Sun rise was at 6:30 and we were off the dock at that time. As we were headed towards Alton we call the other Loopers there and asked if they were leaving. They all had made the decision to wait another day. Sometimes there is safety in numbers, but if there are too many boats traveling together our concern was that Hoppies Marina might not have room for all of us and that on the river the anchorages could not accommodate all of us. Kelley and I decided to continue. If the last lock, the Chain of Rocks which was backed up because of work being done on one of its locks, could not lock us through before 3, than we would return to Alton for the night and try again in the morning.
The first lock was open and ready for us. This part of the river is filled with industry. There was a fleeting section that we passed; tugs positioning barges; barges being loaded with rock, grain, asphalt…. We encountered a bit of turbulence where the Missouri comes into the Mississippi. And then we saw the Canal for the Chain of Rocks. I called the lock and the lock master said that she would put us on the list but that it would be a while before she could put us through. I asked for a guesstimation and she said a couple of hours. So, the canal was 10 miles long, Kelley slowed us to 5 mph and we slowly passed tows waiting to pass through. After hanging in the waiting area, the tow came out of the lock and once the turbulence had settled in we went with another boat (not a looper). This was a free floating lock with a drop of about 2 feet. The gates opened and right in front of us was a tow of 2 barges wide. After waiting for the gates to completely open, the first boat left the lock by making a very sharp turn right to get around the tow and then another sharp turn left to stay in the channel. We followed suit! Success!
As we were leaving the lock area a pleasure boat arrived wishing to lock up; the response was that he was on the list and the wait was 5 to 7 hours! The man said he would anchor and have a cup of coffee. The woman came back and said, “Have several.”
We continued on and the challenge here was watching for debris in the river and the tows moving in every direction. It reminded us a little of New York City. There is a lot of movement of barges here in St. Louis. My job, after taking a picture of the Arch, was to watch for debris and Kelley watched for tows. Once past the city we could relax a bit. It is incredible how many barges there are. They are anchored in the middle of the channel and the banks. And, of course, there are the barges, some 3 wide and 3 in length moving.
We looked forward to arriving at Hoppies. This would be the last marina until Green Turtle Bay.
The current on the Mississippi is strong, and it carried us along at a nice speed. We began to see, not just wood, be they logs or branches, but trash. We saw a wheel; not a tire, but a wheel from a car. Hoppies came into view and they were ready to catch out lines.
To tie up, you pass the spot where you will be, turn around coming into the current and then toss your boaw line. The stern then seems to come over to the dock quite easily. I say dock…Hoppies is a collection of 3 barges anchored in the river. There is electricity. Hoppie worked as a lamp lighter on the Mississippi with his father and brother. There use to be lamps along the river and lamp lighters filled the lamps with kerosene and re-lit them every 24 hours. To say the Hoppie knows the river would be an understatement. Hoppie’s father started this marina in 1939. We pleasure craft think it is a God send after the first day. Fern and Hoppie meet with the cruisers in the evening and go over the charts and give information as to where the turbulence is, where narrow turns are so that one can be prepared if a tow is coming (always take the inside curve after confirming with the tow captain) and of course, where to anchor.
Note: Kimmswick is a darling historic town. We walked through it and found it charming. But, it is closed on Mondays. Closed, nothing open. Have never seen that before.
Mississippi River: Mile 221.5 (Grafton Harbor) to Mile 158.4 (Hoppies Marine Service)
Miles covered: 63.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Bridges: 10 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Locks: 2
Left at 6:30 am    Arrived at 1:30 pm
