River progress

The Dow is up 485 today and we too are "pumped-up" to travel the IL Water Way. We departed before 8:00 AM and made anchor at 4:30 PM. Jay has galley duty today, so we had cereal for breakfast, Susan's wonderful chicken soup for lunch and some great salmon on the grill for dinner. Cookies later for a treat ( thanks, Mary)
We have really eaten great on this trip and simple foods combined with portion control have made it work. We also have enjoyed fewer delays, like at the locks. Main reason for the delays you might ask????? Some substantial delays at the locks as tug boats push their barges up the river. You see, commercial traffic gets to go first thru the locks. These river boats can push 15 barges up or down the rivers and you really need to try not to "piss them off" since they truly do "rule the roost".

"This is what we came here for," said Capt'n Brad. The reference, of course, was to our non stop, 9 hour, wind assisted 69.3 mile miles on the IL Waterway today. Progress is now part of our objective for each day.

Some other challenges and excitement today would include: Coming to the Peoria dam and Lock. They were totally flooded and we motored over the top of them both. How about facing-off against a tugboat coming North, we are going South, and we have to call him and ask for directions as as we prepare to pass. Oh, also, the guy speaks with a Southern drawl that no-one in our boat can understand and he uses codes like, "whistle 1". So, Jay needs to call this guy to confirm and they are busy people who are not really interested in talking to Northerners from Wisconsin.

So, we are anchoring tonight with a beautiful sunset and I snapped this quick photo which doesn't do justice to the richness of the colors and the cool quiet night we have here in Beardstown, IL. Tomorrow will be "the mighty Mississippi".

Bill
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The River is Open - Finally!

We received great news from the US Coast Guard today. They have opened the entire Illinois River for recreational boat traffic all the way to the Mississippi. So we will be departing Peoria early tomorrow morning. We have full fuel tank, water tank and all the provisions we need for a few days on the river. We picked out a few good anchor spots down river so we will probably be out of touch for a few days without internet & cell phone service.
We enjoyed a great dinner in the cockpit of Northern Light this evening of Susie's famous goulash (from Mackinaw Race days) and fresh baked muffins. Thanks Susie! Captain Brad did a great job of preparing that excellent dinner for his crew. Thanks Brad!
Our stay in Peoria was brief, but we enjoyed every minute of our time in this beautiful city and also EastPort Marina.

This was our view of the city skyline from the boat, priceless!

Back on the River

Friday afternoon we drove from Charlevoix back To Ottawa IL and reboarded the boat at Heritage Harbor Marina. Most of the loopers that were at Heritage Harbor last weekend had left there that same day. We anxiously left the marina Saturday morning hoping to reunite with some of our new found friends somewhere down the river.. After waiting 4 hours to lock through at the Starved Rock Lock we were able to travel the rest of the day till nearly sunset. We found a anchorage in an abandoned rock quarry near Henry,IL and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Sunday morning we motored down to Peoria and we were able to get a dock at EastPort Marina just across the river from downtown Peoria. We were fortunate to get a dock here, there are none available downriver from here. The marina is located at mile marker 164 and the river is still closed at mile marker 101 per today's Coast Guard bulletin . It looks like we'll go down as far as we can tomorrow and anchor somewhere until they open up the next section of the river.

Shore Leave

Captain Brad gave his crew a week's shore leave due to the barge and boat traffic backup on the IL River. After we scrubbed and cleaned up Northern Light (that's our boat) to remove the scum accumulated by dodging logs, trees, and other stream obstacles, the six hour drive to Charlevoix passed quickly. So, our first week of "looping" has been slow, hot and muddy on a smelly river. However, our adventure will improve and we expect to actually enjoy mother nature this fall.

A River Break

Yesterday we were able to pass through 3 locks, but once again we were forced to stop due flooding on the river by mid afternoon. The Starved Rock lock is closed for an undetermined lenght of time. We were fortunate to get one of the last docks available for sailboats at Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa IL. We are here with around 15 other loopers waiting to head dowriver. The marina that just opened this season, couldn't be more accommodating for us all. The water level here is now about 6 feet above normal, a couple of days ago they were 15 feet above normal. Needless to say they have a lot of cleanup to deal with. We've started to realize that we need to let some time pass before we proceed downriver, even if we could . Each day that we are able to travel we arrive somewhere that is just starting to clean up from the flood waters. It's amazing how long the water remains a problem for people along the rivers. The rains were over a week ago yet some areas are just now seeing the crest of the flood waters. They announced on the local news today that the Des Plaines and Mississippi Rivers are closed and " any recreational boats on the rivers will be ticketed and their trip terminated" .

So with that news we've decided to rent a car and drive home for a week. Hopefully that will be enough time for things to get back to normal on the River.

On a positive note ,I must say that with all this down time we have been able to develop some new skills. Meals are the highlight of the day and an opportunity for each of us to display his culinary skills, or lack thereof. Not to worry Susan, Linda and Mary we are not losing our appreciation for your home cooking.

We'll post again when we get back on the boat, our best to all.

Four nights in Joliet, IL

Hey, they finally let me on the official blogspot as an "author". And I'm delighted to once again have the computer in my lap. Ellie took me down to Joliet mid-day on the 16th but we are planning a departure tomorrow AM to get underway again. We really do a lot of walking when we're confined to the port and at the dock (here it's a wall).

We ran into the Blues Bros yesterday and couldn't miss the photo opportunity. Joliet is a quiet little city known for its prison and has a lot of new buildings to support city and county (Will Co) functions. Vince Gill is in town tonight, but neither Brad nor Jay have heard of him and I don't think that it's worth $65 for a ticket.

