Kimmswick, MO to Grays Point, MO

Mississippi River sunrise

10/4/2016

We left Hoppies early, with some apprehension after our crash landing the day before due to the swift current. Everything went smoothly, Pearl Lee driving hard up current as we crabbed to mid-river to miss wing dams just down river from us. A quick 130 degree turn and we were motoring along with a 5 – 7mph boost from the current.

We were bound for an anchorage near a lock just up the Kaskaskia River, but plans can change.

Being on the mighty Mississippi makes steering our sailboat, uh, interesting. Of course we had lots of tow and barge traffic to contend with. Even Fern, at Hoppie’s, says she can’t understand them. Here’s my version, just to give you an idea.

More coal loading

It’s OK though, we can always make out “pass me on the one” (your port) or “pass me on the two” (your starboard), which is what we really need to know. You might notice I’m also pretty busy with the steering wheel due to the many swirling currents we encounter.

A freight train heading up river

Although we were getting into a very rural part of the country we still saw plenty of signs of industry. A lot of coal comes from here, or passes through.

Coal and limestone trains run along the river’s edge in order to avoid going up and down the valley.

Before we knew it we were approaching our planned anchorage in the Kaskaskia River. Deciding it was too early to stop for the night we pressed on.

River navigation tools

We identified a couple anchorages farther along that we thought we might take. Speaking of planning our stops, we got great information from Mark and Diana Doyle’s Managing the Waterway Guide and also Skipper Bob’s guide books. Here you see Kristi’s three favorite navigation tools. Meanwhile I was arguing with the river about which one of us (me or the river) was actually driving the boat.

Little River Diversion

With the fast current pushing us along, and no locks to wait for, we kept getting to our planned anchorages too early. We finally decided that we could make it to Little River Diversion near Grays Point, Missouri. A run for the day of 110 miles! We couldn’t believe it, but we had just done a normal two day run in one.

With the sun setting we crabbed our way into the diversion at about a 45 degree angle, fighting the current while inching over. It seemed a little scary but was actually pretty easy. Once we were in we were treated to perfectly calm water and a beautiful spot to spend the night.

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