9/28/14: Green Turtle Bay Marina – Panther Bay Anchorage  33NM. Endeavor, Miss Hadley, Twelve Stones, & Attitude Changer left Green Turtle Bay Marina this morning at 7:00 am. It will be a short day run to the Panther Bay Anchorage. Captain Joe from Chesapeake says this is the most spectacular anchorage on the entire river, so we just have to stop.

Wildlife on the Tennessee River

Leaving Green Turtle Bay Marina

Twelve Stones, Endeavor, Miss Hadley, & Attitude Changer

9/23/14: Lock 53 Anchor, Ohio River – Green Turtle Bay Marina, Cumberland River 63NM.  After leaving the busy Ohio River we welcomed the quieter pace of the Cumberland River. Okay now that’s really not true that’s a statement you might see in the Great Loop brochure….LOL. When we got onto the Cumberland River we were greeted by a stiff current coming right at us. We only passed 2 barges on the entire river.

The second barge left the Barkley Lock & Dam about 30 minutes before we got there. I (Elaine) had talked with the Lockmaster to let him know where we were & that we were trying to get to the Green Turtle Bay Marina BEFORE DARK. He said no problem & would be ready for us. When we arrived the gates to the lock were closed. We waited about 30 minutes before they finally opened. Not sure why the doors weren’t open or why we had to wait as there was no barge or recreational traffic except us. Anyway we got inside the Lock, tied off, ready to go (still plenty of daylight left), when the Lockmaster said another boat was on its way. The other boat, Late Date, had apparently told the Lockmaster that he was having mechanical troubles & had to get to Green Turtle Bay. So we waited, Late Date arrived, we locked through & then the lock doors opened to reveal pitch black night.

Endeavor entering Barkley Lock

When the doors of the lock opened & it was pitch dark my 1^st thought was, we aren’t leaving the lock! Thankfully we had called other Loopers at the marina & they were prepared for out nighttime arrival. At least 2 other Looper boats had ran aground (no damage) when entering the marina so the stress level was high. We had to find 3 small red buoys in the dark. Now that isn’t easy! Attitude Changer & Navigator talked us into the marina on channel 68. Tom from Navigator had put a strobe light on the end of the dock so we could identify the marina. All 5 boats came in & got docked safely. And for the rest of the story….remember Late Date, the boat we had to wait on in the lock, well the Captain was a hired Captain delivering the boat. He was up the next morning & gone bright & early. Wonder what happen to his mechanical issues?

Green Turtle Bay Marina was great & recommended stop. The staff was helpful & the two restaurants onsite have delicious food. They have 2 courtesy cars so we were able to make a Sams Club run to restock. The docks were filled with Loopers. We were able to reconnect with some Loopers we hadn’t seen since Norfolk, Va.

To our surprise, Mike Borum on Sea Dream an N47 was docked here. We had a great time seeing Mike and he was gracious with his time & transportation,

9/21/14: Hoppies – Little Diversion Channel 96NM. Today was a long day on the river. The amount of debris in the river has reduced significantly making it a much more pleasant trip.  The anchorage at Little Diversion Channel was easy to get into and was  a peaceful night.

Debris washed up on the bank. Next flood it comes back into the river.

Twelve Stones leaving Little Diversion Channel Anchorage

Twelve Stones anchored with Endeavor, Miss Hadley, &

Pura Vida at Little Diversion Channel.

Mississippi River - Triple Stacker Tugs push massive amounts of water.

Mississippi River - Triple Stacker Tugs push massive amounts of water.

The next day 9/22/14 was a quick day to Lock 53 (60NM) where we said goodbye to the Mississippi River and hello to the Ohio River.

We anchored just before lock 53 near the new construction alongside the main channel. Since we were so close to the lock the barges maintained a no-wake speed reducing the wakes we felt during the night. While we were anchored we were joined by Lucky Us & Bubbles. Lucky Us would travel with us the next day to Green Turtle Bay. Bubbles was headed the other way.

Lock 53 had the dam lowered so we just sailed right on by. Lock 52 was fully operational but we only had to wait about 30 minutes before we locked through.

9/20/14: Grafton, Illinois – Hoppies Marina 52NM. Heading to Hoppies we passed by the St. Louis Arch which was cool seeing it from our boat. Loopers before us had warned us about the debris in the river but seeing it was something else. One Looper said, “You can’t dodge it all so just try to dodge the big stuff”. There was lots of barge traffic up around St. Louis causing turbulent water & sometimes large wakes.

St. Louis as seen from the water aboard Twelve Stones.

As with most days God delivers us amazing sunrises and sunsets. This picture was taken as we prepared to leave Grafton, Il

We passed through two locks with minimal wait time at the first and no wait time at the second. Now that’s a good Lock day. With the river above flood stage we are getting a good current pushing us south. We traveled around 10 knots most of the day.

Endeavor entering Lock 26 -Mississippi River

As Loopers we had heard so much about Ms.Fern the owner of Hoppies so it was a treat to finally get to meet her. Every evening after all the boaters arrive she gives a navigation briefing. She has lived on the river her entire life and knows it like the back of her hand so her knowledge is valuable.  

Hoppies (pictures below) docks consists of barges tied together. Since you are right on the river the passing tows create large wakes that push you into the docks. Last stop for diesel until Green Turtle Bay.

9/18/14: Big Blue Island Anchorage – Grafton, Illinois 50NM.  We got an early start this morning after a peaceful night on anchor.

We will stay in Grafton, Illinois for 2 days until Saturday when we go to Hoppies Marina on the Mississippi River. The closure of the Mississippi River last week resulted in a backlog of Loopers trying to get south. Hoppies is the last place for fuel for 107 Statute Miles and the last marina for 228 Statute Miles so it’s a ‘must stop’ marina. Miss Hadley & Endeavor will need to take on fuel.

