Green Turtle Bay, Barkley Lake, KY

(Dist: 44.0 mi; Avg Speed: 7.6 mph; TTT: 6:00 hrs)

The junction of the Tennessee River on the right and the Ohio River.

After leaving Cuba Head Island on the Tennessee River at Paducah, KY, we headed back to the Ohio River then upstream for about 11 miles. As we passed the anchorage at Cumberland Townhead Island, the two Looping boats, one from Montreal and the other from Panama City, FL swung in behind us and followed us up the Cumberland River. Another dramatic change as we left the wide open, sand beached Ohio River to the narrow, steep walled Cumberland River. There were times when both the GPS and the Fluxgate compass would not work in a particular deep canyon.

The Ohio shoreline:

The Cumberland River shoreline:

In the area there were a large number of gravel pits that were very active:

I wanted to show how much the water seems to fluctuate and although this is not the clearest water level marker you can see that the water does rise 25 -30 feet at times.

These types of markers under bridges indicate the vertical clearance to the bridge. Height clearances have not been an issue since the first few days out of Chicago.






In the next photo one can see the Barkley Dam and Lock. Our timing was much better for this 57’ lift as the lockmaster opened the gates just as we approached. On the other side is Barkley Lake and Green Turtle Bay Marina.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Docked Once Again >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is a nice marina and resort. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, saunas and two restaurants. The town of Grand Rivers is a long mile uphill but one can rent golf carts which we did when the stragglers arrived on Friday. It was most reasonable: a four seater for 24 hours was only $40 divided by 4 couples. HOWEVER, it is a dry county. One cannot buy a drink anywhere in the area. Fortunately we were well stocked and as we found out, one can BYOB to the restaurants.

I will give you a quick idea of marina life. On arrival after securing the boat and checking in, we grabbed the cooler and went to the pool. We had supper with another Looper couple at one of the restaurants which is really the Commonwealth Yacht Club. I spent much of the next day washing, no scrubbing, the Mississippi mud off the boat while Linda was doing laundry. By 2 PM the other 3 boats arrived and after securing them and getting caught up on their 2 nights without us, we made arrangements to go to the restaurant in town. Patti’s appears to be the only game in town but fortunately it is a good restaurant ala theme park, ala tourist shopping area. Linda made reservations, because there were 10 of us going and she made arrangements to have us picked up. Well what a surprise; the place was packed and it was already 7 PM on a Thursday night. Of course we had to wait for our table which gave us just enough time to go through the gift shops that were on site and the bakery. The meal was very good. Their specialty is a 2” pork chop and a number of the group really enjoyed them; in fact, everyone enjoyed their choices and the warm homemade bread which was baked in small flower pots. It was a fun evening, again.

On Friday a bunch of us rented a golf cart and went into town. The girls shopped and we searched out some parts and maintenance things that were needed for the boats. This took care of most of the day right up to happy hour. Happy hour was at the indoor pool and after a number of drinks and getting kicked out at 7 PM we all decided that supper had to be at the Yacht Club. This time there were 13 of us as Windsong, the sailing catamaran that I have mentioned before, finally caught up to us. For the next day, we reserved a courtesy van and 6 of us went searching for a super Walmart which happened to be in Paducah, 25 miles away. The re-provisioning was most successful: loads of groceries and of course a stop at Roof Bros Liquor Store. We got over a case of wine, nothing costing more than $8.50. We are ready now for any contingency; dry county, anchorage, whatever.

For lunch we went into historic downtown Paducah. The flood walls have all been painted with murals. It is very impressive because it is so well done. The whole town has this high wall to protect it from high water.

You can see the height of the wall and how low the river is now at normal pool. You can see in the opening how temporary walls are slid into the grooves on either side.

Now you are up to date. It is Sunday and we are staying at least for tonight and maybe one more. Another boat has decided to join us on the side trip to Nashville. It should be fun.



The Ohio River

(Dist: 100.1 mi; Avg Speed: 9.4 mph; TTT: 11:30 hrs)

Since I was last into the anchorage, we were first out in the morning. In fact, we were off by 7:45 and away earlier than the others. It may have been a mistake not waiting for the others but I wanted to get to Green Turtle Bay, our next marina, in 2 days rather than the three needed by the others. Since the channel was fairly close to the entrance of our anchorage, I did the “securite, securite” announcement over the radio and then headed out. No problem for 5 minutes at least. Then an oncoming tow; still no problem; I contacted the tow captain and he requested a one whistle pass. No problem. Have I explained the terminology that the tow captains use? One whistle or see you on the one means that you keep to the right, that is port side to port side. A two whistle pass or two is starboard side to starboard side or go to the left of the oncoming tow. When overtaking a tow, one whistle means overtake on the right; two whistles mean overtake on the left.

