Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker

Ted,

First, get some training from USPS and CG Aux. Buy and read a Chapman's.
Get some experience on the water including the Mississippi.

Have the right boat. Make sure your insurance will cover the area planned
for your trip. Choose the time of year carefully. The river can be pretty
wild when the snow melt begins or if it's been rainey upstream or around the
upstream tributaries. Don't be tempted to overload your boat with
provisions. Be prepared to make a provisioning stop or few.

If it was me I'd try to arrange a two or three boat flotilla to travel
together. That adds a significant safety factor and could be more fun.

Good luck.

Butch
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker


Another vote for Butch's recommendation to read Chapman's book. He's
referring to:
Chapman Piloting and Seamanship 64th Edition
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...oductId=125875

If that link falls apart, just go to www.westmarine.com and put "chapman" in
the search box. Buy the book and read the whole thing. Then, read it again.
Bookstores sometimes don't carry it, so you may have to order it online.

IMHO It is a big trip with few places to stop for supplies/gas without much
local knowledge/research. Also river travel in a boat is made more
treacherous by shoals of shifting sand and mud not to mention barge traffic
(a barge wake can overturn an 18 foot boat if you approach too closely). I
suggest you start by docking your boat on the Mississippi river for a period
of time until you can learn some of the idiosyncrasies of river boating all
the while planning where to buy gas, food, etc.

Also the coast guard should have some good info on river navigation lights
and travel you can use.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker



Great advice so far.

A good link with a lot of information.

http://members.aol.com/americacruisi...roduction.html

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker


Be sure to bring along some Mark Twain to read. Some of his river stories
might be fascinating, especially to the kids, if any.

Tamaroak wrote:
The Mississippi River is not dangerous until you end up south of St.
Louis and deal with the huge tugs and their wakes, I am told. The best
way to go after Cairo is to cut over to the Tenn-Tombigbee waterway.

The very best part of the trip is from above the locks in Minneapolis
(one is a 48 footer!) down into Iowa, very scenic and doable by just
about any boat you might consider. Take a side trip up the St. Croix,
considered by some to be the best cruising in the Midwest. North of the
Twin Cities is nice, but you have to figure a way to get around the dams
at Coon Rapids, St. Cloud, Little Falls, Brainerd and more. There will
also be some shallows in those stretches in summer that you will not
find south of the Twin Cities.

Charts are downloadable from the US Corps of Engineers. Watch out for
wing dams. There are two kinds of Mississippi boaters, those who have
hit wing dams and those who will. I'm in the first category......

Email me with questions.

Capt. Jeff
What is a wing dam?

The Mississippi River is not dangerous until you end up south of St.
Louis and deal with the huge tugs and their wakes, I am told. The best
way to go after Cairo is to cut over to the Tenn-Tombigbee waterway.

The very best part of the trip is from above the locks in Minneapolis
(one is a 48 footer!) down into Iowa, very scenic and doable by just
about any boat you might consider. Take a side trip up the St. Croix,
considered by some to be the best cruising in the Midwest. North of the
Twin Cities is nice, but you have to figure a way to get around the dams
at Coon Rapids, St. Cloud, Little Falls, Brainerd and more. There will
also be some shallows in those stretches in summer that you will not
find south of the Twin Cities.

Charts are downloadable from the US Corps of Engineers. Watch out for
wing dams. There are two kinds of Mississippi boaters, those who have
hit wing dams and those who will. I'm in the first category......

Email me with questions.

Capt. Jeff

A big wall of rock piled up at an angle to the main flow of the water to
channel the water and reduce the need for dredging. If you stay between
the channel markers you will miss them; if you don't ......

In spring the water is high enough so you float over them.

Capt. Jeff

Made the trip from Chicago to New Orleans many years ago in a 22 foot
sailboat and a 6 h.p. SeaGull engine. That includes the Illinois Ship
and Sanitary Canal and the Illinois River which enters the Mississippi
at Grafton, Il. As mentioned earlier, you have to watch the charts and
stay in the channel marked by buoys or run aground or hit these dams.
Stay well clear of the huge tug boats which throw up monstrous
wakes, especially when they are going upstream. The current is very
strong, especially on bends of the river, so we missed a few landings,
because we couldn't power against the current. There are big floating
logs and other debris, which can do a lot of damage. We had to rebuild
the lower transmission in Greenville, Mississippi and that was doing
well considering other boats with us who had gone through numerous
outboards. Don't expect a lot of marinas, but you must find a place to
get off the main flow of the river for overnight stays. You have to use
ingenuity, like tying up to barges, or seeking out sloughs (old beds of
the river). I thought the main Mississippi River was the most
interesting, especially from a historical viewpoint with towns like
Cairo, Memphis, and Vicksburg. To really enjoy this trip, you need
several months to see all the sights. Take with big fenders, or tires
to protect your boat when tied up next to the huge tugs inside the
monstrous locks. Not exactly a pleasure cruise and one I would not want
to repeat, but I'm glad I experienced it

" wrote:

Hello,

I'm interested in taking my family down the Mississippi River some
summer. So far I have almost NO boating experience, so I recognize
that I can't start with a big project; I'll have to learn the basics
before taking The Big Expedition.

Some people have advised me against going on the Mississippi
altogether. "Too dangerous."

Okay. What do I need to know?

Thank you for all serious replies.

Ted Shoemaker