan is to leave Rhode Island around June 10 and return about 5 weeks later.  It will be a slow and relaxing trip with average day trips of only 25-to-40-miles.  That’s half of my daily average on the delivery north from Florida (Lower Great Loop).  Lots of stuff to see along the way!

The first week (6/10?) is a sail through NYC and up the Hudson River to Troy, NY.  The Hudson is tidal so we will be timing the travel with the tidal flows.

Then we lower the mast for 160 miles on the Erie Canal.  Another beautiful week (6/17?) with limited operational hours of the many locks…so time to explore and ride along the bike trail (I plan to bring one bike).

The third week (6/24?) is a short sail or motor from Oswego, NY to Kingston, Ontario, CA.  PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED.  And then up the St. Lawrence River to Montreal.  They are sponsoring Jazz Week for the time I expect to be there…7/1 +/-. 

From there (7/4??), it is a mast down trip south through the Canadian and US canal systems to Lake Champlain.  A potential week (7/8) of sailing and exploring the lake area around Burlington, NY.  And then again lowering the mast for the canal portion back to Troy, NY. 

The fifth (ish) week (7/ 15?) will be a sail down the Hudson, through NYC, east on Long Island Sound, and home in mid/late-July.

Stops along the entire route are about a 3-hour drive or less from Boston.  Long-term parking exists in many spots.  It is a busy biking, boating, camping, and vacationing (B&B or day trips) area so transportation, including car jumping with others, is reasonably available.  Some preliminary planning is helpful.  All dates are “maybes” as weather, tidal currents, lock schedules, and attractions will influence the realized schedule.

All “wish-list” plans should solidify by late May.

Hoping that some of you can join my excursion,

Alex Hill

Alex can be reached by posting here, or you can contact him directly at m_alex_hill@yahoo.com