16 foot Jon Boat attempts the Great loop speed record.

[starcrafttom]

????? a Stunt women was killed while doing her job performing a stunt on a moive about the cannon ball run NOT while driving on the cannon ball run. Spend more time reading what you are quoting then quickly searching for a head line to make your moat point.... just a tip. never mind , I will do the search you should have done. Oh look no one ever got killed or die in the cannon ball run and only one person was hurt when in a single car accident that only involved a racer not the public. On the other hand an Aussi version of the run but with rules and safety committees and judges resulted in three deaths. "those that can should and those that cant should stay out of my way" Me.

[thataway]

Meanwhile, back on the water, the jon boat is on the Erie canal, and going 5 mph (not the. 30 he speculated he could achieve because he boat does not make much wake. He stopped yesterday since the lock near there closed at 4PM.

Lady Lor has crossed the Gulf of Mexico, and is currently fueling in Venice. She may have enough fuel to get to the crossing point near Key Largo as soon as tonight, if she can keep up speed. This will wipe out the old record. Also this route is longer because the Jon boat went across the middle of Florida--the Contender (Lady Lou) went around (mostly) Florida.

The question is over what course would be the valid record time? It will be valid for overall doing the loop, but only for the class of boat: single outboard, multiple outboards, single inboard diesel, and gas;;

[colbysmith]

I think a few are missing the point. That is the scenery if you are in a hurry just to make a record! If you want to race, go find a race to participate in. I look at the Great Loop, the Inside Passage, the PNW, as beautiful places to enjoy nature and scenery. Or to meet people from other locales. There are enough fools on the water that think everyone should get out of their way! Or are the reason for some of the laws that are written. I too like to go fast at times. But with consideration for the boaters, critters, and shore around me. Colby

[thataway]

Colby is spot and walks the walk. We see the Loop as a great vehicle to look at America. You can go into the small towns, eat a lunch or dinner there, meet local people. The people you meet are a lot of the cruising. When you travel with a group of C Dorys (and we have a lot, because it is fun, and we enjoy the good company. But I feel we get more out of our cruises when we are solol, and get to see the small museums, which show the town's history. Meet the people and see how they live. Listen to the storys they have to tell.

The scenery is also important. We have really enjoyed the 20 or so years we cruised the C Dory: mostly on inland waters. We had already covered most of the major anchorages and ports from Icy Straights AK, to The Maine Canadian Border in our larger cruising sail boats. We also lived on the James River in VA and that gave us a lot of time to explore the Chespaeake. I spent 4 years in Med School in Houston--13' "Wolverine" cold molded boat, and 25 hp evinrude--water skiied, and camper cruised the
The Texas Gulf Coast from Brownsville to the Lousiania boarder.

The only major area we did not see was the Bay of Campche in the Western Gulf of Mexico.


There are so many wonderful towns, great scenery to see in all of the USA--and any one of the C Dorys can be the perfect vehicle to do that with!

[Hunkydory]

I have zero interest in my own racing anywhere, but as I said before “to each their own”. This guy has drawn much interest from many & overall from what I’ve seen it’s more positive than negative. It appears to me, it’s not the race, that draws the interest, but the unique way this older gentleman is taking on the challenge to himself .

Personally, I also have no interest in doing the grand loop & little in even reading about others doing it. There’s still way to many people & to little wildlife along the route with also having already seen many of these small towns along the way by RV. The exception being the following of those like Pat & Patty, who I know & respect & shared a good tale of the doing. Then this guy pops up here & many other places on social media & again, I’m enjoying following along, not to see the possible wreck as many do in racing events, but rather how he meets the challenges of trying & to see if he succeeds in just making the loop in this little boat, whether any records are broken or not.

I can understand the negativity on this coming from most of the C-Brat community as those of us who choose a C-Dory are naturally oriented to slower more comfortable boating with good protection from bad weather with boating as Colby described the norm. The only good reason in my opinion to choose a small jon boat for doing the Grand Loop is for the challenge & adventure and as my favorite author J.R.R. Tolkien described in “The Lord of The Rings” adventure is a dangerous business.

