'Loopers' tie up in Destin during 6,000 mile voyage

DESTIN, FL - Both taking the summer off from life, sisters Katie and Elizabeth McPhail found themselves in the same boat - headed on a 6,000 mile voyage on a watery path known as The Great Loop.

"The day after graduation, we got on the boat," Elizabeth, 22, said.

The new grad walked off the platform at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., with a diploma in hand, and no real plans in mind. But Katie had an idea that led the girls and friend Sammy Almohandis, 22, to Destin for a couple of days.

"I first heard about the Great Loop earlier this year," said Katie, a 26-year-old Issaquah, Wash., native.

The Great Loop is the circumnavigation of the Eastern United States by the waterways that divide it from the rest of the continent. ‘Loopers' typically chart a course through the nation's river systems, lakes and coastlines through the Intracoastal Waterway.

The voyage usually stretches anywhere from 5,000 to 7,500 miles. The McPhail sisters estimate their trip will cover about 6,000 miles before it is over.

"I read a book called ‘Only in America' by John Mirassou," Katie said.

The book chronicled three young men from Southern California, who made the Great Loop in a 17-foot Boston Whaler in 1987 as they traveled the miles of water, battling the elements and the local wildlife.

After reading the book, Katie set her mind to loading down a bright yellow 16-foot aluminum Duroboat, manufactured by her father's small company north of Seattle, to make her own go of The Great Loop. Elizabeth decided to come along, since she and the rest of her graduating friends were entering a transition stage as new grads.

Also fresh out of Knox College with an economics degree, Almohandis took a flight to Mobile and joined the girls as they reached the big milestone in their trip. From Mobile, the three boated to Almohandis' grandparents' home near Destin.

They tied up at Bluewater Bay Marina and began to relax for the first time since leaving Chicago via Lake Michigan on June 4.
Since they launched, their route has taken them around the Chicago, Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, Kentucky Lake, down the Tom Bigby Waterway into Mobile and along the Intracoastal Waterway to Destin.

"This is the first place where the water has been this clear," Katie said. "This is one of the most relaxing stops we've had."

They have kept the trip pretty simple. Their Duroboat is loaded down only with a few duffle bags and safety equipment donated by other boat outfitters. They also carry a couple of tanks of extra gasoline for the longer stretches.

Katie saved her money for the trip before leaving. She said they are on a tight budget, usually just getting a cheeseburger once a day or keeping fruit on board to munch as they travel.

As for sleep, they pitch a tent on the small boat or bunk with other boaters they've met along the way. They spring for a motel room when they need to shower and enjoy a little air conditioning.

"This is the cheapest way you could ever go on a trip like this," she said.

Katie said the boat gets 10 miles per gallon and fuel takes the largest chunk out of her budget. On average they cruise at a speed of 22 to 25 mph. They aim to travel 100 miles a day, spending about five hours a day in motion.

The siblings joined America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association, an organization of Great Loop enthusiasts who assist one another with safety, navigation or just having someone to greet them at port.

Katie said their goal is to complete the trip by the first of August. They have to make that deadline so she can return to her jobs working for her dad at Duroboat and handling the communications for a preschool. Elizabeth plans to return to Seattle to find a job.

The loopers departed Destin on Wednesday morning to make the next leg, continue meeting new people at port and catching rays.

"We put sunscreen on six or seven times a day," Katie said.