i can't stand it any longer. i have been rolling the idea of sailing the mississippi river in my mind for a while now and i want to start planning a trip. i don't know if i really want to take the time to go all the way from minnesota to the gulf, but it sure is a wild temptation! how ever far i do end up planning, i need to know if there is a way for a small boat (weekender) to pass through the locks as there are plenty of power stations and other road blocks. i expect that the locks would be the only way to get from one end to the other with out pulling out from time to time. is there anyone out there who is knowlageable about the laws of the mississippi? that is one long peice of water but whether i take it in installments or in one shot (i bet it would take weeks) i think it would be a blast to sail through so much history and sceenery.
I use to live in Minneapolis. Back then you could swim in the Mississippi. Now days I doubt you'd want to. It is a beautiful river in many spots, slow moving and wide enough to tack. There are also a number of fine restaurants and bars along the banks. I am not sure about the locks sorry. The trip idea sounds great and ending up in the Gulf sounds salty in a good way. It would be a long trip though I think it is around 2300 miles. Even with the current in your favor that would be a boat ride.
i came up with about 1300 miles from minneapolis, minnesota to new orleans. estimating an ambitious 20 miles a day, it would take about 65 days. i might have to retire early. but then it sure would be fun to meet some of the other weekenders that reside in places along the way and have an escort for a few miles at a time. my problem is that i am a hopless dreamer.
the resturaunts and land marks along the way would be a grand bonus.
In my other life, I sail a Catalina 22 and a couple of folks from the C22 family (now sailing a 23 footer) are involved in a circumnavigation of the Eastern US. They are somewhere in Michigan right now. They started in Tennessee, went to the Gulf, up the East Coast and through the Erie Canal to the Great lakes. Their blog is
http://pogopelli.blogspot.com/. They souuld be coming down the Mississippi soon so they probably will have some insight for you.
wheeeeyyy!! that is a cool trip! i think it is beyond even my emagination. it makes me think that a two month mississippi trip is almost reasonable. sure looks like a lot of fun. i was intimidated by the lock systems but upon further investigation, they are so fascinating and the lock masters seem to be reasonable people from the accounts i have heard, i just have to try it for my self. thanks for the link. i am going to follow their progress.
Of course you're a hopeless dreamer! You built a Weekender, didn't you? You're building a Vacationer, aren't you? I think we're all in the same boat. I had heard about sailing up the eastern seaboard before. Apparently most of it can be done in fairly sheltered waters. I also remember hearing interviews on the radio with some guy who wrote a book about his adventure canoeing the length of the Mississippi. Sounds like another dream worth chasing.
A few years back, ok many years back, I thought it would be great to build a boat, truck it to Duluth, MN, sail it out the St Lawrence River system, down the east coast, through the Carribean, through the Panama Canal, up the west coast to Seattle then truck it back home to Montana. I called that circumnavigating the United States. I figured I could do it in stages, over years time, and never be out of sight of land. After close consideration, ok a dozen or so day dreams, I decided the idea was nuts and went on with life. Your idea however seems far less nuts. I don't know how long it would take but it is emminently more doable. Now I'd need a boat and some.....
all these great links!! i am syked! even the family comodore is talking about how fun the trip is "going" to be. i am not sure that i invited her :oops: . well, no complaints here! we would have a blast! now where to stow the kids.......... perhaps there is an inexpencive kennell in town... hmm......
terry-- if you need a boat, i will have two by the end of winter. if you have something to tow with i can hook you up.
i need a camra man. a trip like that would have to be filmed for a documentery. i could sell it to pbs!