Honey, Let's Get a Boat... A Cruising Adventure of America's Great Loop Paperback – June 1, 2003

Follows a couples journey from start to finish as they embark on the trip of a lifetime. After reading this story I decided that I would never do this. I use to think I wanted to buy a sail boat and encircle the planet. I abandoned that idea too after watching the perils of others do it on social media. I’ll stay home and play guitar, its safer.

I was really prepared to like this book for a lot of reasons. The author's wife had a South Dakota connection and we live in South Dakota. We're deeply into boating and expect to do the Great Loop someday. It was generally good reading and avoided getting into a rut, which some Great Loop blogs and books can easily do. "Today we sailed here, locked through, then sailed there, locked through..." The author avoids that temptation. The author and his wife also started the Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) which is just huge to those doing or contemplating the Great Loop. I feel like I owe them some good will just for that. However, I would recommend this book except for one thing, and at least one of the other reviewers mentioned this. The author adopts this really snide and superior tone once in a while and gets downright insulting. For example, his mother in law joins the trip at one point, and he ceaselessly concentrates on her advanced age to the point where it got really irritating. He makes what he considers to be clever cracks about her age until it long stops being funny. More distracting though, he insults the United States and Americans just a few times, but so harshly that I don't know why he doesn't just renounce his citizenship. "Americans are strident and vulgar." He even attacks the U.S. national anthem. Now maybe he's trying to be funny again -- and if this were a political commentary book by Jon Stewart it wouldn't be so jarring or distracting. It's too bad he didn't have an editor to suggest he cut out even just the first page of Chapter 13. I'm not oversensitive about criticisms of the U.S., and I don't mind writing that explores cultural differences on a trip -- but those few harsh attacks on the U.S. and Americans and that superior, snobby tone he adopts from time to time were really distracting and grating.For those preparing to do the Loop this book is pretty dated now as far as specifics go. They did their trip in the mid 1990's, before 9/11, before $4 gas (well, $6 gas at marinas), before a lot of changes, but because the Stobs are the founders of AGLCA I would read it just for that reason.

Good account of their trip and very helpful information for those planning to undertake such a Great Loop journey. The listing of information. Guides and summary of expenses was very helpful. The writing was done with detail and humor as well.

Although the mercifully-short book contains some examples of good writing, and the occasional humorous line, you have to wade through a lot of cringe-y stuff to get to it. For example: the author, an older white liberal Democrat from California (made obvious from his commentary in the book) deemed it necessary to point out every single "black person" he encountered on his trip, as if they were some rare breed of animal seen at a zoo. He also makes some super-cringe-y analogies like: "...corroded automobiles lined the beach like bums at a Salvation Army coup kitchen..." Yikes. Not very PC for a woke Californian. There is also a fair amount of holier-than-thou religious chatter, so feel free to skip those parts. The stuff about the boating itself and the waterways is helpful, especially for those of us who are prepping to do the Loop, even if many of the important lessons can be learned from things they did wrong. The inclusion of overly-prolific 5-syllable SAT words leads one to believe the author is one of those who enjoys hearing himself speak (or write)... but in the end, I think the book is worth slogging through for the relevant boating info.

My husband is very interested in cruising The Great Loop so we both read this iconic book to see what to expect. The book is interesting and recounts the Stob's year long odyssey describing ports and towns visited, problems encountered along the way, scary moments and fun times. The appendix is filled with tons of pertinent information such as planning your itinerary, recommended guidebooks, where to take boater education classes, budgets, choosing and outfitting a boat, etc. We are still researching whether we will attempt the loop, but this is the perfect first book to read on the subject of looping.

I bought and read the original in 1999 and must admit, it did give me the fever and I love that about the book. I have been on a 15 year quest to get ready to do the loop and have been reading, researching, and googling everything I can about it. I bought this as it stated it was revised in 2010. I saw very little change between the years and in fact, was disappointed that much of the material is well outdated, including cost figures and even Marina's that are now closed.The cover indicates there is a guidebook included - did I miss something? I'm still looking for itIt reads a lot like someone's travel log but there are some references they make to certain places that are noteworthy to be referenced in my future cruising guides.I think the author's attempt of humor is sometimes futile and they should have left their political and personnel opinions on the chart table. They were somewhat negative toward the end and in fact sounded like they couldn't wait for it to be over - not at all inspiring. In fact, sold their boat when the loop was completed.If you are interested in doing the loop it is a decent source to wet your appetite but as far as buying and outfitting you first boat, I highly recommend "Living Aboard A Boat" written by Mark Nicholas as a very good place to start.

The book condition was as described. I like used books. However, the in-store price tag was still on the book. Doesn't make you feel good when you pay $19 for a book and see a price tag for .79 cents.

good book

very informative with humour.

Funny, as well as informative, this book is our first "research" into whether we will one day do this Great Loop ourselves.