Days 123

Kaskaskia, IL - Little Diversion Canal

• Start 6:50 AM
• End 12:55 PM
• Underway 6:05 Hours
• Distance 60 miles
• Total Miles on Trip 2259
• Av Speed 9.9 knots
• Locks 0
• Weather Sunny, 80 Degrees, Wind 13Kn SSW

They say that timing in life is everything. Well so far the timing our timing on the rivers has been very good (Lucky, I should say). First the Chain of Rocks lock, the last lock we went through on the Mississippi, has been very difficult to get through. There have been hour's long delays because of dredging. Some days pleasure boats cannot go through it at all. The Corp of Engineers has started dredging at the Kaskaskia Lock, so that wall is not available and there is very limited room to anchor. The water level in the river has dropped and where we anchored at Diversion Channel is down to 4.5 feet of water and many boats will not be able to get in there.

Our trip from Kaskaskia to Little Diversion Canal was easy but a long day. We traveled 60 miles down the Mississippi River from the lock wall to an anchorage. We were supposed to check for fog at 6:45 and leave at 7:00. At 6:40 we saw 2 tows heading our way. Because the next several miles on the river has many turns and bends, we wanted to get ahead of the tows, so off we went.

It is amazing how many tows travel the river, and more so how many barges are staged along the river banks. Here are some interesting facts on the barges on the river systems

A grain barge holds 12,500 tons or 52,000 bushels of grain. With a 15-barge tow, you'd have 787,500 bushels of grain.
A railroad jumbo hopper car holds 100 tons or 3,500 bushels of grain. A 100-car unit train could move 350,000 bushels of grain. A 18-wheeler semi-trailer carries 25 tons or 875 bushels of grain.
So when it comes to moving grain, a 15-barge tow of grain is the equivalent of 2 100-car trains or 900 truckloads.
Barges move 85 million tons of grain a year on the Mississippi river.
One ton of grain is moved 500 miles per gallon of fuel by barge verses 60 miles by truck.

Tonight we anchored in Little Diversion Canal, it is a very protected anchorage that normally can hold 10 to 15 boats with water depths around 10 feet and wide enough for 3 or 4 boats to raft up. I went in first and only found depths around 5 feet, which was enough for most of the boats with us. Mark & Karen (Kay Dee) rafted off us, Melvin & Nancy (Crimson Tug) anchored behind us. Tom & Val (Wine & Roses) have a sailboat, and had to stay in the mouth of the canal because the water was so low.

With nothing else to do, Mark & Karen and Angel & I took the dinghy's up the canal to go exploring. We went two miles up the canal, and the entire time the scenery never changed. What was fun about it, were the Asian Carp. They kept jumping out of the water. One of them almost jumped in the boat.

After exploring we grilled dinner on Kay Dee, then at looper's midnight (Around 9pm) we all crashed for the night.

During the night, the water level dropped even more. Where we had 5 feet of water coming, it was around 4 when we left. That will mean most looper's will not be able to use this anchorage until the water levels rise again.

Our destination for today is unknown. We have four anchorages picked out, two on the Mississippi and two on the Ohio. We hope to get part way up the Ohio, but when we turn up the Ohio the current will be against us. Kay Dee can only go about 7 knots per hour, and going against the Ohio River will slow them down.