Topic starter
29/05/2010 1:09 pm
I am about to go ride the local water taxi, the CHANNEL CAT, on her first weekend of the season. This is a great ride on the Mississippi in Pool 15, which unfortunately I often forget about because it is right here in our backyard. $6 gets you unlimited trips for the day. She stops at 4 locations: at the CELEBRATION BELLE dock in Moline, ISLE OF CAPRI in Bettendorf, Lindsay Park in East Davenport, and John Deere Commons in downtown Moline. On a couple of weekdays she takes an extended trip up to the Quarter in East Moline, which is right below Campbells Island. She has her own website with schedule: Channel Cat Water Taxi, Moline Illinois
If you're ever in the Quad Cities, this is a great river activity. You can get off and on at the various stops - but on a busy day you might have to wait a trip to reboard.
29/05/2010 3:38 pm
What kind of boat is that?
Topic starter
29/05/2010 5:33 pm
CHANNEL CAT water taxi trip
What a beautiful day to be out on the river! I could have stayed on for a few more roundtrips, but the yardwork was calling. Capt. Scott Sexton was breaking in a brand new deckhand today. Scott was Captain on the CASINO ROCK ISLAND and the showboat BRANSON BELLE, before returning home. Some might remember his late brother Tom who was Engineer on the JBS years ago. What kind of boat is it, Lexie asked. Small. I can't find the details, but I think the capacity is about 70. There are two CATS, which run a half hour apart from each other. On the first round trip today we had about 15 passengers, but I imagine by midday it was running full, as it usually does on weekends.
1 and 2 at the Celebration Belle dock (barely visible across the river is the Isle of Capri gambling boat, the BETTENDORF CAPRI
3 just leaving the dock, heading for the opening in the old Rapids canal wall to the main channel.
Topic starter
29/05/2010 5:43 pm
more CHANNEL CAT pix
1) the no-frills passenger area. There is a roof over the whole area, but on a windy, white-cap day the spray comes in and douses you (right Bubba and Pat?) That's Capt. Scott checking the' paddlewheel'
2 and 3) the daymark and remnants of the canal wall which bypassed the Rock Island Rapids. The green bridge in the background is now the I-74, formerly the Memorial Bridge between Moline and Bettendorf. This area is at the upper end of the Quad Cities harbor, miles 485-87 or so.
Topic starter
29/05/2010 5:53 pm
even more CHANNEL CAT pix
1) approaching the first landing at the Isle of Capri casino complex. The boat is officially the BETTENDORF CAPRI.
2) Capt. Scott at the controls as a pleasure boat heads out of the old Moline lock chamber as we approach
3) entering the old Moline Lock chamber, opened in 1907 and used until the current L&D 15 opened in 1934. The lock was on Arsenal Island and the two lockmasters houses are now used to house Army personnel stationed at the Arsenal. The canal itself is a haven for pleasure boaters on weekends. Often 20 or more are anchored in there just off the main channel.
Topic starter
29/05/2010 6:08 pm
and still more CHANNEL CAT pix
The Fleet as we approach the home port in Moline. From left to right:
MISSISSIPPI BELLE II, ?JEWEL CITY, CELEBRATION BELLE the flagship
More on the MBII later. Celebration Cruise Line is owned by a father/son team Capts. Joe and Scott Schadler. I believe their first QC boat was the QUEEN OF HEARTS in 1984. The CELEBRATION BELLE has a capacity of 800. She runs dinner cruises, daytime harbor trips, and all day trips to various destinations. The Schadler boats are known for their fine food - the CB has made several trips to Tall Stacks and is always one of the most popular boats there, especially for the dinner trips. She has the distinction of being the first excursion boat converted to a gambling boat - and also of being the first gambling boat being converted back to an excursion boat. The Schadlers are quite experienced in 'boat-flipping', for want of a better term. The smaller boat shown was bought several years ago, reoutfitted and is for sale now. I don't know her former name, but I think it was JEWEL CITY or something of that ilk. Any help is appreciated here with her identification.
2) the flagship CELEBRATION BELLE
3) the ?JEWEL...
Topic starter
29/05/2010 6:15 pm
and finally...
I just happened to pick an interesting time to ride - the Schadlers bought the former Clinton Iowa gambling boat MISSISSIPPI BELLE II and reoutfitted her into a dinner boat. It turns out she was fueled up yesterday and supplies were being brought on today in preparation for her departure tomorrow for her new home in Philadelphia. Please see the new thread I'm starting on that for more.
It feels so good to be posting about a vibrant boat company! If you are ever in the Quad Cities area, check out the CHANNEL CAT from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day or the CELEBRATION BELLE throughout the year. The company's website is: www.celebrationbelle.com
30/05/2010 1:09 am
Wow Judy, it looks a lot calmer than it did for our ride back in August!! haha
Topic starter
30/05/2010 1:33 am
calm vs. August
Yes, that August trip would have been comparable to your JJA trip to NY when compared with the lovely tranquil ride I had today! Not a whitecap in sight...
31/05/2010 2:26 pm
I rode on something very similar to the Channel Cat on an Atchafalaya Basin Tour in south Louisiana, although it had outboards. In the depths of Cajun country, the tour was given in English and French. We saw an alligator, cypress stumps, and I-10.
Your pelicans add a nice touch.
Topic starter
31/05/2010 4:15 pm
Pelicans on the UMR
Yes, they give a NOLA feel to the river - guess they knew when to head north before they became artificially brown pelicans. Truthfully, I don't have any idea how long we've had pelicans up here, but I don't recall them from my DQ riding days in the '70s. Now if we start seeing alligators up here 1339 miles upriver from NOLA... As to the Channel Cats, there is talk of adding another one below the L&D, in the old ferry spot from the RI to Davenport levees. I don't know how popular that would be since it would be a short straight across ride, as many of the current passengers, like me, take the Cat just for the ride, not the transportation between stops.