We Arrive at the Mississippi

New nun and can buoys for the Illinois

Lesbian nun buoys!

Negotiating with a small tow

Speedboats on the river

We left Havana and Tall Timbers Marina on Labor Day. We had 120 miles to go to Grafton, IL and the Mississippi River, so we decided to do this in two days. Trouble is, there really aren't any marinas to pull into on this lower stretch of the Illinois River. This meant we would be anchoring on the river somewhere for one evening, then moving on the next day to Grafton. We figured we would split the distance in half, so we headed out fairly early to cover the 60 odd miles plus a lock to our anchorage. We had great weather with temperatures in the low 70's, but it was fairly breezy. Since this was Labor Day, we encountered a lot of fishermen and campers along the river and had to slow down several times so we didn't wake them. We came to our last lock, the LaGrange Lock, on the Illinois. We had to wait approximately 20 minutes for a tow to finish locking through before we could enter. The lockmaster called us and told us to just float in the middle of the lock which only went down 10 feet. The problem was we had a really stiff wind on our tail and it was all Capt. Larry could do to keep her centered. We no sooner exited the lock when the starboard engine temperature alarm went off. Deju vu all over again! We shut the engine and Jane took over the helm  while Capt. Larry went below to see what was going on. Same as before, the raw water strainer was emptied. We proceeded on one engine and tried a couple of times to restart the starboard engine which always overheated. We would have to wait until we stopped to find out what was going on. The lower Illinois River is very different and much more scenic that the upper part. The terrain next to the river becomes hilly with limestone hills and buttes all along the way. We me a group of speed boaters that we thought might be racing, but after they passed us we figured they were just out for a fast holiday ride. On this leg we passed two tows which is always interesting. The channel is relatively narrow and the captains instruct you how to pass. But it seems to take forever to get around them.

Going into our anchorage

Limestone cliffs along the river

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With a relatively stiff northerly breeze, Capt. Larry passed up two recommended anchorages, because of their exposure and his recall is a similar situation in the Little Alligator River in North Carolina. The second anchorage was at a dual highway bridge that was the western most point of the loop at W 098 38.7652. On the third anchorage, Jane was all go, but Capt. Larry didn't think it provided enough swing room. Two miles later, we found our spot. We were able to get well out of the main channel and would be somewhat protected with decent depths at Buckthorn Island. We dropped the hook and Capt. Larry went below to assess the overheating problem. When he pulled the raw water pump apart, he found the impeller was shot. He is so good at changing out impellers that he would probably win a NASCAR pit competition for impeller changing, if they had one. With a spare impeller he was able to fix the problem in about one-half hour, but why this happens still is a mystery, but we are starting to associate it with turbulence from prop wash or heavy seas that causes air to enter the raw water system. Why it only occurs on the starboard engine, however, is puzzling. We had cooked some red beans and rice while we were in the marina, so all we had to do was reheat them for our dinner. We started up the genset and watched another of Todd's movies, then turned in early. We were well away from any city lights and the night sky was exceptionally starry and clear. It was magnificent! During the night two tows came by our anchorage and shone their light on us and the shoreline. It was sort of eerie to watch the tow's lights light up the river.

High, and hopefully, dry!

Ready for duck season

Car ferry near Grafton

 We got up early the next morning and almost immediately got underway. It was another beautiful, but breezy, day. As we got near Grafton, the river started to take on characteristics of the Mississippi. It became broader, deeper, and the houses built along the shore were significantly elevated to avoid springtime flooding. The river was also lined with limestone cliffs that are characteristic of the upper Mississippi. As we approached the Mississippi the Illinois River also became more meandering with large bends and turns. We had reserved a slip at Grafton Harbor which is a new marina built in 2006. The facilities are nice and the marina staff was very helpful. We also found John and Mary Leatherman on Mary Fraces IV in the slip next to us. Small world!