Navigating the Mississippi to the Gulf

[thruska]

Good thread !
I also recommended Captain John site.
I'm sitting at the bank of Tombigbee River as I write this in Demopolis Alabama at the fuel dock.
At last Saturday boaters lounge meeting, folks attending were from Australia, New Zealand, Texas, Minesota, Iowa. Have met folks here from Canada and Russia, and Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio. And of course lots of local talent.
Demopolis is most likely a fuel stop you will make on your trip to the gulf. You will have tug/barge traffic on the Tombigbee also but not nearly as big and busy as old miss.
Good luck on your planning, you will love the trip. Captain John says once is not enough!

[tkeithlu]

We sat out a Gulf hurricane at Demopolis before proceding to Mobile Bay. Loved the people, loved the marina, loved the town. They even had a "put some gas in it" courtesy car.

[J Clark H356]

If you decide to go down the Tenn-Tom instead of the Mississippi, the bridge clearance at normal pools is 52 feet from Kentucky Lake to Mobile. Someone suggested you reset your mast at Lighthouse Landing. If you are less than 52 feet that is a great place to get it done. I keep my boat at Lighthouse Landing. I've been down the Tenn-Tom twice and back up once. It's a great trip and I have a lot of information I can share with you if you want it.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by bongo

At present I'm working on a 900' ship that is located on the Mississippi River, downriver from New Orleans. Have been aboard 21 days, with a great view of the river from my office. I have not seen any pleasurecraft in these 3 weeks. Lots of ships, tugs & barges, pilot boats, launches... But "0" private boats. It is interesting, but, as mentioned above, there is undoubtedly a lack of facilities.

I'll vouch for that. I have worked on several ships that don't go anywhere, docked on the river in the New Orleans area... several SL-7's and both Cape "K" ships. Only rarely see a yacht though I sometimes would see one entering or exiting the Industrial Canal at Poland Street wharf. Most of them I am sure were headed for the ICW and not the passes. My boat is on Lake Pontchartrain but to get to the Gulf I will go out the Rigolets rather than down the Industrial Canal and down the River.

The thing about the river current is yes, it helps, but the problem is it helps whether you want it to, or not. Sometimes you just want it to STOP lol. And the traffic is such that you can't relax for even a minute. Now, I have never been down the Tenn-Tom, but I can't imagine it not being more pleasant than motoring down the Mississipi. You can still visit New Orleans... just enter Lake Pontchartrain via the Rigolets with the current. SouthEast wind pushes water into the lake. NorthWest wind blows it back out, and heavy rains and pumping of course makes a strong ebb.

[seahag]

Originally Posted by Dockhand

Thanks for the link to Captainjohn I took a quick look, but will go back to check into it more. My other option was to drop the boat in at Kansas City and take the Missouri across to St. Louis but I saw a couple bridges that were close to 50' and depending on the river height it could be 48'.

Hey,
I am a bit confused. I see that you mentioned starting from the West side of Iowa. Where is the boat kept now? If you're trailering it then you've already unstepped the mast, and why worry about bridge heights, etc. unless you meant to sail it on the rivers, and then deal with mast heights when you had to by unstepping the mast at that point and then at the end of bridge difficulties? That seems like a big waste if that's the case, as was mentioned it's all about motoring, not sailing.

The other thing is I have seen in more than one website forum that you definitely do NOT want to run the Missouri River in a sailboat, for various reasons, several of which were defined by the generous poster from Kansas City, but apparently the Missouri section of that river is full of snags and uncharted shallow areas, and a lack of facilities as he said that you can actually access in a keelboat. From what I've understood in the past, it's much worse than the idea of running all the way down the Mississippi River.

I'm not sure about wing dams on the Missouri but on the Mississippi along Iowa it is a factor. I think lower than Cairo they are supposed to be much more rare or even non-existent. I've seen power boats hit them at speed, and even slow along Wisconsin/Iowa/Minnesota and rip their lower units to shreds, and they are only drawing 2 feet or so. Not that you can't do the Mississippi River because of them, but just carefully navigate to miss them as they stick out a long way into the river in many cases.

