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

"sherwindu" wrote in message
...
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

I'm assuming a 32 foot powerboat with twin engines would have an easier go
of it. Correct?

-Greg

Dene wrote:


I'm assuming a 32 foot powerboat with twin engines would have an easier go
of it. Correct?

-Greg

Yes, as far as having enough power to fight the current. However, you still
have
all the other problems I mentioned. The water is very silty, so you will be
sucking
a lot of mud and debris into your cooling system, so be sure you can handle
that.
The floating debris can also do a number on your props. Issues of anchoring
and
finding marinas also hold for you. There are facilities in Memphis, St.
Louis, and possibly
some marinas have opened up since my trip years ago. I'm not sure what is
going
on with New Orleans, since the hurricane. I stayed there on Lake Ponchetrain,
which
I heard got hit pretty bad. You may want to take with some spares, like a
prop,
cooling system filters, etc. Consult a mechanic before taking off.

Sherwin D.

"sherwindu" wrote in message
...

Dene wrote:


I'm assuming a 32 foot powerboat with twin engines would have an easier
go
of it. Correct?

-Greg

Yes, as far as having enough power to fight the current. However, you
still
have
all the other problems I mentioned. The water is very silty, so you will
be
sucking
a lot of mud and debris into your cooling system, so be sure you can
handle
that.

Or get radiator cooling. My boat has that now to guard against salt water.
We love the red dot heat feature.


The floating debris can also do a number on your props. Issues of
anchoring
and
finding marinas also hold for you. There are facilities in Memphis, St.
Louis, and possibly
some marinas have opened up since my trip years ago. I'm not sure what is
going
on with New Orleans, since the hurricane. I stayed there on Lake
Ponchetrain,
which
I heard got hit pretty bad. You may want to take with some spares, like a
prop,
cooling system filters, etc. Consult a mechanic before taking off.

Will do....10 winters from now.

-Greg

My family and I did it with a 34' House Boat and had a great
time. We also went up stream from the Ill. River. That is a
lot nicer trip.
"Dene" wrote in message
...

"sherwindu" wrote in message
...
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

I'm assuming a 32 foot powerboat with twin engines would
have an easier go
of it. Correct?

-Greg