Wouldn't surprise me if you did see each other - it seems to be a small community of very friendly people
Not sure exactly what their plans are, and they have a long way to go on the boat. They are hoping to be done in the summer of 2008, but it will be ready for traveling this summer, if not cosmetically finished. I think they are planning on taking some smaller trips to prepare, since they have never done anything as long-distance as the Loop. Our typical trips were along the Trent-Severn waterway in Canada (live in Cleveland). Right now, the boat is out of the water (Lake Erie)for the winter, so they've set up a tarp over it and brought in a kerosene heater and have been working on the interior even in the freezing cold. Complete fanatics! They are having a lot of fun working on it and making plans, it's fun to see.