Test Run to Lake City

In preparation for the trip, we took Late Date for a test run to Lake City. From Bayport, MN, there is one Lock and Dam transit and this is #3 which is north of Red Wing, MN. The main purpose was to gauge actual fuel consumption between the two gas tanks and to get a bit of experience with barge and river dredging activity.  We unexpectedly met the American Queen from Memphis, TN.  As you see, she took up the entire channel! We respectfully puttered in place and let her pass. 

American Queen heading into Red Wing, MN

The American Queen routinely provides river tours all the way up to St. Paul, MN from the confluence of the Mississippi River at St. Louis and the Ohio River at Cairo.  

In our previous post, we mentioned the new equipment in place on Late Date.  Here is a photo of the new panel array. The large display (left) provides a real time "image" of the river and all objects on it through GPS positioning, radar and sonar.  Right of that display is the auto-pilot (see "no hands" on the wheel).  Right of that is an engine monitor (top) and a communication radio (bottom). The auto-pilot feature permits you to set in way points or to simply pick a point on the horizon and set the boat's course.  Amazingly, another benefit is to minimize meandering around the channel which in turn minimizes Late Date's wake and saves fuel. 

The lesson we learned on this overnight trip was that 50 miles in one day at a slow speed is the most enjoyable way to see the river and saves fuel.  There are some days where we will need to cover twice that distance however so we confirmed that it will be best to have three people on board.  Our long time friend B1 will join Colin for most of the trip as will a new friend B2.