Anyone taking a yacht up to the Great Lakes this season; plans? route?

Illinois Waterway 2020 Closure
Anyone who has boated the inland rivers knows many of the locks are in desperate need of maintenance. A plan by the Army Corp of Engineers (COE) has been put in motion to close seven locks on the Illinois River, essentially closing the waterway from July 1, 2020 through October 29, 2020.

While we support the effort to maintain the waterway for commercial and recreational use, and we support the idea of one closure to maintain this series of locks, the time frame selected is just about the worst-case scenario for those doing the Great Loop in the “traditional” one-year time-frame where you complete the Great Lakes and head down the Illinois River in late summer or early fall. The COE has sandwiched the work between what is typically the spring flood season and the peak of grain harvest season. The work cannot be completed in the winter due to freezing temperatures unless they build structures over the locks and heat them, which they do not have the budget to do. Simply put, there is no other time of the year that this can happen.

AGLCA is continuing to work on options for our members for 2020. There are several possibilities, and we are determining whether and how we can support our members as they:

• Linger in the Great Lakes and start the inland rivers later than "usual"
• Leave the Great Lakes earlier than "usual"
• Extend the season for cruising the Great Lakes and then store the boat winter of 2020, and continuing the Loop in 2021
• Haul the boat near Chicago and ship it to the Upper Mississippi
• Loop clockwise

We realize all of the options have their pros and cons. Not every option is possible for every boat so AGLCA is providing various information platforms for you to access details on all of these options as well as information to help you decide which may be the best for your circumstances.


Webinar: Looping in 2020 with the Illinois Waterway Closed for Lock Maintenance

With the Illinois River closed for lock maintenance from July 1st – October 29th, those Looping in 2020 will have some extra challenges! This session will give you details on a few ideas for how to do the Loop in 2020 and help you determine which options are possibilities for you. We'll also explain how AGLCA can offer support for the Fleet of 2020 in dealing with the closure.
Free. AGLCA Members Only.


Register Now
An AGLCA staff member will check your registration against the member database and then approve your registration.


Podcasts: In addition to the webinar above, AGLCA is periodically informing members on the latest updates through the weekly podcast. If you missed an update, you can catch up by using the links below to listen to past episodes of the podcast pertinent to the Illinois Waterway closure.

I was planning on leaving Newport with a Huckins in May to go through the Erie to chicago but of course that is not an option right now . I would hope the Erie will open before August if not we will winter here and go next spring .

Sept is is still a good time to travel but other commitments won’t allow it

There's a Hatt working it's way up the East coast heading for WI. Not sure if he's on here. Pascal your favorite nautical engineer on here?

Helped a friend this morning (Boca Grande area) fuel a 60’ Hatteras on his way to Racine Wisconsin. Check the Hatteras Site Sam’s Marine for details and to follow their progress.

We went up for the summer about 6-8 yrs ago, did Atlantic route, Maine, Halifax, St Lawrence, Montreal, Welland, Mackinaw.

I've got a 62' to bring from Ft. Lauderdale to Detroit, and am looking at the Tenn-Tom route and up to Chicago and then up and around to get to Detroit. Trip has been pushed back a few times already, and with the Erie not knowing when it will open, it looks like the River system is more viable now. I doubt the Erie will be open by mid-June, but have heard rumblings that it could, but also open as late as July. I've never done the River Route and starting to look at marinas and distances now to present to the owner.

One and the same.

"A plan by the Army Corp of Engineers (COE) has been put in motion to close seven locks on the Illinois River, essentially closing the waterway from July 1, 2020 through October 29, 2020."

I wonder how good the COE is at keeping a scheduled end date with so many variables.

Did you go around Sydney or through the Straits of Canso? My first transport was from Ft. Lauderdale - Buzzards Bay - Pt. Tupper. Unfortunately the boss was anxious to leave Florida so left early (end of March). After 8 gales we ended up Iced in at the straits and left the boat from another crew to finish the transport 3 weeks later. The lobster traps off Cape Sable were insane trying to miss in the fog.

Where was that section? I'm not disputing, but I don't remember that from my trip up in 2003. I was on a 56' Huckins that couldn't have made that many miles without fuel.

Canso

We also left Ft Laud very early. We were virtually the first boat of the season everywhere we stopped, almost no services. We finally laid up in Montreal for a bit, then a couple weeks of work/repairs in Cleveland, and the good weather finally caught up to us.
Our return was more problematic, early fall got laid up at PEI for weather, Portland Me for weather, got butt kicked in Buzzards, more weather in Newport. Finally got a window and trucked non-stop rest of way.

What huckin did you deliver down

a 56' Corinthian, which was called Corisande. We did the Loop clockwise in one (long) season

now Fremont .you did the loop with Maldwin ?

From Alton to Green Turtle Bay. Hoppie's use to be a stop but no longer exists.

Or to Paducah or Kentucky Dam. Most who are pressed for range add barrels at GTB

At this time there the St Lawrence Seaway has not given a date when they will start taking pleasure craft and the border was to open April 21/20 but was extended another
thirty days.
I have four boats coming around the long way through Montreal, three of them have to because of there size and the other one is a 85'
Two of them left Fort Lauderdale last week and heading north at a slow pace and will hang out around Portland until Seaway opens

Yes, I was with Maldwin.

Capt J!

I would have the fuel brought to me by truck at a good city dock or a marina with a good bulkhead dock with the truck and pull up to you within 100 feet or so that way you get the wholesale price even for just a couple hundred gallons.
i’m sure during these times many local fuel companies would be glad to do that for you this way you don’t have to worry about getting fuel at the small marinas .
My dad used to get fuel this way in Philadelphia and that was for only 500 gallons.
Just search fuel supply companies at the various cities you’ll be going by to and give them a call to see who will bite.
I’m sure you’ll get many quotes right over the phone.