Our First Post

O God, thy Sea is so great and my boat so small

October 1, 2022, Beardstown Illinois. Well, we are back on The Great Loop, traveling down the Illinois River headed to Mobile Alabama which is 1300 miles away and we will navigate five rivers.

We had a great trip back to Kennebunk: saw lots of friends, attended a great lobster bake that The Georges hosted in South Freeport, played a little golf (we both got eighteen holes in) and accomplished our main goal of closing the house down for a long winters nap. Of course, we did get our doctors and dentist visits in, and I went over to North Berwick and saw several folks at Hussey to check in (I just cannot stay away from that great company and its excellent people!), so overall a phenomenally successful journey. We are on a great adventure for sure but we both realize how lucky we are to have all our wonderful friends back in Maine, we are incredibly lucky people.

We flew back to Chicago Saturday and stayed with Chuck and Brenda and had a great evening catching up. Chuck took us back to the boat Sunday and we were able to stop and pick up all fresh provisions and the other items on our shopping list. Thanks Brother! We got back to the boat and spent a few hours cleaning up Spider poop, (man, that project just never ends), well we hope it does anyway. Watched a little “Sunday Night Football” and then off to bed, as the journey continues at dawn!

 Shopping with Brother Chuck 

Monday morning, we left Marina Service and headed Downbound on Calumet River, here is our week in review.

 

 

Monday, September 26,2022 Travel Day #59, Dolton IL to Joliet Il: Total Distance Traveled: 37 Miles, Total Time Traveled: 6.0 Hours: 1 Lock. We decided to get an early start to the day as we were headed to Joliet and were planning to spend the night on the free town wall that most looper utilize. The wall is located right in town and next to a nice park and a police substation. Lots of stories about folks messing with boats but we had an uneventful night, and it was very pleasant. We were located ten miles down the Calumet River so had a good head start on any other loopers downbound, but we still wanted to get settled in early and beat any rush.   

The Calumet turns into the Cal-Sag- Chicago Ship Channel at mile twelve, and the number of barges on both sides of the river are amazing. They raft 2 and 3 barges deep on both sides! They leave enough room in the channel so a three wide tow can pass between the rafted ones. When we were downbound and a 2 or 3 wide tow approaches upbound we had to finds a place to scoot into on the side of the channel between the moored barges quickly. None of the barges announced themselves and it was a very nerve racking 10-mile introduction to Life on the Rivers, the new normal. Once we departed the Cal-Sag Ship Chicago Channel, we joined the Illinois River at mile twenty. The folks who could fit under the downtown Chicago bridges take the Illinois right though town and that is where we would pick up the group of loopers. By the time we arrived at that junction five other boats were headed our way and we suspected they were also going to Joliet, so our plan worked as we would arrive an hour ahead of them and be settled in and be able to assist them dock when they arrived.

 A few interesting things along the way were: an “electric dispersal fish barrier” managed by The Army Corps of Engineering. This kills all the invasive (well anything for that matter) fish so they do not get into Lake Michigan. That was a first! They suggest that all passengers stay in the boat and wear life jackets (how’s that going to help), really, not a good swimming hole!

Also along this section is the lowest fixed bridge on The Great Loop at 19’ 0”. This is the limiting height for the entire trip and so it was nice to pass under it knowing we had made it, we had 18” clearance however, it is something that is just in the back of your mind the entire trip. All the other bridges that are under 19’ are either swing bridges and draw bridges. We had to have 4-16’ (clearance) bridges open for us that travel day. All those bridges are staffed 24/7 as the tows run all night long. You hail the bridge tender on Channel 14 and announce yourself and request an opening. Many times, they will hold you off until a few others are going thru especial any commercial traffic.

 

So, one of the new homework assignments I now have is once we map out our course for the next day’s travel, I then must go over the entire route and identify the clearance of every bridge and highlight the ones that I will have to request be opened. You cannot wait until you get there to try and figure it out. Ill attach a picture of my notes for this travel day! Just what I wanted to add another one-hour project nightly!

