So much of the popular press and media seems to associate boating with one of two "extremes". You are either a full-up passagemaker, going across the open seas, visiting far lands and rounding Cape Horn. At the other end of the spectrum, you are a weekend runabout operator towing the kids on a ring or skiing. Mind you, I don't think there is anything wrong with either end if that's your thing (and you have the means), but there is a "middle ground" that seems very attractive to me that doesn't get as much following.
There are many names for this... river cruising, coastal cruising, gunk holing, etc. all probably encompass some of the ideas. But just in the U.S. there are thousands of miles of navigable rivers (open to fairly large craft) that are often ignored. Did you know that you can get to Oklahoma from the ocean? I didn't until a couple of years ago.
Much of Europe is accessible by canal, providing your craft will fit... and many of the canals will handle some pretty large craft. Great Britain is somewhat an exception to this. They have a tremendous number of canals, but many are designed around a "narrowboat"... a long, very narrow (7' or so) craft that is pretty unique to them. But even the U.K. has quite a few larger waterways.
Studying history we know that cities grew up around transportation methods, and a couple of hundred years ago, that meant rivers. So many of the worlds large cities are accessible by water.
You can make years long trips via water and never cross an ocean. You could probably do it without getting near the ocean :-) The Great Loop (circumnavigating the eastern United States of America) is one example. For much of the trip you are in protected, inland waters.
I want to expand on some of the on-line resources I have found for inland travel. There are publically accessible charts for the U.S. now, and several cruising guides you can purchase.
There are several cruising guides and mile-by-mile books listing details on the Great Loop and other inland cruises. These can be quite detailed, or less so, but most cover such things as fuel, maintenance and moorage availability, interesting "local" facts, tips and hints about the area.
Some cover the "entire loop" and others specialize in certain locations. Be aware that keeping one of these up-to-date is beyond a full time job, so especially printed versions may not have the very latest. Check water depths, shoaling, bridge opening times and the like... don't just believe the book.
Also, these books are not replacements for proper charts!
One very well regarded example is:
Another source:Of interest if you're reading there are a couple of online versions that people have available:
Another source of several publications
Just a small collection of the various cruise logs (commentaries/ship's logs/etc.) detailing people's trips on all or part of the Great Loop. A way to travel vicariously and learn while you go :-)
Some of these also include other trips/rivers/waterways:
And another list can be found here:
Trawlers and Trawlering has a collection of Great Loop articles and resources on the web.
The first to look at if you are actively making the loop is the Circle of Friends. This is a list of names and/or contacts who have volunteered to be of assistance to Great Loopers.
Other articles and links include:
Like nearly anything in modern society, there are a variety of local and national (and international) rules you need to obey to make your Great Loop (and similar trips) a success and pleasure for you and those surrounding you. Among those are wake zone, "no discharge" areas, etc.
Skipper Bob provided an excerpt from his cruising guide on the Great Loop list recently:
Extract from The Great Circle Route
Finally, the matter of type I (like Lectra/San.) treatment systems. The Environmental Protection Agency has designated several areas on the Great Circle Route as No-Discharge Zones. In these areas you may NOT use the type I treatment system. (This does not impact gray water discharge) These No-Discharge Zones include, but are not limited to, Destin Harbor FL, all of the Florida Keys, all waters in Michigan, the Manasquan, Shark, and Navesink Rivers in New Jersey, and the Hudson River. For more information, if you have access to the Internet, check the web site http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regulatory/vessel_sewage/ [link corrected, cac] for a complete list of No-Discharge Zones.
Make sure your vessel can handle waste management appropriately... there are a lot of places just dumping it won't cut it any more, and going outside the 3 mile limit doesn't work in a river :-)