In a clearing rain and soft mist LITTLE JOY slid through calm water to the middle of the Mississippi River, about 2 miles below Lock and Dam #1 in Minneapolis, the highest navigable on the Mississippi River. The river, here at Hidden Falls, is only 100 yards wide, clear and cold, with a gentle but steady flow. With a smile for my wife Xiaole, who was seated comfortably in the stern, I put my back into it, rowed out to mid-river, and caught the current that flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. After a 1,100 mile road trip from Philadelphia, we put in a Hidden Falls Park on the southern fringe of Minneapolis. The river was hardly looking like the Mighty Mississippi I'd imagined.
Photographs by Xiaole and David Hudson
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Very enjoyable to this home-bound past skipper. Thanks for sharing.
LITTLE JOY is a Chesapeake Light Craft Northeaster Dory. We reviewed the Northeaster in our print annual, Small Boats 2011. Kits and plans are available from Chesapeake Light Craft.
—Ed.
LITTLE JOY is a beautiful boat and appears well built. I am curious about its design and would like to know if plans are available.
Thanks for sharing your story, David.
What a pleasurable story to read. Thank you for sharing your adventure
George
Great story! Thanks for sharing it! I will steal your pool-noodle gunwale bumper idea! LOL,cheap,easy to replace. Thanks
Great story! Thanks for sharing.
More proof, if proof were needed, that the quest for adventure needn’t be constrained by age or budget.
I really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of my youth growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, a city that is where it is because of the large rivers that meet there. As a young man, we used to paddle and row our canoes and boats amidst the considerable commercial traffic that passed through town, day and night. Though the tows posed a very real danger they could also provide a heightened level of sport. If you caught their bow or stern waves just right it was possible to “surf” both upstream and down. Chosen carefully, and undertaken with caution, I think riverine cruises can be among most interesting and rewarding adventures to be experienced, in a wide variety of small craft.
Fun article. I enjoyed reading it. What a fun journey Xiao le!
Maggie
David, I notice in some pics you’re anchored with the mast up, and in others the mast is down. Any reason why? Were there many bridges where, to go under, you had to remove the mast? One last question – along the Schuylkill is there some point upwards from Philadelphia, where the current downstream is too strong to row upstream – I’d be in a Skerry, similar to your NE Dory but a bit smaller. Thanks for both your Downriver articles!
Brad