September would be a beautiful time of year to make the trip, that's one thing for sure.

[unbusted67]

I think everyone talking trash on the lower Mississippi has got to be garbage. Most places that people say so bad are the ones with the most local color! Haha.

With that said those big barges bearing down on you....ugh. Bound to be one or two close calls with that much time on the river.

I'd really like to plan a trip up the upper Missouri. I stopped at Standing Rock recently to see what all the hubbub was about. THAT is one of the most beautiful places in America hands down. The Missouri there is like an inland sea amidst a sea of prairie.

Dockhand, for a great story of river travel read "Riverhorse" by William Least Heat Moon. The guy made it from the Hudson to the Columbia river by boat. Unreal.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

The experienced group you need to get to know are called "loopers." They've made the loop Florida-St. Lawrence - Chicago - Tennessee Tombigbee - Mobile - Carrabelle - Clearwater, and back to the florida East coast. We've gotten to know them because we did the Tennessee to Carrabelle as our maiden trip, and yes, just looking at a chart will tell you that's preferable to the lower Mississippi. It's an ICW-type motor trip - leave your mast down for convenience and lack of utility. A big percentage of looper boats are 30+ cruisers, not exactly blue water types. They're biggest challenge is Carrabelle to Clearwater, the gap in the ICW.

We've done the loop. The biggest limitation for most is from Hoppies Marina (just south of St. Louis to Kentucky lake). You need fuel range to cover that.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

I think everyone talking trash on the lower Mississippi has got to be garbage. Most places that people say so bad are the ones with the most local color! Haha.

With that said those big barges bearing down on you....ugh. Bound to be one or two close calls with that much time on the river.

I'd really like to plan a trip up the upper Missouri. I stopped at Standing Rock recently to see what all the hubbub was about. THAT is one of the most beautiful places in America hands down. The Missouri there is like an inland sea amidst a sea of prairie.

Dockhand, for a great story of river travel read "Riverhorse" by William Least Heat Moon. The guy made it from the Hudson to the Columbia river by boat. Unreal.

Not trash talk just a reasonable assessment. North of St. Louis is a totally different river with locks and dams creating lower currents and limiting barge traffic to 3x5 configurations. There are also relatively plentiful marinas closely spaced.

South of St. Louis, there are no locks and dams, nothing to stop the current barge configurations are drastically larger. Have you ever docked at full throttle? I have.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Not trash talk just a reasonable assessment. North of St. Louis is a totally different river with locks and dams creating lower currents and limiting barge traffic to 3x5 configurations. There are also relatively plentiful marinas closely spaced.

South of St. Louis, there are no locks and dams, nothing to stop the current barge configurations are drastically larger. Have you ever docked at full throttle? I have.

Docking at full throttle, now that sounds like something worthy of a video coverage ! One must assume that a helluva current.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

We sat out a Gulf hurricane at Demopolis before proceding to Mobile Bay. Loved the people, loved the marina, loved the town. They even had a "put some gas in it" courtesy car.

There is a new Marina just a couple hundred yards north of the fuel dock. The old Marina and the fuel dock is owned by the city and run by the owner of the new Marina. They also run Black Warrior Services.
The old Marina is shallow with only one deep draft sailboat of which owner died. It's a Freedom32 I believe, just sitting there in tattered sail covers. There's a couple pontoon boats and some small fishing boats a sailing cat and a tri. The city marina docks are a bit to be desired. The adjacent on site restaurant and motel have been closed for at least three years. It's not likely that the city facility will see dredging , due to the advent of the new Marina with deep facilities. I tried to upload a pic of friends southbound at the lock and dam.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by thruska

Docking at full throttle, now that sounds like something worthy of a video coverage ! One must assume that a helluva current.

We were docking at Hoppies just south of St. Louis. Last fuel stop before Kentucky Lakes. It's basically a string of old barges tied off to the bank. You swing around so you are coming up stream and parallel park.

The problem is I misjudged as it was our first day in such a heavy current, so the current took us a couple hundred yards downstream before we could get fully turned around. Then it was full throttle (about 7.5kts) to just ever so slowly creep back up to the barge.

