Mississippi river and sailboats?

[SusanBob]

I day sailed for about 5 years out of Guttenburg on the Mississippi. The winds can be flukey. I always sailed north when the winds were out of the south. We had a lot of fun on the Mississippi motoring into backwater areas with a Catalina 22, swing keel. The swing keel made it great for nudging up onto the sandbars. Sailing is more challenging, but it is a hellava lot of fun.

[herezjohnny]

I`ve lived and worked on the Mississippi between Baton Rouge and New Orleans all my life. You dont need to worry about sailing when you get down here, a log in the current will probably run about 20 knots!! LOL barge and ship traffic will be a serious stress inducer. I wouldnt even consider running at night unless you have radar. I thought about buying a houseboat from Ill. a while back and making the trip but it didnt materialise. It would be fun if you plan accordingly. Good luck! Johnny

[gatorcrock]

thanks johnny, well, looks like i still have time to plan with whats going on on the river now, i'd like to make the trip fast, but i bet you can hit 30 kts backward, then port side, then starboard and back to aft again real fast. a very large colorado river. goes to show what the strongest element is. no matter if it's blue or brown.

[SusanBob]

Sounds like it gets pretty treacherous down around New Orleans. We won't be going that way, but will likely be checking out the area by coming over in the gulf from Mobile. Hope you get the houseboat sometime to fulfill that dream. Go for it. SusanBob

[herezjohnny]

Didnt mean to scare you guys! Come on down. You can cut through the Industrial Canal in N.O. and pop out in lake Ponchartrain. Then you can stop by and have a cold one with me! My boat is at the corner of the Idustrial and the lake. SusanBob, I`m over the house boat dream. I`m on a 36 Morgan getting my stuff together with a plan of jumping off in two years.