Almost immediately we encountered another tow and proceeded in the proper fashion; no problem. There was an awful lot of turbulence when the tow passed and it was lumpy for quite awhile but we were getting fairly used to this. Almost immediately we encountered another tow only this time it was on a bend in the river. The tow captain told me a one whistle pass but to go inside the green buoys because he needed to cut the corner in order to make the turn. No problem until the current started sliding us towards the barges as we were making the turn. On this pass I stayed a little closer to the barge than I normally would have because I was outside the channel markers. What I didn’t realize was the amount of side slipping that was occurring in a turn due to the current until I could see us getting closer and closer to the barges. About the same time that I was goosing my engines to get out of there the tow captain came over the radio suggesting that I might want to move over more. The power of the current caught me by surprise somewhat, but I was able to power my way out of the situation. I am not sure that some of the other trawlers would have been able to do that as easily as I had. At least the tow captain had a sense of humour. When I said that I was reluctant to go too far out of the channel he came back and said that I did not have enough hanging below to worry about.

The next tow was less than 2 minutes behind the one that I was still talking to. We were on a straight stretch, contacted the captain, agreed to meet on the one and passed this rather large tow. The next thing that I know is that my bow is in the water. The surge was so strong and the waves so steep that I went up one side and right down into the next and my bow pulpit touched the top of the wave. We got tossed around quite a bit by that tow. All this occurred before I had even started my second coffee. In fact, that morning we came face to face with 7 tows in the first 40 minutes after leaving our anchorage.

Welcome to the Mississippi River.

The river widened just after we passed all those barges and it was as smooth as could be so I could see the floating debris from quite a distance. I brought Q up on plane for awhile and managed to reach 32 mph. That is good for Q because he would normally only be able to manage 25 mph in calm waters. I doubt that we stayed on plane for a full hour but it felt good none the less and before we knew it we had reached the junction to the Ohio River.

The difference between the two rivers is quite dramatic. Besides the water changing into a more normal color rather than the yucky brownish mud color, the river widen nicely. No whirlpools, eddies or turbulence; how nice; how normal. We did however lose about 5 mph in speed. From having a 4.5 mph assist behind us we started heading up the Ohio River against a 1 or 1.5 mph current; from 13.5 mph to 8.7 mph at the same rpm. The shoreline was cleaner with lots of sand beaches and there was much, much less, debris floating in the water. It just seemed so relaxing after the Mississippi.

We were making good time and decided to go to the town of Paducah in Tennessee. Friends on Lazy Dolphin spent the previous night there and just raved about the town. We were doing fine on this beautiful sunny day until we approached Lock # 52. About 5 miles before the lock we heard the lock master tell two other pleasure crafters (that is lock master speak for pleasure boaters) to go anchor out of the way for a couple of hours. I immediately backed down on my speed and turned one engine off. It took us about 1 ½ hours to reach the dam at idle speed on a single engine. It was so calm below the dam that I did not have to bother with an anchor. I floated for another hour and only had to start an engine once to reposition.

It was an ugly lock which is why it is being replaced by a new lock and dam downstream, called Olmstead Dam. Anyway, the walls of the lock are not flat or straight; they are huge, rusted, steel cylinders about 15 feet across. We heard that some boaters were required to loop 50 foot lines around bollards at the top and then try to keep their boats off the ugly cylinders as they were lifted. Fortunately for the three of us, they allowed us to float in the center of the lock while they lifted us the 5 feet necessary to clear the dam. It was only 5 feet because the Mississippi was at flood levels so the Ohio was up as well, at least in that lower pool. From the lock it was only about 5 miles to Paducah but it was getting late.

We easily found the junction to the Tennessee River where the town of Paducah was located. It was getting late and we did not like the looks of the small courtesy dock because it was so exposed and very near the channel which was a staging area for a tow company so we searched for an anchorage nearby. One of the guide books suggested a tenable (eg. shoaling and depth issues at times) anchorage on the south side of Cuba Head Island on the Tennessee River. We found it but we were a little concerned because there were docks and cranes on that same south side. We went further on and found about 15 feet of water where we were out of the way of the cranes and about 100 yards off the Tennessee River. Our first attempt at setting the anchor did not hold. It was getting dark already so we were getting a little anxious; after all we were alone for the first time. Fortunately, the second attempt held us tight. I was so confident with the set that after our BBQ and watching some TV, I fell asleep immediately and was ready to go 8 hours later….at 5 AM. I was surprised when I got up that a barge was approaching in the dark. (Aside: At night all of the tow boats have powerful spotlights that can shine, it seems a quarter of a mile or more. I am not exaggerating because they do light up the path clearly in front of tows that have six barges attached end to end. Since each barge is 35’ by 100’ long, I rest my case.) This tow captain left a full barge of sand under one of the cranes and then took off. Linda never heard a thing. Since Linda has never left her bed earlier than 7, I had a chance to work on my blog.

When Linda did get up (to the fresh coffee that I prepare each and every morning) we got ready and had no problems retrieving the anchor. It was not even muddy as we must have anchored in some of the sand that is all around. We headed back out past the now nearly empty barge onto the Tennessee and back to the Ohio River to continue our journey to Green Turtle Bay Marina.

