We all come to boating life for different reasons and via various routes, with a not insignificant number of us being bitten by the Great Loop “bug.” Even those of us unwilling to contemplate such a massive undertaking are fascinated by the commitment required. The year-long journey is in many ways the reward for all the planning and preparation, sometimes years’ worth, that go into making it a reality. Annapolis area boaters Scott and Amy Andrews gradually worked their way from interest to the realization that they could handle it, to finally undertaking preparations in earnest. Here is the story of how they got to this point and a little about what they expect.
Background/Boating Experience
No stranger to the water, Amy grew up in Michigan around boats, primarily small fishing boats with outboard motors. More of a local, Scott grew up on the DelMarVa peninsula where he drove the ad boat up and down the Rehoboth Beach shoreline. When the couple moved to the South River about 10 years ago, they bought their first boat together, a pontoon. That was about the same time they learned about the Great Loop, although their planning didn’t start until several years later. In between, they graduated from the pontoon to a Cutwater 26 which allowed them to join Back Creek Yacht Club (BCYC) in 2024 and begin cruising a little farther afield before buying their current boat.
The Loop Boat
About three years ago, Scott and Amy purchased a 2021 Beneteau Swift Trawler 35 as their Loop boat. With a nod to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” their wedding song, the couple’s children suggested they name the boat Wanderful because they’ll be wandering the waters of the US.
Amy explains that they chose this boat because the Cutwater was too small for the way they wanted to travel, plus they wanted to get away from the V-berth. The Beneteau offers a walkaround berth below as well as a full walkaround deck, with lifelines, since they anticipate that getting through the canal locks means they’ll need access to both sides of the boat. They also feel the Beneteau will ensure that they are prepared for any type of weather. They joined the Marine Trawler Owners’ Association (MTOA) which they anticipate will provide maintenance and problem-solving resources as well as training and boating education.
Yacht Club Life
The couple credit BCYC membership with allowing them to do “a lot” of summer cruising with other members who helped them get a feel for overnight trips and for traveling ever farther distances. The knowledge and experience of other club members, some of whom have been transiting the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) for years, has also provided a wealth of boating information.
After many on-water hours during the summer of 2025, Scott and Amy finished the cruising season with their longest trip yet—from the South River down the Chesapeake to Virginia’s Rappahannock River. Along the way they learned how to properly install the isinglass on their back porch as well as their sun shields. With their Loop journey in mind, they made a number of stops along the way in both directions so they could practice getting things on and off the boat and storing them while underway. Scott and Amy were relieved at this happy ending to a summer of trial and error since they’d found the best set-up.
2026 Is the Year
Before the summer cruising season even got underway, Scott and Amy used their winter break in Florida visiting friends to scout marinas along their projected Loop itinerary. With friends on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts they got an idea of which marinas to target as well as places to visit for fun shore excursions such as St Augustine, FL; Beaufort, SC; Wilmington, NC; and Norfolk, VA.
The Andrews returned to Norfolk in May for the spring rendezvous of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA). If potential Loopers do nothing else, Amy recommends they join AGLCA and attend a rendezvous, calling the experience “a real treat.” In addition to meeting and learning from other Loopers, Scott and Amy attended AGLCA seminars and participated in a Looper Crawl. This allowed them to compare a variety of boats and dinghy set-ups and ask questions about how individuals used their dinghy as well as what they liked or did not like about the dinghy itself as well as the davit system.
They learned that the easier the launch set-up the more boaters tend to use their dinghy. This is especially the case if they have to hoist it off of and onto a flybridge, so Scott and Amy decided that a simple davit system off their swim platform would work best for their size boat.
Dinghies and Davits and Lifts, Oh My!
Armed with their newfound knowledge, Scott and Amy headed back to Annapolis to begin installing their dinghy and davit system with the original intention of using the Weaver Snap Davit system, dedicating four weeks to the project. But Amy reminds us what we all know about boats: what you think will take a few hours or days will end up taking weeks, or even months.
Comparison shopping in May left them with an inflated dinghy waiting on their screen porch while they figured out where the mounts needed to be relative to the swim platform mounts. By July, they had started work mounting the davits on the swim platform where the limited four-inch access required they devise a system to pull a bottom plate up to the top plate to secure the two together. With the help of YouTube videos, the couple worked their way through numerous options before settling on special molly bolts which still required that they pull the back nut through using a pulley system. Despite the amount of time and work invested, they like the low-profile system which the couple says works well with the way they operate their boat.
