Hello Chicago, need some tips...

[Thad]

Hello Chicago! I'm pumped!

A buddy of mine heard aboat this Chicago triangle thing, so we're gonna do it this August. I'm ready to go now.
We have our route picked, and one guy already told me to not get in the water on the Cal Sag or the Chicago river.
We have a plan B if the lake is not cooperative.
What I am looking for are any places along the way that we could pull into, let the kids get a soda and the rest of us get a drink, or the gals to...you know.

The other thing is, we have three boats going. One guy (who is going to be a passenger on one of the boats) is worried that our vessels aren't large enough.
My boat is a 21' deep V with 260hp I/O ('01)
Boat two is a 19' med. V with 220hp I/O ('98)
Boat three is an 18' med. V with 190hp I/O ('07)
All bowriders.
From what I have been able to find, my boat should be fine on the lake. (I do not plan on leaving sight of land regaurdless of conditions) If conditions are fair, then all three should be fine.

We are thinking, if it is a little rough on the lake, the other two boats would follow in my wash. If it is too rough, we will run up the Chicago river and stay behind the break wall.
What are some things to watch for on the rivers? No-wake, sites to be awed at, other boats, etc...
Any thoughts, ideas, or experince pointers would be great.
We are having all three vessels checked by the USCG this Friday so we know we are leagal for the lake.
Oh yeah, where can I find out if there is anything going on for the weekend we will be there close to the water, that we might be able to see?

 

[J. Howard]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Hello,

I'd be happy to help out in any way that I can. Where are you planning to put in? I'm at Burnham Harbor and I love shooting up and taking small day trips into the Chicago River. On rough days we cruise through Monroe Harbor inside the breakwalls -- fun for people-watching and some amazing views of the city.

I'd also be happy to suggest events that are going on -- which weekend are you planning to make the trip? Venetian Night is July 25 and the Air and Water Show is August 15. There are also fireworks at Navy Pier every Wednesday and Saturday night all summer. I don't know if you're comfortable staying out on the big lake after dark, but sitting out there watching the sun set behind the city yields some pretty great views. I took this a couple of weeks ago when my wife and I took a picnic dinner a few miles out:

 

[Thad]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

J. Howard,
Thanx,
We are staying just south of Palos Hieghts and will be launching at Worth.
We are arriving on Aug. 7th and hope to have a little fun in the afternoon.
Which reminds me, do you know, if we go south toward Joliet, how far until we could get in the water and ski? Or would you just head to the lake?
On Sat. we are going to head east on the Cal Sag to the lake and run it up to the pier and then bring the Chicago river back down. The fireworks sound really neat. I'm sure we would all like that.
But this being our first time out there, and not being farmilliar with the river, we probably won't chance it.
I was looking for a fuel stop, and only Jackson Harbor advertised a fuel dock. Are there any closer to the lock on the river? I want a full tank for the return trip. Never know what could happen, if I have to tow one of the other boats, or visa-veersa, a full tank would be good.
I like that pic. You say a couple miles out? Now you got me thinkin'.
How's the water out there? My daughter and her friend want to do some tubing and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. Then again, that's a lot of water!
My buddies main concern is that our baots aren't big enough...what do you think?

 

[captkevin]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Live & in Tinley Park & have made that trip many times in many boats with some smaller than yours. Lake Michigan would be the only place I'd even consider any water sports & that would depend on conditions. Have been out there some days when it is very calm & other days very rough.

We typically launch in Worth & head east on the Cal-Sag to the lake. There are a couple of marina's along this leg of the trip that have fuel. Go thru the locks then out to the lake. One note is that after going thru the locks it can get a little rough due to all the boats taking off out of the locks. Once outside the locks it isn't very far to the lake. Head up the lake to Navy pier then back down the Chicago river back to the cal-sag.

We currently run a 21' Four Winns with a 5.7 motor with a 40 gallon fuel tank. Fill it up before we leave & come back between 1/2 & 3/4 depending how hard we run. Should not have a big need to refill for this trip.

 

[Thad]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

[
We currently run a 21' Four Winns with a 5.7 motor with a 40 gallon fuel tank. Fill it up before we leave & come back between 1/2 & 3/4 depending how hard we run. Should not have a big need to refill for this trip.[/QUOTE]




That puts my mind at ease quite a bit. I have a 50gal. tank. I normally average 24gal. a day here on the river.
My main concern is the added weight due to the extra gear and passengers.

 

[J. Howard]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Given my limited experience on the river, I would agree w/ captkevin and hold the water sports for the big lake. I've tubed and swam plenty in the lake and by August the water ought to be up into the low 70s (although this June has been our coldest on record so who knows). Keep an eye on the marine forecast when you head out there and of course use your best judgment on the water. You'll know right away if it's going to be uncomfortable or unsafe. I don't know about others, but I pretty much don't expect to be able to do much pleasure boating/tubing outside the breakwalls if the waves are 2-3 feet or higher. I'm sure others are different; I just prefer to be careful (and it's not as much fun when you're bouncing around like mad).

As far as gassing up near the Chicago River lock, Burnham Harbor has a gas dock and I swear I saw one in DuSable Harbor a few weeks ago, but there's no mention of it on their section of the Chicago Harbors website.

As far as safety with the size of your boats goes, there are plenty of people with boats that size and smaller that are out there often. I see them whenever I'm out and I'm sure you'll get more folks chiming in here. The most important thing is to just be smart and keep in mind that the big lake can turn on you pretty quickly.

 

[captkevin]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Having a marine radio where you can check the lake michigan forecast before heading out would be a good idea. Lake Michigan can conditions can vary greatly - some days you couldn't pay me enough to head out.

 

[Thad]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Sounds good so far. One of the guys and I were just talking.
We are thinking we will check the weather before we leave the hotel that morning. That way, if the conditions aren't favorable, we save 26 mi. round trip to figure out we should take the river north.
I have a portable marine radio and one of the other boats has one permantly afixed.
We were wondering where we could find some good "free" printable charts for the areas we will be in. He especially would like to have some sort of map showing business' and companies on the Chi. river. That way we kinda know what we are looking at.Any idea where we could find that?

 

[nick232]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

I took this trip on sunday in my 23 foot rinker bowrider. We launched in alsip($7 launch fee) and went west on the cal-sag and then north on the chicago river out to lake michigan. There was 30 mph winds and it made for a rough ride on lake michigan, but fun! I went south to the beach in hammond indiana and had lunch, then I went up to the cal-sag and followed it west back to alsip. It was a blast! I think I saw three marinas that sold gas on the cal-sag. I saw lots of boats out (a few were 17 footers but i never saw them outside of the breakwaters.) There is alot to see on this trip and I'm sure you'll have a blast.

 

[nick232]

Re: Hello Chicago, need some tips...

Found an interesting site you might want to take a look at before you take the trip..http://www.theboatingexperience.com/boating_destinations/chicago_triangle_tour.html