Little Diversion Channel Anchorage, Miss. River

(Sept. 27 – Dist: 110.3 mi; Avg Speed: 11.6 mph; TTT: 10:00 hrs)

Leaving Hoppies was much easier than docking. With one person keeping the bow from moving out, we released the spring, which was holding the boat against the current, and then started forward while turning the bow towards the middle of the river. As soon as the current caught the bow, it swung hard but by that time I was free of the dock and could power my way out into the channel.

Today we played “Jack in the Box” or “now you see it; now you don’t.” The right photo is what one sees when a buoy is hiding. Buoys would be swept underwater and then pop up again unexpectedly. One had to be careful because over the course of 2 days I am sure that we encountered at least 20 such jack in the boxes. It is rather disconcerting when one is trying to give a tow as much room as possible and at the same time stay in the channel.

The Missouri coastline was more of the same limestone, quite picturesque but not much in the way of birds or wildlife or Asian Carp. Not sure where they are but we have not seen any since we have hit the Mississippi.

 One can see why they say that the river is at flood level.

Home sweet home for the night, after another long day, was this beautiful anchorage called Little Diversion Channel.

Again it was a bit tricky getting in the narrow opening because of the current but all four of us made it and had a pleasant, relaxing sleep just off the Mississippi River.

So ended our day.

The Grand Ole Mississippi River

(Sept. 25 – Dist: 60.8 mi; Avg Speed: 8.7 mph; TTT: 8:00 hrs)

The first thing that gets you when you leave Grafton Marina and enter the Mississippi River is the current. It is fast and there are constantly swirls and eddies in the water which move your boat back and forth. Otto could not handle it so I was at the wheel the whole time.

What also surprised me was the scenery. There is no doubt the river is muddy, very muddy and ugly looking but the shoreline was quite interesting; lots of limestone cliffs and even a flock of American White Pelicans.

We stopped at Alton, IL for fuel and a pump out. This would have been another good stop but it is just one hour from Grafton. Two of the other boats got through the lock just past Alton while two of us were still refueling. It was a quick lock with no commercial traffic at the time so we locked through shortly after the first boats. The lock master warned us that the next pool was at flood levels so we had to be mindful of the current especially around the St. Louis Harbor. The Loop, the end of the Illinois River, enters the Upper Mississippi River at mile 218. Mile 0 is at the point where the Ohio River dumps into the Miss R. From there south to New Orleans is referred to as the Lower Mississippi.

St. Louis was disappointing. There are no marinas or any places to stop in St. Louis and now I know why. The currents are fierce, the barges and tugs were numerous and active, the shoreline was mostly industrial and the water was filled with debris. Lots and lots of floating debris made the driving in the currents difficult.

And then there were the ever present tow barges. A new record for us was set this day. We passed on oncoming tow that was pushing 39 barges; 6X6 +3.

After a fairly stressful day of driving we arrived at our destination for the night; Hoppies Marina in Missouri. I come to find out that the stress had only just begun. You see, Hoppies marina consists of three 100 foot barges lashed end to end and floating on the edge of the Mississippi channel. As we arrived we were instructed to be ready to throw a bow line first, followed quickly with a spring line and then a stern line. There were four people at the dock / barge to help us in. Why??? Serendipity went first and got in no problem. Of course Mitch is a professional captain and it showed. The next docking did not go as smoothly. It seemed to take forever for the boat to creep up to the dock and then just as it appeared to be near the dock the boat was swept away back into the middle of the river. The two of us that were waiting to get in were out fighting the current. I discovered a sweet spot. By running just one engine I could keep the current just off the bow and travel straight at about 0.6 mph. Not bad, a 450 hp diesel engine going 0.6 mph. In calm water this same engine will push my boat about 5 mph. Anyway it was time for the second pass for the boat that was trying to dock. Slow, slow, slow, ABORT, ABORT. For the two of us waiting in the middle we could not figure out what was happening. On the third attempt the captain was getting second by second instructions over the radio. I was listening intently and soon realized that this was not like any other docking that I had ever attempted. The third try was a charm and then we were up.

We started towards the dock but had to dodge a ton of debris, trees and logs. Then there was a large whirlpool to avoid which I later discovered was the end of a “wing dam”. I will explain these after I am docked. I kept a steady pace towards the back of the previous boat working very hard to keep the bow from swinging with the current. I had to keep a fair bit of momentum into the current and as we got close Linda made a perfect toss with the bow line and a second perfect toss with the spring line. I could hear one of the dock hands yell, “can you reach me?. The toss; he said good throw; I heard Linda reply, “there is no fu@#*^g way I am doing this again.” We made it first attempt. It is not as easy as one would think. The current is so strong that it grabs even large boats and it is difficult, most times impossible, to get it back.

Hoppies is unique and the owner Fern is legendary. Because boating on the Mississippi is different than everywhere else, Fern holds a briefing session everyday that new boats arrive. Even boaters who have travelled the river before will sit in on the sessions to learn the latest that is happening on the river. We learned about “wing dams” and “weir dams”. All along the Mississippi the US Army Corp of Engineers has constructed rock dams that run from the shore to the edge of the channel of the river in order to redirect the current and to minimize shoaling and shore damage.