Again to each their own. As for we, my wife & I, in the majority of our C-Dory boating, We’ve chosen the more remote places such as off the main routes in SE Alaska, the Yukon River & remote lakes where people are few, wildlife plenty & being rescued from mistakes or equipment failure not a ready option. That to us is adventure & we too have been accused of being irresponsible & putting others at risk in our pursuit of it, so perhaps why, I see this man’s endeavor in a purely positive way. The older you get, the less one has to lose, when making the judgement of risk vs reward.

[starcrafttom]

[thataway]

Lady Lor completed her loop this afternoon. I do't know the precise times, but am reading that 12 days and 8 hours is close to it. If so they have beaten the old "record" by 7 days and 11 hours. Despite, having the center engine outdrive fail in the Mobile Bay area. This slowed them to about 10 knots, and less effecient, the pulled the prop, and trimmed the lower unit up, but still a drag. On Sunday, they had the boat pulled at Port St. Joe for a quick haul and unbolted the lower unit. There was none available of the type they needed, They could plane again after the fuel was decreased, so they elected to not fill the fuel tanks as full, and run shorter distances between fuel fill ups. They lost a day earlier due to steering issues, and probably another day with this outdrive issue.

There are multiple routes to run the loop and many are longer. The jon boat cut across Lake Okeechobee and the middle of Florida, and that is probably nearly a day shorter than having started and finished in the keys.

The jon boat owner had to modify some of his strategies, such as being able to run very fast thru "no wake" or 5 mph zones, because his boat put out such a minimal wake. Not allowed!
He was lucky running at night with minimal running lights, that he didn't hit something, or that some other boat did not hit him. I have run thousands of hours at night, but at slower speeds, with Radar and in some cases with night vision. One thing I always worried about was hitting a small boat with no lights. One early morning I was getting a very slight blip on radar, and asked Marie to go foreward with the hand held spotlight. Yep there it was a row boat with a Mexican fisherman aboard. If there had been heavy seas, that blip occasinal blip would have been lost in the sea clutter. We did hit a cable, atatched to a styrofoam float which was holding a tuna net in the Straits of Gibralter. The 3/4" cable caught on the 26" diameter Prop, and spun the 65,000 lb boar 180 degrees in an instant. No apparent damage, but it turned out later that there was engine mount damage, not readily apparent.

[thataway]

Oficially the new record is 12 days, 18 hours, and 10 minutes.

[Marco Flamingo]

Just back from Paris. Did the entire Louvre in 27 minutes. Evaded security and ruined a few vacations. Should make me famous on Twitter with my fellow Twits. Kowabunga!

Mark

[thataway]

Mark the best laugh in several months!! Were you able to steal the Mono Lisa?

The Ageless Wanderer, and has anchored for the night in the lee of a Canadian Spit of Land. Technically he cannot anchor in Canadian waters until he has cleared customs. However I doubt that any one would disturb him, and he would say he didn't know the law....

[starcrafttom]

Just found out that this ageless wander did the northwest passage in the artic with a jon boat. Crazy part is that he used a cattle electric fence on his jon boat to keep the bears out. ??/ Well he did not get eaten so it must have worked LOL.

[robhwa]

[thataway]

The jon boat was on Lake Erie last evening. He anchored in
Candian waters, behind a spit. Not sure if he knows, he cannot anchor in Canadian waters without clearing customs. Or maybe he did phone in?? nothing to indicate that that I have seen.

He got a later start--perhaps because he had to move the boat to get better wind and wave protection. Still making tracks on Lake Erie at about 25 mph.

[starcrafttom]

He's pass Chicago and in the river system headed south west. Its amazing all the help he is getting on his way. people like to help out and give their time.

[thataway]

The last few days revealed a major problem. There were several cracks in the bottom of the welded alumium jon boat, as well as cracks on the side to the transom. Apparently he had been running that way, and bailing the boat out. He got it repaired by yesterday. Took a long time to find a TIG and a welder who was capable. Not sure if he welded a patch on the bottom, or just tried to weld the cracks (Not a good plan, in thin alumium). He has been running in the low 30 mph today. Last night he ran until about 9:30 PM--in the dark, on a river, at 25 mph....At this point he cannot beat the new record.