Update 11/19/07 - Tenn Tom and Mobile

Friendly sights along the Tenn Tom

Not so friendly sights along the Tenn Tom

Anchorage on the Tenn Tom

Update 11/19/07

Greetings from Florida. We are back in Florida as we crossed the Alabama/Florida border yesterday on our way to Pensacola. The remaining trip down the Tenn-Tom was uneventful but fun. We drove right into the last lock at Coffeeville, secured the boat and had a good ride down. We spent that night at the anchorage at Three Rivers Lake which is about at mile 64).

Going into that anchorage was somewhat of a nail biter. It wasn’t anything like the cruising guide described and didn’t look like the chart at all (The charts have not been updated since 1989!). The GPS said we were in the right place but it had put us in the woods a number of times on the way down so we couldn’t completely rely on it either. As the depth sounder started to show depths under 5 feet, we got more concerned when the channel continued and the lake wasn’t in sight. After 1000 ft (the guide showed 200 ft), it opened up into a big lake 6-10 feet deep and totally protected. It turned out to be a great anchorage and the tide was up when we left, increasing the depths on the way out.

The next day was warm and sunny again and it was back to shorts. We spent that evening at Briar Creek off the Tensas River Cut-Off which is approximately at mile 12 of the Tenn-Tom. Gypsy Time and us were joined there by Linda and Ray on Summertime.

From there it as on to Mobile. The trip through Mobile was interesting and a little tense. We had to dodge a couple of tows in the channel. Then, as we passed through the commercial area we were joined by three tugs which were moving to dock a large ship which had just come in. At one point we had a tug in front of us, Gypsy Time behind us followed by two tugs and then Summertime and a large ship moving toward us. Once we got by that we had another tow and then two more ships. We eventually turned into Dog River Channel and then went into Dog River Marina where we spent several days.

The first day Howard and Dianna on CHorse rented a van and invited the six of us to go with them to Bellingrath Gardens and Mansion on Dauphin Island. It was outstanding. Bellingrath acquired the original bottling franchise for Coca Cola in the Mobile area and his wife turned what had been a fish camp into a splendid garden and they built a beautiful mansion. The gardens were full of mums in bloom and being from New England it was neat to see roses in bloom in November. The property was being decorated for Christmas and there were lights everywhere. We wouldhave liked to have gone back to see it at night but it isn’t open yet.

The mansion was even more impressive. The Bellingrath’s had no children and they left everything to a foundation which apparently still owns the bottler as well as the property. Therefore the money was available to maintain it in an excellent condition. Even better, everything from the furniture to the china was original to the house and some of the collections were impressive. During the depression, when people were selling things just to eat,Mrs Bellingrath was buying and developed a reputation of paying top dollar for the things. Therefore she got offered many outstanding items, most of which were on view in the house. We all really enjoyed the visit.

Bellingrath House and gardens

The sequel to that visit was also interesting. When We rode with Howard to return the car, the individual from Enterprise who drove us back to the marina had gone to college on a Bellingrath Foundation scholarship.

That evening we had a nice dinner at the local yacht club with Pat and Pat from Salty Dawg, John and Pat from Gypsy Time, Linda and Ray from Summertime and Howard and Dianna from CHorse. The next day, Pat and Pat took us to the Boiling Pot to sample one of their PoBoy sandwiches. Pat said two people would have trouble finishing one and he was right. There must have been a pound of shrimp in those sandwiches! That afternoon, while the rest went shopping, Jean and I toured the museum of Mobile which focused primarily on Mobile’s history. It was another good museum. That trip was followed by a good happy hour on Salty Dawg where we were joined by Tim and Jan from Lamb Chop.

It was time to leave Dog River but most of our friends stayed behind to get work done on their boats. Hopefully they will catch up in a few days. We left in mid morning accompanied by Summertime, crossed Mobile Bay and started east on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. We anchored in Roberts Bayou which was a very protected anchorage and highly recommended by Skipper Bob. We went into the Pirates Cove restaurant at the entrance of the harbor which was described as a funky must stop and lived up to its reputation. After we walked in around the dogs we were greeted by three more loopers who were also anchored there. Two of the couples had been told by a mutual friend to watch for us.

The restaurant was having its songwriter’s festival which meant live music by several musicians. In addition, there was a wine tasting going on and we partook well. The food was good and the wines and music were excellent. We wound up staying almost 5 hours.

Yesterday we proceeded further east, crossed the Alabama/Florida border and stopped at Pensacola where we plan to spend the week. Our adventures in Pensacola will be described in the next update.

Attached to this update are a few Tenn-Tom scenes.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Steve & Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

Update 11/11/07 - On the Tenn Tom

Update 11/11/07


Hi y’all !

Since we’ve been in the deep south for over a month, I thought a southern greeting was appropriate. We have had little internet coverage for the past 2 weeks and I’m not sure when we will get it again so this may be a while getting out.

For the past two weeks we’ve been traveling through Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi and are now in Alabama for the rest of the trip until we reach Florida. As I write this we are on the Tom Bigbee/Black Warrior River about 125 miles from the northern end of Mobile Bay.