The photo above was taken on the Cumberland River. It is obvious because that river is at normal or below normal pool levels. On the Mississippi we were at flood levels so we could not see them. As we learned the water was so high that we could safety travel over them. The briefing gave us a much better appreciation of the river and the changing water levels. It happens regularly enough that boaters are instructed to add 3 feet of water below when anchoring because the river could drop that much over night. Fern warned us about three areas of weir dams that created particularly bad turbulence. We were instructed to stay as far as possible on the opposite side of the river when passing these areas. We were also told of narrow sections with tight corners. Here it was recommended to call out a securite, securite warning to the tow captains so that you would not come face to face with a large tow and then have nowhere to go. She also went over all of the anchorages because there are no marinas for almost 200 miles. An excellent briefing that was greatly appreciated by all.

That night was a little disconcerting. Debris, wood and branches were slamming against the hull and scratching all the way back. I hate to think what Q’s bottom looks like. And then there was the barge traffic. Tows going upstream created such a surge and wake that the boat was bounced around for about 15 minutes each time one passed. The next day was a bit foggy and rainy so the girls decided that we were not going to travel. I set up the satellite dish and invited the guys over to watch football. A wasted day in our opinion until the girls came back all excited and energized. Evidently, the town of Kimmswick is a great and popular visitors stop. Bus tours regularly bring visitors including special days called “girlfriend day tours”. The Blue Owl is almost world famous. I can attest to the great desserts from their bakery and Linda can attest to the great shops. She really, really enjoyed the afternoon. We also discovered that the Anheuser Estate Museum was adjacent to the Hoppies property.

Since the restaurant closes at 5 PM we had our second meal in a row onboard.

The river looks tame here but don’t be fooled.

Anchorage to Grafton, IL

(Sept. 23 – Dist: 61.2 mi; Avg Speed: 8.6 mph; TTT: 7:30 hrs)

Linda and I felt good about our first night on the hook; the sun was shining and we were headed for a marina and the end of the Illinois River. The anchor came up fairly easily and since we had set up our saltwater wash down pump (Aside: For you non boaters this pump takes water from the river or lake and pressurizes it so that you can attach a hose to a faucet in the back.) the afternoon before, we were able to wash off the mud quickly and head down stream.

It was a good leisurely trip especially as we continued to travel at trawler speeds. We are finding that we are actually enjoying the pace. It is much more relaxing; I can get up and walk around (even go to the bathroom) and let Otto do its thing. Linda has even started making lunches; what a treat.

As we neared the end of the Illinois River where it flows into the Mississippi, there were a number of small islands or shoals and the current picked up to the point where we were going a couple of miles per hour faster than earlier.

Miss River merging with Illinois River

Grafton Marina was right there on the LDB (Left Descending Bank). All the slips were covered and the docks and break wall consisted of floating concrete. The support pilings were about 20 feet higher than the current level of the docks. Even the marina office, ships store, shower rooms and the pool and hot tub were on floating platforms. It is amazing that the water levels change so dramatically on these rivers. Flooding is a real issue and although we forgot to take photos of this stop, there is a building in town that has a high water mark that is near the roof line of the building.

We all got settled in, grabbed our coolers and headed for the pool. This happy hour actually started at a time that I am more used to: Westport time (ie. 4 PM). This is a very civilized marina. When the coolers ran dry, we only had to enter the ships store next door and grab a six pack or two; all very handy. Of course nobody was going to be fed on board so 12 of us (we picked up a couple more looper couples) went over to the Hawg Pit BBQ Barn. A little rustic with a concrete floor and barn wood decor, but clean, very friendly and superb food with cheap beer. The ribs were excellent. A great ending to a fine day. We seem to be eating about 8 PM each night and when we get back on board we can’t keep our eyes open. We are going to bed before 10 every night. Those of you who know us well enough know that 10 PM is about 3-4 hours earlier than normal.

We decided to spend a second day in this neat town. The town has 3 wineries, all with patios overlooking the river, a number of restaurants and taverns and a hot looking barber. While the girls took a courtesy vehicle to Walmart in the next town, some of the guys went to the barber shop and were impressed with the barber, especially before she put on her smock. Me, I brought my personal stylist with me on this trip and she is also very hot….. when she wants to be.