With the many boats tied up along with us on the wall, we truly have an international community - the UK is represented along with a French family, German and some Michiganders all who will be pushing toward the first lock with us, probably tomorrow AM, my 66th B'day.

Joliet

Well, it's now our third day tied up to the wall in Joliet, IL. There were 2 boats when we arrived, there are now 9. One boat is a family of 5 from France, another is a couple from London. We are all waiting for the Marseilles Lock near Ottawa to open up. It's still closed as a result of flood water from last Saturday.

We are becoming quite the experts on Route 66 and the Blue's Brothers, both favorite topics around Joliet. Hope we can leave tomorrow but the lock masters are not making any commitment. Love to all.

Going with the Flow-Down River + Our First Locks

We finally left the big city of Chicago and had a beautiful trip down the river. Made it all the way to Joliet where Bill joined the crew this afternoon. It is great to have him aboard. The river is still at flood stage so the current is very swift and has lots of debris floating as a hazard. It was exciting going through our first locks. Very little barge or other boat traffic so our trip was quick. We left Crowley Yacht Yard at 7am and arrived at Joliet about 1pm. Many thanks to the staff & crew at Crowleys. Appreciate all your help and advice. A great day on the river!

The Windy/Rainy City

Susan and I arrived at Crowleys Yacht Yard on the Calumet River Friday morning to remove the mast, ( in the rain). The yard did a great job and the spar was down by noon. Jay got here mid-afternoon after driving from Charlevoix,(in the rain). Jay and I spent the day and part of the night Saturday packaging the mast,boom and rigging in preparation for shipping to Mobile, AL ( in the rain). As it turned out, Saturday's rainfall was an all time record for a single day in Chicago, over 7 inches.
Sunday the rivers were over flood stage and the locks were closed to traffic. The rivers are now in "reverse flow" meaning they flow into Lake Michigan as opposed to into the Mississippi as they have since the locks were built in the 60's. Glad we're on a boat ! This has been our second delay in 10 days due to remnants of hurricanes, this one is compliments of hurricane Ike.
Susan heads home tomorrow morning, Jay and I will wait for the locks to open and head out as soon as possible after they do. Bill plans on joining us Tuesday evening wherever we are.

The Windy City

Wednesday was a great day to cross the lake. We left South Haven before sunrise, got into Chicago mid-afternoon after sailing almost the entire 80 miles.It was pretty exciting when the Chicago skyline came into view still 30 miles away.

What a view of downtown Chicago from DuSable Harbor, just across the river from Navy Pier. Friday we head for the Calumet River to have the mast removed. After that we enter the river system.

Susan's entry, day 5

Ahhhhhh. Nothing like percolated coffee. My new morning mantra, "bap, bap, bap, bap, BAP, bap ..." We left Grand Haven (been there done that) at 7:45am. We arrived in South Haven at 2:30pm, a port I would gladly return to. Although the seas were rough, it was only a half of Dramamine day. Tomorrow we hope to cross Lake Michigan but as always, "It depends on the weather." ... a saying a planner like me hates to hear.

Sunday we sailed and motor sailed from Manistee to White Lake, stayed in Whitehall at the municipal marina . Monday was a short trip , the rain sent us in to Grand Haven around noon. We're still waiting for a good day to cross the lake. Yesterday the waves were 6 ft. on the open waters with winds on the nose. Today they were calling for 6 to 9 ft. seas. It looks like Wednesday will be the day based on latest weather forecasts.

If anyone from work is reading this, tell Ken D. that they're nailing the salmon over here.

Left Charlevoix in the rainy, windy remnants of hurricane Gustav. Arrived in Leland MI mid afternoon after a bumby ride on Lake Mich. Saturday we sailed 9 hours to Manistee MI, arriving around 16:30. "Thanks" to modern medicine and the wonders of Dramamine.

Leaving Charlevoix

Northern Light heading into Lake Michigan at the Charlevoix 11am Bridge opening.

Heading South - The Great Loop Begins

With great anticipation, the Voyage of 6000 miles finally begins. Northern Light departs her dock at North West Marina in Charlevoix at 10am today.

Captain & First Mate

Brad Light recently retired from President of General Housing Corp and has been planning his"Dream Cruise" for several years. He is joined by his lovely wife and First Mate, Susan.

Planned Itinerary and Route Summary

Leg #1
Sep 2008 - Charlevoix to Chicago
Sep 2008 - Chicago to St Louis
Oct 2008 - St Louis to Tennessee River area
Oct 2008 - Tennessee River to Tombigbee Waterway area
Nov 2008 - Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama
Nov-Dec 2008 - Holiday Break

Leg #2
Jan 2009 - Mobile to Florida West Coast
Feb-Mar 2009 - Various Florida coastal ports (Brad & Susie live aboard)
Mar-Apr 2009 - Sail to Bahamas

Leg #3
Apr 2009 - Bahamas to Savannah & Charleston
May 2009 - Charleston to New York
Jun 2009 - New York to Erie, PA
Jul 2009 - Erie to Charlevoix (Home Port)

Crew Members-The Whitlocks

Bill & Mary Whitlock are next door neighbors and good friends. Plan to crew on Northern Light whenever the opportunity exists. Bill recently retired from the Banking Industry and Mary loves the outdoors and traveling.

Crew Members-The Ulers

Jay & Linda Uler are good sailing friends for many years. Plan to crew on Northern Light as often as possible. Jay retired from Ford Motor Co several years ago and enjoys the outdoors. Linda loves reading & shopping.

Final Preparations

Today captain and crew are making final preparations for an early morning departure tomorrow. All gear, luggage and provisions are going aboard. Final checklist of all important items will be completed this afternoon.