Our trip down the Tennessee from Chattanooga was delightful. We passed through beautiful countryside and used several nice anchorages. We did have a slight snafu one morning when the anchor marker drifted under the boat and tangled in the prop. Fortunately the engine wasn’t running and after a short swim I was able to untangle it and we could pull up anchor and get under way. At the Wilson lock we had the unique experience of having the lockmaster call us when we were several miles out and tell us he was holding the lock for us! We cleaned out the carbon in the engines pretty well in getting there!

We stopped at Joe Wheeler again and had a nice dinner on Sun Cat with the crews of Gypsy Time, Salty Dawg and Time Out. The fall colors were fully out there and it was beautiful. The Wheeler lock was the last one for us on the Tennessee and we were able to drive right in the morning we left Wheeler and made good progress down the river that day, anchoring in a very nice little cove that night and another one the next night.

Sun Cat and Gypsy Time at Cotton Springs

From there we left the Tennessee and started down the Tenn-Tom Waterway toward Mobile, 450 miles away. We only went about two miles down it that day as we stopped at Aqua Yacht Harbor in Iuka, Mississippi where we borrowed the courtesy car and went to Savannah, TN to play tourist and reprovision. I was also able to purchase a new water pump for the air conditioner as we found the old one didn’t have enough lift to adequately feed water to the new unit which was now up in the bridge rather than under the galley. We then set out down the Tenn-Tom which has been as pretty as the Tennessee and even more remote. We stopped that night at a very nice protected anchorage at Cotton Springs and the next day started down through the locks of which there are eight on the Tenn-Tom and two on the Black Warrior.

We stopped at Midway Marina in Fulton, Miss for a night. We walked over to the park visitors center but found it closed. It was a good walk anyway. The major purpose of stopping there was to use their cable TV to watch the Patriots-Colts game. We were very pleased with the outcome. The next night we stopped at Aberdeen Marina, primarily because they had the best fuel prices on the river. The courtesy car was out of commission but the owner gave us his truck to use and we were able to get to the hardware store to get a few pieces I needed as well as getting Jean and Pat (from Gypsy Time) to the grocery store. The entry was interesting, weaving our way through a narrow, winding channel with stumps on both sides and only around 5 feet of water.

On the Tenn Tom

The crew handles another lock - we are going down

More Tenn Tom

We spent the next two nights at the Columbus (Miss.) marina. The first night we had dinner out with Pat and Pat from Salty Dawg at Woody’s restaurant which has a great reputation and lived up to it. The next day we took the courtesy van for the afternoon with the crews from Gypsy Time and Salty Dawg and played tourist at the Waverly Mansion which is a restored plantation home built in the 1850’s. It was very interesting, especially since it had sat vacant and open for over 50 years and still had all of its original wood, fireplace tiles, light fixtures and windows as well as a god bit of its original furniture. The house was large with a four story atrium (55 feet high) in the center. There were then 4 large rooms in each corner off of that center core and the second floor was laid out the same. The top two floors were primarily storage. All of the top floors were accessed with circular staircases beginning on the ground floor and the fourth floor was an octagon of windows which when opened created a chimney effect which drew the warm air out and cooler air into the lowest floor. There were extensive gardens as well but they were not very exciting in early November. We toured Columbus a little, did some shopping and then had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

The next morning we took off early and went through two locks to a very nice anchorage in Cook’s Bend Cut-Off which is roughly at mile 280 (and is in the middle of nowhere). It was a good stop. The next night we stopped at Demopolis Yacht Haven (mile 216) and took a nice walk though downtown Demopolis even though it was late afternoon and just about everything was closed.

Yesterday was another early day as we were off before 7 to catch the Demopolis lock and went down it with 10 other pleasure boats. The lockmaster did a great job of keeping everything organized and the locking went smoothly. It was another beautiful sunny day spent passing through woodlands which were colorfully decorated by mother nature. It even warmed up enough that we could go back to wearing shorts for the afternoon. After a long day, we anchored for the night in a wide spot in the river at Mile 145. The locals had recommended it as a place they often used and it turned out to be a good place even with the tows passing 300 yards away. We rafted with Gypsy Time and Salty Dawg and Pat on Salty Dawg served a very nice homemade soup to all after a nice happy hour.

This morning (Sunday) it was very foggy when we awoke and we had planned on an easy day after a couple of long days anyway so we didn’t get moving until after 10 AM – just in time to have a tow go by us that we wound up following all the way to our anchorage at Okatuppa Creek which is at Mile 123. The creek is quite narrow. We rafted to Gypsy Time and then put out bow and stern anchors to keep from swinging into the banks. We got in early so we took one of the dinghies and went exploring up the creek which is surrounded by a wildlife preserve.

Tomorrow we go through the Coffeeville Lock and Dam which will be our last for quite some time as we will be back to sea level and in tidal waters for the first time since the Hudson River back in June.

Tenn-Tom pictures with next update.

Steve and Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

update 10/28/07 - Chattanooga

The Tennessee  River

Its been a busy last two weeks or so. We spent a couple of days in Florence, Alabama where we played tourist, did some shopping and worked on the boat some. When we left Florence, we then proceeded further upriver and went through the Wilson Lock and Dam. This lock had the biggest lift we have seen (and will have) on the entire trip as it raises one 95 feet in one lock. Driving into it is like driving into a cave.

