? Questions ?

“Well Tom…… Can anyone ‘boat, raft, canoe, or kayak’ the Mississippi River?”

– my answer “With good sense, yes.”

Recreational boating on the Mississippi is an everyday occurrence, yet be advised that the river from Minneapolis to the Gulf of Mexico is active with commercial towboat activity. These powerful vessels maneuver very large barge sets; now with that said – plenty of room remains for private and recreational vessels.

True rafting, paddling (canoe or kayak), and riding the river’s meandering current southward continues to draw a handful of folks per year. This method of passage is possible yet within the realm presents its own very real set of perils – any private vessel HAS to be able to avoid those towboats/barges along the way.

From Baton Rouge South ocean-going ships are present……

the jaws of doom

In several areas along the way (above the Missouri, below St Louis, Cairo, Baton Rouge, NOLA, etc) there are ‘hubs’ of activity where repair and the resetting of barge sets occur; these areas are busy with smaller tows criss-crossing while doing the work. Moving through this activity is much like riding a ‘moped’ on the interstate highway system.

for a ‘raft’ of any size – a dependable motor ranks right up there with toilet-paper.

Other dynamics of the Mississippi are present – weather (storm-worlds), wing dams, the perpetual current, plus the ever tangible effects of mother nature’s wrath upstream – sending debris downstream.

Recreational use can be contentious, or it can all be a simple amusement…..

“Upper Mississippi” – North of the Ohio river confluence, Cairo, Illinois

“Lower Mississippi” – South of the Ohio river confluence to the Gulf of Mexico

ARE THERE DAMS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ?

Yes, there are dams, @ 25 on the Upper Mississippi, none below St. Louis.

The Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with maintaining a minimum 9-ft channel dept for the ‘upper’ and a 12-ft channel dept on the lower Mississippi. This effort includes a dam-system on the ‘upper’ Mississippi (24 but numbered through 25). The ‘dams’ create areas known as ‘pools and are in essence ‘water-flow systems’ with gates that help manage the required depth and ever-fluctuating water conditions.

‘Locks’ are part of each dam, these areas allow the passage of vessels from one section (‘pool’) of the river to the next level; free of charge – however, there is a hierarchy to vessels “locking-through.” Commercial barges have priority and recreational vessels are secondary; a private vessel just might have to wait – usually no more than an hour.

VHF radio Channel 14 is used for communication with the ‘lock-masters,’ several of the last locks use a different channel. Telephone numbers for each lock are available on your navigation chart – calling ahead is an option.

On the upper Mississippi the number of barges the tow is pushing may require a separation of the barges to pass (‘lock-through’); so plan on a wait. Awaiting clearance to enter a lock is where a motor is most important; wind and current will draw you toward, into and potentially over the dam creating a nuisance and ruining your whole doggone trip.

Calling ahead, having power, and a couple locks experience behind you will reduce any stress associated with this event – you’ll get better at it as you go.

WHAT ARE “WING-DAMS?”

With the river’s constant fluctuation, the movement of sand and sediment (‘shoaling‘) frequently occurs within the main channel.

: Barely visible wing-dam (high water); .

An added effort with maintaining the required depth is through the power within the water itself. Wing-dams are man-placed rock formations (a jetty) which direct the hydraulic certainty of the current towards the desired route and reduces the muddy sediment from settling in undesired areas.

Wing-dam’s extend from the shore to the channels edge and are normally marked by a buoy (a green ‘can’ or red ‘nun’). Wing-dam formations can be a hazard to boaters when obscured by the waters level or when the markers have been displaced by higher water (the Coast Guard works diligently to maintain them).

CURRENT; The rate of flow. It is said that a drop of water takes 90 days to travel from Minneapolis to the Gulf of Mexico.

PERSONAL NEEDS ?

What will you drink?

(fact) – in Mark Twain’s book Life on The Mississippi it was mentioned that you could scoop a glass of water from the Mississippi, let it settle for thirty-minutes – then drink the top part and plant in what was left….. It is unfortunate that in being surrounded by water one cannot depend on it for healthy sustenance. This Great River drains 40% of our country – so nowadays it wouldn’t be the dirt that I would be concerned with. We carried 7 gallons (65lbs) of tap water on hand for basic ‘birdbath,’ teeth, drink, and morning COFFEE – we refilled when possible and used it sparingly (adult beverage alternatives).

Where/what will you eat?

(fact) – Just like camping we were prepared in like manner. On the Upper Mississippi ‘land-food’ was available in the towns along the way – a stop here and there at the local restaurants…. We had a small ‘Coleman grill’ and used it more on the lower Miss (MRE’s).

Be prepared to fry some catfish when presented by the locals – still one of my favorite meals from the trip.

Where will you sleep ?

(fact) – my plans were open to generally sleep aboard in a berth, atop, or around the boat – or sharing the ground with any sudden gravity storms. After two days I slept better (in the berth) than I did at home – sleep was ‘the best! – being ‘disconnected’ from the world was even better.

Look for a place to tie-off/stop around 4 pm and have your vessel secured by 6 pm. We found that the best place was on the ‘off’ side of an island; in the shade and out of any direct wake – wonderful sleep.