Off-water Exploring Along the Loop
Knowing their Loop route will take them through the locks along the Erie Canal and into Canada, the Andrews wanted to get a feel for the environment. In July they took a break from summer boating, loaded their eBikes onto their car, and headed north. They rode about 50 miles of the trail where they got to see many of the locks they’ll encounter on the Loop and, of course, met a few Loopers. They got a feel for how the bikes would perform on the path and are looking forward to bringing them along. Thus, while the dinghy project was underway, they were also grappling with how to manage the eBikes which each weigh about 50 pounds (75 with the battery attached).
Scott and Amy initially expected this to be the more difficult of the two projects, but after consulting with Kato Marine to build a lift for the flybridge, they discovered it would be much more straightforward. The only problem was that they broke the speaker while moving it to gain access to the area for the backing plate, so they added a speaker replacement to their list of preparations. By the time the couple took their last trip of the summer, they were satisfied that they had set up a system with which they could easily move the dinghy down and up, as well help lift the bikes on and off the boat.
Additionally, a fall trip to Nashville, TN, for the Southern Festival of Books piqued the couple’s interest in this area. They were surprised to learn that the city dock is across the Cumberland River that flows through the city and decided such a stop would provide easy access to Nashville’s vibrant downtown. They have added a potential diversion from their Loop route as they head south along the Mississippi River, hoping to explore more of the Nashville scene.
Powered Up
Like most Loopers, Scott and Amy anticipate being able to enjoy many scenic areas along their route and don’t want to be constrained by the need for shore power or generator use. But Wanderful’s house battery didn’t have enough capacity to comfortably anchor out overnight, so Scott, an electrical engineer, spent the winter figuring out how to remedy the situation.
He explained that Wanderful’s inverter was too small to run certain critical alternating current devices like the coffee machine and freezer which they wanted as a secondary refrigerator. So, using their basement as a staging area, Scott originally got to work on a project to add a larger battery bank and inverter. But as we all know with boat projects, sometimes they change direction and don’t end up how they started. Scott says the current project is more about bringing the batteries up to date rather than a full upgrade.
Custom Projects
After burning out the motherboard on her previous sewing machine remaking the cushions on their Cutwater before they sold it, Amy invested in a semi-industrial machine and serger for her home and boating projects. Her big Loop project was sewing three flexible solar panels to the top of Wanderful’s Bimini. Amy has also made a magnetic screen for a window that was missing one, a sunshade, and custom fitted sheets and covers for the main berth and bunkbeds as well as covers for the fenders and fender holders. The latter will allow the couple to mount these on the bow and out of the way, freeing up living space.
Amy credits the Sailrite webpage with an amazing set of how-to videos for numerous projects, as well as the Sewing on Boats Facebook page. Amy is also knitting a quilt for their berth which she anticipates finishing aboard Wanderful once they’re underway, maybe sitting on their flybridge because it’s the most comfortable place to hang out.
Departure
Aside from the learning curve and boat preparations, Loopers need to determine when they’ll depart and, like everything else about boating life, the actual departure is more of a date range that takes a number of variables into account. Scott and Amy tuned into when the Erie Canal system opens for the season and worked backward from there to optimize this window. But in the end, Amy said they just needed to set a date and work within that weather forecast.
In thinking about their journey, they’re prepared to take things day by day, confident that their planning will enable them to deal with issues as they come up. “We need to embrace that and just enjoy the moment,” Amy says. Friends who have the same type of boat, Changing Channels, are heading to Lake Ontario, so Scott and Amy have decided to buddy boat with them to that point before undertaking their solo Loop journey.
The Land-based Logistics
With the boat preparations in hand, if not completed, and a departure window on the calendar, the Andrews will turn their attention to getting their affairs in order, especially for those who will live in their house while they’re gone. They were a little surprised at just how much there is to do, such as how they will keep up with their “snail mail.” They will also check their insurance to make sure things are covered for the trip. Finally, with a month or so to go, they’ll subscribe to the guides and mapping tools they think they’ll need.
Staying in Touch (Keeping up with the Andrews)
During overseas assignments throughout their careers, Scott and Amy kept friends and family apprised of their family’s adventures via blog posts which everyone loved. This time around, Amy started a Substack which they shared in their Christmas card hoping to keep everyone apprised of their adventures. On a recent Antarctic cruise and South America trip, Scott used Polar Steps to chronicle their adventures. He’s planning to try to use this travel app to track their Loop route via GPS which allows viewing on an interactive world map to which they can also add photos, notes, and stopovers to create their own personal travel journal.
Stay tuned!
By Anne Knab with Scott and Amy Andrews