# Mississippi river and sailboats?



## PPPPPP42

Tried searching but the results were all over the place.

What experiences have people had sailing a boat on any part of the Mississippi river? I'm actually located on the St. croix river which seperates MN and WI and it dumps into the Mississippi. Used to go on the St. Croix alot in a '23 foot cruiser I had and sometimes a bit into the M. river (dodged a few barge groups) but I can't help but wonder if its even possible to easily navigate a sailboat on any of the rivers up here? Experiences farther south or on other rivers would also be useful to hear about. I wonder how easily a boat sails upriver too. I would be looking at a boat with a swing keel or if it were fixed a short shoal keel like on an oday 22 i was just looking at so depth really isnt a issue and know better than to play in the spring floods and other basic river issues.


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## OpIvy

I sailed on the Illinois River when I lived in Central Illinois. Very limited depth and really was stuck with daysailing. Depends on the area that you are located but I would guess this is pretty standard for midwest sailing. I was lucky in that there was regular sailboat races and fleets in Illinois. Draft is about 3 ft maximum which will really limit your boat choices. I would recommend on seeing if there are any scheduled races and stick with what ever class of boat being raced. This should help protect re-sale value and get you out on the water.

If you have an interest in getting more experience, I would recommend getting certified and renting a bareboat. Just a thought.


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## guyfromiowa

Lake Pepin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My fave marina on Lake Pepin

Hansen's Harbor, harbor, marina, lake city, minnesota,dock space,boat storage, boat rentals, marine diesel service parts, towing

Guy


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## PPPPPP42

I had forgotten about Pepin, bout an hour south by car and so out of my normal aquatic stomping grounds due to the piles of locks and dams here. Not outside of a day trip with a trailer though. Dunno about the Mississippi in its entirety up here but its fairly deep most places that I know of. The St. croix is extremely deep for a river. I'd only want a shallower keel to get in close to shore for the night or for beaches.

I wonder if a larger boat with a decent motor rather than a tiny outboard wouldnt be more prudent as I see long motor commutes in my future thanks to river traffic and currents. At least the wind on the St. Croix is notorious for blowing up the river valley from the south during the summer, really helps upstream passages, sometimes a little too much with the waves in the long valley. Plus there is ample room to tack without obstructing traffic or getting into oncoming boats.

The local yuppies do their regatta thing and play ring around the rosie in Lake St. Croix just south of the I-94 bridge but it seems to be a random mishmash of boats going in circles. I do see a few brands more common than others here though.

In all honesty I'm looking for more of a cheap basic weekender than a sailboat for racing but I've done the motor thing and was never in a hurry to get anywhere so why not sail.


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## sailingdog

The Mississippi is a lousy river for sailing IMHO. The current is pretty strong, there's way too much traffic on it...etc..


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## tomwatt

sailingdog said:


> The Mississippi is a lousy river for sailing IMHO. The current is pretty strong, there's way too much traffic on it...etc..


Though I haven't cruised/sailed it, I would second that.
The volume of water moving is enormous, ergo strong current... and if you read Mark Twain, it's famous for treacherous eddys, whirlpools, and shifting sandbars. Even though we live in a modern age, the river won't be tamed. I have sat on the levy and watched whole tree trunks sail by.


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## riversailor1

Try sailing out of Fort Madison, Iowa.


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## tdw

I've never seen the Mississipi (my loss I know) but I did read Jonathan Raban's "Old Glory" which tells the tale of his journey from way up in the headwaters down to the delta in an aluminium runabout.

Not that I had contemplated the thought but it sure as hell knocked any idea of doing such a trip by sailing boat right out my head.

Jonathan Raban

Worth a read btw....as is almost anything by Raban. Well I think so anyway...


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## chopsy

I had a friend who sailed his Com-Pac 23 from Atchison, Kansas to Biloxi. His comments agree with the others that a strong current is the worst part. He was not able to do any sailing until he reached the Gulf. It was all motoring. (a new 15hp Nissan outboard and a few oil changes along the way) The traffic on the VHF from the river boats was all about "The little tiny sailboat" going down the river. He never had any close calls with them and they seemed to respect giving him room as anybody else. I don't think it was really that fun, more of a challenge to do it than anything else.


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## imagine2frolic

I have sailed just above the Alton Locks above St. Louis a number of times. You just have to leave the boat at the dock at times after rains, and spring floods. When you can sail you spend all day going north, and in minutes you're back at the dock.......*i2f*


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## GulfCoastPirate

I'm contemplating taking my Catalina 27 up river from the gulf to Shreveport, LA. Has anyone attempted this?