After cleaning the boat and putting away a ton of supplies, we started our happy hour at the pool again. No one was up to preparing dinner so we decided to go to the Mississippi Two Step Restaurant after stopping first at the Ruebels Hotel for a drink. We had to stop at the hotel because the bar was imported from Bavaria back in the 1800’s. It was rather impressive, especially the carvings on the front, but the interesting part of the story on this bar is that when the hotel caught on fire, the locals ran in and carried the burning bar (parts are scorched) to safety. The story goes that the locals erected a tent over the bar to protect it from the elements and that the owner was serving beer within a couple of hours of the fire occurring. Anyway, after a beer we continued to the highly recommended, fancier restaurant. The tables in the garden were filled with patrons and many of the rooms inside were full as well. It is an old converted house with a stone foundation and lots of wood. Our party of 10 was ushered into the dungeon. Stone walls, low archways, curved staircase, large wood beams,…you get the picture. I did not think that our reputation proceeded us but that is where they put us; the guys at one end and the girls at the other. The food was very good and we had a great time with lots of laughs. The staff was even commenting on the noise that we were generating. We were the last party to leave the establishment.

So ends another day on the loop.

Our first look at the Mississippi River across the mouth of the Illinois River.

Havana to Anchorage at Mile 61.6, Illinois River

(Sept. 22 – Dist: 61 mi; Avg Speed: 8.2 mph; TTT: 7:30 hrs)

I thought that we might be leaving the group here. Looking at the weather and the 120 mile distance to the next available marina, I decided that I wanted to be in a marina on Thursday night because the winds were forecast to increase to 20 mph with gusts to 30. I did not want to be anchored anywhere with winds that strong. The others ideally wanted to do the same but did not have the same options as we did. I can travel 2-3 times faster than the trawlers and the one cat that was with us. So we headed off and with the increased current in the river and without a delay at the only lock, we were making good time. By 3 PM we had travelled 61 miles and so decided to anchor at a favorable location just upstream from a rail bridge, Mile 61.1 Illinois River System.

Linda and I had anchored a few times before but mostly by rafting to boats that were already anchored. Only once have Linda and I anchored on our own and that was in 2005 somewhere on the Trent-Severn. We picked our spot, dropped our anchor and set it….and then we watched the shore and watched and watched. We were not moving even though the current was quite strong, probably 1-2 knots. Garbage and debris was floating by constantly probably bolstered by the previous night’s rain storms and of course the tow barges kept coming. Anyway, we declined an invitation for a happy hour, did some cleaning of the boat and prepared our saltwater wash down pump for the next day’s activities.

A new record passed by us: a tow barge that was 3x5 +1. That is the largest that we have seen thus far. Another good BBQ and we actually set up the sat dish in order to watch some TV.

When it was time for bed, I set up my portable GPS unit with an anchor alarm. Since I had let out about 100’ of anchor rode, I figured that 60’ would be a reasonable distance to inform me that we had moved. I was sure that the current would not allow us to swing in the other direction. Everything seemed fine; we went to bed and then heard all of these strange noises. First it sounded like something was walking on our foredeck. I could not see anything. Then it was branches and garbage rubbing along the hull of the boat. Then it was Linda snoring. At least she was comfortable enough to get some sleep. I fell asleep, but not much later I was awakened by the GPS anchor alarm….”Anchor dragging”. I looked on the shore and everything was the same. Fortunately, it was a clear night and there was a full moon. I wrote down the Lat and Long and then went back to sleep only to be awakened about an hour later. Everything still appeared good including the Lat and Long. I upped the perimeter to 80’. That seemed to work until 6 AM but by then I had had a pretty good sleep. All in all we spent a fairly restful night at our first anchorage.



Largest Tow thus Far, 3x5+1



Fellow Loopers Serendipity and The Old Grouch anchored for the night.

IVYC to Tall Timbers Marina, Havana, IL

(Sept.21 – Distance: 48.2 mi; Avg Speed: 9.0 mph; TTT: 7:00 hrs)

Peoria Dam Lock

We had a 2 ½ hour wait at the Peoria Lock. One of those big suckers was in the lock when we arrived. Two of the three boats at the town dock got through before the barge arrived so four of us where left to wait it out. The others chose to drop anchor but Linda and I felt more comfortable just floating and doing the odd donut. We are getting the gears from the others but I keep telling them that I do not want to get my new anchor and anchor rode dirty.

In the afternoon, Linda and I were getting bored with the river and since we needed some supplies we let Q off its leash and took off on plane. I told the others that we needed to clear my engines of all of the trawler dust and cob webs that had accumulated over the past several days. We arrived at our destination, Tall Timbers Marina in Havana IL, about 90 minutes before the others. We actually had time for a beer and had completed our grocery shopping by the time the others got in.

I accomplished a new record while docking here. Since it was such a small marina, space was limited so I had to literally squeeze in behind The Old Grouch, a fellow looper, and a 20 foot dock. It was like parallel parking only with a boat and in some fairly strong winds on my stern. We moved in and had to pivot on a spring line to actually prevent the boat from moving forward or backwards. In the end I had docked the boat between the boat up front and a dock behind with only 5 feet of extra room. I was rewarded with a beer and some favorable comments from the others when they arrived.

Another happy hour, BBQ and early turn in while a thunderstorm rolled through.

Another good day.

Henry to Illinois Valley Yacht Club, Peoria, IL

(Sept. 20 – Dist: 28.6 mi; Avg Speed: 7.9 mph; TTT: 4:00)

The next day was more of the same, numerous birds, flood plain type scenery and this marina where there were a number of casino boats tied up.