Slightly stressful but we eventually got tied off. We went and sat down in the cabin to relax for a minute. Tammy asked what that noise was?

I went to the back deck and saw that the engine was still on, in gear and at about 1/3 throttle. The dock lines were still taking up some strain against the current.

We did not sleep well that night watching full tree trunks float by. Luckily there were a couple boat ahead of us that would take the impacts if one came to close.

The 150-odd miles from St. Louis to Ohio River are plenty of experience for me (we have done it twice though). Far more sedate once you get to the Tennessee River. (the short section of the Ohio isn't too bad).

[Scubableu]

Ssssh! Don't tell anyone. I am from Louisiana and everybody turns left at New Orleans or heads down the Tim Tom. The river doesn't just go out to the Gulf in one big ditch. They miss the beauty of the Rozo cane in the delta or the history of Pilot Town Pilottown, Louisiana: Home to river pilots, before and after Katrina | NOLA.com to say nothing of being shot out into Brenton Sound at Bayou Baspisite Collette.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

We were docking at Hoppies just south of St. Louis. Last fuel stop before Kentucky Lakes. It's basically a string of old barges tied off to the bank. You swing around so you are coming up stream and parallel park.

The problem is I misjudged as it was our first day in such a heavy current, so the current took us a couple hundred yards downstream before we could get fully turned around. Then it was full throttle (about 7.5kts) to just ever so slowly creep back up to the barge.

Slightly stressful but we eventually got tied off. We went and sat down in the cabin to relax for a minute. Tammy asked what that noise was?

I went to the back deck and saw that the engine was still on, in gear and at about 1/3 throttle. The dock lines were still taking up some strain against the current.

We did not sleep well that night watching full tree trunks float by. Luckily there were a couple boat ahead of us that would take the impacts if one came to close.

The 150-odd miles from St. Louis to Ohio River are plenty of experience for me (we have done it twice though). Far more sedate once you get to the Tennessee River. (the short section of the Ohio isn't too bad).

Those situations can be a little nerve racking. I recall heading down Connecticut river approaching Goodspeed bridge. About 4.5 knots current, trying to time the bridge opening, about four other boats lagging along. The bridge tender was about 10 mins late from hie liquid lunch at the opera house. We all do manuevers now upstream some tossing anchors others circling the pool. The bridgemaster said something like , looks like im right on time !
But 7.5 knots would have been a strech for the A4 i think.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by thruska

Those situations can be a little nerve racking. I recall heading down Connecticut river approaching Goodspeed bridge. About 4.5 knots current, trying to time the bridge opening, about four other boats lagging along. The bridge tender was about 10 mins late from hie liquid lunch at the opera house. We all do manuevers now upstream some tossing anchors others circling the pool. The bridgemaster said something like , looks like im right on time !
But 7.5 knots would have been a strech for the A4 i think.

It was just after the river came down from flood (we had been stuck north of St Louis for a couple weeks waiting) so it was running pretty hard. We were going full throttle to make it back up the couple hundred yards. At first, I was wondering what would happen if we couldn't make it back up river before we slowly started to see headway made.

At 1/3 throttle (which would typically get us around 4.5kts in no current) the engine was taking most of the load from the dock lines. Of course, that's closer to shore and probably a bit lower current than further out.

There was a narrows further south where we shot thru and I estimated (hard to say as the speed wheel never worked right on that boat and I just used the GPS) that the current was running about 6kts. But we weren't trying to dock.

I'm sure we could make the run all the way down but the only reason we would consider it is if we wanted to prove something. If we wanted to do New Orleans and west, we would come out at Mobile and take the Gulf ICW.

[Dockhand]

The boat is in SD on the Missouri River now, but there is no locks to get it through so I'll have to have it transported most likely to the Mississippi River. I'm heading to someway along the East coast, if I find a nice place I'll stay for a while. The more I look at this I'll be cutting over from the Mississippi to the Tenn-Tom. Since this will be my biggest trip ever I'll take any and all suggestions. J Clark H356 you offered info about this trip and I would gladly accept.