Northern IL to Oriental, NC in a 19'r?

[wolverine]

As we pack up our house and fix little items to ready it for the market, I put subliminal notes here and there for my wife to see.  The notes are routes, historical weather patterns, tides, charts, and a list of upgrades to the boat.  New solar panels, auto tiller, GoPro, drone.   I tried to have a rational discussion with her about me sailing our '85 Compac 19 down the rivers to the gulf, around Florida's horn, and up to our new home in Oriental, NC, but she doesn't like being alone in a new home for 4 months.  I explained I would be around while our new house is being built, and if she gets lonely, she can fly back to Illinois or Montana to visit our daughters and grandchildren.  Alternately she could fly down to the keys and we could get a cottage for a week on the bay side.  Her coming along is out of the question as she wants a boat with standing headroom.

My idea is to launch on the Illinois River and basically follow the Loop route.  My son in law will pull the trailer back to their place and bring it out when they visit later in the year.  This would be the longest trip by far I've done, but I'm up for it. 

I'm still in the infant stages of planning.  This house needs to sell, the new house built, and the correct time of year to leave line up.  Delays could mean leaving next year. 

Suggestions?  Helpful criticisms?

[Godot]

Sounds like an awesome adventure!

[CapnK]

I think very do-able. AND fun! What's the total mileage? Around by the Keys, or thru the Okeechobee? How many miles a day do you/have you/think you can cover under power?

Coffee thoughts:

Plugging the rough route into Google Earth shows about 2500 miles. If your speed will average 5mph and/or you can make 50 miles per day, that's 50 days of travel.
62.5 days, @ 4mph/40mpd.
Plan to take an R&R day per week - you'll need to, pushing it day after day.

Based on all of the travel that I've done via water at 4/5mph  ;D, if I were you I'd plan for 80 days total, and expect 70 to be the minimum.

Maybe find 4-6 places along the way *she* would want to visit, where you can tie up for a day or two to stay with at a hotel and maybe take her shopping, dinner, 'whatever the Admiral wants', so that you do indeed have a happy home in Oriental to go to. :D

See if you can convince her to do a multi-day leg just to try it, where she can catch an Uber (or a friend who lives near) back to her car after 2-3 easy days aboard...?

[wolverine]

CapnK,

My thought was she could fly into Pensacola for our 1st meet up, then into Marathon for meet up #2.   There is a little place called the Pelican on Key largo's bayside we've rented a cottage from a couple times.  We could spend a week there, and if I could talk her into sailing to Miami with me, she can catch a flight home from there.  She's never done more than a week in the boat and always complains about the lack of headroom.  She wants a "proper' boat with standing headroom and a private head. 

The longest I've spent on a boat was 29 days soloing the Keys 11 years ago, so this would be an adventure and a challenge.

[CapnK]

The longest I've spent on a boat was 29 days soloing the Keys 11 years ago, so this would be an adventure and a challenge.

Sounds like to me it is a HAVE TO DO. :D

[wolverine]

I've been researching the loop, watching countless videos, and checked out the AGLCA.  Honestly, I'm more of a book reader, and that leads me to my question.  If someone here could point me in the direction of a good guide book I would appreciate it.   I'm mostly looking for a guide that locates marinas and services without information overload.  I don't want to read about other's trips and excursions.  That would take away from my adventure.

Thanks, Carl

[Godot]

Look into Active Captain. It has a large database of anchorages, marinas, fuel, services, ramps, etc...

Since Garmin bought it I find it just doesn't feel nearly as friendly. The interface is less intuitive. But the data is there.

[Frank]

I think it’s an awesome idea.
Your Shoal draft will allow you to tuck into all kinds of free places to anchor away from big boat traffic and wake.
Review the charts well ahead and read what ya can.
Then.... get the best anchor ya can and do it 😄
Seriously... sounds like a very fun and doable adventure!,

[wolverine]

Long overdue update:

It didn't happen.  We drove down to Oriental in April to interview contractors and she talked me into bringing the Compac 19 with.  It is still sitting on it's trailer on our lot.  The 1st month here we lived in a hotel while we looked for a rental house.  after moving into the rental, we went back to IL and loaded a U-Haul trailer with furniture and returned to Oriental.  Then in July we traveled to Dallas, GA to visit her sister.  From there we drove west to Peoria, AZ to visit old friends.  Then it was on to Diamond Bar, CA  where we met up with my life long best friend who I toured the states with in ours youths on motorcycles.   We were on our way to the Tetons when our daughter in Whitfish, MT called and tell us the baby was on it's way so we drove straight through to her place.  ON our way home we stopped in IL to see our other 2 daughters and pick up my 15' sailboat.  Now 9 weeks and 7608 miles later we are back home in Oriental and I'm out sailing the 15'r, but while going through the stack of mail the post was holding for us, I came upon the new NC title and registration for the Compac and I don't recall filing the paper work! 

In closing this post out, I didn't get to sail the boat here, but we did buy a 30' boat that I will be bringing home soon.  (i'll be asking questions in another thread)

After 16 years, long summer daze will go up for sale and I'll have the Compac 19 for daysailing and small boat adventures.

[CapnK]

There's a whole lotta miles in that post. :D

What kind of boat is 'Daze'? Looks nice. I think Oriental would be a great place for a small boat like that or the CP-19. Ton's o' cruising grounds...

[wolverine]

She's a '71 Hullmaster 15.  Built in Canada before they assigned HINs.  She has positive floatation (something i "tested" in 50* water) and an aluminum centerboard.  I installed a deep cycle battery in the bow with an onboard charger to power the trolling motor.  It's great for exploring the creeks around Oriental which I've been doing, but we don't  have room at our dock for 3 boats and a kayak so she will be sold.  My wife thinks we should keep it and sell the Compac, but I can sleep on the Compac and trailer her to small boat events.