Cliffs rising along the Mississippi 
Corps of Engineers tow boat and construction barge entering the Kaskaskia River Lock
Off loading construction equipment to begin work at the lock and dam
.
The places to safely tie up or anchor a boat on the Mississippi are few and far between. The river twists and turns along muddy banks with light brown water, and can be almost mesmerizing except that the boater must always be aware of the possible hazard of a large tow boat with a multitude of barges coming around a blind turn.
The tow boat operators were very friendly and we were in contact with many by radio as we asked them about which side we would pass them: "on the one's" (port to port), "on the two's" (starboard to starboard), etc.
After 41 miles we pulled into the Kaskaskia River Lock wall where we asked the lock-tender whether we could tie up for the night even though it was only about 11 a.m. at this point. After getting all our info about boat name, how many people were aboard, and destination, he said that we could tie up, but that the Army Corps of Engineers was going to be bringing in a barge and equipment to work on the lock and dam, yet he would allow us to stay there unless they needed us to move.
Imagine then a lovely summer afternoon with temperatures in the low 80s, little wind, and just the sound of cicadas. Nap time! Then suddenly a voice on the marine radio interrupted everything! "Vessel "Reflection", sorry I have to disturb you, but you're going to have to move!" At the request of the tow- boat barge captain who had arrived with a huge barge with major equipment aboard, the dock we were at was where they wanted to tie up, so we had to untie and go to another section of the lock wall out of their way. We did so quickly, and were happy they were just allowing us to stay.
A little while later we heard another vessel, "Falkor", calling the lock-tender and asking to also tie up. He granted them permission as long as we could make do together on the same space on the lock wall. We were glad to move our boat to make room for them, and George helped them tie up. "Falkor" was a Grand Banks 36 with Allen and Gayle Binnington from Guelph, Ontario aboard and this was their 3RD TIME AROUND DOING THE "LOOP"! We invited them for cocktails aboard and by sharing their detailed logs of previous trips, they were a wealth of information on what we would yet be encountering. They were heading to the Bahamas for the winter, and we decided to travel together for some of our way south. We were so happy to meet this charming couple!
The tow boat operators were very friendly and we were in contact with many by radio as we asked them about which side we would pass them: "on the one's" (port to port), "on the two's" (starboard to starboard), etc.
After 41 miles we pulled into the Kaskaskia River Lock wall where we asked the lock-tender whether we could tie up for the night even though it was only about 11 a.m. at this point. After getting all our info about boat name, how many people were aboard, and destination, he said that we could tie up, but that the Army Corps of Engineers was going to be bringing in a barge and equipment to work on the lock and dam, yet he would allow us to stay there unless they needed us to move.
Imagine then a lovely summer afternoon with temperatures in the low 80s, little wind, and just the sound of cicadas. Nap time! Then suddenly a voice on the marine radio interrupted everything! "Vessel "Reflection", sorry I have to disturb you, but you're going to have to move!" At the request of the tow- boat barge captain who had arrived with a huge barge with major equipment aboard, the dock we were at was where they wanted to tie up, so we had to untie and go to another section of the lock wall out of their way. We did so quickly, and were happy they were just allowing us to stay.
A little while later we heard another vessel, "Falkor", calling the lock-tender and asking to also tie up. He granted them permission as long as we could make do together on the same space on the lock wall. We were glad to move our boat to make room for them, and George helped them tie up. "Falkor" was a Grand Banks 36 with Allen and Gayle Binnington from Guelph, Ontario aboard and this was their 3RD TIME AROUND DOING THE "LOOP"! We invited them for cocktails aboard and by sharing their detailed logs of previous trips, they were a wealth of information on what we would yet be encountering. They were heading to the Bahamas for the winter, and we decided to travel together for some of our way south. We were so happy to meet this charming couple!
No comments:
Post a Comment