For the night the group split up; Three of us went to the Illinois Valley Yacht Club while 3 went to the town dock in Peoria. The IVYC was quite nice but not open. The harbormaster however did come in and open the laundry and TV room for us but could not open the bar. It was really scary going into the marina. Our depth sounders went to 0 and not because of any weeds. (Aside: the waterway is not weedy like our lakes and rivers in Canada??? It is either too muddy here or the current is too fast for them to catch hold.) Anyway, we were kicking up a lot of mud and silt all the way in and turning was very sluggish. One of the boats actually was not able to back up at one point but did succeed in going forward and reaching his slip.

Happy hour by the pool, which unfortunately had been emptied the day before, was a great success….again. I informed the others that Linda and I had been playing “make believe” for the past two days. I had started running on a single engine and making like I was a trawler. I have been alternating every half hour the running of each engine. My fuel stats should be way better next time. When running both engines I run them at about 900 rpm, but I can achieve the same speed by running a single engine at 1100 rpm. The money must be rolling in??? A BBQ and Linda and I crashed early again. It seems that 9 – 10 PM is the latest that we can stay awake anymore. We are getting up at 6:30 and driving in the sun or rain all day so I guess it is allowed.

Our sat dish is working out OK now that I have convinced the DISH Network people that we are travelling in an RV. I only have to change my service address with them when we enter a new area of local channels. So far, we have seen locals from Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Chicago.

Ottawa to Henry's at Henry, IL

(Sept. 19 – Dist: 43.4 mi; Avg Speed: 6.5 mph; TTT: 7:30)

Linda and I feel that the river is becoming quite interesting although some others are calling it boring. There are numerous birds along the banks of the river with trees and flood plains along both sides. There was some discussion about sightings of pelicans. We were all surprised to find pelicans this far north but for the record I was the first to officially declare that they were pelicans. They are American White Pelicans and they have distinctive black markings on the tips of their wings. Evidently, we are on the eastern most path that these birds can be seen.

Along the river there are numerous blue herons, 32 per 30 minutes of counting. Evidently, another boat was getting bored and started counting the sightings. There are also plenty of egrets and we have even spotted some American Bald Eagles in the trees, as well as some of the younger eagles that have more of a spotted brown plumage.

Still up for confirmation is the snow geese which Linda and I spotted near the marina (see photo). The experts, those loopers who have bird books onboard, say no way but I declared them as snow geese. I could be 2 for 2 on this day. They will have to bless this declaration from the photos.

Henry’s Marina is a quaint little place near the town of Havana. We never got to the town but did enjoy the beer and ribs at the restaurant at the marina. The docks we stayed on were not docks at all but rather the rock walls of the old canal. Lines were tied to rocks, tree stumps and whatever was solid. There was power which we could get from the hydro poles not far away. An interesting place and really quite OK for the night.

Snow Geese; Yes or No?

Joliet to Ottawa, IL

The evening on the wall at Joliet was pleasant enough.  Two loopers who had been running with our friends from Ohio, Ocean Breeze, topped off our Happy Hour get together with "Little Beers".  Very, very good shooters; a liquor called "43" topped with whipping cream.  Smooth.

Ocean Breeze, the friends we met at last October's rendezvous from Ohio, finally caught up with us in Chicago but fell behind again when we left the windy city after an 8 day stay.  I understand that they are only a day or two behind us now.  As for us, we are travelling with a group that has been more or less together since Georgian Bay.  They are fun, knowledgeable and experienced so we have been tagging along with them since Leland, MI.  It is interesting that there is an ebb and flow to the group.  Some move ahead then we catch up; some fall behind then they catch up, so the group fluctuates from 3 to 7-8 boats at any one time.  I suspect the groups will get larger as we approach the Fall Rendezvous which is scheduled for Oct. 24-27 at Joe Wheeler Park in Alabama.  Most are planning on attending the rendezvous.

Now that the river is wider and there is less congestion, the barges are getting wider and longer. It also takes them that much longer to clear a lock. In fact, many now have to use multiple lifts to get the all of the barges through. I think that the locks are designed to accommodate a 3x2, that is 3 barges wide (105’) and two long (? ‘). The tug pushes them into the lock and disconnects the set and backs off. The barges alone lock through and then are pulled out by the lock staff with the aid of a mule. This is not the ornery kind but rather a system on land that can drag the barges out of the lock. The lock keeps cycling in this manner until all of the barges and the tug are together and lashed together again.


Today was the first time that we saw the famed Asian carp jumping out of the water behind boats. It was not that big a deal because they were somewhat infrequent and not that plentiful. (Since I am writing this section 4 days later, this statement no longer applies. Asian carp jump frequently, they are numerous and they can be a fair size.)

