Two boats, one map, ~6,000 miles around eastern North America. Youens is running 24/7 with two drivers and sleeping quarters, gunning for under 10 days.
Record holder (19d 13h 1m, 2025). Launched from Chickasaw/Mobile on July 13 with co-driver Steve Hernden — 23' boat, 120 hp, running day and night.
The challenger — Bandit, Great Loop 2026, currently ahead on the water and chasing the same record.
The Great Loop is a ~6,000-mile circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and parts of Canada via the Gulf, Atlantic ICW, Great Lakes, and inland rivers. Robert Youens set the solo/single-engine record of 19 days, 13 hours, 1 minute in 2025 in a 16-foot jon boat. This year he's back with a bigger boat, a second driver, and a 24/7 schedule — aiming to finish in under 10 days and take down the outright record too. Both boats are tracked live above via Garmin inReach satellite.