It was an overcast morning and we hurried to get our lines untied as we heard chatter over the radio that boats were moving toward the lock. It always seems to be a last minute scramble in the morning no matter how many preparations are made the night prior to disembarking. Adagio was not far behind and the lock went off without a hitch as six Loopers in total traveled along the river that day.
One of the highlights of our trip was soon upon us…The St. Louis Gateway Arch. The massive structural monument towered 630 ft high off the west bank of the mighty Mississippi. Being the iconic symbol commemorating the westward expansion of the United States, we could not miss the opportunity to have our photo taken under the steel arch. A selfie stick long enough to capture the moment was out of the question so we radioed Adagio and coordinated our photo ops while fighting the current.
The rest of the day was dreary and we still had plenty of light left when we passed the iconic Hoppies Marina, which is basically an old broken down barge, so we decided to keep moving. Hoppies had been a Loopers right of passage for many years, but storms and life occurrences have made it a less desirable stop as of late. We arrived late in the afternoon to tie up on the Kaskaskia lock wall. A few boats had arrived before us and were secured for the evening so they were more than happy to lend a hand and catch our lines. Seeing Greg, Pam, Dave and Denise were a sight for sore eyes after a long day. The sailboats, Columba and Domino, came in as the sun was setting and we were more than happy to reciprocate and get them situated. That night we were welcomed onto Columba and found out that Harold and Deb were neighbors to our friends, Jim and Wendy, on My Everything in Canada. As vast as our travels have been, we marvel time and time again at the connections we have made. Terrible thunderstorms rolled in that night and continued through the whole next day so no one was in a rush to move on. We checked in with Greg and Pam on Salty Dog, exchanged cards with Theresa and Pete on Gallus who we had just been introduced to and spoke with Zyg who was sailing solo on Domino and inching closer to crossing his wake in Nashville. We busied ourselves bailing out the boat numerous times throughout the day and I had the bright idea of organizing the V-berth…which was more trouble than it was worth. We were basically confined to the small concrete strip the boats were lashed to as we were instructed over the VHF that climbing the enclosure into the surrounding area was prohibited. Big Brother was definitely watching. Weather aside, taking the dinghy across to the park was even less appealing as the coyotes (or so we thought) howled through the trees all day and night.
A gorgeous sunrise was soon upon us as we were more than ready to continue south. We were about three miles off the wall when fog engulfed us and decreased our visibility to merely an eighth of a mile. Pam and Greg were traveling in front and were radioing back conditions as I surveyed the waters for logs and other impediments that would ruin our day…or our trip completely. The sailboats were inching along behind us as everyone else turned back and decided to wait for the fog to lift. The eddies were swirling and the rain had washed out some of the anchorages while a few others were filled with debris so we made the decision to anchor in Little Diversion Channel, which we were told by boaters who had traversed the area a few days ago, was our best bet. Accessing the channel was a little tricky hindered by the swift current so we blew on by and had to completely turn around and slowly make our way back through the entry. Dropping the anchor, I was glad to finally have a nice day to enjoy some hours of sunshine. Being early, Greg and Pam decided to push forward and get a little further along the river. Adagio and Gallus passed by the entrance a few hours later and radioed back to us that they were turning around and coming into the channel since there was plenty of room and no debris. Our three boats ended up rafting together and we had a great night of laughs over drinks hopping between boats eventually all congregating on Bella Donna well into the night. At 2am we were rudely awakened by scratching sounds accompanied by a thud and, upon inspection, there was literally a tree sprawled out lengthwise across all three anchor chains. Duane was soon joined by Dave and Pete and they managed to dislodge the tree with the boat hooks along with the hundreds of pounds of debris that was accumulating behind the trunk. Once free, the anchors reset and we all settled in for a few hours more sleep before the 100 mile trek to Paducah. It seemed like just 10 minutes and we were back up in the dark organizing for the long day ahead. It will take us about 12 hours to travel the distance to Padauch and we were hoping to arrive before dusk so we all pulled anchor and filed out of the channel just after sunrise.
Around noon we branched off onto the Ohio River and the 4 knot current which was pushing us along spectacularly came to a screeching halt. We were now battling the current and moving at a mere 6.9 miles an hour. Gallus and Adagio were soon out of sight as they raised speed to compensate for the effects of the current. We were now in a struggle between speed and time as we didn’t have the leeway of traveling that long of a distance at a higher RPM for fear of running low on fuel. Approaching the Olmstead lock we caught a break as the other boats were being held up by barge traffic. Even though it was a pass through lock, boats were required to gain permission before traversing the area. Being three miles away, Duane reluctantly agreed to increase our pace to catch up and pass through the lock with the group. Making it by the skin of our teeth, we thanked Salty Dog for slowing down and giving us a much needed few minutes to get closer. Back in the rear, we felt much better having other boats in sight or earshot on the radio for most of the next 5 hours.
The Paducah Dock was fairly new having been rebuilt after the last hurricane. In addition to the new dock, a concrete wall was constructed around the city to ward off the rising flood waters as well as adding pilings towering 80 feet in the air. The area definitely seemed to be prepared for any adverse weather conditions. Arriving as the sun was setting we were the thirteenth boat to tie up who were being accommodated for the night. Columba and Domino would be number 14 and 15 respectively as the dock master skillfully squeezed everyone in. Reuniting with Adagio (Dave and Denise) and Gallus (Theresa and Pete) we made our way to PJs Bar and Grill to celebrate our longest travel day thus far. Being a long day, Greg and Pam decided to stay in for the night and rest up for the trip to Green Turtle Bay in the morning.
In the morning it was decision time….should we make our way through the Berkeley Lock which was opening on restricted hours due to construction or head to the Kentucky Lock which was notorious for long delays due to commercial barge traffic. After much deliberation and after hearing horror stories about the construction at the Berkeley Lock, we all made our way down the Tennessee River and toward the Kentucky Lock. Whatever happens, we were going into it together. Being told there was at least a two hour wait at the lock, we leisurely motored along. Soon 14 boats, including ourselves, were anchored outside the lock doors waiting for the green light. At around 2pm our wish was granted and we all proceeded inside in the delegated order worked out over the radio. Larger boats were to line up along the wall as the smaller boats would raft up beside them. It seemed easy enough as everyone was given a buddy boat, but something went awry and, since I had to crank the anchor up manually, we ended up being the last boat in with no where to tie up. I threatened Duane to get through the doors no matter what as I was not waiting indefinitely for another opening. Once inside, the lock master bellowed over the loudspeaker for us to idle at the entrance as the doors slowly closed behind us. Once the door was closed, we noticed the last bollard in the back corner and hurried to get the line secure. It took about 45 minutes to lock through and then the whole troop headed the rest of the way to Green Turtle Bay Marina.
Upon approval, one by one we were given our slip assignments and proceeded as instructed. We desperately needed gas and a pump out and were elated to spot our welcoming committee, Renee and Pierre, on the dock . They had arrived on Shoreline Traveler a few days prior and we were greeted with a big hug. We planned to stay in Green Turtle for 2 weeks as Duane had a work obligation and I was going to visit family in Texas. With the last line secured in our slip, we both collapsed onto the couch relieved to stop moving for a while and excited to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen for so long in addition to the ones we had just met.