After another lock at the Joe Wheeler Dam, we then spent a week at the Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Al where we attended another rendezvous of the American Great Loop Cruisers Association. The docks were full but Larry and Sue on SueSeaQ 4 allowed us to raft to them and Gypsy Time then rafted to us. This allowed us dock access and access to power all week which made going to the sessions easier than anchoring out. The sessions were great as they covered the Upper part of the Tennessee, the Tenn-Tom Waterway and the Gulf coasts of Florida, all places we hadn't been but were planning to go. We also got a chance to meet up again with many of the people we have seen off and on throughout the trip. In addition our new air conditioner was waiting for us and I was able to get it installed with some help from John on Gypsy Time and Larry on SueseaQ 4. Of course its now turned colder and we've used the heat function as much as the air conditioning function!

After the rendezvous we proceeded upriver to Chattanooga accompanied by Gypsy Time and Lamb Chop. It was a good run through some beautiful scenery. The Tennessee River in this area runs through the mountains and has steep banks rising up one or both sides of the river. We found several neat anchorages along the way. We also had a little excitement. After we left Wheeler, the boat seemed to take on more and more of a list to port and the fuel tank readings became unusual as we seemed to be increasing fuel in the port tank and not using any on starboard. I didn't find the cause until we ran both engines out of fuel and had to anchor on the side of the river. It turned out that there were two valves closed that had the effect of keeping fuel from flowing from the port tank and keeping the sight gauge from changing on the starboard tank. I must have closed one accidentally while working on the air conditioner and have no idea how the other got closed except that we had probably done 4000 miles with it closed! Once I found that and opened the valves again, everything was fine. However by that time darkness had set in and so the three of us spent the night anchored on the side of the river but well out of the channel.

The next day we went into Chattanooga in a light rain that naturally became heavy as we started to dock. We consoled ourselves by finding the brew pub after a trip to the visitor’s center to get more information as to what to do. We also took the (free) trolley up to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. The Choo Choo is the old railroad station. The station, which has been restored inside and has a magnificent domed roof, is now the lobby of a hotel. The train cars have been converted into hotel rooms and there is also a dining car restaurant as well as nice gardens and a vintage locomotive.

Chattanooga was a great stop. The city has done a wonderful job of redoing the waterfront and it is very pleasure boat and pedestrian friendly with lot to see and do within walking distance of the docks. We spent a day at the aquarium which has both a fresh water and an ocean section and saw an IMAX movie on various aspects of life under the sea (fish, shellfish, coral etc). The feeling was it was better than the aquarium in Chicago which we had all visited almost 2 months ago. In addition, we went to the regional history museum, did some shopping and worked on the boats.

On Friday, our last day there, we went to Lookout Mountain which is a mile or so outside of town and was the scene of a Civil War battle. We started by taking a city bus out to the Incline. The Incline is a car similar to a railroad car which goes to the top of the mountain-nearly straight up the mountain as it rises at and angle of about 70 degrees. At the top we were treated to a view of the city and the valley below and then we walked through Point Park where the Civil War battle took place. It was a nice park and also had sweeping vistas of the valley below. From there, we took a cab across the mountain into Georgia to a tourist attraction called Rock City. Rock City can best be described as a huge rock garden where one walks through gardens, huge boulders and small passages including those with names like "Fat Man's Squeeze" There was also a nice waterfall and an outlook where one could supposedly see seven states. Maybe on a real clear day but it was a nice view in any event. The highlight of Rock City, however was a building built like a cave in which they had constructed a fairy tale village with all of the familiar characters such as Mother Goose, Snow White, Jack and Jill, etc. It was really well done!

After Rock City we took another cab back into Tennessee to another attraction called Ruby Falls. At Ruby falls, one takes a guided tour (with 25 or so of your closest friends) down an elevator 250 feet into the mountain. From there you walk about 2000 feet through the cave to an underground waterfall that is spectacular. It was an interesting trip although I did feel a bit claustrophobic at times. We were a bit tired after such a busy day so we spent the evening doing a pub crawl through downtown Chattanooga. The consensus was that Sticky Fingers had the best wings.

Yesterday we started our trip back down the river accompanied by Gypsy Time. This time we had a clear day and the scenery was spectacular, made even more so by the fall foliage which is starting to turn. We passed through the Nickajack lock and anchored for the night behind an island. Today we are continuing down the river and have passed back into Alabama and the central time zone.

Above is a picture which gives one an idea of what the this section of the Tennessee is like. Below are some pictures from our stay in Chattanooga.


Happy Halloween to all!

Steve & Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

Waterfront from Aquarium on rainy day

Lookout Mountain

The incline

Lookout Mountain Civil War Battle

Rock City

Rock City

More Rock City

The cave at Ruby Falls

Update 10/11/07 - Cruising the Tennessee River

Sugar Bay

We are presently on the Tennessee River in Alabama. The Tennessee has been the best cruising since we left the North Channel in Mid-August. Our journey has taken us from Kentucky, through Tennessee, through a corner of Mississippi and now into Alabama. This trip not only is a great geography lesson but also is a great history lesson.

