While the Great Loop of the eastern half of the US is famous and often referred to, it’s little cousin, the Great Eastern Loop, is well worth any adventurous cruiser’s attention The 2,400 mile loop makes a circumnavigation of the US Northeast and the Canadian Maritimes.
Nominally, the route starts in New York City and leads up the Hudson River to Lake Champlain. From there it follows the Richelieu River the length of the Chaplain Valley into Canada where it flows into the St. Lawrence River at the city of Sopel-Tracy. There’s a 17-foot height limit on this section of the loop, the only one on the whole route.
Sorel-Tracy is downstream from Montreal, so some cruisers choose to take a left here and visit the beautiful and historic city before heading down the river to the Gulf of St. Laurence and the North Atlantic Ocean.
You are in Quebec until you reach the sea and will find charming, French speaking towns and villages along the way, plus the European-style Quebec City. The ambience is a particular combination of French culture with the wild and spectacular scenery of the north, a kind of Europe with a lumberjack edge.
You pop out of the St. Lawrence on the north coast of New Brunswick and head east to Nova Scotia, with a stop at the beautiful Bras d’Or Lakes. From there the route leads down the coast to Sherborne where you make the hop across the Bay of Funday to Maine and the U.S.
In Maine, you’re almost home and have only a week or 10 days of steaming to get back to New York to close the loop. But, the coast of New England in summertime will offer many distractions and fine cruising destinations.
The allure of the great Eastern Loop is its variety of water ways, from the confines of the rivers, to the much more boisterous North Atlantic with the iron-bound coasts of the Maritimes. Plus, it offers a diversity of cultures and cuisines to explore as you travel.
This is an adventure and a challenge for any coastal cruiser and will test your navigation, boat handling skills, weather acumen and even your mastery of the French language. All of that and more makes this journey a worthwhile way to spend a summer.
The Waterway Guide has charts and guides for The Great Eastern Loop and more.
