Jeff Schlade

Wait! You're Really Doing This?

QUESTIONS I GET ABOUT CHASING HORIZONS

Retirement, living aboard, the Great Loop, and what exactly I've gotten myself into.

Have a Question?

Have a question about Chasing Horizons, the Great Loop, living aboard, the boat, or the adventure ahead that I haven't answered here?

I'd love to hear from you. Send me a question at MissShooey@gmail.com. Who knows — your question may even find its way onto this page.

One of the things I'm looking forward to most about this adventure is sharing what I learn along the way — including the things I haven't figured out yet.

Ask away. The journey is just getting started.

What is America's Great Loop?

The Great Loop is a boating route that circumnavigates much of the eastern United States and portions of Canada. The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Chesapeake Bay, New York waterways, the Great Lakes, inland rivers, the Gulf Coast, and eventually returns to Florida. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Loop

There isn't one exact route, but completing the Loop generally means traveling roughly 6,000 miles by water.

My plan is to begin from Marathon, Florida, and take the long way home to Ohio... so really a whole loop and one half!

When are you retiring and when does the trip begin?

After 35 years in public education, I'll retire in the fall of 2026.

I'll then move aboard Chasing Horizons in Marathon, Florida, where I'll spend several months getting accustomed to living aboard, learning the boat more thoroughly, completing projects, and preparing for the journey.

The current plan is to begin the Great Loop in spring 2027.

Are you really going to live on the boat?

Yep.

Chasing Horizons will be my primary home for much of the adventure. She's a 43-foot Mainship trawler with three staterooms, two heads, a galley, salon, and plenty of living space.

It will certainly be different from living on land, but that's the point.

Are you doing the Great Loop alone?

Much of the journey will likely be solo, but I don't expect the entire adventure to be.

Family and friends will have opportunities to join me for portions of the trip, and one of the attractions of the Great Loop is the community of boaters encountered along the way.

So I'll be the captain and permanent resident. The crew may vary.

How long will it take?

I'm deliberately not putting the trip on a stopwatch.

The Great Loop can be completed relatively quickly, but my goal isn't simply to say I completed it. I want time to explore towns, visit family and friends, spend extra days someplace interesting, wait for good weather, and occasionally do absolutely nothing.

I'm planning roughly a year for the Loop, but the calendar doesn't get the final vote.

Where will you go?

Beginning in Marathon, Florida, I'll travel north along the East Coast, through the Chesapeake and toward New York before continuing into the Great Lakes.

From there, the route eventually turns south through America's inland river system, reaches the Gulf Coast, and continues around Florida.

Along the way are places I've wanted to experience from the water for years — and probably quite a few places I don't know I want to see yet.

Why is the boat named Chasing Horizons?

Because it describes both the journey and this stage of life.

There's always another horizon ahead — another place, experience, person or opportunity that can't quite be seen from where you're standing today.

You never actually reach the horizon.

Maybe that's the point.

Why Sandusky, Ohio, if the boat is in Florida?

When purchasing the boat and renaming her, I had to choose a home port (required). At the time I figured that I would likely end up back in Ohio eventually, so I chose Sandusky due the fact that it has the capability to provide a dock as well as winter storage for a boat this size. Sandusky is Chasing Horizons' home port.

Florida is where this adventure begins, but Lake Erie is home water. Eventually, the Great Loop will quite literally become my long way home.

What happens after the Great Loop?

That's one of the questions I'm intentionally leaving partially unanswered.

There are other waterways to explore, including the possibility of the Bahamas and perhaps another major cruising adventure afterward.

Retirement, at least as I envision it, isn't supposed to be the end of the story.

It's finally having enough control over the calendar to see where the story goes.

Can I follow the trip?

Absolutely.

I'll be sharing the journey through Chasing Horizons on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube — from preparation and boat projects to destinations, mistakes, lessons learned and life aboard.

You'll find links to all three on "The Dock" page/tab up top.

Do you actually know what you're doing?

Some days more than others.

I've been boating for years, but owning, maintaining and living aboard a 43-foot trawler while traveling thousands of miles through unfamiliar waterways is another level entirely.

Part of Chasing Horizons is going to be learning as I go — navigation, maintenance, weather, anchoring, locks, boat systems and probably a few lessons I don't yet know I need to learn.

I'm approaching it with preparation, respect for the water, a willingness to ask people who know more than I do...

...and a pretty healthy sense of humor.

Prefer email? Click & Say "Hello"

MissShooey@gmail.com