From Pacer Point, we went into Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. The original Johnsonville was abandoned when Kentucky Dam was built in the 1930's. Johnsonville was an important supply center for Union forces during the civil war and was the scene of an interesting battle where a confederate calvary force defeated a Union navel force. We toured the park where this took place. The next day we went to an anchorage at Denson Island where there is nothing but a nice view. It was interesting anchoring in 30 feet of water but we had a nice dinner with Joan and Jim on Christine and a quiet night's sleep.

The following day we went to the Clifton Marina in Clifton, TN. The information we had described it as a new marina and an interesting town. There wasn't much to town but we were able to take the courtesy car and go to Country singer Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch which turned out to be about 50 miles from the marina and we got there too late to see anything but the gift shops. The next day we did some shopping and one thing led to another so we wound up staying the day. The following day was my birthday, so Jean baked a cake and organized a "pot luck" supper and birthday party which was attended by the crews of Chistine, Salty Dawg, Gypsy Time, Time Out and Lovely Lady as well as some of the marina personnel and a few people who kept their boats at the marina. The party lasted well into the evening and a good time was had by all.

The next day, everyone except Christine left and we anchored behind Wolf Island. That afternoon we explored by dinghy, swam off the boats and had a nice happy hour on Lovely Lady.
Wolf Island turned out to be a very good anchorage and we had another quiet nights sleep there.

The next day we were off at 0630 again and had a good trip up the river to the Pickwick Lock which we were able to go right into on arrival. Pickwick is another big lock which took us up about 55 feet. We then went into Grand Harbor Marina where we were disappointed to find the pool closed. The location of Grand Harbor is interesting. The land portion of the marina is in Tennessee but the water the docks are located on is in Mississippi. There is a point near the marina where with some careful work with the GPS one can be in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama at the same time.

We took the courtesy car that afternoon with John and Pat from Gypsy Time and rove up to Savannah, TN where we toured the Tennessee River Museum. The Museum was about the early history of the river, commerce on the river, shellfishing and the battle of Shilo which occurred across the river. When we got back to the boats, it was dinner time and we went to dinner with the crews of Gypsy Time, Time Out, Lovely Lady, Colonel's Lady and Wild Turkey. The ribs were fair but we still had a good time. The next day we took the courtesy car (really a 12 passenger van) to the Shilo Military Park accompanied by the crews of Gypsy Time, Time Out, and Lovely Lady . Visiting the Shilo battlefield was the main reason I had wanted to stay at Grand Haven. The tour starts with a 25 minute movie which depicts what happened during the battle and then we took a 10 mile self-guided tour around the battlefield, visiting some of the places described in the movie. It was interesting. After the war, each state (North and South) whose soldiers had participated was invited to erect monuments on the battlefield. There were over a hundred of these which usually would say something like 31st Illinios regiment. Present for duty XXX, Killed XX Wounded XX, Missing XXX There were also numerous cannon, gravesites and markers describing some of the key events or marking where an important figure (such as General Johnston) had fallen. In all it was an very interesting tour and one would have to spend several days there to see it all. That evening the 8 of us plus Bob and Sharon from Catch Me if you Can went to dinner at the Pickwick Landing State Park Lodge. A good buffet of various chicken dishes at $6.25 a person.

Tuesday was boat maintenance day as I changed the oil and fuel filters for both engines. I've now done this enough that I'm getting more efficient at it but it still turned out to be an all morning project. That afternoon we again took the van and went to Corinth, Mississippi shopping. Tuesday was George's birthday (George is the Captain of Time Out) so the crews of Time Out, Sun Cat, Lovely Lady, Gypsy Time, Catch Me if you Can and Sweet Dreams all went out to celebrate, followed by birthday cake on the dock.

It was time to to move on so the next day we left with Gypsy Time and Sweet Dreams to go to an anchorage a little ways up the Tennessee River. Whetstone Creek turned out to be a great choice. We swam off the boats and toured by dinghy and kayak. After a pot luck aboard Sun Cat, we played Mexican Train Dominos in the salon (sometimes described as the playpen) of Sweet Dreams until quite late in the evening.

The following day, Sweet Dreams left to go south and we continued east on the Tennessee accompanied by John & Pat on Gypsy Time. We went into the marina at Florence, Al took the courtesy van and went shopping. There was a fishing tournament going on in Florence like nothing we had seen before. There were over 400 boats participating with a top prize of $125,000 and a total of $1,500,000 in prizes! It was interesting to see all the boats, many with corporate sponsors. Fortunately they were not keeping their boats at the marina as most of them were on trailers. Tomorrow is tourist day in Florence.

Included with this update are a few more pictures. They show Sun Cat anchored at Sugar Bay and three river scenes including a waterfall. I have over 200 pictures of just the Tennessee River so its hard sorting out a few good ones to send along.

Still having a great time.

Steve & Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

Sun Cat/Trader Update 9/30/07 - on the Ohio and Cumberland rivers

Our intrepid Crew can handle any lock

Hello to all,

Greetings from Kentucky! When I left off on the last update we had anchored about 8 miles above the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in a somewhat tenuous anchorage. It turned out to be fine although I certainly didn't sleep too soundly.

