Mississippi trip

S

Steve.Lynette

New Member
Sep 9, 2008
193
Eagan, mn
Boat Info
2006 320DA
Engines
T-260
Bravo III
We're taking delivery of our new 260da in April and are considering a trip from Afton on the St. Croix to Winona sometime this summer. Any advice?
 
Congrats on your new boat! Where did you buy at?

Have you run through the locks in the past? It's only about a 4 hour trip, depending on how you hit those locks. Barge triffic can slow you down a bit.

We went from Stillwater to LaCrosse a few years ago, did it in about 8 hours, but hit every lock with gates open. Winona is about half way to LaCrosse

Other wise it's nice easy trip, you'll enjoy it.
 
If you need to inspect your outdrive while the boat is in the water, do it before you pull into the Mississippi. Where the water mixes from the two rivers, it is interesting to see how much difference there is in clarity.

It is a nice trip. I've done Quad Cities to Red Wing and Stillwater several times. Take time to enjoy yourself.

Dennis
 
Steve, I love river travel. We have made the trip from Guttenberg to Stillwater many times too. We enjoyed dinner at The Harbor View in Pepin. We came back to our slip in the Lake City Marina in the dark using their light beacon...very memorable. I've been on Lake Pepin when it was mirror flat, and 5 to 6 ft white caps that are very close together...it was a challenge in our previous 270DA. I'm just saying watch the wind speed and direction when you cross. Pepin can be a bitch.

If you can, just below Winona is a tiny town called Trempealeau. Except for the trains that pass by the marina every 10 minutes, it is a pretty good place for an overnight if you need a marina. There is also a great supper club called Sullivans...It may have a new name now. They will pick you up and return you to the marina with a phone call.

You may want to try to pick up a River Events Planner
http://www.rivereventsplanner.com/ it is a very good resource for this area of the river.

Enjoy the new boat!
 
We purchased it at MM in Rodgers. Our first cruiser :)

I appreciate the advice. I grew up in Winona and, as a young boy, dreamed of cruising the river. Finally going to make that dream come true!
 
I've done the locks in a 17' Lund. I'll need some handling practice before we tackle the locks in the 260.
 
There are some nice anchorages and sand bars a few miles below Alma. There used to be some dredged pockets along the banks below Alma too....but I think the Corps blew sand into them during dredges and filled them in.
 
Thanks. I'm familiar with that area.
I'm a bit nervous about traveling the river with only one engine...even with a new boat. Should I be?
 
Steve.Lynette said:
I'm a bit nervous about traveling the river with only one engine...even with a new boat. Should I be?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be, just keep a daily check on your fluids as the new engine may consume a little oil during the breakin. Take all your vital fluids with you just in case you get an alarm or need to top something off. When our 300 was new, we ran our boat from the dealer's marina to our home port around 130 miles and 6 locks. No problems.

Get acquainted as much as you can with your new boat and spend as much time as possible behind the wheel before you go on your trip. I would go as far as have your dealer look things over to make sure things are tight etc..before your trip for added piece of mind.
 
Good suggestion regarding spare fluids. I'm sure we'll get over the newbie jitters eventually. We plan on waiting until we have several short trips under our belt before heading to far downstream. Can't wait!
 
Steve.Lynette said:
Thanks. I'm familiar with that area.
I'm a bit nervous about traveling the river with only one engine...even with a new boat. Should I be?
Click to expand...

I haven't been any farther north than LaCrosse but along with what Jeff said, I wouldn't worry one bit about cruising the river with one engine. If anything would go wrong there is never a shortage of other boaters willing to help.
 
Steve,

Another Eaganite here! Congrats on the new boat. We just traded in our Chap Sig 276 for a Sea Ray 320 at MM in Bayport. We boat out of Afton Marina. I think you had mentioned Afton earlier, are you at Afton or Windmill? We are E-11 at Afton, we were on C dock last year.

Mark my words, you will love the new boat, but will be in a 320 or larger soon!

Hopefully we will see you at the Marina or on the Croix this summer!
 
I'll second the motion for having dinner at the Harbor View in Pepin. Also, the Admiral will enjoy having breakfast at the Tea Room in Lake City. If you like lamb chops, try them at the restaurant attached to the Willows on the River Condominiums at the North end of Lake City.

Lake Pepin is the only place I actually got to make use of my Navman plotter. We left in the fog one morning and it got me from Willows on the River to the South side of the lake where it dumps back into the river.

I'm hoping to make the same trip in July. Can't wait!

Dennis
 
Hello fellow Eaganite,
We're in Windmill C-37. We're planning a walkthrough of both marinas to meet the neighbors. Hope to run into you!

We'll enjoy the 260 for awhile...but are aware of the dreaded "2ft itis" :)
 
Dennis,
The Admiral read your post with great interest and is anxious to experience your recommended restaurants.

We've made the journey from Red Wing to Wabasha many times in our old 17' Lund, and loved stopping at Slippery's for lunch. We've made the return trip in heavy weather on two occasions. Not a fun trip in a 17 ft fishing boat! Pepin can be challenging.
 
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