Mississippi River wing dams

[capt jgw]

Wing dams aren't a big deal if you're watching your charts. Just a structure extending about a third of the way into the river, possibly with another on the other side leaving a third open. The locals also call them dikes. There is a biggy you need to know about though. Between Alton, IL and St Louis. MO is the Chain of Rocks. There's an underwater dam extending all the way across the river and passage is impossible. You must take the Chain of Rocks Canal to bypass this area. It's not evident when you get there, just a sign saying "CANAL" and an arrow pointing left. Take it. Look up on YouTube "chain of rocks sailboat" to see what happens if you don't.

[captstu]

Excellent answer to a different question.

Wing dams on the Mississippi, or elsewhere, or hydraulic structures built out of riprap or stone that push the water to the navigation channel. They are often matkef worh a light and are usually on the charts.

[Dave Richter]

I have navigated the Mississippi River from Lock 4 to Ill River and live in Pool 19 in Burlington, Ia. Most wing dams you won't see the rocks but turbulent water running from shore to the channel which helps the Corp keep the channel at 9'.
If you stay in the channel which is marked by Red and Green Channel markers there shouldn't be a problem making the trip. I would purchase a Mississippi Corp Map which will show you everything you need to know.

[BigNash]

I did this trip 2 years ago, YES there are wing dams, that will open your boat up like a tin can. They are on the Mississippi and the Illinois. Navionics and most charts show them, they are out of the channel. So you must stay in the channel unless you have checked the charts and know exactly where you are. Which is good advice as rivers move shoaling around and some of those rivers have water levels that rise and fall depending on how much water the dams are letting out. Join the AMERICA'S GREAT LOOP CRUISERS' ASSOCIATION. The are a wealth of information, and you can usually find other Loopers to travel with!

[The Sun King]

Wing dams have been around since the War of Yankee Aggression, keeping the water level up in the channel by concentrating it in times of low flow. When the river is up, no problem. When the river is down, no problem. When the river is about middlin', big problem. Navigate with a chart plotter, not by observing the buoys. There are boats that do nothing but round up stray buoys and sometimes buoys stray to become hung up on a wing dam. Wing dams are made of big rocks and if you like your keel, you'll stay between them.
Issue #2 is fuel. You can gas up at Memphis and Greenville and NOLA. Are your tanks that big? Loopers almost always go down the Tenn-Tom.

My boat is solar powered, so fuel was not an issue when I went that way, but loopers generally go up the Ohio to Paducah and come down the Tenn-Tom. Tenn-Tom is a kinder, gentler place, while the Mississippi can be vicious.
Final point, how you gonna get back to the Lakes? You may become a Looper!

[The Sun King]

Don't go 'round the towheads! These little islands often include rock dams on the downstream end, which I think is dumb. You go around the island and find a surprise awaiting.

[Sidney777]

There are reasons they call it the Mighty Mississippi! The current may drag you & fight with it while anchoring .
---400 miles between fuel, food, help from St Louis to next stop.
Huge amt of barge traffic near New Orleans.
The wing dam's can destroy your boat.
Take Extra, Extra anchors
Speed of 6-7 knt current Helps

[tjr818]

WE sail on Alton lake (mile 202 to 214) on the Mississippi. There are charts available from the Corps of Engineers that will show you the location of all the wing dams. At normal river levels most of these are well below the water level. The charts show which ones are submerged.

[Tbreptiles]

STAY IN THE NAVIGATION CHANNEL!!!!!!. I learned sailing on the Mississippi. Wing dams are a real danger. They are rock structures from shore that channel water centrally. They are not on any navigational map and if they are, most likely not accurate. I grounded for the first time on these running a few knots in a compac 23 with a draft of 24" - dead stop.

[Sidney777]

Using Tom Bigbee you still have 118 miles of Mississippi.
I think 18 locks & waiting & narrow areas. You might get very bored.
Mississippi won't. & No locks. Research, research so you will know what you are up against. ( I made 3 river trips from Chicago to Florida on Tom Bigbee)

[Cwens]

Originally Posted by Indefatiguable

Hey folks,
[...]
Any/All [...] random nonsense welcome [...]

You misheard him. He didn't say "watch out for wing dams," he said "watch out for damn wings," in reference to the birds that will dive-bomb you and befoul you and your boat. Within Mississippi bird society, scoring a direct hit on someone's lunch earns you high fives from the youngsters and thoughtful nods of approval from the old ones.

[CarinaPDX]

As usual CFers have been generous with their misinformation . And some good information. Wing dams are found on many U.S. rivers, courtesy of the USACE. Sometimes they are made of rock, and sometimes they are wooden structures. And sometimes they are abandoned and not maintained, and sometimes they are still functioning. Of course staying clear of them is required. The risk that has not been stated is that there can be a strong countercurrent on the downstream side of the wing dam. Do not be tempted to anchor or maneuver near the downstream side of any wing dam, dike, whatever. That current can pull the boat right up and into the structure. This effect can be quite strong as a result of waves from passing ships and barges. Travel on any busy river requires a high degree of awareness at all times; it is commonly done - just be aware that it can be real work.

Greg

[Jammer]

My daughter and I were out on the Mississippi today in an area that had wing dams. I recalled this thread and took some photos. First, for background, here is the Navionics page for the area we were in. The "camera" icon shows the location of the second photo, of wing dam remnants on the shore:

[Jammer]

There are some key points to note:


1) The visible wing dams are in areas where wing dams are not charted (they are on the river left bank) and the areas where wing dams are charted do not have them visible (though they may be submerged)


2) Some of the charted wing dams have charted hazardous rocks


3) When staying in the marked channel, between the cans and nuns, wing dams are not a hazard. Indeed from the chart it appears that the cans are placed specifically to provide clearance from the wing dams.


4) The crowdsourced depth data does not show the wing dams because they are too small and whatever algorithm processes the depth data smooths them out of existence



The water was low-ish and we saw numerous wing dam remnants, above water, some in charted locations, most not.