Made the trip from Chicago to New Orleans many years ago in a 22 foot
sailboat and a 6 h.p. SeaGull engine. That includes the Illinois Ship
and Sanitary Canal and the Illinois River which enters the Mississippi
at Grafton, Il. As mentioned earlier, you have to watch the charts and
stay in the channel marked by buoys or run aground or hit these dams.
Stay well clear of the huge tug boats which throw up monstrous
wakes, especially when they are going upstream. The current is very
strong, especially on bends of the river, so we missed a few landings,
because we couldn't power against the current. There are big floating
logs and other debris, which can do a lot of damage. We had to rebuild
the lower transmission in Greenville, Mississippi and that was doing
well considering other boats with us who had gone through numerous
outboards. Don't expect a lot of marinas, but you must find a place to
get off the main flow of the river for overnight stays. You have to use
ingenuity, like tying up to barges, or seeking out sloughs (old beds of
the river). I thought the main Mississippi River was the most
interesting, especially from a historical viewpoint with towns like
Cairo, Memphis, and Vicksburg. To really enjoy this trip, you need
several months to see all the sights. Take with big fenders, or tires
to protect your boat when tied up next to the huge tugs inside the
monstrous locks. Not exactly a pleasure cruise and one I would not want
to repeat, but I'm glad I experienced it

" wrote:

Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker