# Has anyone sailed on the Ohio River?



## propwalk (Dec 14, 2008)

I realize that this maybe should be in the Destinations section, but I didn't 
see anything there that related to that part of the country.

Has anyone sailed on the Ohio River? I would like to sail on part of it (Louisville to Pittsburgh interest me the most), or the whole length. If you
were to do so, would you go east to west (flow of the current), or west to 
east (possible prevailing wind)?

Also, have you had any experience with the locks on the river?

Thanks Propwalk Catalina 25 swing keel


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

My dad and some friends took there boats from Cincy/Indiana down to Kentucky lake. They didn't sail much. You can find guides i'm sure if you google the great loop.


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## garyguss (Oct 9, 2007)

We race every Wednesday night during the liquid water season in Louisville.. you can sail downstream with ease but upstream can sometimes be challenging due to the current which can be 3-5 knots. River is about a mile wide there, you also have to dodge barge strings which can make you tack when you dont want to. In the summer the flow is much less and current is weaker and its more like a series of lakes. saillouisville.org if you want to see what its like


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## CarolynShearlock (Dec 3, 2010)

I've done some regattas in Louisville. LOTS of barges, lots of current. Watch out for spring floods -- even more current and debris in the water.


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## riverbilly (Aug 14, 2013)

We sail our Catalina 30 every weekend we can on the Ohio River at French Island, MM 766. We generally run downwind, upriver (the engine isn't as reliable as the river current), about 10 miles to the Owensboro bridge and beat back. It's a great day sail and with challenging barge traffic and river conditions.


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