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## gatorcrock

*Mississippi cruise*

Hi guys, new to your site here. I have been looking for info on a M R cruise (only term i could come up with), and i was trying to find any records for the trip to new orleans from say Minnisota or off the ohio, illinois etc. I realize that the views would not be as favorable as offshore, or even on a nice clean lake, but any info i could get from ya'll would help. My original plans were to buy a boat on one of the Great lakes and float down to New orleans, then take the icw into galveston/houston area. So, seeing these are old subject matter on these post hopfully someone could give me info on current speed, wind varibles, draft as far north as possible, traffic, etc. is there a current record of time and distances? Anything, and oh yeah, retired so time is not the big factor, but average day of distance(s). Thanks for any info. Oh, looking at a macgreagor 26 x, m, or s for the trip, becuase of shallow draft.


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## Jurgy

Came down to Burlington Iowa from Wabash MN twice. First time I thought we could sail, but quickly realized it was far from practical. We came down the second time just because we enjoyed the first trip so much. Except for Lake Pepin, for us, the upper Mississippi was a one way boating adventure, but trailered home.


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## TQA

Going down might be fun but up fuggedaboutit.

Also you have to deal with unwieldy strings of up to 35 [ I think ] barges being pushed by a tug. These boys are on a schedule and they are not very manouverable and there are a lot of them.

From Hoot Mon
Best quote on the water quality " Too thick to drink and too thin to plough"


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## gatorcrock

*miss cruise*

Yeah, kinda of figured the barge traffic would be heavy, lived in memphis, and new orleans, but i bet it gets really tight on old man river. Found a article of a guy that came all the way down from minnisota to galveston on a canoe, 101 days, had to be an experience. Thanks for any input guys, and will still be collectimg info before i even decide on this cruise. What do you guys think about the 26m mac greagor, with the 50 hp motor, do you think it will handle the current, i mean it has to be better than a 5hp or 9hp, any input appreciated. Ha, i could pull a skier the whole way maybe, ha, just joking on th skier, but that's a lot of motor that comes standard to that boat.


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## SusanBob

*Lake Pepin May 4 2011*

We just retired & will be putting our 25' Pacific Seacraft in at Lake Pepin May 4th. We've packed up, sold everything and will be living aboard. We plan to sail down the Mississippi, cut over on the Ohio to Kentucky Lake and then down the Tenn Tom & out into the Gulf. Hope for the Bahamas next winter. So we will keep up with this post & add our experiences as we go. We are very new at all of this. Susie


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## SusanBob

*Here is more info about us*

If you are interested you can follow our progress at Bob & Susie's Big Adventure
Find out more about us and our plans.


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## Jurgy

Susie -

What a great adventure !! Please keep us posted and may you always enjoy your travels.

Jealous
Jurgy


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## gatorcrock

*Mississippi river*

Susan and Bob, you guys are an inspiration, not only are you coming down the old man, you are headed to the carib also. I wish ya'll the best and hope that you get to fly a lot of different port flags for entry. Will be following your log for info, and admiration. Ray


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## SusanBob

*Guttenburg on the Mississippi*

I day sailed for about 5 years out of Guttenburg on the Mississippi. The winds can be flukey. I always sailed north when the winds were out of the south. We had a lot of fun on the Mississippi motoring into backwater areas with a Catalina 22, swing keel. The swing keel made it great for nudging up onto the sandbars. Sailing is more challenging, but it is a hellava lot of fun.


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## SusanBob

*Guttenburg on the Mississippi*

I day sailed for about 5 years out of Guttenburg on the Mississippi. The winds can be flukey. I always sailed north when the winds were out of the south. We had a lot of fun on the Mississippi motoring into backwater areas with a Catalina 22, swing keel. The swing keel made it great for nudging up onto the sandbars. Sailing is more challenging, but it is a hellava lot of fun.


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## herezjohnny

I`ve lived and worked on the Mississippi between Baton Rouge and New Orleans all my life. You dont need to worry about sailing when you get down here, a log in the current will probably run about 20 knots!! LOL barge and ship traffic will be a serious stress inducer. I wouldnt even consider running at night unless you have radar. I thought about buying a houseboat from Ill. a while back and making the trip but it didnt materialise. It would be fun if you plan accordingly. Good luck! Johnny


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## gatorcrock

thanks johnny, well, looks like i still have time to plan with whats going on on the river now, i'd like to make the trip fast, but i bet you can hit 30 kts backward, then port side, then starboard and back to aft again real fast. a very large colorado river. goes to show what the strongest element is. no matter if it's blue or brown.


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## SusanBob

*Herezjohnny...*

Sounds like it gets pretty treacherous down around New Orleans. We won't be going that way, but will likely be checking out the area by coming over in the gulf from Mobile. Hope you get the houseboat sometime to fulfill that dream. Go for it. SusanBob


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## herezjohnny

Didnt mean to scare you guys! Come on down. You can cut through the Industrial Canal in N.O. and pop out in lake Ponchartrain. Then you can stop by and have a cold one with me! My boat is at the corner of the Idustrial and the lake. SusanBob, I`m over the house boat dream. I`m on a 36 Morgan getting my stuff together with a plan of jumping off in two years.


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