Here’s an update about John Hauck, the retired Army Special Forces major and helicopter pilot who says he’s going to celebrate his 82nd year by completing the Great Loop, solo, for the second time, on his 25-foot Rosborough Grumpy.
Hauck completed his first trip around the Great Loop on Aug. 2, 2019, crossing his wake back in his home port of Demopolis, Alabama, traveling 6,303 miles in 110 days. He started his second trip, also in Demopolis, on March 10.
Earlier this week, Hauck was tied up at the marina at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, having run 2,416 miles in 60 days. Waiting for a weather window to enter the Chesapeake, he went to the Navy Exchange to get a haircut.
He also wrote on his Facebook page, Grumpy Does the Great Loop 2021, that the marina is next to the heliport there, with the “constant air ops of Blackhawks, Super Jolly Green Giants, Tilt Rotors. The sights and sounds make this old helicopter pilot feel right at home.”
Still, he wanted to get underway. “Grumpy and I are anxious to get moving again,” he wrote. “I don’t think either of us do well when we don’t have something to occupy our time.”
So far, Hauck’s second Loop has been relatively trouble free, except for a grounding while heading for an anchorage after he fueled up in Hilton Head. Grumpy floated off with the rising tide.
Grumpy, a 2003 Rosborough 246, is powered by twin 150-hp Mercury EFI four-stroke outboards. Some days Hauck runs in the low 20-mph range, easily chalking up more than 100 miles. Others, such as those in the Dismal Swamp Canal (pictured at top), are in the 5-mph range.
Hauck has run into some friends from his first Loop, and he’s also made time for others, including lunch (gator bites, coleslaw, hush puppies and ice tea) with an old Special Forces buddy near Jacksonville.
Now, he writes, “We hit a few bumps in the road, and a few sand bars too, but we have been able to overcome those problems and enjoy every minute of the Great Loop so far.” Read more:
Facebook: Grumpy Does the Great Loop 2021