The next day we were off as soon as it was light enough to see. (I really can do 0630 two mornings in a row!). We were immediately confronted with several tows which we passed fine but it was like the Mississippi wanted to make sure we had plenty of experience with tows before we left it. Not to worry, when we turned into the Ohio we were greeted with dozens of barges, some moving on tows and some anchored. We followed the sailing line on the charts and eventually sorted out the various barges but it made for an exciting morning. Also, we were doing about 11 knots going down the Mississippi and when we turned into the Ohio we immediately dropped to about 6 knots, requiring a bit more throttle to get back to 8 knots. The good news was that the current in the Ohio was only about 2 knots which was far less than I had anticipated. Since we had about 60 miles to go up the Ohio, the current was an important factor in how far we would get that day.

Bali Motu in the Barkley lock

The other factor was the two locks. As it turned out these were not much of a factor as we were able to sail right into them with no wait. On the second lock, we did have a short delay to leave the lock because they were welding on one of the doors and we had to wait for them to finish and move the work barge out of the way. Both lockmasters could not have been more accommodating.

From there, the rest of the Ohio was a pleasant trip interrupted only by a few more tows. We reached our objective, the anchorage at Cumberland Towhead (the junction of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers) by mid afternoon. It was a very nice anchorage, well protected with very little current and I slept much better.

On the Cumberland

The next day (Saturday) we got off about 0800 and started up the Cumberland River. The first few miles were industrial but after that the river became quite attractive with high banks and lots of forest land. We did pass a couple more tows but the river is narrower and they were smaller. We had only a short wait to go into the Barkley lock which was much taller than those on the Illinois and the Mississippi but it is a very modern lock and it filled fast. Then we were out onto Barkley Lake (the Cumberland River) and quickly went into the marina at Green Turtle Bay.

We had planned to spend only two days at Green Turtle but the air conditioner in the salon had quit a couple of days earlier so we wanted to see if we could get it fixed. Of course it was Saturday so we couldn't contact anyone until Monday and they couldn't come until Tuesday so we wound up spending the week. During that time, we did a lot.

We relaxed and enjoyed the pool. We went to dinner several times. One of those dinners was at Patti's 1880's Settlement which is a local landmark. People come from all over to try the two inch thick pork chops and stroll the 45 acres of park, gift shops, miniature golf and kids zoo which are part of the "settlement". We worked on the boat and gave it and the fenders a thorough cleaning which was really essential after the grime of the rivers and the locks. We also played tourist in Paducah, KY, which has an interesting downtown and a lot of history. On Friday night we went to the Riverfest there with the crews from Christine and Salty Dawg. There was music and lots of good barbeque and we ate ribs until we couldn't do any more. We also socialized with lots of other loopers and of course shopped. In all it was a good stay except that we couldn't get the air conditioner fixed and plan to replace it as soon as we can get one shipped to us.

Yesterday (Saturday), we left Green Turtle and traveled about 18 miles to Sugar Bay which is off of the Tennessee River. It was the nicest anchorage we've been to since the North Channel and we had a nice walk and a good dinner on Christine. Today we traveled all of 10 miles to another anchorage in a recreation area called Pacer's Point.

This week we marked our one year anniversary aboard Sun Cat. During that time we have traveled over 4400 nautical miles, traveling through 18 or 19 states in three countries. We’ve run the engines about 600 hours during that time. More importantly we’ve met dozens of great people and made many new friends.

I’ve attached a few pictures to this update as well. One shows our outstanding deck crew tending the lines as we lock up in the Ohio River. The second is a scene from the Cumberland River and the third was taken inside the Barkley Lock. The boat in the picture, Bali Motu is 26 feet high and 64 feet long which will give one some perspective on how big that lock is.

Still having a great trip!

Steve and; Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

update 9/20/07 - The Illinois & Mississippi Rivers

Statues of Lincoln & Douglas debating - Ottawa, Illinois

Hello to all,

We are presently on the Mississippi, having finished the Illinois River on Friday. After Starving Rock Lock, we stopped at Henry Illinois for the night. The marina was ok, the bar was good and we had a short walk around town the next morning before heading out. The town was small but they had preserved their downtown and it was pleasant to walk through. It was a fairly short days run to Peoria where we stayed at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club. I was the only one to use the pool there that day as everyone else thought it was cold. I had a good swim anyway. There was a dock party that evening with the seven or eight other looper boats staying there.

The next morning we were off early and headed south to Beardstown which was approximately 80 miles away. The wickets were down at the Peoria dam so we were able to sail right through without stopping. The water around the town docks at Beardstown was too shallow so we tied off to a barge at the towing service and went for a walk in town. The park was nice, otherwise there wasn't much else to town.

The next day was another 80 mile run to Grafton which is the point where the Illinois River joins the Mississippi River. The wickets were down at the last lock also so we again sailed right through. The wickets are in effect a moveable dam. When the water is too low for navigation, the wickets are raised and a dam is created that creates a pool of water behind it (generally all the way up to the next dam) that is adequate for safe navigation. When this happens, then vessels need to pass through the lock rather than around it. The locks and dams are managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and depths of each pool are measured in feet above sea level. The Corps publishes actual water levels daily on the internet based on “pool level”. This allows one to adjust both depths on the charts to the river level and also to adjust bridge clearances to actual.

