RIVER SYSTEM: DAYS 93-96: Ottawa/Buffalo Rocks Anchorage to South of Henry/Lower Henry Island Anchorage - Peoria

Ottawa to Henry: 8.5 mph; 38 miles; 5:30 hours
Henry to Peoria: 8.8 mph; 25.2 miles; 2:53 hours


Ottawa/Buffalo Rocks to South of Henry/Lower Henry Island


LOCK: Starved Rock Lock 19’
Floating bollards; Easy lock, an additional stern line is available if needed.


Option: Henry Wall

The FREE-ish Wall is structurally a crumbling hot mess. Once upon a time, it was part of a lock built in the 1900’s; I think the cost was $40 with some forma of electric/no water. Don’t let the condition of the wall taint your ideas of the marina behind it. To be fair, the marina was just bought by a young couple with big plans for reconstruction. Their enthusiasm has me wanting to see what they do next.


Optional: Lower Henry Island ANCHORAGE

We read on Waterways.com and Navigational Notes that this was a safe anchorage. We gave the south point of the island a wide berth, then take the channel into safe harbor. We are here during low water levels; so, NOT kidding about the wide berth. When you think you have gone far enough, go a little further - wide berth is essential to staying afloat. The current wasn’t too strong but we set a stern anchor anyways. Lots of good holding mud and very quiet - loved it.


Made reservations for the Illinois Valley Yacht Marina for tomorrow through Saturday. Need to change the oil and provision the boat. 



The wind was howling on our stern when we left Lower Henry Island. Good for us because we made our destination in no time. The river channel is pretty tight and some barges are really wide; but, we haven’t had any problem with them so far.

Illinois Valley Yacht Marina (IVY): 

$2.00/ft with electic/water, showers/bathroom, coin-operated laundry, small restaurant, and a great bar. 


There are 6 Loopers here with us. We met beginning Loopers Slo Dancer and they are excited for the Loop Adventure. Loved their energy.


The club members here are welcoming and make it easy to hold a conversation. The first night we were asked to join a large group of members for dinner. It was fun listening to their stories and fielding questions they have about the Great Loop. The questions I get most are about groceries, laundry, and salons. Jim gets all the detail questions about fuel, placement, and whatever else they come up with. A BIG thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Hicks for being so kind and welcoming. Another shout out to Pam who made me feel at home the second I sat down.


If you are ever here, I hope you get the chance to meet Tirzah the ‘Magician of Bar Spirits’; she has the kindest heart. She helped us out when she knew we were in a jam looking for oil. Just a kind-loving- soul.


Used InstaCart for the first time since 2019. The additional fees equaled a one-way Lyft ride to Walmart; so, it was a win-win. I’ll use it again if I am ever in a jam. 


Under the disguise of a ‘Captain’s Meeting’, we have a designated vessel calling the lock master at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Irish Toast: There are good ships and there are wood ships | Etsy

The Looper's Toast

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAYS 22-23 Cortlandt Yacht Club to Kingston, NY & Lighthouses

Image
Cortlandt Yacht Club (Montrose NY) to Kingston NY: 10.0 mph; 51 miles; 5:07 hours Traveling the Hudson River is peaceful and quiet. I wouldn’t compare it to the Cheasapeake because the ecosystems are completely opposite: saltwater vs freshwater. There is so much history here ... I’ll need to come back - bypassing New Jersey completely. Kingston, NY We docked at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and met some wonderful people. July 13th was Jim’s 55th birthday and the museum was closed! While we were exploring the area, I asked a group of people if anyone thought the museum would open for Jim - being that it's his birthday and the reason for this stop. A man named Jack Weeks said, "I have a key." Little did we know that Jack, a UVA-grad-retired-doctor, was the president of the museum. I was so grateful - this was Jim’s day - hell, it's Jim's YES YEAR. Once inside the museum, you could see the thoughtfulness everywhere: every age group had something to see and do. I
Read more

DAY 54: Put-In-Bay OH to Sugar Island, MI

Image
Jefferson Beach OH to Sugar Island MI (Grosse/Dearborn Michigan):  11.6 mph; 38.2 miles; 3:17 hours In this picture, Canada is on the right and USA on the left - pretty cool. Sugar Island: ANCHORAGE   Sugar Island is just past the entrance to the Detroit River, west of the shipping lanes, and off the Meso and Hickory Islands. It's a safe little anchorage with room for a few boats. If you decide to use this spot, be careful with the depths, slow and steady is the course. A colorfully off-centered local boated over in a skiff to tell us there was a barge upstream we could dock off - was that a hint? It sounded a little shady so we stayed put. After setting the hook, we attached the snubber and never budged.  Free Spirit is here with us but too far to go in the dinghy with the current.
Read more

DAYS 301-303: Deltaville to Tangier Island

Image
Deltaville to Middle of the Bay: 8.2 mph; 10.3 miles; 1:15 hours Middle of the Bay to Tangier Island: 8.5 mph; 17.7 miles; 2:05 hours LEVI BEFORE THE CROSSING We are traveling back across the Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island. This will be Levi’s first crossing - hope the kiddo can handle the ride … he had waffles, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. LEVI AFTER THE CROSSING He was just fine! Parks’ Marina: $30/night for boats under 30’ and $35/night for over 30’. Electric, water, shower/bathroom.  You have to call Mr Parks and hell direct you, with great detail, how to enter the harbor and 'stay off the beach'. The island is quiet in April and doesn’t really get going until May. Two of the three restaurants, and one of the two ice cream stands, will not open this year because of financial hardships caused by COVID.  There must have been an island meeting recently because there was a lot of local talk about redesigning the town to resemble ‘the old fishing village’ and tidying up the
Read more