 So here is my bridge work sheet 37 bridges I need to confirm the clearance 😆

Ten miles down this section we went through our only lock of the day The Lockport Lock and Damn which dropped us forty feet. You pull into the lock once the lockmaster allows you to do so and wrap a mid-ship line around a floating bollard and secure that line back to the boat. Once the doors are closed, they release the water and down you go. The boat does wiggle bow and stern as you go down but general it is a smooth 20-minute ride. Once they open the gates you proceed out and go on your way. We locked through with two other boats. The lock chamber is 110 feet wide and 1,200 feet long, they are huge. The locks are large enough to fit a three wide tow six barges deep. All, commercial traffic has right away. They will do two commercial tows cycles to one pleasure boat. Therefore, on the Illinois River that can be a two hour wait, on the Mississippi River they have the larger locks and tows there are twelve barges deep by 4 wide, which for that one barge to lock through is a 4 hour wait. UGH! not looking forward to that.

 

The ride all the way down this 37-mile trip is very commercial, factories steel yards gravel pits and miles of freight terminals, anything that can be loaded on barges line the river front. Not very pretty for sure. We got to Joliet early afternoon got tied off on the wall and walked into town. Not much in downtown Joliet but we got to stretch our legs. We got back to the boat and the loopers showed up and we were able to help everyone tie up. Met a nice couple who we had not met before and had drinks with them, and several folks we had not seen for 3 weeks so it was a pleasant reunion. A police officer hung around with us and assured us everything was cool, and they would be coming through every hour or so and they did so every night so the riff raff stays away. We grilled chicken on the wall and had a nice evening.

Track

 

Pictures

Cal-Sag- Chicago Ship Channel 

Lowest Fixed Bridge on The Loop

So this is it, The Lowest Fixed Bridge on The Great Loop (phew that worry is over!). Looked pretty tight from the Captains seat.

 Joliet Wall ( not pretty)

Louis Joliet

Tuesday September 27, Travel Day #60, Joliet IL to Ottawa IL: Total Distance Traveled: 45 Miles, Total Time Traveled: 8 Hours: 3 Locks. We headed out of Joliet with six boats at 7 am as there was a lock two miles downriver and we had to have a Railroad bridge raised ½ mile from the wall, so we all wanted to go through together. We had agreed one captain would call the lock at 6 AM and see if we could get through at that hour and we got the green light, so we were good to go. I hate 5:45 wake up calls but you gotta do what you gotta do, so off our flotilla of seven went at 6:45 (sunrise was 7:10). We got to the Lock and were able to slide right in and they had us raft off each other so one boat against the dock and one would raft off that boat. It took us 45 minutes to lock through in total this again was a 40-foot drop which is like 25 minutes, and it takes 15 minutes for all the boats to tie up. So, it is a slow process. For the 25 minutes you can (well I can anyway, Meredith runs the lines) make coffee and go below and as Meredith says, “dubbing around”, at which I am exceptionally good!

It was a long day due to the three locks to navigate but we did not have long wait times. The lockmasters knew we were coming, and they were very accommodating and there was little barge traffic that day, but it still takes time.

We were spending the night in Ottawa IL at Heritage Harbor Marina which was a nice spot. The Harbormaster gives a two and a half our talk every night to Loopers and explains the rivers and provides valuable tips and information based on the water levels. Right now, the river is down four feet which is not extraordinary but effects where you can and where you can not go and the depth of the anchorages and docks. Of course, when we get a big rain event the river level rises so it is not a constant thing. The talked started at 4 PM and we arrived in the marina at 3:30 so once all docked, we grabbed a cocktail and went to the talk. We were extremely glad we attended as we gained a ton of knowledge. ’There were almost twenty people who attend his talk, which did not end until 7 PM.

