Yes. In 1999 I exited Chicago via the Chicago River through the loop. Thence on to the Calumet River and onward to the Illinois. It emptied into the Mississippi north of Alton where I spent a night. Then through the canal past St. Louis and onward down the Ol Miss. At its junction with the Ohio I headed up the Ohio River to Paduka, Kentucky where I locked through to Kentucky Lake and southward to the Tom Bigbee and the Tenn Tom waterways which joined the Alabama which entered the Gulf at Mobile. I used the intercoastal easward to Apalachacola FL and crossed the Gulf of Mexico to Clearwater, FL. I arrived in Clearwater around December 8, 1999. I don't try for speed records and stayed places for more than a night if they were interesting. In 1998 I sailed the intercoastal waterway between Newport and Jacksonville. Took seven months. Both trips were a blast. Going back to the Great Lakes this summer, spend the winter in the Detroit area and in 2010 sail them again and exit Chicago one last time before heading to the Caribbean Islands. David Hoyt Sovereignty Catalina 27 # 65 In a message dated 01/20/2009 6:42:36 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I was wondering have you ever gone down he Illinois to the glf and abck to the great lakes using the ICW? ____________________________________ From: [email protected] Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:33:14 -0500 Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: Pete Seeger To: [email protected] Hello; I am taking a cruise from Glen Cove, Long Island Sound, through the Erie Canal, across Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron, and Georgian Bay to the North Channel. It will begin June 6, 2009 and end in August in Detroit, Michigan. I plan to sail the following legs: Glen Cove to the entrance to the Erie Canal June 6-June 12 (7 days for a 5 day trip), Erie Canal June 13-June 19 (7 days for a 5 day trip), Buffalo to Detroit June 20-June 26 (7 days), Detroit to Little Current, Ontario June 29-July 7 (9 days for a 5 day trip), Little Current, Ontario to Mackinaw Island, Michigan July 8-August 1 (gunk holing in the wilderness) Mackinaw Island to Detroit August 3-August 13 (11 days for a 4 day trip). Does anyone care to join me for any leg of this trip? Expenses will be shared and travel is on you. Sovereignty is a comfortable Catalina 27 (# 65). She is now a cutter 33' long with a long list of comforts. There is room for two people in addition to myself. To be comfortable in the fore peak birth they should be no longer than 5' 6". If a couple joins me they will share the fore peak and I will sleep in the pilot birth. Sovereignty makes her own electricity (3 Simens solar cells, 2 wind generators,), her own water (Pur 35), has two refrigerators (1 Norcold and I converted ice chest to a holding plate refrigerator), has all sailing lines run to the cockpit, dinghy with 3 hp. outboard, 200' of chain on a delta anchor with windlass, a pilot house and lee cloths, electric/alcohol stove, oven, microwave, 2 Magma gas grills, 30" HD LCD TV (probably won't make the trip), 10" LCD TV, great sound system (5 channel main cabin, 4 in cockpit, two in fore peak, 2 folding bicycles, snorkeling equipment for 2, tons of safety equipment, attic storage, cockpit converts to gigantic bed, new Yahama outboard with kort nozzle and 56 gallons of fuel (about 400 miles of range), computer with wireless Internet connection, and many more comforts. I primarily motor sail. The motor maintains momentum at a few rpm above idle and is quiet and odorless. The trip is definitely not a delivery operation but a leisurely cruise. No bad weather days under way. Plenty of time to smell the roses, etc. If you, or anyone you know wishes to take a trip or any leg, let me know as I am putting together a crew of one or two people. I have registered this trip with "Crewseekers.net," and am contacting local sailing organizations. I need crew especially for the Erie Canal leg. Have heard it is a beautiful wilderness leg. As an aside, I have lived aboard Sovereignty for the past 25 years and cruised extensively in the Great Lakes, the inland waterways from Lake Michigan to Mobile, Florida, Cuba, the Caribbean Islands, Caribbean Sea, Panama Canal, Pacific Ocean from Panama to Fiji, the east coast from Florida to Martha's Vineyard, and many other places. I was a U.S.C.G. licensed master of 200 tons power/sail coastal for many years. Pictures of me and or Sovereignty available upon request. Looking forward to responses, I remain, Very truly yours, David Hoyt Sovereignty Catalina 27 # 65 ____________________________________ A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. _See yours in just 2 easy steps!_ (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www .freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=DecemailfooterNO 62) ____________________________________ Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Chat. Store. Share. Do more with mail. _See how it works._ (http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009) = **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De cemailfooterNO62)
