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Travels With Roland (Tug Restless)

Part #3

  Unless your qualified as a Mississippi River Pilot, and have a boat that is equipped  with carbon arc searchlights for night operations, or a “Go Fast,” that allows you to but many miles beneath your keel in daylight, your logistical concerns, become quite significant after leaving the Illinois River at Grafton,Ill.. The Mississippi River is really only user friendly, to the tug and barges which ply her waters. This is not what one would consider a Recreational Waterway. Nor are there facilities set up for the such usage.
     While there are numerous buoys, depicting the correct sailing line; few are charted, and even less are numbered This is a result of the constant shoaling and changes in the course of the river. Mile markers, affixed to poles or nailed to trees along the bank are often covered by foliage, and are difficult to read without the aid of binoculars. Along the shoreline, protrudes numerous Wing Dams or Dikes, which can often be hidden when the river is running high. At low water these are usually well exposed, and are an invitation to the brave, to seek an anchorage out of the current. Expect to take a few arrows however, should you choose to be such a pioneer, as there are no charted depths depicted anywhere. Snags, logs, and deadheads are common articles of flotsam on the river. Add to this its color, and an individual can  easily be lead into believing that they too have the initials: “J.C.” and can walk on water. On the other hand; you’ve got a current behind you that is pushing, and doing wonders for your speed over the bottom.
      One would think, that a river as large as the Mississippi, which provided such an influential means of transportation in the early days of this nation, would have numerous towns and cities lining the shore below St. Louis. The fact is; that there are few. This is   primarily a result of river flooding. The few cities which do exist however, in many ways resemble Berlin Germany, at the height of the cold war. That which would normally be a towns waterfront area, is lined with  cement walls. Even with the locks and control dams which the Army Corp of Engineers have established over the years to bring the river to heel, there is still a need for the protection, which water, moving with a strong current, can accomplish. Many homes and cottages along the Mississippi and its tributaries, are still being constructed on stilts; high above ground , as if in a jungle to provide safety from  wild animals below. Observing a mobile home elevated as such, is not an unusual sightingin this realm.
      After locking thru Lock#27, on the Chain of Rock Canal, October 27th, and passing the St.Louis waterfront to starboard, the decision is made to spend the night at Hoppie’s, Marine Service. Located at mile marker 158, it is approximately 26 miles below St.Louis. It is comprised of several tank barges moored end to end, parallel with the Missouri shore, and is in fact the last marina as you know them, before launching off into, “Terra In Cognita.” The nearby village of Kimmswick, is quaint and within easy walking distance, having a terrific restaurant, named “The Old House.” Built in the early 1800’s of actual hand hewn beams, it is a worthwhile visit into the past.  I inquired if, “George Washington had actually slept here?,” and was met with blank looks along the lines of, “Who’s he?”
      It is necessary for you to become very creative at this point. Unless your equipped for night operations, or running a very fast boat; your options for where you will be making your next stop are not only few, but extremely distant. Should you consult, Quimby’s Cruising Guide; you will note only two locations remaining on the upper Mississippi before the junction of the Ohio River at Cairo Il., which is in fact 158 miles distant, with no facilities there either. (Cairo Il. officially being the boundary between the upper and lower Mississippi where the Ohio River enters)    The first is the Kaskaskia Dam, just off the river on the Illinois shore, which provides “Some,” overnight mooring to “Lock Cells. This is approximately 41 miles south of your present position, at Hoppie’s. Take note, however, since 9-11, securing  to a lock structure for reasons other than, “Locking Thru,” are Verboten! (this attitude varies however among lockmasters )  The other being; “Kidd River City Fuel Dock,” at Cape Girardeau, which is 106 miles distant. At trawler, or auxiliary sailboat speed, with the aid of the Mississippi current, this is within easy grasp of daylight cruising. However, the fine print regarding the Kidd River City Fuel Dock reads: “Gas-Diesel-Call 24 hrs prior to arrival to discuss fuel needs and ETA, minimum 50 gallons, no exceptions-Transient fueling only –No overnight docking.” Had you been thinking in terms of  High Speed Wireless Access possibly being available also, I don’t think it would be worth the effort.
     Being a Gringo in Indian Country, I inquired at Hoppie’s, regarding by best options for a mooring downriver. Best advice; Kaskaskia River Dam, or the; Little River Diversion Channel, just below Cape Girardeau at mile marker 49, which provides approximately 15 feet of water at the mouth, and opens further up stream into a pool
for anchorage.(to be continued)

Capt Bob |16:52 EST |Comments (0)

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