Listees should be aware that it is not necessary to do the Loop in 8 weeks or 6 months. In fact it is not necessary to do the Loop in a continuous trip. The more time you take, the more enjoyable the experience. Forty years ago my wife and I did the Loop in a 23' Westerly Nomad auxiliary cruising sailboat. Power was provided by a 10HP Kermath Sea Twin engine. Today, of course, a 4 stroke 8 or 9 hp outboard could substitute for the heavy inboard. There was no Great Loop Association then and the Loop was never considered a reasonable adventure. We just did it because a close examination of availabe charts showed that it was possible. The sailboat's tabernacle mounted mast could be lowered or raised by one person in 20 minutes. This was critical. We could lower the mast for a canal or a long bridge wait, then raise it for a stretch of open water. Doing the loop in a sailboat with a keel stepped mast would be far more inconvenient. The trip was accomplished in several university three month summer vacation stints and included side excursions of a few weeks of cruising in the Finger Lakes, Lake Champlain and the Florida Keys. The ability to sail was a definite asset. Except for narrow rivers and canals, large portions of the trip can be made under sail. The Hudson, Lake Champlain, the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes, Georgian Bay, the Gulf Coasts, the Florida Keys, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the Jersey Shore are all great sailing venues. Our fuel bill for the entire trip was only about $600. Of course gas was a lot cheaper then. We would trail the boat to our starting point, sail and motor as far as we could in the available time. Then take a bus back to retrieve the car and trailer and tow the boat home for the winter. The next year we would start again from our previous stopping point. Over the years we hit most of the interesting portions of the Loop, the parts talked about by Loopers. We probably dallied too long in the Finger Lakes and the Florida Keys, both desirable vacation destinations in themselves. On one trip we even trailed the boat to Disney World and slept in it in the Wilderness Park travel trailer area. Eventually we had a couple of kids who needed more room than a small sailboat could provide. Based on our experience, I would say that the 23' Nomad was large enough for a couple, probably too small for a family. It had adequate creature comforts, standing headroom if you were not too tall, a cook stove, a head, and comfortable berths. It was very easy for a couple to handle in canals and locks. The fact that my wife and I still speak to each other is probably due to our resolve to spend at least one night a week in a shore side motel, eating a good meal, and taking lengthy hot showers. We anchored out most of the time so that saving paid for our weekly indulgence. With the wisdom of hindsight, I would choose a slightly larger boat today, but not one much bigger than 30'. Two elderly people can muscle a boat of that size in locks and into fuel docks without the assistance of dock attendants. Our basic philosophy remains the same. The boat should be self contained as much as possible and not require any marina hookups. Anchoring out is a pleasure, not a chore. I would like to stress that there is nothing illegal or immoral about trailer sailing on a Great Loop trip. The object of the trip is not to cover every inch of the loop by water but rather to enjoy the varied experiences that the voyage has to offer. Whether it is done in one continuous stint or spread out over a couple of years is almost irrelevant. Larry Z