TAKE ME DOWN THE RIVER

The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced various Illinois River closures over the next year for long overdue maintenance . One of the closures is scheduled for Sept 20th at Lockport, Marseilles and Starved Rock. We need to get through the last one, Starved Rock, by the 20th in order to make the Oct AGLCA Rendezvous event in Alabama. If we don’t make it through by the 20th we will be idle in Ottawa until Oct 6th. So we started Down the River….

A perfect day greeted us as we began our long awaited journey out of Chicago.  The cruise through the Playpen, past Navy Pier, and through the city was spectacular.  We took the South Branch to the Chicago Shipping Channel, where a variety of wonderful industrial aromas seemed to change around every corner.  Thankfully we were traveling on a Sunday, which meant a lot less commercial traffic, BUT we did end up being the ‘bun in the oven’ behind a double wide tug maneuvering into a fleet in a 10 ft channel.  After 2 hours behind this organized chaos we were freed up and picked up speed, racing off to Lockport Lock.  We were the only PC (pleasure craft – aka as plastic boats to the tugs), waited an hour and were happily loaded into the lock with a full barge and tug.  We traveled the last leg into Joliet Wall in the dark on spot light.  Pam had messaged a boat that was on the wall & arranged for us to join their fleet –

Joliet has a free wall that has been our destination goal.  The night before an electrical storm took out Marseilles Lock, leaving 26 boats stranded on that wall for 24 hours – waiting.  The wall is designed to accommodate only 14 boats. We rafted on the outside in the last spot available – no electric but slept fine with orders to be up by 6am for the meeting on VHF channel 68.  Since we were last in – we needed to be the first out.  After we cleared the logs and debris from our bow and stern we peeled off and waited for the remaining 26 boats as we proceeded to the next two locks before HHO.

Brandon Lock allowed all 26 boats in, resulting in a record setting flotilla to lock thru.   Great group of boaters and a few key leaders helped make this experience positive and memorable.   The group got split up at Dresdon Lock, both groups lock through with ease but…….. the dreaded Marseilles was next.

Marseilles has a tough reputation for making PCs wait hrs to lock through.  Fortunately, our experience was fantastic.  The people working the lock could not have been more pleasant and accommodating and we were through without issue, just in time to meet Mom for dinner at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa.  Long day but a great day!

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