The Great Pandemic Escape
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From bareboats and crewed charters to learn-to-sail courses, people are flocking to Florida to go boating
Barb Hansen is projecting a major maritime backup from the Great Lakes straight down the Mississippi River in summer 2025.
“Our school has gone crazy,” she says, referring to bookings for sail and powerboat courses at Southwest Florida Yachts, which she runs near Fort Myers. “If everybody who says they’re going to do the Great Loop in the next three to five years actually does the Loop, it’s going to be a serious traffic jam.”
Operators of marinas like this one in the Keys are seeing heavy traffic.