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Cableguy Greg
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The admiral and I are heading to Hammond, IN this weekend on our 280. We plan to make the short run up to Chicago to check things out up there. I have never boated on Lake Michigan, so it there anything I need to look for or avoid? I have been on Lake Erie and the Chesapeake which are way different from my typical river boating. Any advice would be great.
2008 280 Express Cruiser, 6.2MPI, B3, Pittsburgh, PA "Blue Ayes"
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2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
I am looking for places to go on my boat. What places to avoid in the water, shoals, shallow areas, unmarked areas along Lake Michigan. Some local boating information. I could care less about the politics of a city.
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We went to Hammond last weekend from Chicago (Burnham Harbor) and no problems especially if you stay 2-3 miles off shore. And with the higher lake levels you'd probably be fine closer in.
From Hammond to 31st you won't have much traffic, north of 31st you'll start to encounter heavier traffic - and most people do not follow Navigation Rules, so keep a sharp watch.
From McCormick Place (which is the big flat black building at the mouth of Burnham Harbor) you can hug the shoreline and go north past and around the planetarium and enter Monroe Harbor from the south entrance next to the aquarium and hug the shore going north. Great views of the skyline and Buckingham Fountain. Go out due east from the fountain and out the main harbor entrance breakwalls, hang a left (north) and next stop is the Locks and Navy Pier.
Breakwaters that were submerged last year are visible, so daytime navigation should be fine. But Dime Pier between Navy Pier and the Locks is still mostly under water.
If you haven't been down the Chicago River I would highly suggest it. It will be crowded with tour boats, kayaks, etc., but it's all no wake so just take your time and enjoy.
There will not be any free, courtesy docks. All are paid - even if you are having lunch along the river at a dockside restaurant, you'll need to pay dockage.
If you do the river take the main branch west to the fork then go left (south) to Chinatown (Ping Tom Park) and turn around there to go back. Also great photo ops.
If you want to anchor for awhile and enjoy the skyline, the south end on Monroe Harbor (by Buckingham Fountain) is a more family-friendly anchorage.
If you want to see the hard partiers that's at the "playpen" which is just north of Navy Pier / Water Filtration Plant at Ohio Street Beach.
The farthest north you'd probably want to go is North Avenue or Fullerton because when you turn around and head back south you'll have great city skyline views - and there's not much more to see north.
If you need/want gas I'd recommend 31st Street. Less crowded on weekends.
Another fun thing is to go out and around the fresh water intake cribs. They are 2-3 miles off shore - and the abandoned ones are pretty interesting because the wildlife took them over, so lots of cranes, herons, etc. hang out on them.
Because it is so busy locals usually do not hail the lock manager, either via radio or horn. It is like being at a normal traffic light on land. Just wait and soon it will be your turn to go through. The lock cycles an average of 32 times per day.
The lock chamber is 600 feet (180 m) long by 80 feet (24 m) wide and 22 feet (6.7 m) deep. The lock has an ~15 minute cycle through, with a typical water-level difference of two to five feet (0.61 to 1.52 m) -- but can be as much as six feet. Water level is controlled via gravity through partially opened lock gates.
The lock is the second busiest in the nation for recreational use, so in season it is almost constantly in use. In 20+ years of boating I think I’ve only locked through alone once.
Life jackets / PFDs are required to be worn while locking through for all aboard your vessel. If not on already, best to don them while in the waiting / staging area.
If the signal light for the lock is red when you arrive, do not enter even if the chamber is open. Just wait. You can stage just north of the lock, but be aware that between the lock and Navy Pier is an abandoned and submerged pier called Dime Pier. In low water times, the old caissons are visible and usually home to hundreds of water birds, but in higher water levels it is hidden and difficult to see, especially at night. The city has put markers around the area, but be careful!
Once the gates open check the vessels around you. Any emergency/government and/or commercial traffic has priority to enter before you. These are the light signals:
STEADY RED: Do not enter / stay clear. Government or emergency vessels only!
Wait for the GREEN light!
About the only time you would hail the lock manager via VHF is if you see the lock open and/or being loaded from your side, and you’re still a bit of a distance away. It is OK to quickly hail them and tell them your intentions and if they could wait for you before starting the lock cycle. More often than not, they will wait for you.
When you enter there will usually be no directions from the lock manager as to where to pull up. It is all at your discretion. There are lines attached along the length of each side of the lock. Pull up wherever you are comfortable and grab some lines. Do not tie off. Just hold the lines. It is OK to keep your engine(s) idling during the lock through.
Once all vessels are secure, the lock will blast the horn and begin the cycle.
Depending upon the river and lake levels you can go up or down, so be prepared to take in or pay out line. Typically the average difference is about three feet (one meter).
If the river is higher (which is rare, but happens) you will get a rush of water, so watch that your bow doesn’t get caught and swing out.
Once the cycle completes and the gates open, another blast will signal you may leave. Wait for government / commercial vessels, then follow them out, remove your life jackets if you wish - and enjoy your ride down the Chicago River!
https://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=lmz741
https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/metdata/chi/
To add to what @TonyG13 said...which was a lot of great advice. Hammond has a submerged breakwall about a 1/4 mile out. It's on charts but people do hit it from time to time. I haven't been over there this year but look at your charts and you will see all dangers. Dime Pier is one to really watch for especially if you plan to do the river.
Go Steelers!!!
We trailered up from just north of Champaign to the harbor at Hammond. We got caught in traffic on I294 due to construction. The one exit that I wanted to stop at was actually closed by the Indiana DOT for rehab work which put us 5 miles further east on the highway. We made it to the harbor and the ramp was the easiest ramp that I have ever used. Our slip was nice and simple to back into as well. We didn't venture out that night since we were unfamiliar with the area.
The next day we left the harbor and ran 12 NM up to the Windy City. We stayed about a mile, to a mile and a half off shore on the run per the advice from Tony. The admiral and I enjoyed the ride and the water wasn't too bad. There was a little chop, about 1 to 2 footers and the wind was at our face. Once we made it to Chicago, we worked our way over to the Chicago Play Pen. That area is famous for the "anything goes" action on a boat. Due to the nature of the area, there were some decent sized wakes to cross when we were in front of the Navy Pier. Then the storm started to roll in. Knowing that we would get rocked at the Play Pen, we decided to go to the south side of the lock and wait there for the storm to pass. The admiral got a little sea sick from the wakes and other boaters jockeying for positions. Once inside the break wall, we were able to anchor out. We had a great view of downtown. Tony was able to grab some screenshots from a webcam which had my boat in view. Once the admiral got her sea legs back, we made our way through the lock to the river. The lock is an experience in itself. I have been through locks enough times in Pittsburgh to know what to expect, but I have never seen the lock master open the downstream gate to empty the lock. Once on the river we tied up and went to dinner in town. Once we got back to the boat, we went down the river so we could get some photos of the skyline. We worked our way back through the lock and started back to the harbor in the dark. I am glad that I have a GPS plotter on my boat. I was able to follow my trail back. If I didn't have that, I would probably still be lost out on the lake.
The next day we stayed close to the harbor since the winds had kicked up some where were were at. The forecast was 0-1 footers and we had 1-3 footers. To keep the admiral from getting sick again, we stayed close.
Since we are looking for a permanent place to slip the boat, I am glad that we made the trip. It was nice to check off boating on the second of the five Great Lakes. We will probably make it back to Lake Michigan since we live so close. I would like to go to Michigan City, IN the next time to see what that part of the lake is like.
Go Steelers!!!
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Go Steelers!!!
Go Steelers!!!