In the past 4 days Sleeping Bear traveled 227 miles, through 2 locks, on 3 totally different rivers. Two of three overnights since leaving Kimmswick were at anchor while Wednesday night was spent tied to a mooring cell near the construction site of a new dam and lock in Omstead, Illinois. While we only stayed in Illinois one of the three nights, it wasn’t until after entering the Cumberland River, this morning that we left sight of the shores of Illinois. That’s over 1/3 of the way to Tampa Bay on waters in or bordering on Illinois.
Those of us who have boated for very long know that any given body of water is subject to change due to varying wind, temperature and other weather factors. The 3 rivers on which we traveled this week were 3 totally different river systems. Here is some of what was experienced.
First the Mississippi, as indicated when we first entered it, is Big Casino. It is wide. In most places a half mile in width. It has a lot of current. Currents were further increased while we were on it by heavy rains in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The current at Kimmswick was running 4 – 5 mph. By the time Sleeping Bear got within 40 miles of the Ohio, it ran a steady 5mph. Tows are frequent and can be huge. We passed one up bound tug pushing a load of barges 6 wide and 7 long for a total of 42 barges. The Mississippi can be treacherous. There are wingdams and dykes that add to the turbulence. At Hoppies, Fern warns in her daily briefings of whirlpools at several spots along the way. Entering a whirlpool can be very dangerous. As we sailed near to several whirlpools, Sleeping Bear’s 30,000 pounds was tossed around and things flew from shelves down below. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to go directly into one. There are no marinas for the 158 miles south of Kimmswick on the Mississippi. Recommended anchorages are few and far between. Careful planning is required before passing one up. Each time, “Can we make the next one before dark?” was asked and answered. Even the recommended anchorages have potential hazards. We just heard that one cruiser went hard aground this week in a highly recommended anchorage. A towboat had to be called and repairs to the boat were needed. In short, the Mississippi requires some skill and a lot of attention. Like the other rivers, however, the scenery is beautiful though quite unique.
From the moment the Ohio came into view, it looked different. We made our way down to the point on the chart were the Mississippi and the Ohio meet, rather than cut the corner. A short cut could have saved us a couple of miles but on Ferns Hopkins’ advise, problems from any silting that way have occurred were avoided. The two rivers are different colors. The Mississippi was a muddy brown, where as the Ohio is aqua in color. As the two rivers merged the 5mph favorable current of the Mississippi reduced over the first 5 miles up the Ohio River to around ½ mph on the nose. It was gradually less and less throughout the remainder of the trip on the Ohio. Illinois was on the left bank and Kentucky was on the right as we traveled up river toward the Cumberland River. Travelling up river means that the red markers are on the right. Both banks appeared flatter than on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. Industry on the Ohio seemed a little more mature than on the Illinois. Factories and loading areas were larger. Around many of these producing plants, channel markers appeared to be used to direct traffic to one side of the wide river to avoid the frequent barges and tugs that were moored to the other side of the channel. On both days the Ohio had the characteristics of a large inland lake. In a word, it was peaceful.
Boaters heading south thru the Kentucky Lake have two choices from the Ohio River. The first is at Paducah, Ky, where the Tennessee River ends. As a point of clarity, the Tennessee River is one of a few in the US whose direction is south to north. The second choice is to stay on the Ohio River for an additional 14 miles joining the Cumberland River. Most Looper’s opt of the longer route through the Cumberland River because of the scenery and because there is far less commercial traffic. Sleeping Bear chose the Cumberland route as well. Like the Tennessee, due to the northerly flow of the river, southerly travel is up river with red markers again on the right. As we entered the Cumberland this morning the river was as smooth glass. The current is less than ½ mph and hardly noticeable. The river is narrow, in most spots not more than 200 feet wide. The shorelines in many spots appear as though they were surgically cut out. At times there are sections of sandstone that transition into sandy shores. There were some large rock quarries along the way, and several areas with everything from campers to trailer homes, manufactured homes and some pretty nice houses.
The trip today, was 35 miles. It started from anchor by a small island or towhead before the spot where the Ohio and Cumberland River meet. There is a 30 mile path that snakes its way from the Ohio to The Barkley Dam. This provides entry to Lake Barkley and the Land between the Lakes. After locking-up, Green Turtle Bay lies ahead less than 2 miles on the right, which is where we have stopped for a couple of days. Green Turtle Bay is a first class marina. After the several day journey down the Mississippi, Sleeping Bear, her captain and crew all deserve a little shore leave. ED and Al will enjoy the facilities, Kona is looking forward to sprawling in some grass. We need to provision the boat and while the meals on board have been excellent, a menu for several meals is in order!
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