Wisconsin couple boats America’s Great Loop, rarer than Mount Everest

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Jill and James Iverson, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, completed America’s Great Loop.
The trip is a more than 6,000-mile loop around the United States and Canada.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” James Iverson said.

MANITOWOC, Wis. – Back on Sept. 2, 2021, Jill and James Iverson locked up their home, walked down the street to the Manitowoc Marina, climbed into their sailboat and careened away for more than a year.

The couple – long-time boaters – fulfilled a big dream to complete America’s Great Loop, a more than 6,000-mile route that took them down inland rivers including the Illinois and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida’s coastline, up the East Coast to New York state canals into Canada, before returning to Lake Michigan.

They “crossed their wake,” or returned where they started from, on Sept. 10 of this year. It’s a feat about 200 people, or 150 boats, a year complete. That compares to 700 people who climb Mount Everest or the 1,000 folks who trek the entire Appalachian Trail each year.

“It’s a relatively rare thing to do,” James said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

James and Jill Iverson while on America's Great Loop.

The couple has traveled by boat for 35 years. They’ve sailed extensively on the Great Lakes, crossed the Atlantic Ocean a few times and sailed in the Caribbean a few times.

“We heard about the Great Loop a few years ago and decided it was time to do it,” Jill said.

Their boat, the Alvin James, is like a miniature 33-foot-long boat, she said. The Alvin James has a single engine and is slow, going about 8 to 10 miles per hour. It has a small kitchen, a comfortable bed, a “back porch” and two steering stations.

Most days they traveled about 40 or 50 miles. Some days they didn’t move at all. Some days they went farther.

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The Great Loop is a circumnavigation of eastern USA and Canada on rivers, canals, lakes & open ocean. The loop is marked here.

“The U.S. and Canada are very beautiful looking in from the water,” Jill said. “We didn’t see a strip mall or a fast-food joint for a year. We didn’t sit in a car for a year, except for a few Uber rides. What we saw was the small coastal towns. It was wonderful and magical.”

Along the way, they met many friendly Loopers from around the world. They met boaters from as far away as Australia, and families who home-schooled their kids on the Loop.

People living in the towns they stopped at along the way were kind and eager to help them.

“They were happy to meet us and tell us their stories and to hear our stories,” Jill said. “Many of them offered to take us to the grocery store or get groceries for us. They were very eager to help us in any way they could.”

The couple saw many American icons along the way, including The Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the Statue of Liberty.

Making it to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island was especially moving for them. They spent the night on the boat in the area, watching New York City go to sleep and wake up the next day.

“Traveling at 8 miles an hour, it took us 10 months to get there,” Jill said. “We drank champagne and ate strawberries. We put on music and danced. It was a milestone for us, a great day.”

They saw dolphins almost every day while on the Atlantic Ocean. Dolphins like to travel near boats, and she told of one time near Florida when the Alvin James was surrounded by about 35 dolphins.

The Iversons are planners, but kept their itinerary loose on this trip so they could make spontaneous side trips.

One of their favorites was a trip up the St. John’s River in Florida.

“It was magical, like being in the middle of a jungle,” James said.

They mostly never hit bad weather while sailing – they’d stay at anchor or in a marina if forecasts looked rocky.

While they met plenty of friends, they didn’t see their family and friends back home for more than a year. They weren’t there for holidays, birthdays and other gatherings. But they stayed in touch via social media and video chats and never felt lonely.

“We also really enjoy each other’s company,” Jill said. “We are very happy with just the two of us.”

Still, coming back home after a year’s absence felt strange.

“We have gone on cruises for two or three months,” Jill said. “A year is very different. It’s a big chunk of your life. You do come back a different person.”