It was another tranquil day floating down the lower Mississippi.  I get such a kick out of seeing the tows go by. They all wave,  It’s as if they were telling us to have a great trip. I wave back and in my mind, I am telling them to have a great day at work.  The winds were light today.  Not a ripple on the water.  I had to slide a thin jacket over my shoulders due to the cooler temps.  It’s kind of strange to know that on one side of the river is Missouri and on the other Kentucky. Missouri seems like it has a bit more industry whereas Kentucky seems like it might have a bit more sandy beaches. I don’t know why I said (strange) because at home we live on Lake St. Clair one side is the U.S and the other is Canada. We are going to anchor in Caruthersville Harbor tonight.  We checked Caruthersville on Active Captain. It seems like a nice place.

The following are towns you can use google maps to see what they have to offer. You are able to dinghy to boat ramps in these areas.  When starting the trip to the lower Mississippi you can take fuel cans into Mound City on the Ohio to get diesel. 

• Mound City for Diesel-Mile Marker- 971 Ohio River 15 miles from Mississippi mile marker 0
• Hickman KY- Mile Marker 921, Mississippi River
• New Madrid MO- Mile Marker 890
• Caruthersville MO- Mile Marker 849

Another barge getting loaded with grain. This is on the Missouri side of the river

We are getting a lot of questions about our boat size, mast and draft:  We have a Catalina 400.  It is a 41 foot boat, mast is 60 feet tall, draft 5.7.  Our displacement is about 25,000 actual, 20,000 by design.  On the lower Mississippi we haven’t seen any bridges yet. LOL I know we will soon. I will blog all the bridges and heights.  We have done the Tenn-Tom on our last trip down.  The actual bridge heights in fall are usually much higher than listed bridge heights due to lower water in the fall.  You will need to remove your mast near Chicago for the Illinois River which is 19 feet.  I believe we could restep at the Mississippi/Ohio River junction, but there is no marina to do it.  It is doubtful anyone will sail on any of these rivers as they twist like a snake.  Water depth in the lower Mississippi River channel so far has averaged about 45 feet.  Minimum is about 20 feet, maximum is about 90 feet.  Large tows require 10 feet, so no concern about water levels as long as tows are running.

We are also using a tracking map at TrackMyTour.com/35L17 Feel free to ask more questions

You really get a choice on boat ramps . There sure are a number of them.

I am totally amazed at all the anchorages along the shoreline.  Ideally on inside river bends where the current is lowest.  Next time we do this trip I want to leave in the warmer months so we can stop in more places.

This looks like a roadside stop. There is a pickup truck enjoying the scenery. 

See all the white birds on shore? They are all Geese or swans (hard to tell with Binoculars) perhaps migrating.

Well. I finally see another probably local launching his fishing boat.  I see a small dam in the background.

This river is so wide you never have to wonder if there is a tow ahead.  You can see them a long way off. We have two headed north  in this picture.  But we do have AIS to tell us the tow’s position, speed and name.

Looks like someone has been enjoying riding in the sand with ATVs.  We often see ATVs along the shore.  Kinda miss our ATVs sometimes.

Bryce looking ahead to see what side he will be passing the tow on.  Binoculars are quite useful; particularly at night where their large objective lenses gather more light than our eyes.

We spotted a Bald Eagle sitting on the point as we entered our anchorage in Caruthersville Harbor.

Dusk was settling in as we made our way around the point in to Caruthersville Harbor.  I love the fact that Bryce just takes it slow coming into anchorage and uses his GPS as his guide. With me on the bow looking for objects in the water.

As we drove passed we could see the dust from the grain floating in the air.

Okay, this little blue dot is us safely anchored away for the night in Caruthersville Harbor. We didn’t have any issues with water depth or any issues coming around the southern point to enter the harbor. When you enter the harbor you’ll see barges.. no worries.  Move to the curve see the blue dot and anchor.  No current, no wakes at this anchorage.  Although a small working tow may shuffle the barges around during the night.

Google maps shows Lady Luck Casino in Caruthersville, restaurants , a drug store and a few other places.  A boat ramp in Caruthersville is available for landing to go into town. 

We appreciate you following us