The flotilla decided to stay at another free dock in the town of Ottawa, IL. As we got closer we discovered that 2 of our group who had gone ahead were already there. The main dock has room for three boats and there were already 3 boats tied up. Since there were 4 boats coming in for the night we had to raft off the boats that were on the dock. Thank god boaters are such nice people. Linda and I have been going slow on the rivers so the days are very long and with Linda still not 100% I do not know what we would have done if we could not have rafted off another boat. Anyway it worked out well in the end and Linda was well enough to go out and have a bit to eat.

Rafted to Lazy Dolphin a 37 Great Harbor Boat

A Different Pace

The rivers are a totally different kind of adventure than the Great Lakes.  We left Dusable Harbor before the other Loopers but had a 12 mile run to get to the entrance to the Cal Sag Channel.  Once there we were immediately engulfed in heavy industry and scrap metal yards on both sides of the river.  Not 20 minutes later we encountered our first barge.  I just saw the front of the barge coming around the corner but could not see the tug that was pushing it.  It was a tight corner so I held back away from the side that the barge was aiming for.  I thought a smart move but when the tow captain saw me I heard some uncomplimentary comments about what idiot would stop on a bend.  Fortunately, thanks to my segway partner, I was monitoring the tow captains' channel and promptly asked were the tow captain would like me.  He told me very nicely to tuck in behind a barge that was tied up and informed me that his back end would be swinging my way for the next turn.  It turned out that my thinking would have been OK if I had not been in the middle of an S curve in very tight quarters.  Anyway, no harm, no foul.

Barges were frequent but I quickly learned to call the tow captain and ask where he would like me to go to stay out of his way.  This all worked fine but I was busier than a one armed paper hanger.  You see Linda was down with the same, real, flu that I had 2 days earlier.  I was checking the clearance of each bridge and keeping track of exactly where I was so that I could hail the correct tow captain.  For example: Lake bound tow captain approaching the 95th Street bridge this is the pleasure craft....you get the picture.  Eventually, the traffic slowed down and it was a boring trip to the junction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.  My trip down the Cal Sag was about one and a half hours longer than the trip through downtown Chicago.  I could hear the other Loopers dodging traffic but had no idea that the canal was so narrow until I got there and met my first barge.  We both had to go very close to the walls of the canal in order to squeeze by.  There were barges all over the place.  Most were tied to the side while others were inside slip openings.  It was busy and interesting once again.  This is also where the fish barrier is located.  It is a non issue right now.  If it was not for the signs that you were entering and leaving the fish barrier, you would not know.

The first lock on the Cal Sag Channel was similar to the Iroquois Lock on the St. Lawrence River.  It is a leveling lock that only drops about 2 feet so you do not even tie up, you just float or hover until the gates open.  Our timing sucked for the first real lock.  A barge was just entering from below as we arrived so we had about a 45 minute delay.  We were able to tie up to a wall just above the dam.  It is not anything like the Trent-Severn or Rideau systems in Ontario where a wall is supplied to tie up to.  This was a wall leading to the dam with no cleats or bollards.  We did manage to tie onto a railing that was barely reachable.  Inside the lock we tied up to a floating bollard, or "floaters" as the lockmasters call them, and had a very gentle ride down the 40 foot drop.  Nothing like the Seaway Locks.  The staff helped get the line over the bollard and the ride was calm, slow and without any currents or eddies.  The walls of the lock were also smooth and clean so it was unnecessary to keep the boat off the wall.  Two fenders did the trick easily.

Coming out of the lock there were 4 bridges that were very low.  I aimed for between the support girders and ended up having about 12 inches of clearance over my radar unit.  I had plenty of help at the town wall where we were staying because happy hour had already begun for the 5 Looper boats that were already there.

We made it to Joliet, IL.  Linda got up from her bed on the helm and went to bed.

The Real Chicago

The Marinas

Parking is at a premium just like every big city.  In the foreground is Monroe Harbor with 1,000 mooring cans all taken.  The Chicago Yacht Club, which would not accept me as a transient, is to the left and the big boat in the center is the Columbia Yacht Club, which did accept my reservation.  I declined.... not to get even with the "club" crowd but to avoid getting bounced around in the east wind which was forecast.  By the dockmaster's own admission, the surge is awful in an east wind and I was going to be on the wall and not in one of there 4-5 slips.  Too bad, because the club house is actually a retired Canadian ferry.  The bar and dining room are very nice all decked out in wood and brass; it has character.  Even going to the washroom one has to step over a bulkhead.  The only thing missing was the big steel door with the locking wheel.  I have had a drink or two there and some food in the bar.  The people were exceptionally friendly.  I kinda wish the forecast had been different.

Navy Pier



We moved to Dusable Harbor which is behind the CYC boat/club house and is right downtown and near the tourist attractions on Navy Pier. This marina is much better; the restrooms are newer and there is much more to do nearby; there is everything to do in Chicago. Where else can on stay in Chicago for $120 a night, sleep in their own bed, look out over the lake and Navy Pier, and experience the city?   We started out by going to the pier for lunch and happened upon a free stained glass museum. 

