9/4 - 9/8/2017 - Pearl, IL to Kevil, KY (Mississippi River)

9/4/17 (Labor Day): Pearl, IL to Grafton, IL (39.3 miles)
We weighed anchor after a quiet and restful night at Wing Island and continued 40 miles to Grafton Marina.

• It was windy coming in, so we were grateful to be assisted by capable deck hands.  We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by AGLCA Gold Loopers, Larry & Cindy Kreissler.  We enjoyed dinner at the highly recommended Oyster Bar, and it did not disappoint.

9/5/17 Grafton Marina
After a great night's sleep, Brian got to work cleaning Port-A-Gee, while I went for an unintentional 5-mile run.  It was a run/scouting expedition for afternoon activities.

As we headed out for a walk to town, we noticed a couple of AGLCA burgees in the harbor.  We were delighted to encounter Kent and Jan Syverson - they just finished hanging their Gold AGLA Burgee after crossing their wake aboard Follow That Dream!

We met Kent at the rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park last October.  Kent and Jan introduced us to Lars and Erja Odmark, a couple from Sweden doing the loop on a motor yacht after sailing their 46' Beneteau AROUND THE WORLD!  They hosted docktails aboard Ambika Explorer to celebrate Kent and Jan's completion of the loop. 

We were also joined by Jim & Kay Peterson, looping from Milwaukee, WI on Hiatus.  We really enjoyed the fellowship of Loopers exchanging stories of our respective adventures on the water.

9/6/17 Grafton, IL to Imperial, MO (59.8 miles)
Waking early, we headed to the gas dock for fuel and pump out.  (Oddly, I feel physically better after a pump out - LOL).

• We enjoyed our 2-day layover in Grafton, but it was time to say goodbye to the Illinois River, and cross over to the Mississippi River. We're not in Kansas anymore!
• Mississippi proved to be a challenge for Brian to keep us on the sailing line.  The good news is, we picked up about 4.5mph from the rapid current.
• At MM201 we came to Mel Price Lock, and after about a 45-minute wait we entered alone to float the 23 feet down.
• About 15 miles downstream, we came to Lock 27 (MM185) - we were able to pull right in and float for the 12 feet down to St. Louis.
• Coming out of the lock, the current was extremely turbulent.
• The next 20 miles were intense, as we fought the strong current, whirlpools, and HUGE wakes thrown from heavy barge traffic.  I was able to enjoy the sights, and capture a couple pictures of the St. Louis Arch, but Brian was focused on keeping us on course and away from the barges.

• We continued down the Mississippi until MM159, where we stopped at the famous Hoppies for the night.
• We were the only guests that night, so Fern had a captive audience when she came down for her 5-cigarette-long lecture on what lies ahead.  Fern's "talk" is a rite of passage for all loopers.
• Tied up to Hoppie's less-than-glamorous barge with tows passing through the night and rocking us into the wall was an experience.  We were grateful for the fuel and power though.
• Hoppies was the last opportunity to get diesel until Green Turtle Bay, KY (250 miles).  Captain's calculations put us at about a 13-gallon reserve.  We gained fuel economy going down the Mississippi, but soon turned off to the Ohio and head upstream against the current, although not nearly as strong as the Mississippi current. We completed the day with a 60-mile run down the Mississippi and are still here to talk about it. We're Loopers now!

9/7/17: Imperial, MO to Scott City, MO (111 miles)!!!!!
Woke up early to get an early start for an aggressive goal of 110 miles, but alas the fog kept us tied to Hoppie's barge until about 9:30.

• Brian put the throttle down and pushed Port-A-Gee against the current into to the channel, then it was smooth sailing.  We wound through the tight curves of the Mississippi giving way to the barges that we inevitably encountered as we came to tight turns.  We came across barges that were 6 across and 5 deep = 30 barges being pushed down the river!

The current was our friend this day, and after 11 hours and 110 miles, we pulled into Little River Diversion to anchor for the night.

It was a lovely little river (more like a creek) that protected us from the barge traffic and current of the Mississippi.  We enjoyed the pulled pork that we cooked in the crock pot all day.  That crock pot was a great idea!





9/8/17 Scott City, MO to Kevil, KY (78 Miles)
A week on the water! Brian woke very early because the inverter governor shut his CPAP off - LOL. 

• Brian installed the inverter over the winter so that we would have some power when we were anchored out.  It draws power from the battery but is smart enough to turn off before they are drained.
• Similar to the day before, Brian put the throttle down to push past the current to get us in the channel so we could complete the last 47 miles of the Mississippi.
• It was a relief to get off the Mississippi and turn onto the Ohio.
• The Ohio's conditions were similar to our familiarity with the Illinois River, only much wider.  About 17 miles up the Ohio we came to our first lock - Olmstead Lock. As it turned out the locks on this part of the Ohio were either under construction or not taking barges, so we just coasted through Olmstead.
• We did about 10 more miles and called it a day.  Stopping at Bean Branch Anchorage (MM 954).  We had reservations, because it's still in the open river, but a good distance out of the channel.  We dropped the anchor, showered on the back of the boat, and ate turkey sandwiches while listening to our beloved Cubs on the radio.  Life is good!