THE AGLCA FALL RENDEZVOUS AT JOE WHEELER STATE PARK

It’s hard too believe the Rendezvous is over. What’s a rendezvous? We belong to this fabulous organization called America’s Great Loop Cruiser’s Association or AGLCA for short. We receive a daily email with information on a variety of topics and it’s way better than Facebook (LOL) for accurate and helpful information. We pay a fee to belong and have access to a variety of resources and information. They organize and sponsor the rendezvous in the Spring and the Fall and provide a variety of activities and events to learn more about the Looper lifestyle.

It started in August with sign-ups. This particular event was taking place at Joe Wheeler State Park and they only had 40 slips. Pete and I were both on our computers trying to register when the time came. It took us about 8 minutes to finally log in and we were accepted! Step 1 was completed and we were pumped! Woohoo! Our travels this fall took us to Nashville on the Cumberland River and to Chattanooga on the Tennessee River. We timed our arrival at Joe Wheeler to get there a few days ahead of the event as we were participating in the Looper crawl and wanted to have time to clean our boat. Remember the Spider Poop??!!

The event included a wealth of activities to help you engage and connect with other boaters. Registration started on Monday and that’s when the fun began. You received a name tag with your name and your boats’ name. That was helpful! With 40 boats times 2 people that’s 80. But the Lodge also had people so the event ended up with ~ 250 people attending. The rendezvous basically has 3 types of people attending, Planners (Those who are considering the loop and want more information) – Those In Progress (Pete and I who are currently traversing the loop), and Completed (Gold and Platinum Loopers who have completed the loop at least once or more). We had an app that included a daily schedule of events. There were exhibits and Sponsors of products and available resources. The classes were taught by some of the people that we had actually met virtually a few years ago. So that was fun to put names and faces together. The classes covered a wide variety of topics and you could attend the session that would prove most valuable to you on your individual journey. The topics included: Introduction to the Loop, Navigation, Tips on Buying your Perfect Boat, Locking through the Locks, A Day in the Life of a Looper, Weather and Waves, DIY Maintenance, Marine Electronics, Tablet Navigation, and Route Briefings as you leave Joe Wheeler. The Route Briefings included: Joe Wheeler to Mobile, Mobile to Tarpon Springs, Crossing the Gulf Without Drama, Tarpon Springs to Miami via The Keys, Miami to Jacksonville, Side trip to the Bahamas, and Jacksonville to Norfolk, Virginia. The Spring Rendezvous will be held in Norfolk!

The night before the actual start, the Harbor Hosts and Sponsors held an impromptu Docktails to welcome everyone. We had Docktails and dinners together every night. It was a great time to meet new Loopers (Darth and Andy) and to reconnect with Gold Loopers who we came down from Western Michigan all the way to Alton, Illinois last year. There were Looper Crawls every night. We hosted a Crawl on Tuesday. What’s a Looper Crawl? It’s a time to open your boat up so planners and all other Loopers can check out your boat. It is especially helpful to Planners who are entertaining buying a boat to be able to crawl all over your boat and investigate and learn about the various boats and see what they like and don’t like about individual boats. There were Coast Guard Vessel Safety Checks of your boat and we took advantage of that resource. If you pass, then you receive a sticker to place on your boat which will help if you should be stopped by the Coast Guard along the way. We did pass the Safety Inspection by our Coast Guard Inspector, Jeff who checked to ensure that we were in compliance with all the safety rules and regulations required by law. He checked to ensure we had the proper equipment i.e.adequate and proper life jackets, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, and flares. He checked that our horn blows properly and we weren’t pumping our waste out directly into the water. He also checked to ensure we had the proper paperwork i.e., our CG Documentation Number, that we had taken our safety courses, and we had a Waste Management Placard displayed, He also took the time to discuss a few helpful tips to improve our safety issues.

There were activities and games to help you engage with one another – Not that Loopers need any extra help (LOL)! And some of the games gave you an opportunity to win a free year of membership! We had a Bingo Game – Cheri played cover up when you only had to have a single Bingo – But her card wasn’t picked! Boo! – Then there was visit all the Sponsors and have them sign your card – Not picked again! Shoot! The last game to engage with one another was a part of the App and you had to scan one another’s QR Code to receive points. Are you getting the message that Cheri likes to play games? Most people either hadn’t read about that game or were unaware of how to take the QR picture! Cheri played like a champ and engaged with anyone who would let her scan them. She won that game hands down and earned us a 3 year Membership! Woohoo!

Attending the Rendezvous was so informative, fun, and educational! But today, the day after the event has ended, most of the boats have left the harbor and are heading to the 2 locks – The Wheeler and the Wilson Lock. Some boats left before the break of dawn and others left a few hours later. We are staying here an additional day and will head to Ditto Landing in Huntsville, Alabama tomorrow where we will leave our boat until we start up again. We’ve had such a fun week and watching the boats leave has been bittersweet.

THE FLEET AS THEY HEADED TO THE LOCKS BEFORE SUNRISE