Rick and Suzanne Rosenwald: Harbor Hosts Helping Loopers on Lake Michigan

Rick and Suzanne Rosenwald have spent their lives helping others—he as a retired firefighter and she as a retired paramedic and healthcare worker—and that spirit of service continues now on the water. After completing America’s Great Loop aboard their DeFever 44, the couple began volunteering as Harbor Hosts to assist other Loopers who cruise through their hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan.

The Harbor Hosts program, started about 15 years ago by the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA), connects local volunteers with boaters making the 6,000+-mile Great Loop circuit. What began with “Gold Loopers” who had completed the full Loop has grown into a nationwide network. Today nearly 600 Harbor Hosts offer local knowledge and hands-on help—everything from a ride to the hardware store to introductions to local sights and services.

“As we were doing the Loop, there were so many people who helped us out with little things here and there,” Suzanne says. “When you’re on your boat, you don’t have a car to run and get things. You don’t have a way to go get a certain screw or a cord for the internet, things like that. Driving people to get these things is easy for us, and we enjoy it. We meet all kinds of people—just like when we were doing the Loop.”

For the Rosenwalds, being Harbor Hosts means offering practical assistance and a warm welcome. They routinely drive visiting Loopers to grocery stores, Walmart, hardware stores and electronics shops. They introduce people to local businesses and attractions—touring a local cola bottling company, visiting the golf course that hosted the Ryder Cup, or taking guests to a traditional Wisconsin supper club for an authentic meal and conversation.

“It’s about providing local assistance,” says Kim Russo, AGLCA’s director. “It’s become a way for newer members who are still learning and preparing for the Great Loop to get engaged and pick the brains of people who are currently doing the Loop—get them into your car and take them to the grocery store.”

The Rosenwalds’ own Loop journey began after they attended a two-day AGLCA seminar in Chicago in 2017. Rick had been boating for decades, starting with a 15-foot ski boat at age 18 and later owning trailerable 27-foot boats for weekend cruising around Wisconsin. Suzanne read about the Great Loop and convinced him to explore the longer voyage. After the seminar and an AGLCA rendezvous in Alabama where they toured different boats, they purchased a 1990 DeFever 44 and named it Fire Escape.

What was intended as a yearlong trip became a multi-year odyssey. The Rosenwalds left Wisconsin in October 2018 and headed south, but a cancer diagnosis for Suzanne interrupted their plans. She returned home for surgery and chemotherapy while the couple kept the boat in Fort Myers, Florida so she could travel for treatment. After she regained her health and family matters were settled, they relaunched in January 2020, only to be stalled again by the emerging Covid-19 pandemic. Marinas closed, the Canadian border shut down, and the Erie Canal remained inaccessible to tall vessels like their DeFever.

“They said, ‘Give us a couple weeks, everything will be all right,’” Suzanne says with a laugh, remembering the early pandemic uncertainty. Fire Escape stayed in Stuart, Florida until 2021, and the couple made repeated efforts to find a route forward. When Canada finally reopened, they resumed cruising in April 2022, traveling north past the Statue of Liberty, through the Trent-Severn Waterway, and into Canada—collecting memories and friendships along the way.

The journey had its delays, but it yielded unforgettable experiences. “It was a great trip, a wonderful adventure with friends we’ll have for life—so many things we’d never have done if we hadn’t been on a boat,” Suzanne reflects. “We’d never have gone to a lot of those small towns. It’s a whole different perspective to see the country.”

The Rosenwalds crossed their own wake and completed the Great Loop on July 17. As they approached their Wisconsin marina, friends and family surprised them with a dockside celebration. “We had a coworker of mine from the fire department on board as our deckhand, and he looked through binoculars and said, ‘Does your son’s boat have blue sides on it?’” Rick recalls. Their adult children, their spouses and about 30 friends had arranged tables and food to mark the occasion. The Rosenwalds ceremonially exchanged their white flag for a gold one to show they had finished the Loop.

Now back in Sheboygan, Rick and Suzanne take satisfaction in helping other Loopers reach their own milestones. They regularly provide rides, advice and local hospitality, and they enjoy introducing visitors to the landscape, culture and food of Wisconsin. Their volunteer work illustrates how the Great Loop community supports itself through practical kindness and shared knowledge.

“I just got a text yesterday from someone I helped,” Suzanne says. “They crossed their wake in St. Charles, Illinois, and now she wants to reach out and help other Loopers coming through too. It’s nice to see that in the world still, people helping each other.”

This article was originally published in the November 2022 issue.