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Upper Mississippi River
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journey on



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 3593
City/Region: Valley Centre
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: journey on
Photos: Journey On
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I finally found the Corps of Engineers ENC Charts.

All the inland waterways, upper and lower Mississippi, etc. e used them on the Miss.... and they worked well. One can also download pdf format as opposed to buying a chartbook.

Boris
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4522
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Boris. I had a different link, but like the one you shared as one stop shopping. Smile These charts are really good to have. I've only used them on the Mississippi, but they've come in handy. Colby
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the PDF of the upper MS 0 to 866 free:

http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/48/docs/Nav/NavigationCharts/UMR/ALL_PAGES.pdf

Twp other sources of information and "Charts" of the upper MS are the Navionics App and the Garmin Blue Charts app. Which includes "Active Captain".

Since a lot of the river ( as most rivers) changes, I would rely on your visual, and the markers, more than any chart per say.

You all got me thinking about our "trip" for the year!

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Bob Austin
Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
Thisaway 2006 22' CDory November 2011 to May 2018
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Home port: Pensacola FL
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4522
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sort of, sort of not, agree with Bob on this. I have found the charts are fairly accurate while on the Mississippi River. You will find that the buoys can sometimes be dragged off course. But Bob is right about keeping your eyes on the visual too. The Army Corps of Engineers tend to keep the main channel dredged, and most the wing dams are marked on the charts. (They don't move!) Unless you are familiar with the waters, I've always followed advice I was given. Always approach the shore straight on, and very slowly. Wing dams have a way of otherwise ruining your day. When the river is high, as with most flowages like this, watch out for logs and other debris and when it's low, be careful of cutting any corners into marinas. And when coming into the locks, stay away from the dams! And stay out of the way of the tows. Smile Sometimes you can follow in behind a local fisherman, but some of those guys can cut it pretty close to wingdams and such, so unless you are right in their wake, and not drawing any more water, be careful! Colby
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k-p pelican



Joined: 03 Sep 2010
Posts: 48
City/Region: Putnam
State or Province: IL
C-Dory Year: 1997
C-Dory Model: 22 Classic
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:51 pm    Post subject: Mighty MISS. Reply with quote

Chuck & Penny

Welcome to the Midwest and the Mighty Mississippi River.

My wife and I have traveled the river from the first dam to Memphis and it is great. We travel the area between St Louis and Wabasha yearly and love it.
As Tex mentioned, the bald eagle museum in Wabasha is great and they have a dock right in front of the place. Also in the town is the restraint that inspired the character in the Grumpy Old Men movie (mile 759).
Further south in Guttenberg, Iowa, great little town, (mile 615) that has a nice marina, neat little pizza joint (Joes Pizza), that also serves great ice cream. By all means call Paul and Joni, two of the nicest people you will ever meet.
When you get to Dubuque, Iowa (mile 580.7) you can stop by Catfish Charlies for a great meal (named one of the best restaurants in the country No. 2 that can be reached by water) or you can enter Ice Harbor (mile 579.7) where there is a floating restaurant right next to the marina. You will also be right next to the National Maritime Museum and Aquarium. The city also has many, many other great things to see and do.
You can't go wrong if you stop in Hannibal Missouri (mile309) and do the Mark Twain and the cave adventures.

There are sand bars all along the Mississippi river if you are into camping out in your craft or there are marinas all along the way.

I would be glad to give you my phone number and e-mail address to assist you in any way we can or answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to seeing you in at the Meet In The Middle Gathering in Alton.

Ken and Pat (Pelican)
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Two Bears



Joined: 07 Nov 2009
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City/Region: Orofino
State or Province: ID
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Two Bears
Photos: Two Bears
PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. This is looking better and better.

At this point I'm thinking we will start down river from Minneapolis about Monday, Aug 24 which gives us 17 days to reach the gathering, which is about 40 miles per day. I suspect that there are some sections that will go fast, so we should have time to stop and visit towns and perhaps a side trip up the St Croix.

Our only previous experience on a river was on the Tennessee River where we joined some larger trawlers who plodded along at hull speed and averaged 50 miles per day, but didn't stop. We spent 4 days going upriver, and after a two day stop in Chattanooga we headed back down river alone and returned to our truck/ trailer in 3 days. There were few stopping opportunities as most of the towns were well away from the river.

Is this too fast? We were going to squeeze a week in at Rainy Lake before launching at Minneapolis, but we could drop that.

Any other boats want to join us, even for just part of the trip?

Chuck

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Orofino, Idaho
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Casey



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 1094
City/Region: The Villages(FL)
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: "Dessert 1st"
Photos: Dessert 1st
PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's interesting to read all the comments on Mississippi River travel. For some reason I had never seriously considered it - maybe my mistake.

We're in Beaufort (NC) and had happy hour last night with some folks on a 50' Ocean Alexander (very nice boat by the way...) who finished a seven month Great Loop circuit a year ago. When I commented on the Mississippi (not too favorably) their response was that they Loved the Miss. Hmm, may have to give this some more thought.

Then this morning I'm reading this C-Brat thread; now we really have to do some re-thinking!

Interesting (and useful) thread.

Best,
Casey&Mary

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dmengland



Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 35
City/Region: Pigeon Falls
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 26 Venture
Vessel Name: SheSayNo
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:55 am    Post subject: Barge traffic on the Mississippi Reply with quote

Passing through locks can at times be a couple of hours delay while a barge is going through. Use this website to check where the barges are located on the river: www.corpslocks.usace.army.mil. Just click on Lock Queue Report. This may save you a few hours on your trip.
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On the Banks of the Mississippi
Winona, MN
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4522
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Casey and Mary, Traveling the Mississippi can be a worthwhile trip. I remember a number of years back taking my pontoon up from the Prairie Du Chein area up to Stillwater and back. Some great fun, and a few days of not so great fun (tornado warnings and lots of wind). (We did this over a week. The pontoon boat I had then also had a full enclosure, sort of like a softtop houseboat if you will. lol) You can chose between marinas or just beaching it at night. You do have to be careful of wingdams however. Going through the locks is a fun experience also. Some nice scenery and wildlife as well. Colby
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