The AGLCA bestowed Frank with the honor to recognize his completion of one of the world’s most unique adventures, America’s Great Loop. Boaters doing the Great Loop are on an approximately 6,000-mile journey that circumnavigates the eastern part of the U.S. and Canada, cruising up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, through the New York State Canals, into the Great Lakes, through the inland river system, across the Gulf of Mexico, and around the southern tip of Florida.

Approximately 150 boats complete the Great Loop each year, according to the AGLCA, making it a feat more uncommon than swimming the English Channel or climbing Mount Everest.

Frank completed the Great Loop with his 17-foot 1982 Sawyer Loon canoe, “Fool’s Errand,” when he pulled up to a sandy shore on Escanaba Municipal Beach on Oct. 20. He had departed from the same place on June 27, 2023.

In addition to facing the challenges inherent to long-distance cruising, Frank enjoyed views of the U.S. and Canada only seem from the distinct vantage point of the water’s edge. Beyond that, he did the journey solo, and “the wrong way ’round” — clockwise, while most boaters make the trip downriver first before heading up the East Coast. Frank’s was meant to be a loose recreation of a historic journey done by canoe designer Verlen Kruger. He gathered a number of friends and fans along the way.

24-year-old Peter Frank holds up a fresh burgee of the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association moments after finishing the loop himself and being greeted on the beach in Escanaba by his parents Ellen and Butch, shown, and many others. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

“This journey for me had been the most arduous but equally incredible experience I could have asked for at my age,” Frank said after finishing the trip last month. “I started this when I was 22. I am now 24, but feel I’ve lived a lifetime in the past 16 months. I’m honored to have been able to share it with you all.”

Many boaters rely on the AGLCA to provide them with information and assistance that contributes to the successful completion of their journey. Frank is a member, and now that he has completed one loop, his fresh degree signed by AGLCA Director Kimberly Russo grants him the honorary title of “Gold Looper.” People who have completed the loop multiple times become “Platinum Loopers.”

Frank is believed to be the youngest person to have completed the Great Loop.

More information on the AGLCA can be found at www.GreatLoop.org.

On Oct. 20, Peter Frank rounds a bend on Aronson's Island in Escanaba and makes the final few sweeps of his paddle to complete a 16-month trip. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)