Hello Stephen,

Well it so happens the original intent for my 19' Shearwater Atlantic was to kayak the Mississippi. I ended up moving to the islands and have used the boat for numerous long open-water trips such as St. Thomas to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas to Annegada. As for length versus speed, definately there is a speed advantage for a longer waterline in my opinion, but it comes at the top-end where you're not going to be paddling as much. I built the 19' Atlantic because of the volume for gear on long trips, but I love the boat for afternoon trips up and down the coastline. I agree with those that say look for something comfortable, and Nick is dead-on about wind. Definately the better it handles in wind the better off you'll be. I suggest a Greenland Paddle- much better upwind.

One person to talk to would be Joe O'Blenis at www.joeoblenis.com. He has done countless long trips, and actually he is currently doing a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island trying to set a world record time. He is in day 8 right now with 8 more to go, so he won't be available for a while. If I know Joe he'd be happy to comment on what boats to consider. He can also sell you a nice hand-made Greenland Paddle if yo like.

What I wanted to comment on was that you stated that on the long trip it would be mostly long paddling on flat water. I used to live on the Mississippi River, and I can tell you it is anything but flat. I would classify it as "chocolate water." It's a beast. I have seen entire oak trees tumbling end-over-end; first the roots, then the branches. What you need on the Mississippi River is a boat that you can easily maneuver to dodge sand bars, boat traffic, and currents. You want something with a lot of rocker- an open water boat. I suggest a rudder, because you are going to come around very tight bends and right there in front of you will be a barge 1/4 mile long. He's not going to stop for you. You will be closing in very fast and need to be able to quickly maneuver out of his way. Also you cannot go out on the MS without knowing how to roll. Believe me there are eddies and waves out there that I used to playboat in. If you miss a roll you're going downstream in a bad current and if a barge comes along you certainly don't want to be out of the kayak! Never ever ever- not for one second- take off your PFD on the MS river.

Also regarding sand bars, do some reading up. Many people have died on the MS at low water stages because they walked out on sand bars and the sand bars collapsed around them. Don't ever go onto a sand bar on the MS river. Just something to keep in mind. They are like quicksand, and they can disappear in minutes.

You will need to monitor upstream weather. The river can swell quite rapidly if it rains hundreds of miles upstream, especially the further south you get. From Tennessee onward you're going to have some big water and it can get quite ugly when it rains.

Okay, so I made it sound doom and gloom. Just wanted to highlight some things to look out for. Actually it's a beautiful river when it's at peace, and there are lots of amazing things to see. I suggest you dub the kayak the "Samuel L. Clemens," Mark Twain's given name. Perhaps the "Huck Finn" or the "Tom Sawyer" would be good! Make sure you allow time to visit Fort Pillow (the park, not the prison). Take note, by the way, that between St. Louis and Dyersburg, TN there aren't many cities that are "on" the river where you can get supplies without thumbing a ride. Most towns along the river are further inland and only very long gravel roads lead to the river. In Tennessee I know a few places to stop- Ridgeley, TN is right on the river and there is a road where you can stop and walk fairly easily into town for a meal. Not much there, but at least you can get food and supplies. Ridgely is near Reelfoot lake, which was formed during an earthquake when the river actually flowed backwards. Also Dyersburg is a big town where you can stop and get anything you need. There's a bridge at Dyersburg, so lots of traffic there. The town itself is a few miles from the river, but you can hitchike easily. From Dyersburg to Covington there's only a few graineries along the river but very little to be seen. Fort Pillow, as mentioned above, is a good stopping point. There is a lot of history there- a very bloody battle in the Civil War. Make it a stopover. The nearest town to it on the map will be Henning, TN. I doubt you'll find much along the river from there to Memphis, but that's a great daytrip. Of course when you get to Memphis there will be plenty to see and do. Just be careful with the kayak. There is an inlet near Mud Island where at one time there was a small marina. You can probably convince them to let you keep the kayak there. From there down you have Tunica where you can stop and gamble your life savings at the many casinos :), and Greenville, MS where you can resupply as it's right on the water, but if I remember correctly it's actually on an oxbow off of the river and you have to go downstream to the inlet and paddle up to Greenville, but the town is right on the water. Great place to stop, and if you go by the Presbyterian Church in town my grandfather built all the furniture. He built boats and raced them on the river.

After that you're on your own! All the best on your trip and make sure you post a trip report.