Go...North???

[Kintala]

Is there anyone here who routinely goes north on the Tenn/Tom and Mississippi? We want to be able to spend the winters in FL and the summers in St. Louis and were wondering how long it would take to make the trip North and whether or not it's a realistic possibility.

 

[FF]

"We want to be able to spend the winters in FL and the summers in St. Louis and were wondering how long it would take to make the trip North and whether or not it's a realistic possibility."

Really depends on your boat speed.

Some Mississippi currents flow south almost constantly , so it could be nothing for a 20K boat or a real PIA in a 6K boat.

Realistic depends on your time frame.

 

[Max1]

Your upriver speed would be your ship speed minus the river speed.
https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm

Speed
At the headwaters of the Mississippi, the average surface speed of the water is about 1.2 miles per hour - roughly one-half as fast as people walk. At New Orleans the river flows at about three miles per hour. But the speed changes as water levels rise or fall and where the river widens, narrows, becomes more shallow or some combination of these factors. It takes about three months for water that leaves Lake Itasca, the river's source, to reach the Gulf of Mexico.

Assuming your boat makes 8 knots (9.2mph)...
Your up-river speed starting at New Orleans will be approx 6mph. As you get closer to St Louis, you should be heading up-river at 8mph.

Of course, I am not allowing for wind or surges, i'm just trying to give you an average.
Do-able, in my opinion

 

[Crux]

The TennTom will be slack, then the Tennessee and short section of Ohio will be downstream....upstream currents will begin with Miss at Cairo, Il.....then a relatively short run on up to St Louis/Afton....early Spring typically strongest currents....Enjoy!!

 

[BandB]

Is there anyone here who routinely goes north on the Tenn/Tom and Mississippi? We want to be able to spend the winters in FL and the summers in St. Louis and were wondering how long it would take to make the trip North and whether or not it's a realistic possibility.

You say nothing about your boat, it's speed, or it's range. You're talking just under 900 miles up the TN Tom and Tennessee and Ohio and Mississippi, from Mobile to St. Louis + 100 to the nearest areas of Florida as you didn't specify where in FL which could add as much as another 1000 miles. The only difficult stretch at all is the 180 miles up the Mississippi. It's a long run from Cumberland Lake which is generally the recreational boat route.

The TN Tom is only a challenge in spring when the snows melt and rains fall and can be swift and have debris. Then you just have to wait.