What is it about the Great Loop that attracts so many boaters? Is it the people or the places along the way that inspire them to set out on a 6,000- to 7,500-mile cruise of the East Coast and Middle America?

Personally, with significant East Coast cruising under my belt, I find the idea of discovering the Great Lakes and Middle America by boat exceptionally appealing—especially when I consider experiencing so many new places for the first time with my family.

In putting this special Great Loop issue together, I’ve gained a new perspective on why the allure of the Loop is so strong: It’s the challenge itself, I’m learning, that so many people crave. In today’s world, it feels as if everything is designed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. Amazon Prime, Instacart, Uber Eats, Netflix—and lest we forget, social media—have us tethered to our phones and a never-ending digital dopamine roulette. Landscapers, mechanics, and various other professionals are just a few taps away if a task feels too daunting. Self-driving cars come with heated seats and MFDs bigger than some household televisions. And don’t even get me started on Alexa or ChatGPT. Landscaping, cooking, and socializing are one thing—but outsourcing the very act of thinking? To channel my inner Michael Rybovich, that has me concerned for future generations.

I think that’s why so many boaters are drawn to the Great Loop: It’s the adventure and the challenge of it all. It requires facing the elements, talking to strangers, and going where you’ve never gone before—where foreign horizons greet you at every turn. It’s the boathandling challenges of locks and the Great Lakes, of trading wakes with cargo ships and barges. It’s, quite frankly, about doing something hard.

In this special issue, my colleagues Chris Dixon, Owen Burke, and I profile three very unique Loopers who prove this newfound theory. The first is viral social media sensation and cancer survivor Robert Youens, who set a solo world record for completing the Loop in 19 days, 13 hours, and 1 minute aboard a 16-foot—yes, 16-foot—jon boat at 71 years old. His man-and-machine vs. the elements story makes me feel seriously soft. Then there are Peter Hajas and his sons, who—just days before Robert’s expedition—secured the all-time record, completing the Loop in 12 days, 18 hours, and 10 minutes aboard their Contender. Their story is one of personal perseverance and the power of the boating community. Finally, there’s Jacquie Albina, whom I was lucky enough to meet along her Loop in the small rural town of Brewerton, New York. Cruising solo at 62 years old aboard a 25-foot Rosborough, she may not have shattered speed records like Youens or Hajas and co., but, like them, it was the challenge of the Loop that drew her in.

I hope you enjoy this special section and find it as entertaining as I did. But more importantly, my hope is that it inspires you—not necessarily to do the Loop, but to use your boat in a new and unique way. Try sleeping on or working from your boat more often, if you can. Cruise a little farther. Visit somewhere new. Bring some greenhorn guests aboard and share the boating world with them. Do something that pushes you to put the phone away and adds pepper to the gumbo of life.

It’s December now in New England. Most of our boats are wrapped tight in white coats of plastic, resting up for the year ahead. I love this time of year because it’s when dreams really take flight: It’s cold, and you’re imagining summer days. If you’re in the same boat as me—or rather, not on a boat, like me—use this time to dream and plan for a boating season that pushes you beyond your comfort zone. And remember, like I tell the young wrestlers I coach: If it were easy, everyone would do it.

See you on the water,
Dan
daniel.harding@firecrown.com
@danhardingboating

This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.