Editor's Note–For many cruisers, the Great Circle cruise represents the culmination of dreaming and planning. It takes you through the heartland, around the east coast and through some of the most spectacular cruising in North America. Many cruisers decide to stretch the southern leg and head down to the Bahamas for some tropical variety. Alan Lloyd is the author of Great Circle Navigation Notes. You can access his web site at www.NavigationNotes.com for more information on the Great Circle cruise.

Lake Michigan was as calm as a millpond on the early Sunday morning we began our Great Circle tour on board our Silverton 330 Sport Bridge 2 If By C. Starting from Burnham Harbor we cruised a few hundred yards of The Great Lakes to reach the Chicago River. We made landfall at the Chicago Harbor Lock which was built to prevent polluted Chicago water from entering the lake. Now the discharge from the city flows down a canal to the Mississippi River system.

The lower lock gate opened and we slowly idled through the grand canyon of Chicago. My wife Jean was on the bow, her neck craned to see the tops of the buildings disappear into the mist. There were no other boats.We used the Chicago street map to track our position as the bridges were clearly marked with road names. One bridge has a fixed height of only 17 feet, no problem for us, but some larger motor yachts have to take an alternate route via the Calumet River.

We entered the aptly named Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal where barges were parked along both sides. At one point, barges were double-parked and we had to zigzag between them adding a little excitement.

The canal ends and the Illinois Waterway begins at Lockport Lock where many cruisers from Lake Michigan receive their first lesson on locking through. Call the lockmaster on VHF and wait for the green light before entering the lock. Also make sure you wear a life vest or inflatable suspenders, and hang on to the lines handed to you. And do not tie the line to a cleat, just hand on to them. When the lower gate opens, wait until the lockmaster signals it is safe to proceed.

Depending upon where you start, scenes like the Mackinac Suspension bridge or Chicago's skyline may be at the start or finish of your trip.

The scenery changed as we went from canal to river, and we started to see great blue heron wading ankle deep along the shore. We arrived at Starved Rock Lock and as we waited for the lock to open we looked up at the 125-foot sandstone bluff where in 1765 the Illini Indians retreated after murdering Chief Pontiac of the rival Potawatomi tribe. Bent on revenge, the Potawatomis set siege to the rock until the Illini starved to death.

At Peoria we had a choice of marinas. Detwiellers, the municipal marina, shares the harbor with The Peoria Yacht Club whose members gladly accept transients since the fees are used to fund their end-of-season party. A walking trail along the river leads downtown. On the opposite shore there���s Eastport Marina, an excellent facility with a pool and restaurant. The highlight of the evening is to watch the sun set over Peoria.

As we cruised along the waterfront the next morning, we came upon the Spirit of Peoria, a small red and white paddleboat, drifting aimlessly in the river. The captain told us the Illinois Corn Growers Association had rented a party barge for its annual meeting and were using his slip. This part of the river passes by farms and cornfields and we saw truckloads of brown grain being loaded on barges at a bunch of silos. A pair of bald eagles flew across our path and settled in a tree to watch us cruise by, while a deer swam across the river ahead of us then struggled onto the bank and disappeared into the woods. Since there are no marinas along this stretch of the Illinois River, we found a deep channel behind a large island and anchored for the night.

One of the most appealing parts of the Great Circle cruise is the different scenery along the way. From the lakes to Charleston, S.C.

Unfortunately, there isn���t anywhere for a transient cruiser to stop in St. Louis, so we decided to spend a couple of nights at Alton Marina while we checked out the Gateway Arch, the high point of St. Louis. Later we took photographs of the Arch as we cruised along the Mississippi River. We realized the fantastic gas mileage we got at idle speed so we decided to travel at idle speed for the rest of the Mississippi. Our twin 8.1L Crusaders normally idle about 8 miles per hour, but we were hitting 12 thanks to the current of the "Old Miss." During this leg, we enjoyed eavesdropping on the tow captains as they chatted on their radios. The river is loaded with sandbars and we heard one captain compare the river to the Sahara Desert because of the low water levels. Our next stop was at Cape Girardeau which tow captains call The Cape.We called ahead to Kidd River Fuel and arranged for Charlie Brown to meet us at his dock. If not for this important fuel stop it would be more than 200 river miles between fueling stations.

Soon the radio was filled with securite calls from tow captains broadcasting their locations and intentions. We approached the junction where the Ohio contributes to the waters of the Mississippi, and the name changes from Upper to Lower. After we entered the Ohio, we were cruising upstream and had to remind ourselves to keep the red buoys to starboard.

A new lock is under construction called Olmstead Lock and Dam. Once completed, it will replace the two smaller locks and dams that we were now approaching. At Paducah, Kentucky we pulled into the Big E Marina. A short walk along the top of the grassy levee brought us to the sea wall decorated with beautiful full color portraits of Paducah���s history. Nearby, at the American Quilters Museum we saw how people with a different hobby spend their time. Finally, we rounded out our visit at the Whalers Catch, enjoying seafood with a New Orleans flavor.

By the time we reached the Tenn-Tom we were adept at locking through. At Amory lock, a family of geese was racing the closing of the gate. All but one gosling made it, so the lockmaster had to temporarily open the gate. The daddy goose who directed the family to stay put while he swam outside and retrieved the lost baby fascinated us.

Reaching the wide-open waters of Mobile Bay in Alabama was a milestone. We circled around taking photographs of Middle Bay Lighthouse, our first lighthouse, and then headed for the next waypoint, excited by the prospect of warmer weather and heading for the sunshine state. We���ll take you there next month.

See Part 2