Need Advice from the Experienced to Sail the Mississippi

[TheOldPilot]

Hello all,


My friend and I decided to do a bucket-list type trip and sail down the Mississippi. We're figuring on buying a boat (but would be open to other options if you have ideas) in either Chicago or Minneapolis and proceeding to take the Tennessee-Tombigbee to Mobile Bay. My buddy has his captain's license - which he got to ride a jet ski - and I took the motorboating merit badge about 20 years ago.

And so, we're basically starting from square one and could use the advice of you fine folks.



1. What kind of boat? We're looking at power, and either a "cabin cruiser" type or house boat. We both work remotely, so we need something large enough where we can both be sequestered during the day to take calls. Is there an advantage of one over the other? We like the house boat idea - will it have enough fuel/water to get us from stop to stop? We know nothing about these...

2. Cell coverage - working remotely, we're going to need it. Or should we just spring for Starlink?



3. Any resources for this leg of the Great Loop as far as where to stop, either sight seeing or for supplies? Recommended stops along the way?



4. I've read some stories about folks who rush through this like a race. And obviously you could go as slow as you want. What's a realistic time frame?


5. Are there calendar considerations on the best time to go?


and lastly...

6. If you've done this (or part of it), is there anything you wish you had known in advance or would do differently next time?


Yes - we have Google and are doing our research. But I'm hoping to leverage the wealth of info here to get us a leg up in our preparation.



Appreciate all your responses!

[Manateeman]

You don’t sail in it. It kinda sails you along. In a steel 150’ oil field mini supply, when we jump out into the River at a place they call the jump, even the manatee crew pays attention till we are far out in safe waters.
Plan accordingly.
Captain Mark