Y WAIT

Experience America's Great Loop

By: Michael Straub

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In the Summer of 2022 my Crazy Jar exploded. If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “You’re doing what?? You’re crazy!!” I’d be a millionaire. But instead of listening to the critics, I gathered my gear in waterproof bags, jumped on my Sea-Doo personal watercraft, and navigated the waterways of America’s Great Loop.

6,795 miles on a jet ski. No support crew, no chase team and no sponsors. One incredible summer adventure, attempting a feat only a handful have completed. Omaha – Key West – New York City – Chicago – Omaha.

This was my Mount Everest. A 101-day endurance that would challenge me physically, mentally and emotionally.

Y WAIT has been my calling for adventure. My sons can only agree, riding shotgun with me on countless Corvette road trips from the time they were seven and nine years old. They helped me prepare for the challenge of a lifetime. But when Day One arrived, I was on my own to tackle the waterways usually travelled in forty-foot yachts. There would be days as I crossed the Gulf of Mexico and rounded Florida to ski the Eastern seaboard that I would be as far as thirty miles from land. Surrounded by waves. On my own. And loving every minute. Mostly. The Great Lakes would live up to their reputation and try to unseat me with their relentless pounding.

Why wait? Ride along with me through a unique blend of writing and videos. After reading about each day on the journey, QR codes and URLs will lead you directly to my trip videos. Each page will take you further along the Great Loop with me as I live out my mantra.