When we passed through the low (17 ft) bridges in Chicago, we actually had over a foot of additional clearance since the pool above the Lockport Dam was over a foot lower than normal. Conversely, we could not pass under a 26 foot bridge on the Illinois because the water in that pool was much higher than normal, which is why the wickets were down. (Fortunately it was a lift bridge so we were able to pass through it).

The Illinois River after Joliet became more and more scenic the further west and south we went. The banks were lined with trees and we could see a lot of farmland behind the banks. We also saw Eagles and Blue Herons as well as fish jumping. As we approached Grafton, the banks rose to high hills and cliffs and it was very pretty.

The lower Illinois

Grafton was an interesting stop. The marina was nearly new. I had to squeeze the boat into a slip that was crosswise to the river current and the wind and had only a foot or so on each side. No damage! The town has a population of 600 and at least 5 bars and restaurants, 3 of which had live music that evening. There seemed to be very few customers in any of them which seemed strange for a nice Friday night. We walked around town a bit but other than the winery there was little to see.

The next day we traveled a whole 12 miles to Alton, Il which is a town of around 35,000 people. We took a car and drove into St. Louis that afternoon, visiting the famous Arch which commemorates St. Louis’s role in the westward expansion of the US. We spent most of the afternoon in the Museum of Westward Expansion which is located under the arch. It focused on the history of St Louis, the key events that pushed the country’s borders west such as the Louisiana purchase, the transcontinental railroad and the Lewis & Clark expedition. We also saw the baseball stadium. The Cardinals were playing a day/night doubleheader against the Cubs and there were fans of both everywhere.

The following day we went to the “Great Rivers” Museum which is located at the Melvin Price Lock which is about 2 miles below the marina. We were too late for the lock tour but we did get to try the simulator which lets one get a feel for driving a river tow. After a couple of tries both Bob and I successfully got the tow to pass under the bridge. We knew driving a tow had to be difficult and this further confirmed it. The tows have been getting bigger and bigger as we go. On the Illinois, the bigger tows were 3 barges wide by 5 long. We’ve seen a lot of those and several that have been 5 by 5 for a total of 25 barges being pushed by large towboats. We are told we may see some that are 56 barges! That evening there was another looper happy hour as there were at least 14 looper boats at the marina that evening. We followed that with a light dinner at Fast Eddy’s which is one of those places that has to be experienced to appreciate.

Mississippi River scene

On Monday, we went back to the great rivers museum to do the lock tour. It was fun to see the operation from high up although we could not go in the control room because of security concerns. We also saw two movies there, one on commerce on the river and one on Lewis and Clark. We also had to try out the pool and hot tub in the afternoon.

A "tow" and a train on the Mississippi

The next day we started our 200 mile trek down the Mississippi. It was great going with the current and the first day was a short trip pf 40 miles to Hoppie’s fuel service dock. This is another of those classic stops which you have to do once. The “docks” consist of a series of barges anchored lengthwise in the river to which one spins around and docks going into the current. Fern, Hoppie’s wife is the fountain of knowledge for boating on the Mississippi and she gave all of us a chart class on where to anchor and what to watch out for on our way down the river. We also took a quick walk into town and sampled the mile high apple pie at a local restaurant.

At anchor at Boston Bar - Note the current on our
anchor retrieval bouy

On Wednesday, we did another 40 miles or so to the Kaskaskia River where we tied up to the lock. That afternoon we, Bali Motu and Silver Boots took the dinghies (theirs as ours is way too slow) and went through the lock (interesting in a dinghy) and went 10 miles up the Kaskaskia River to Evansville where we tried a couple of the local establishments for drinks and dinner.

Today was the longest day we have ever done – 110 Statute miles down the Mississippi to an anchorage at Boston Bar about 8 miles above the junction with the Ohio River which was recommended by Fern in lieu of one that had silted in. We are not out of the current, have a (high level) bridge behind us and the tows pass within 300 yards of us. Others, including Silver Boots, have used it and say it is fine but it is definitely different from anywhere else we’ve anchored. We left at 0630 and got in around 1630, helped immensely by the current. Tomorrow we go up the Ohio and have two locks to deal with as well as the current.

Everyone asks for pictures so I’ve attached a few MIS1.jpg is a scene from the Missisippi. This is one of the smaller tows. Noroom is what we had to deal with on the Sanitary and Ship Canal. We were following Honga and as you can see had no place to go. Sunset was tonight’s sunset over the Mississippi. Note the current on the float for our anchor retrieval line! More pictures on the Blog.

Off to Kentucky and Tennessee!

Steve & Jean
Aboard MV Sun Cat

Update 9/12/07 - Chicago

Skipper Bob is right. Chicago is a very big town! We tried hard but we certainly didn't see it all. More on that later.

When I started this we were just west of Joliet, Il, having started down the Illinois River yesterday. We are sitting with 8 other looper boats waiting for a lock to be available.