Quick dinner and early to bed as we had a similar plan for the next morning with five loopers to get to the next lock which was only five miles away. We wanted to lock through together then boats could travel at the speed they preferred. If we have several locks in a day, we all travel together as the lockmaster knows how many pleasure boats are coming and they wait until everyone arrives so there is no sense in traveling fast, burning fuel, only to sit and wait at the lock for the other boats to arrive.

 

Entering the lock 

In the lock looking back from where we entered

Rear back as the water drains out of the lock

Front door opening. 40' 0 drop

 

 

Wednesday September 28,2022, Travel Day #61, Ottawa IL to Henry Il, Total Distance Traveled: 46 Miles, Total Time Traveled: 6 Hours 1 Lock. We traveled with three other loopers (4 boats) who were going to spend the night at Henry’s Harbor Marina which is actual an old lock wall. The Henry Lock was one of the original locks on the river and has an interesting history. The wall we stayed on was in rough shape, but the new owners were wonderful It was a terrific location off the river and very well protected.

This was a very pleasant day and mostly rural and very few industrial plants on this section of the Illinois. We started seeing bald eagles and white pelicans, (never saw that before), and jumping carp. It is amazing to see these fish jump out of the water and so many of them in person, I am sure you have all seen the u tube videos but suddenly when you are going along these darn things just start following us and jumping out of the water it’s kind of freaky and they are decent size fish.

We only had one lock today Starved Rock Lock and dam which was another 40-foot drop. We rafted again in the Lock and but had a one hour wait to get into the chamber. When we arrived, a Tow had just entered, and he locked down dumped ½ his load and came back up to get his second half. The lockmaster was truly kind and let us all take the next cycle while the tug hooked up to his second half of his barges. So, we had to float around outside the lock which is a total pain but at least it was not a few hours.

We arrived in Henry early as it was a 46-mile one lock day, so we arrived around 2 PM. We all got on the wall, then Meredith and I walked into town which was close. Not much to see but we picked up a few things in a decent grocery store that we had forgotten to get Sunday. We came back and the eight of us had Docktails around five, and then 2 couples walked into town for dinner and two of us grilled on the dock. Nice dinner.

 

Draw Bridges Opening for us

      

Going through a drawbridge with an Upbound tow 

Another lock with our two of our buddy boats behind us 

Passing an Upbound tow 3 wide 3 deep

So this is WAY to common, the barges just trash the marks and run them ashore, lotta good that does us!

Beautiful River Scenery 

Docktails at Henry' s Crew of TINN, Rivol, & Phase 2 

Thursday September 29, 2022, Travel Day #62, Henry Il to Peoria Il: Total Distance Traveled: 39 Miles, Total Time Traveled: 5 Hours, zero locks. We awoke to very thick fog/ mist and decided to delay our 8 AM departure until the visibility improved, which was a good thing. We had two tows go through that morning while we were hanging around and we were one hundred feet from them and could only hear them. So, we had another cup of coffee departed Henry just before 9 AM. We had decided to travel with two other boats: Rivol and TINN that we had traveled with to Henry the day before.  The fourth boat Phase 2, who we have done several legs with, waited until 10 and to depart. As the morning went on the sun got stronger and it turned into a 70-degree day and was extremely comfortable. We had no locks this day so we knew we would get to Peoria early afternoon. This section of the river had several lakes which was interesting but concerning because you tended to drift out of the channel which is not a good thing. We saw several bald eagles which is always nice.

 

We had reservation at The Illinois Valley Yacht Club which is a nice club and they let you use all the amenities however it is located six miles north of the city so we would be unable to check out Peoria if we stayed there. However, Peoria also has a free dock /wall which is right in town and since we wanted to check out town, we figured we would go the extra 6 miles south and scope out the wall. Since we had most of the afternoon and never been to Peoria, we figured we would check it out. Rivol and TINN did not have reservations and were planning to spend the night on the wall and if we could do so we would have joined them. Once we got to the wall Rival and TNN felt they were too large to get into the dock, so they decided to stay at another marina in town. Meredith and I strongly considered but, in the end, said why should we risk it, so we went back to the Yacht Club. Turns out that was an excellent call.

