Entering Chicago.
Like giant river bugs they seemed to appear from nowhere, leaving us little room to maneuver. We almost “bought it,” when, suddenly, we came upon a staging area where tows were loading and unloading their barges. The power (and wake) of these monsters is quite impressive. I darted around and through the flock like the AFLAC duck going the wrong way on a highway full of 18-wheelers. Tug Trouble At one point, a tug’s prop wash violently slewed us sideways. We were thrown to the starboard side of the rock-infested maneuvering area. I gunned both of Cataline’s baby diesels, went hard to port, and literally missed the rocks by inches!! I could hear the By John Kelly warning whistles and shouts from the tow captains and imagined them cursWe left the Kellys’ unrigged catamaran, Cataline (SOUTHWINDS, ing this wacko pleasure craft from June ’06) halfway through their 5000-mile jaunt along the Great North Carolina. Another childhood lesson re-enforced: When at a “railroad” Circle Loop of America. Following is the completion of their voyage. crossing, STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. The Chicago River eventually becomes the Illinois, and just before the town of Alton, we ne could define the Great Circle Loop in terms of slid over to join the Mississippi. The southbound current segments: coastal ocean passages, inland lakes, now picks up, the river gets muddier and the barge traffic rivers, canals. As we departed Lake Michigan grows exponentially. The mighty Mississippi is one fascithrough Chicago, we entered the great river routes of midnating body of water. We will only travel 250 miles of it America which, after 1200 miles, would spit us out in the (about 10 days) but what an experience! Gulf of Mexico. These rivers: the Illinois, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, Mobile and of course “Ol’ Man Cruising the Mississippi River” himself—the mighty Mississippi—lay before us. The Ol’ Miss is a working river. Not much in the way of full We had been traveling south since hanging a left at the service marinas. Hell—not many marinas, period! At dusk, top of Lake Michigan. Cataline and crew had covered some we tied up to fuel barges. Outside lock walls closed for the 2100 miles and were about to enter the mid-America river night, and at times, we even tied up to shoreline trees. systems, which for us started in Chicago. Nights were interesting. Cataline, being unrigged, had no problem with the The barge traffic was relentless. We’re talkin’ BIG fixed, low bridges of Chicago. We felt like a tour boat and barges: 36 strapped together, six abreast, six deep, pushed glided south through one of the great American cities. by tugs sporting mega horsepower. It’s like a city block Tourist euphoria rapidly dissolved, and we entered the moving up and down the river. The tug’s big Cyclops spotcommercial aspects of the Chicago River—tows and tugs— light eye scanning the shoreline for guys like us tucked in and LOTS of them.
The Great Circle Loop by Catamaran, Part II
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July 2006
SOUTHWINDS
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