To review the past two weeks, we had an interesting stay in Racine. We walked about 4 miles just to buy one of their (famous?) Kringle pasteries (the walk justified the extra calories of course) used the pool and hot tuib and wandered around town a bit. It was an unusual downtown. There were plenty of stores but no financial district and no downtown hotels. We took a bus to the grocery store planning to take a taxi back so we put a lot of soda in our cart. However, when we asked the store to call us a cab, they said they had never seen one around town and we were unable to find one on the telephone-strange, a city twice the size of Portland and no taxi's! We wound up not buying any of the heavy items and taking the bus back to the marina where we consoled ourselves in the pool and hot tub.

From Racine, we went down to Waukegan, Il to another large (1000 slips!)marina. Our friends Eldon and Dianne flew in to meet us there and brought real Maine Lobsters for us all to enjoy for dinner. Quite a treat! The next day, the 4 of us took the train into Chicago to check out the marina situation. We toured Millenium Park and Navy Pier. The train ride was kind of fun traveling through a bunch of towns I'd heard of but had no idea where they were. It was another reminder that this trip is a real geography lesson.

Sun Cat on wall - Columbia Yacht Club in Background

Chicago skyline and Navy Pier from water

The next day (Friday 8/31) we had a nice trip down Lake Michigan to Chicago and tied up to the wall at Monroe Harbor rather than picking up the mooring we had reserved. The location was great as we were right near the downtown loop and Millenium Park and mid-way between Navy Pier and the Museum Campus which were both within walking distance. We were also within yards of Columbia Yacht Club and Chicago Yacht Club, both of which gave us reciprocal privileges to use their facilities. We also took the "Architectural Cruise. This is a boat trip through part of downtown Chicago where they describe the design features of a number of buildings that were new or innovative. It also gave us our first look at the low bridges on the Chicago River (gulp!).That evening we had a nice dinner at the Columbia Yacht club with both Eldon and Dianne and George and Marion from Time Out.

Monroe Harbor and Navy Pier from Ellen  and Woody's

On Saturday, Eldon and I visited the Chicago History Museum while Jean and Dianne did some shopping and that evening we attended a party for the Loopers and the home of Ellen and Woody Sutton overlooking the harbor and Soldier's Field. On Sunday, Eldon and I went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Wrigley is another real classic park like Fenway and Cubs fans are certainly enthusiastic. We rode to the game on the metro train and it was quite a sight to see thousands of fans arriving and departing in that manner. The Cubs won with a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning which made it even more exciting.

Our view of Wrigley Field

Eldon and Dianne left Monday to fly home and Jean and I spent the day going to the Aquarium and Planetarium. Either one would have been a most of the day adventure. That evening we hosted a happy hour for the crews of Gypsy Time, Sweet Dreams and Lamb Chop. The next day we went to the Hancock Observatory for a great view of Chicago and the surrounding area from very high up. We could see much of the city and the lake shore all the way down to Gary Indiana. This may be as close as we get to seeing any of Indiana. We also went to a Farmer's Market and did a little shopping. That evening there was a Pot Luck Dinner which was attended by six to eight of the looper boats in Chicago.

On Wednesday, we spent the day at the Field Museum. It's mostly natural history, highlighted by Sue. Sue is the skeleton of a large dinosaur. Further in the museum there were may more skeletons of dinosaurs, some real and some replicated. There were also exhibits related to diamonds and other gems, mammals, polonesia and several Indian tribes. We spent all day there and barely scratched the surface.

Entrance to the aquarium

The next day we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. The feature there was the German U-boat #505 which was captured intact by the US Navy in 1944. The submarine was moved to the museum because the Captain of the navy task force that accomplished the capture was from Chicago. The entire sub was inside the building and a very good video described the events leading up to its capture and why it was so important. There were also displays of trains, planes, antique cars, a coal mine and we also watched an interesting Imax movie on Katrina and the Louisiana bayous.

Friday was somewhat of a maintenance day as I changed the oil in the generator, finished my "bridge tickler" pole and lowered the radar dome and dinghy hoist. Most of this was necessary to make sure we could clear the 17 foot bridges in downtown Chicago. That evening we had dinner at the Columbia Yacht Club again with Bob and Sharon from Catch Me If You Can and Bob and Alice from Bali Motu. This was the end of our stay in Chicago. There was still a lot more to see and do but we'd been there a week and it was time to move on.

Starting down the Chicago River
Note "bridge tickler" 

On Saturday, we headed down the Chicago River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to Joliet, accompanied by Bali Motu,Transition and Honga. Catch Me left at the same time but went through the Calumet River because of air draft limitations. The trip through downtown Chicago through all of the low bridges and skyscrapers was a lot of fun. However, the last 15 miles or so was nerve wracking as there were barges parked all over the place and we often had to wait for tows going one way or the other in order to find places to pass. The tows move very slowly and were also having to jocky around the parked barges. When we reached the Lockport Lock, we then had to tie off to the commercial mooring cells and waited almost two hours before we could lock through. We were all glad to finally get through the lock and all of us tied off to the free wall at Joliet. We consoled ourselves with a good dinner at the Casino.