For options there are sandbars, camping areas, and marinas on the ‘Upper;’ on the ‘Lower’ Miss – similar, but miles in-between. Memphis, Tn (Mud Island), Tunica, Ms (river park), Greenville, Ms (Yacht Club) were each welcome sights. From Baton Rouge to New Orleans beaches were rare, but places were available to ‘tie-off.’ The last decent sandy beach was behind the @ 143.4 marker (left side) – don’t pass it up – between there and NOLA is another ‘hub’ of barge-setting activity.

Where will you bathe?

(fact) -yes I like my morning shower, I depend on it… while driving a truck years ago there were mornings that I managed with what my Dad called a ‘bird-bath.’ I learned that a clean face, teeth, and hair go a long way to improving a persons outlook to the day – this helped alot. It was difficult to believe that surrounded by water there couldn’t be a way or time – I certainly had my bar of Ivory (bio-degradable) close at hand.

There were times that it became necessary to simply become ‘one with the river’ and jump in. For a ‘bird-bath’ I simply got wet in the river, lathered up with soap on board, and then rinsed with a large coffee container of water from our on-board supply. Wet, soap, wash, rinse – it felt much better and the world was a little clearer. Further into the trip and on the lower, hotter part of the river – the plastic coffee container worked well for dousing too (I do have a ‘less-than-a-speedo’ story).

Our observation of the water quality was;

‘locals’ swam in it – this was a good sign
if it is polluted you can’t tell – its so muddy.
the best thing about the water – its temperature.

Where will you use the bathroom?

(fact) – ahhhh, the facilities. Just where do bears go? This was not a question or answer that curbed my desire for such an adventure – but not ‘in the water’ (oh crap! never say ‘never’).

Related Note: On any given day we take three perfectly good gallons of quality water (in the toilet) – pee in it, and then flush it down the pipes – no wonder folks in the Middle-east shake their heads at us.

FOR THE BOAT –

What Safety equipment is needed on board?

(fact) – The Mississippi river is federally patrolled. USCG requires an audible horn, a fire extinguisher, type III personal flotation devices (vests) for each person on board; and a throw able type cushion or ring. For anchorage we used 4 solar ‘yard-lights’ attached to our roof even though we were away from the channel; the normal green/red marine ‘running’ lights are necessary if needed.

Does the vessel need to be registered?

The build

(fact) My craft (improvised pontoon) was registered in my home state, good; much like the tag on your vehicle.

Where will you get fuel?

(fact) – Fuel on the upper Mississippi was not a major issue, there were towns and marina’s along the river and stopping to just ‘top-off’ our fuel allowed for renewed conversation, a snack, and a change of pace. For the lower Mississippi, fuel was more of a concern – I carried an extra fuel tank (total 30+ gallons for a 40 hp) and took maximum advantage of the current – ‘Idle speed’ was the norm (just to keep the boat pointed downstream) – it was a waste of fuel to go any faster. A hand truck for shuttling fuel/ice/etc from land based points was a very handy…

You may be advised that there is NO fuel available for hundreds of miles (lower Miss), but if you have done your homework (knowing where the towns are) and are willing to walk – fuel will not be your issue. Finding a place to tie (dock) below New Madrid was more of the challenge – but we always had fuel and we never ran out or even close. At idle-speed (just to keep the bow headed downstream) we could easily span 200 miles in the current while getting 6 to 10 miles-per-gallon with the little 40-hp motor.

At the helm was our river chart (US Corps of Engineers) and in the direction of travel. The charts are printed for reading South to North, having it oriented in front of you helps in ‘reading’ the river ahead. The charts also hold important contact information (locks) plus, they are a good place to record ‘adventure-notes’ along the way.

There are ‘Mile-markers‘ along the length of the Mississippi river – they are not at regular intervals. For us, the markers provided some ‘cheap entertainment’ along the way – binoculars helped, circle their passing on your chart.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE WARNINGS?

“The waves from a Towboat will sink you!!” Its very likely that the wake from a tow will be of little more than an inconvenience to you (“it’s just a part of it”) but stay clear of a working tow’s ‘wash’ area.

Waves, wake; Any object or vessel breaking the surface tension of a liquid (including a water-bug) will create a wave (or ‘wake’). The ‘wake’ from a tow could conceivably roll over the ‘waterline’ of a homemade raft that sits low in the water, thus damaging or destroying the cabin – this has happened. With regard for this ‘waterline’ our improvised pontoon provided us a greater margin of safety – not once did I feel threatened by the ‘wake’ (or waves) of a passing towboat. The ‘oscillating’ waves (the waves bouncing off of each shoreline and then returning across the river) after a towboat passed were at times the most inconvenient of wakes.

“Wash;” The ‘wash’ is the ‘white-water’ area extending immediately behind the tow for several hundred feet – this is the DANGER ZONE and it could end your day no matter how high your craft sits above the water. It looks like a great ride but the danger is within the trash, trees, stumps, etc that are in the water and propelled outward by the tows massive propellers. Enlarge the picture above and notice how far the mountains (‘woop-tee-doos’) of water are behind the tow.

On many of the rivers ‘bends’ I chose the ‘inside-line’ (skirting the channel markers) as the tows worked their way upstream – this prevented getting into the ‘wash’ and being kicked toward (or into) the shore. The tow Pilots are aware of their ‘wash,’ plus there is plenty of area on the river to stay away from them – not a big deal now that you know.