When we got settled into our slip, Meredith washed the boat (my Hero), and I spent 3 hours doing this blog! While we were busy doing our tasks Phase 2, pulled up and were docked next to us, which was great. The Club had a nice restaurant and bar and so the four of us went up at 6 PM and had an enjoyable meal. There was another Looper in the bar, Confirmed Aquaholic so we went over and chatted with them. Meredith and I decide then that we would travel with them Friday as they were only going forty-two miles, to an anchorage. We had an aggressive plan to go over seventy and we had one lock to go through in Peoria. Phase 2 was spending two nights at the yacht club, so they were not moving Friday.

So, we had another couple on Odyssey who I saw was staying on the wall and I’m thinking what a mistake, we could have gotten in there! So, this morning as we were cruising past them, I texted him and said we almost stayed there you lucked out. He said “not at all” at 1 AM I chased two drunks off the fly bridge, and unfortunately i realized this morning, they stole our two pairs of binoculars.

At any rate I am sure glad we decided to go back to the yacht club and enjoyed a very lovely evening, I have that merit badge!

 

Misty Morning

 

More River Scenery 

 

 White Pelican

Friday September 30,2022, Travel Day #63, Peoria IL to Beardstown Il: Total Distance Traveled 80 Miles, Total Time Traveled 9.5 Hours. We were unsure if there would be a fog delay in the morning but if not, I wanted to start first thing. We woke to a clear morning, when we talked to Crab Shack and Confirmed Aquaholic at 6:45 we agreed it was a go and we were gone by 7:15.  One boat who we had never traveled with Crab Shack also was planning to go to Beardstown however they cruise 26 Knots we travel a ten knots max. So, our nine our day was only a 4-hour day for them. We had one lock, just south of Peoria and talked with the lockmaster and he said, “come on down I’m empty.” We got to the lock and sure enough in we went, and they locked us through. We were done in a half hour which gave us the confidence we could make it to Beardstown by 5 PM with an hour of fluff time ( we actually did arrive at 4 PM)

This was a very pleasant ride today and I will post some pictures, but it is a very pretty riverside to cruise along. We saw a bunch of bald eagles again. Tonight, we are rafting up with barges at a local tug company who is capitalizing on the fact that all the marines in the 25-mile stretch are all closed due to low water. You are unable to get to their docks so the boats in the marinas are stuck and no boats can get into the channels. Should be an interesting night, no services at the Tug marina, but we have our generator and should be simply fine. A new experience, just what we need…. right!

 

Track

 

Bald Eagle 

Coyote

Major Power Plants on the river one of many

Barge Loading Station 

River Scenery 

 

Approaching the Peoria Lock this morning  behind Crab Shack 

This place was amazing

3 wide 3 deep with one in front just cause they can!

Pretty standard that the houses on the river are all on huge pilings 

As promised tonight's accommodations fore and aft

Rafted to a barge

Looks like corn was the last shipment

I didn't get a log of today's 80 mile leg (longest leg of the trip)  so here is our travels for the month of September

So it feels great to have our first few days of The River section under our belt. We plan to have another long day tomorrow and get to Mile 20 of the Illinois River which we will have  traveled 318 miles on and Sunday get on the mighty Mississippi which we will travel on for 218 miles. The first two rivers we have had favorable currents, Illinois was 1.5 knots, the Mississippi is 4.5. Then we turn onto the Ohio where we will fighting a 3 knot current, then onto the Tennessee with favorable currents. (Chris Gurry you were correct with that river order by the way✌). 

So we are back on task and I hope you all enjoy the read, its still more work doing this an I expected but then again so is the trip, but its one heck of an adventure!

Fair Winds

PS I sure hope all you folks who have Florida properties are doing OK, Ian sure was a terrible storm. I have no idea what how that is going to impacts our plans but it's two months out, and we have our plates full with these rivers. Our prayers to all that suffered from that powerful storm.