The next morning we were awakened early as the next lock (2 miles below us) had informed one of the boats that if we were there by 7:40 they would be ready for us. We got there around 8:30 and wound up waiting over 2 hours to lock through. It was during this wait that I started this update. We stopped after 15 miles with Bali Motu to take a break and enjoy the pool at the marina. We also remounted the radar dome and dinghy hoist.

The next morning I called the Dresden Lock (about 3 miles down) as was informed that if we were there in an hour to an hour and a half they would be ready for us. We got there in about an hour and waited another 30-45 minutes and then they took us through. The next lock turned out to be a longer wait, close to two hours. The delays are the result of the tows which can be up to 12 or even 15 barges. These have to be broken up to go through the locks and then reassembled afterwards. This process can easily take several hours and we've heard of boats having to wait over 5 hours to clear a lock. After another delay at Marsellais Lock, we stopped for the night at the free dock at Ottawa, Il. where we were joined by Drifters. As has often been the case, the locals were very friendly and helpful. Joe gave the ladies a ride to the grocery store and John Mobley, a previous looper gave all six of us a ride to the local Mexican restaurant which was good. Ottawa was the site of the first Lincoln/Douglas debate and was an interesting town to walk around.

As I finish this, we are going down the Illinois River about 120 miles from Chicago. We got off at 9 this morning but had a 2 hour wait at the Starving Rock Lock before we really got going. The Illinois has changed from heavy industry to mostly rural areas and has become quite scenic. It seems to get better and the number of tows seem to decrease the further south (really west) we go.

Still having a great time!

Steve and Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

SUn Cat/ Trader Update 8/15/07 - North Channel and Macinaw Island

We are back in the US after a fun trip up the North Channel of Lake Huron. The Flotilla broke up after the outstanding fireworks show last Sunday night and we headed out on Monday to the Benjamin Islands accompanied by Larry and Lola on Lola Marie. The forecast that day was for fairly strong winds but much of our route was behind islands and we generally saw seas on 2 feet or less.

We anchored between north and south Benjamin islands with about 30 other boats (it was a Canadian holiday). The anchorage was surrounded on 3 sides with high granite islands covered with pine trees and it was neat to see the boats anchored with one end riding on an anchor and the other end tied off to a rock or tree ashore. (We didn’t try this!).That afternoon we hiked one of the islands. We discovered the scenery was great but there were no blueberries. Happy hour was with Jim and Joan, and Lola and Larry on Christine that night.

Sailboats moored to shore

The anchorage at the Benjamins from the top

Christine under way in the north channel

Early the next morning, the wind changed direction and the anchorage became somewhat less comfortable. I awoke about 2AM to find the sailboat that had been ahead of us was now about a boat length behind us and he was slightly aground. We were in about 15 feet of water and the anchor was holding well so I decided to stay put until daylight when we moved over a bit to get further from the rocks. We did some more hiking that day but were chased back to the boats by a thunderstorm, after which the wind died. Lola served the six of us an awesome brownie desert after supper.

The next day we did a dinghy expedition to Fox Island which is the northernmost of the Benjamin Islands. It was pretty and very well protected anchorage with some goodhiking and a few small blueberries. That evening we had a campfire on the beach with eight other looper boats, complete with hot dogs and s’mores. Great Fun!

From the Benjamins we motored up to Beardrop Harbor, another beautiful, protected anchorage. To get there, we passed through Little Detroit channel. This channel was 75 feet wide, a couple of hundred yards long and had a sharp turn at one end that prevented one from seeing what was coming. Boats about to enter put out “security” calls and we passed through safely. Once at beardrop, we hiked to the top of several of the surrounding islands and got some great pictures of the anchorage. Beardrop was our furthest point north on the trip at 46 09.7 degrees north.

It was time to leave Canada so the next day (Friday), we went to Drummond Island, Michigan where we cleared in through US customs. After a quick shopping trip Sat. morning we went to Government Bay in the Le Cheneaux islands for an evening and then went to Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island the following day. We did not expect to get a slip at the marina there and were very pleased when we did as the forecast was for strong winds and there was no place to anchor.

The marina with fort in background

The Yacht Club

We spent the rest of Sunday as well as Monday and Tuesday at Mackinac Island playing tourist with lots and lots of other people. The island does not permit any automobiles or trucks so people get around either in horse-drawn wagons or bicycles. (There seemed to be thousands of bicycles everywhere!) We took a horse and buggy tour, walked to the two forts, skull cave, and the Grand Hotel. We also took a bike ride completely around the island, accompanied by Bob and Sharon from Catch Me if you Can and Jim and Joan from Chistine. During that tour we climbed up to Arch Rock, saw the Devil’s Kitchen and the site of the British Landing and then had a nice lunch at the Grand Hotel’s Gatehouse restaurant. Last night we had a nice dinner with the crews of Time Out, Wonderland, Grand Start and Mascot.

This morning, we got up at 0615 and are headed down Lake Michigan to Charlevoix. If we have cell coverage, this may be sent underway! `

Having a great time

Steve and Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat
Somewhere on Lake Michigan

Pictures from Mackinac Island:

Arch Rock

Joan, Jean and Sharon on our circumnavigation by bike

The Grand Hotel and its "taxi"

The Main Street - no cars on island!

Another look at the "taxi" to the Grand Hotel