From racine down the Mississippi.

[stuborndancer]

Now I have been reading some other articles about this but would like some particular advice.

Soo I have a 28 pearson triton that I was planning on making the trip through the lakes to erie canal and then down the icw, but the more I think about the quicker I would like to get down south with my boat. I only have three months in the summer to sail in due to school and would it in a warmer climate so I can get on her in the winter.

Anyway my questions are what exactly is the easiet route from chicago and down, will I need to take my mast down ever for bridges, and I assuming my 5hp outboard will not be quite enough, is that true?

Thank you in advance for the advice, I sure appreciate it.

[captseamus]

Hi
I'm a power boater but do knew the Illinois River which would be the river you need to be on if your going south to the gulf. You will need to lower the mast in Chicago... There is a bridge with a 19ft height that you will need to pass under, there is one more that is lower at 17ft height. Most sailboats lower them at Crowley's Marine (Chicago) and leave them down all the way to the Gulf.

Many cruisers don't go down the Mississippi River but go up the Ohio and than down Tennessee River which connect to the Tenn-Tombigbee River System. Many less tow barges and more stops for the recreational boater. You will come out at Mobile, AL. One of your main stops will be Kentucky Lake (Land Between the Lakes)

I would NOT use a 5PH at least a 10HP or larger. River current can be awesome fast in high water after a heavy rain.. Buy some River Charts and see what is ahead of you. Your biggest space between gas stops is 200 miles in southern Illinois on the Mississippi River- nothing there. no marinas; no gas, probably have to anchor out somewhere...

Hope this helps,
captseamus

[bobconnie]

Ya might ck on haveing it transported to the gulf at Mobile or somewhere down there ! it would make for a better trip as you will be where ya want to be sooner and allow ya to cruise the area ya want longer and with less wear and tear on your boat ! Just a thought!

[valhalla360]

I would say 6kts is probably the lower limit for max speed.

We top out at 7.5kts and there were a couple places where we missed a turn and had to fight back up stream with everything she had.

Range is your other issue. If you do the full Mississippi, fuel stops are few and far between. The Tenn-Tom Route is a bit better but still has around 200 miles on the missippi with a long stretch with no fuel that includes going up the Ohio River for around 50-60 miles.

If you don't want to repower, I would suggest the Erie Canal route.

[AfterHoursNLCT]

Everything you need to know is here...
How to cruise America's Great Loop
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