Stained Glass at Navy Pier

Unfortunately, our first real order of business was to find Macy's which, unfortunately is located along the Magnificent Mile.  Linda was in shoppers heaven and I was having near seizures.  Nordstrom's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Guess, etc., etc., etc. ad museum.  Macy's alone covered the equivalent of 10 square blocks.  Fortunately for me we ran into another Looper couple and Dave and I were able to escape to a nearby bar and watch the finals of the US Open.  



The Bean



Tom, Linda and Brenda under the "Bean"

 Linda could still carry everything so we got off Michigan Avenue and visited Millennium Park.  The Bean is not the real name but Chicagoans only calls it that.  It is neat; one can see reflections from every place that you can stand including directly underneath it.  Also in the park is a outdoor concert venue and gardens of mostly ???weeds, grasses, ???.  I am not fair here because they were all identified and cultivated, it is just me....they looked like an overgrown garden and acted on my allergies like an overgrown weed bed.

The City of Chicago has done it right.  All along the lakefront there are bike paths, parks, museums, marinas and beaches.  The downtown has a great mix of office buildings, condos, apartment buildings and of course restaurants.  The city is alive and we felt perfectly comfortable walking around at night.  In fact six of us went to Giordanos, another famous Italian restaurant that offered "stuffed pizza".  The stuffed pizza was deep dish style but had a bit of a crust on top.  I actually preferred this pizza but everyone seemed to like the deep dish style of Uno's.  Getting there was rather interesting because from the marina one has to find their way up to a second level.  We ended up walking through a parking lot underneath an elevated road, Lakeshore Drive, then up an elevator to Lower Randolph which allowed us to take some stairs to Upper Randolph.  The first time we did this I had my GPS unit from the car and it was useless.  It did not provide any useful directions to manage the different levels.  When we got to the restaurant the GPS track looked like the path of a drunken sailor, it zigzagged frequently often crossing its own path.

Downtown Chicago

We did the "Architectural Tour" the next day with another Looper couple.  It was a 90 minute boat tour down both the South and North Branches of the Chicago River.  This is the preferred route for Loopers but I was leery of taking this route because the lowest bridge clearance is reported to be 17 feet and the top of my radar unit is between 17' and 17'6", depending on who is measuring.  Reportedly, at the basin level for the past few days the minimum vertical clearance was 18' but..... no guarantees.  In the end it was an easy decision; the tour provided us with all of the best views along with real interesting history and facts.  Linda and I went 12 miles south to the alternate route, the Calumet River, when it was time to start heading south. 

Marina City

I cannot remember all of the details but the tour guide was awesome; she kept us enthralled or at least very interested  about the city and the buildings for each of the 90 minutes.  This was especially good because Linda and I lucked into meeting the Director of the Chicago Tour Line, Manager of the Illinois Maritime Towing Company and ex Coast Guard who gave us complimentary tickets (worth $37 each). 



Hourly Display

After the tour and a quick lunch on the promenade near this fountain we headed over to the Hancock Building.  Going up the the Observatory on the 94 th floor and listening to Schwimmer of "Friends" fame was definitely worth the trip.

On our supposed last day in Chicago, I was not well; a touch of the flu (not Wayne's kind) and I spent most of the day resting while Linda went shopping (you are right, I could not rest very well).  Linda did find some good New Zealand Pinot Noir 2005 wine at a pretty good price.  We tried some at the happy hour and needed more since we are all out of the going away gift bottles and the 2 cases that we brought.  When Thursday turned up rainy and cold we decided not to head off but stay another day so we dug out our granny shopping cart and headed for the package store.  12 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of rye (no Wisers here unfortunately) and 12 bottles of mix made a full load.  I dragged this d#!* thing about 10 blocks back to the boat.  We are ready to travel again.

Only one last thing that needed to be done.  Mitch, a fellow Looper, and I wanted to take a segway tour; they are all over the park areas along the waterfront....so we did.  The girls and Jay went to Chinatown while Jay and I learned to ride a segway.  It is so, so, SO neat.  There were 16 people in our group; it was the largest group that the tour guide had ever had to deal with.  And there were a couple of people that I was rather concerned about their coordination skills.  Within about 40 minutes all of us were on our own sewgay and practicing in this hall.  I was amazed.  After some general guidelines and instructions, each person was individually given a segway and taught to ride.  It is amazing.  To go forward you lean on your toes.  To stop you press on your heels.  To turn, you push the handle bar either right or left.  That is it.  After two minutes it feels like the most natural thing in the world.  After 10 minutes, I could hover with no hands, go backwards, go so fast that the governor would kick in, and turn to talk to the person behind me while still going forward.  It is amazing (I think I have over used the word but 4 days later I am still amazed).  I want one or two for the boat.

My only regret for the time that we had in Chicago was that we did not stop at the Cheesecake Factory when we had the opportunity.  The desserts looked awesome and I hear that they taste even better.  Our last dinner in the big city was at Carlson's which is a popular rib house that has been a favourite for many celebrities for many years.  The ribs were not bad but I have had better. 

We head south down the rivers on Friday and will be faced with our first locks.