There’s this thing called The Loop – or more specifically, “America’s Great Loop;” the Loop is somewhat of a pinnacle in boating circles – similar, in spirit, to hiking’s Appalachian, Pacific Crest or Continental Trails, the Great American Loop is a roughly 6,000-mile boating “trail” circumnavigating the eastern portion of the United States and part of Canada.
A continuous waterway, the Loop includes portions in the Atlantic, the Gulf Intercoastal Waterways and the Great Lakes, not to mention numerous rivers and canals. “Loopers,” as those who complete the full route are known, typically spend between six and 12 months navigating the route, according to notes provided by Discover Boating.
While thousands of people complete portions of the Great Loop each year, only about 150 boaters complete the entire trip annually according to Boatmart. And, as with the “2,000-milers” that complete the Appalachian Trail, or those who conquer the 2,700 back-country Great Divide Mountain Bike Route – many of the legends do it solo.
And that’s where we encounter Kasey Jo – more commonly known simply by her social media handle, #Solo Ventures, which is also the name of her PWC.
While many of us are trudging through 2025 in typical fashion, Kasey took a bit of a different approach to this year. Back in May, she announced her plans to tackle America’s Great Loop solo, aboard her 2024 Sea-Doo Explorer Pro 170 (which, she explains, was chosen for its optimal gas mileage – getting about 100 miles out of the 18.5 capacity tank – a capacity she extended by 20 gallons with jerry cans for the longer stretches of the Loop).
She highlighted, during the introduction video, some of the features of the Explorer Pro that will play important roles in her adventure, like the built-in GPS, as well as equipment and supplies she has added, including a power relay that allows her to charge devices while riding.
With plans to launch on her journey on May 29, with a 200-mile first-day haul, that May video also highlighted the fact that her 2025 journey also had a purpose – raising funds for the Brothers in Arms Foundation.
The Brothers In Arms Foundation is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services, and events for wounded veterans.
After setting out at the end of May, and reaching as far as Lake Erie by June 16, Kasey’s adventure brought her to Kentucky and Tennessee in July, just in time to deal with some of the severe storms that passed through the region, as well as the sweltering heat, and WCJ first heard about Kasey’s journey through a social media post a few days back when Tennessee River Locks & Navigation page mentioned her passing through Pickwick Lock and I noticed the “Solo Ventures” sign on the back of her ski and did a Google dive to find out more.
Although I was able to contact Kasey through social media messages, her route had already taken her outside of my travel range from my home in NW Georgia, and we attempted to schedule an online interview, but have been unable to connect for more than a few messages due to my work schedule and her preparation for facing one of the toughest stretches of the Loop – the 150-mile Gulf crossing – which, after a day’s delay for weather, she completed yesterday.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we feature more about Solo Venture and her journey. Meanwhile, you can keep up with her progress on her Livetracker, as well as her Facebook and Instagram accounts, where you can also find out more about her work with Brothers in Arms.
(Editor’s note: TRLN also posted about the Tennessee River 600 passing through on their yearly journey on July 25, and WCJ has contacted them and will be adding an article about the trip in an upcoming edition of WCJ)
