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If you look upon the Gulf crossing with some degree of trepidation, you are not alone.

For most Loopers, one of the most anticipated—and sometimes anxiety-inducing—segments of the Great Loop is the crossing from Carrabelle, Florida, to Tarpon Springs. This stretch offers Loopers two distinct options: the Direct Gulf Crossing or the Big Bend Route. Each has its own character, challenges, and rewards. Understanding the differences between these routes will help you make the right decision for your vessel and crew.

Thinking about crossing the Gulf? "You Make the Call" assists in educating Looper Captains in making their own decision regarding crossing the Gulf.

Cruise on into Panama City, Florida and check out Sun Harbor Marina!

As we gear up for another Florida legislative session, we’ve been meeting with key legislators to discuss the recently passed anchoring laws. Some are asking about the impact of the new laws on boaters. We need your help answering that question.

Carolyn & Peter Westbay have brought you down the lower half of the inland rivers and Eddy & Linda Johnsen take you across the Florida Panhandle. You can't go wrong with all of these amazing anchorages!

Keep your vessel running smoothly with new AGLCA Sponsor All Aspects Marine, located in Pensacola. And as you head north on the AICW, check out our two new marina sponsors, Fort Pierce City Marina and Jekyll Harbor Marina. Southern hospitality is just a marina slip away!

Words that you will never hear a Gold Looper say: “Crossing the Gulf of Mexico was my favorite part of The Great Loop.”

Just before departing our homeport in the Panhandle region of northwest Florida for our first Great Loop adventure, we invited a small group of Gold Loopers aboard 'Spiritus' for docktails. We decided to tap into the proverbial pool of knowledge these Loopers held.  We wanted to learn about the interesting towns they had visited and gunkholes where they had dropped anchor while making their way along Florida’s Gulf coast.

The timing of this article couldn’t be better as many of you are looking to move to the East coast of Florida using this route.  The timing was also great because Steve and I were just in the process of moving a boat from Labelle to Stuart.  

We hope many of you enjoyed time on the water in 2024 and are looking forward to even more cruising in 2025. Before the 2025 cruising season gets going, it seems like a natural time to update our members on AGLCA’s current state of affairs, share last year’s Loop completion statistics, and take a look forward to what’s new for 2025. Enjoy!

You Make the Call is a summary of the forecast conditions including information for slower boats planning an overnight crossing and faster boats planning a daylight crossing.