Day 2 of the Great Loop adventure — Captain Father John

Day two started out bright and sunny with no wind and stayed that way all day. We had delays at all three locks – Brandon Road Lock (40 feet), Dresden Lock (35 feet) and Marseilles Lock (25 feet). It seems that delays are more common than not, so delays should be expected. In all three cases we were locked through faster than the lock masters original estimate.

After leaving Joliet there is not much to see other than natural river banks and an occasional barge depot, duck blind and railroad bridge. We have been taking advantage of our boat’s ability to cruise at 30 mph to get to the next bit of civilization. Many looper boats have a top speed of 9 mph. We are already pleased that we have the option to go faster. No wake signs are posted in various locations and we always slow down as we pass. You can quickly tell if you are traveling at the proper speed if you get a friendly wave from the barge crew.

The group of looper boats on the wall in Joliet set off an hour before us and are headed to several different destinations down river. We caught up to them at the Marseilles Lock. The original time we were told it would take to lock through was 3 – 4 hours. It was already 2 PM so we would be at risk of being on the river after dark. Fortunately the tow boat captain with a huge tow agreed to let the PC’s lock through ahead of him. Only a one hour delay. We chatted with some tow boat captains on our VHF radio to make sure we knew their desires regarding which side to pass them on and when to pass. The triple wide tow that we waited for until he cleared a narrow bridge seemed most appreciative of our courtesy and we appreciated not being crushed into the bridge.

The river system is measured using mile markers. Mile marker zero is at the confluence of the Illinois River and the Mississippi River. We are currently at mile marker 242 which is the Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, Illinois. So we are 242 miles from the Mississippi River. We traveled only 42 miles today due the delays at each of the three locks.

When we arrived at Heritage Harbor Marina we were greeted by a pod of six Asian carp jumping out of the water as we entered the harbor. After we tied up I went over to help a small power boat dock. As the wife reached out to grab a dock line an Asian carp leapt over her arm. Yes, she screamed.

This is a Looper friendly marina providing slip and fuel discounts. It is relatively new, has a nice restaurant and is run by a friendly, helpful staff. Our plan is to spend a second day at Heritage Harbor Marina and borrow their curtesy car to visit Starved Rock State Park on Wednesday. After all it is the journey not the destination.

Locking through at Marseilles Lock. John is standing next to a bollard. The the boat is tied to the bollard which is floating and rises and falls with the water level in the lock.

A triple wide tow near Joliet.

Two Looper boats rafting up to lock through at Marseilles.

A welcoming committee of Asian carp. Not my photo but it looks like this.