Illinois River to the Key West of the Midwest

  

Grafton, Illinois at the end of the Illinois River

We woke up eager to get an early start on our second day of our Journey south on the Illinois River only to be met by dense fog. We contacted the other loopers in the marina on VHF and we all decided it would be safer to wait until the fog lifted before heading out.  However, just as we were settling into our second cups of coffee/tea, we saw Baker Street Blue (BSB) appear out of the fog heading past our marina. They had spent the night further north and had already contacted the next lock about passage. BSB advised us the visibility was not too bad on the river and, not wanting to miss out on a lock opening, the rest of us at the marina quickly scrambled to get underway and follow BSB to the Dresden lock. The fog soon lifted, the sun came out, and our travels that day were pretty easy. 

We made it through both the Dreseden and Marseilles lock without any wait and shortly after noon we were tied up in Heritage Harbor near Ottawa, Illinois. This was a very well run facility with a nice pool and restaurant. While Cam and I helped each other re-install our radar domes that we had removed to get under the bridges in Chicago, Karen and Heather enjoyed lounging by the pool. That afternoon, the harbor master, Jeremy, held his daily briefing for all the Loopers. With notebooks and iPads in hand, we took copious notes about river conditions, anchorages and marinas we would be seeing along the rest of the Illinois River. These types of briefings are invaluable in planning for a safe voyage.

Southbound on the Illinois River

Heritage Harbor Marina, Ottawa, Il

We would have loved to stay on at Heritage for a few days but we needed to keep moving. At 6:45 the next morning, we left with our buddy boat Sea Clef and 4 other boats. Our first objective was Starved Rock Lock. We had been advised by  the lock they would have to clear through a few commercial tows before we could lock through so we slowed down to 6 mph from our usual cruising speed of 9mph. Even with slowing down, when we arrived at the lock we were advised we would still have to wait. Our options at that point were to either drift in place or tie up to a "cell" (sometimes referred to as dolphins)  near the lock. This would be a new experience for us. Cells are large round structures built into waterways, usually near dams, bridges, or locks. They are sometimes built to be used as a mooring site for boats. Other times they are constructed to prevent ships from accidentally damaging the structure they are protecting.  In this case, the cell we were advised to tie up to was a circular structure, approximately 15 feet in diameter with a corrugated metal skin filled with concrete. There was a single eye in the middle to tie onto.  Over the previous 6 months we had tied up to a variety of structures….. but never a round one. Fortunately, the current was not strong. After Karen hung a bunch of fenders near the middle of our hull, I was able to float us slowly up to this unforgiving metal structure and Karen was able to scamper off the boat and take one of our lines to the center eye.  I was then able to pass her a second line. Once we were settled, Cam guided Sea Clef up to our side and rafted up with us.  Not having been an avid boater for long, new experiences like this cause Karen a fair amount of anxiety. But she pulled it off like a pro and we could give ourselves a well-earned high five for a successfully tying our straight sided hull to an unforgiving round structure without so much as a scratch!

Two of our "Buddy Boats" tied up to a cell

Within less than an hour after tying up, we got word from the lockmaster that we could proceed into the lock. We had a lot of company in the lock and we were rafted 4 deep. But it was an easy drop and, after exiting the lock, we proceeded down river to our destination for the night, the Henry Lock Wall.

Starved Rock Lock

Barge (Tow) traffic on the Illinois River

Built in 1870 at a cost of $400,000, the Henry Lock and Dam was the first such structure on the Illinois River. The river in that area was shallow enough that for much of the year the river could be crossed by horse and buggy. This made navigation through this area by boat or barge nearly impossible.  Once completed the river was deep enough for navigation but a nearby bridge became necessary to allow the horse and buggy traffic to continue to cross.  In the 1930’s the original bridge was struck by a barge and damaged beyond repair. (I guess they should have installed some protective dolphins!) It has since been replaced twice.  Much smaller than the more modern locks, the old Henry lock was last used in 1927.  The old stone walls are now a popular spot for Loopers to tie up for a night. There is a small marina next to it and the marina operators also care for and manage the old wall. To call it rustic would be generous. But it was a unique place to spend the night. As the walls were rough, irregular and tall, it was not easy to get on and off the boat. Karen never did make it off the boat there.

Old Henry Lock Wall

Our next night was in Peoria Illinois at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club. We got there just in time to purchase the last few tickets to their annual Lobster Boil. Unfortunately, being the last folks to get tickets, we were the last to be served and we were still eating way past “Looper Midnight.” Peoria is the home of Caterpillar Tractors. We did not go, but we heard they have a great factory tour.

Illinois Valley Yacht Club, Peoria, Illinois

With a somewhat ominous weather report we set out the next morning with a group of Loopers for what would be our first night on anchor on the rivers. We dropped the hook behind Quiver Island near Havana, Illinois. The Anchor set well on the first try. Anchorages on the rivers are known for having a lot of debris on the bottoms that can snag anchors so we set the anchor with a “trip line” that would enable us to pull the anchor out backwards if needed. Although there are a variety of floats that can be used to locate the trip line, I figured an old plastic jug would work just as well and help me pass for a “good ole boy.” We could see barge traffic passing by on the river but we were set well back off the main river and the setting was quite peaceful.  Sea Clef hosted “docktails” on their boat and later that night we had rain and an electrical storm show but, fortunately, very little wind.

Anchoring behind Quiver Island

My Hi-Tech float for our anchor trip line

Beautiful sunset was followed by fantastic electrical storm

Weighing anchor the next morning, Karen got a taste of how much of a pain it is to have to worry about the trip line but we got it in ok and had beautiful sunny skies for our 33 mile run to our next unusual spot for a night, tied up to a working barge of Logsdon Tug Service.  The sea (river) wall here at Beardstown, was a good 30 feet tall and we had to climb a tall wobbly staircase to get up on shore. What doesn’t kill ya only makes ya stronger- right? The town was "kinda" cute, in a small town America kind of way and we had lunch at a diner with Cam and Heather and later, docktails on the barge.  It was pretty darn hot that day and there was no electricity on the barge. We ran our generator that evening to run our AC and top off our batteries. One of the great things about our boat is we have enough battery power to run one of our ACs overnight. I never met another Looper who could do that with their boat. We ran our AC that night in our stateroom and slept soundly in air conditioned bliss and still had over 70% battery power left in the morning. Thank you Greenline Yachts!

Beardstown Illinois

Tied up for the night to barge at Logsdon Tug Service

We spent the next night on the docks of Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant and then continued on to Grafton, Illinois where the Illinois River ends and joins into the Mississippi! Grafton was the largest city we had seen since leaving Chicago 1 week before….wow- that was an interesting week. Grafton Harbor Marina was quite large and impressive. It was our first experience with covered docks. The Mississippi and Illinois rivers can have huge floods, with water levels rising 40ft or more. The whole marina was floating.  Not just the docks…. even the restaurant, offices and pool were floating and the pilings that supported them were huge- over 40ft hi and 2ft in diameter. We spent 4 days in Grafton relaxing, swimming and hanging with other Loopers. We even took a chairlift up a hill to have lunch at a winery.  There was an incredible view up there of the Mississippi and we got our first glimpse of the St. Louis arch in the distance, a site we were looking forward to seeing from the water!

Mel's Riverdock Restaurant

Grafton, IL - Key West of the Mid West