When we arrived at Grafton Harbor Marine we saw many Looper boats at the docks. Most are still here as a result of the flood closure of the Mississippi River some days ago. While checking in the marine staff let us know that a tug had sunk at Mississippi River Marker 100 which could result in yet another closure of the river. We should know tomorrow.

As usual we saw lots of birds on our trip down the river.

9/17/14: Havana, Ill. – Big Blue Island Anchorage 53NM. The LaGrange Lock & Dam had he wickets lowered so we were able to cruise right on by. This time we crossed in rain.

Approaching La Grange Lock

As we continue south on the river the amount of debris (logs, trees, stumps, etc.) increases. The logs are sometimes bigger than telephone poles. We received a call from Rick on Assisted Living today and they had just made it to the Ohio River. He reported that the Mississippi River has massive amounts of debris & if we could wait a couple of days to continue it would probably be best. This will fit into our time schedule perfectly.

The Big Blue Island Anchorage was a perfect place. Endeavor, Miss Hadley, & Twelve Stones fit nicely tucked back off the main river. Later Pura Vida who had come all the way from Peoria joined us. With the river at flood stage we had plenty of depth. While the channel was small the 1knot current kept us from swinging.

Anchorage off the river.

Once anchored Russ fired up the grill for burgers & hotdogs. John lowered his dink, picked up Steve & they joined us for dinner.

9/16/14: Peoria, Illinois to Havana, Illinois  41NM – Tall Timbers Marina.

The Illinois River has two Wicket Dams, the Peoria Lock & the La Grange Lock. A wicket dam consists of a series of paddles (wickets) that aee attached to the river bottom with a hinge on one end. When up the paddles block the river & create a waterfall, navigation traffic needs ot use a lock to pass the dam. During periods of high water, the river can completely submerge the paddles. When this occurs you simply pass by the lock using the main river channel. . The first wicket we crossed over was fogged in. 

Passing the Lock in the fog.

Debris Caught By The Bridge

(look how high up it is)

We stayed at the Tall Timbers Marina in Havana. It’s a small marina but charming, quiet, & clean. The owner Bob was the best. There is a Dollar General just up the street & a good restaurant as well. We would highly recommend this as a stop.

This is not the shower/restroom facility.

They do have an inside restroom facility that is nice & clean.

Morning View Leaving Peoria

9/15/14: We were able to stay at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club aka IVEY Club while the current weather/river crisis unfolded. Flooding on the Illinois River and Upper Mississippi River made it impossible for Loopers to proceed southward. As of today we have received the all go for tomorrow 9/16.

Morning Sky From IVEY Club

The IVEY Club staff and members went out of their way to make us feel like we are members of their club. On Friday night one of the club members gave us the keys to her car and gave us unrestricted use of it over the weekend. On Sunday the club had a rib cook-off and we were treated to BBQ ribs, corn chowder, chicken, etc. all for free. 

The restaurant across the street "No Wake Zone" is a locals hangout & has great food. The locals welcomed us with open arms and we quickly felt like a local.

9/12/14: Ottawa, Il to Peoria, Il.  – 64NM. Our departure time this morning was coordinated with the next Lockmaster. Coordination paid off. We arrived at the Lock and almost immediately got to go in. Three other Loopers;  Blue Moon, As the Crow Flies, & Pura Vida locked through with us.

As of today the Mississippi River is at flood stage so no Loopers can go south. So the marinas south of us are all booked & some over booked. We have a marina to stay at tonight & hope they will let us stay until we can go south.

9/8/14: Joliet, Il – Ottawa, Il – 40 NM to Heritage Harbor Marina. We did 3 locks today and all went fairly quick.  Our arrival at Heritage Marina upped the count of Looper boats to 20. 

Along the way we saw some beautiful birds.

American Eagle

This is a GREAT MARINA. The staff is excellent, restaurant onsite, & free loaner vehicles (no time limit). During our stay here we were able to reprovision, get haircuts, etc. Perhaps the best of all….. BREAKFAST AT CRACKER BARREL…..ahhhhhh.

The weather (are you picking up on the bad weather theme) kept us at the dock. In anticipation of 20 Looper boats all leaving the following day, we had a Loopers meeting. Fifteen boats decided to leave out, with 11 going to Peoria and 4 anchoring out. We decided to wait another day before we headed out.

9/7/14: Hammond  Marina – Joliet, Il – 43 NM. There has been lots of chatter about work on the Cal Sag Channel regarding the 106 Bridge, a sunken Tug, & the fish barrier. We didn’t encounter any workers or problems so were glad we picked a Sunday to leave Hammond Marina & enter the Cal Sag Channel. Some Loopers behind us experienced delays of 2 or more hours.

ELECTRIC FISH BARRIER

LARGE TUGS ON THE CALUMET

We went through two locks between Lake Michigan and Joliet, Il. The longest wait we had was 1 hour at the last lock. The previous day, Endeavor had to wait 5+ hours at the last lock. Thanking God for a quick lock day.

Waiting At Lock Wall with other Loopers

Miss Hadley Locking 

The locks on the Illinois River have “bollards” to tie up to. Wrap one line around the bollard as the water goes down so does the bollard. Much easier than all the previous locks we have encountered.

Bollard

We spent a quiet night with 9 other Looper boats at the free Joliet City wall (free electric).

9/6/14:  We spent 4 days at the Hammond Marina (next to the Casino) just south of the Calumet Sag Channel on Lake Michigan. The weather turned bad for a couple of days delaying our departure until 9/7/14.

We decided to take the Calumet Sag Channel & not go through downtown Chicago. John on Endeavor left Hammond Marina a couple of days early, went to Chicago and took the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal. We will meet up in Joliet, Il.