The "Great Loop," a voyage traveling the eastern seaboard, the Erie Canal, the Great Lakes, down the river systems to the Gulf of Mexico and back to the starting point, attracts adventurous boaters.

Jib and Teresa Davidson navigate their way out of Port 32 Marina in Jacksonville during a trip in April. The couple are among the hundreds of boaters who have completed the Great Loop in recent years.

An Ankeny couple found a new way to scoop the loop. This year, Pam and Terry Partis completed the Great Loop, a 6,600 nautical mile boat journey that travels the Eastern Seaboard, passes through ...