5:55 am
Saturday, September 11, 1999
Day 8
Weather wise it is going to be another beautiful day. It's 69 degrees out now and the sky is just starting to get light. It is supposed to get to 85 before the day is over.
Engine wise--it is quite another story. What they found is that the #1 cylinder on the right side of the engine is dead. Yes dead. That means there is no compression, which is what fires the fuel in a diesel engine. They think that we have a burnt valve, or probably the valve has a hole in it.
It is a major problem.
I spent most of the day yesterday either in the engine compartment, or on the phone. I continued to talk to all those people I did before, and wanted to find out whose responsibility this was so at cocktail hour on Friday afternoon everyone didn't go home, and say "See you on Monday!".
What has happened is just the opposite. A mechanic got on board at 8 am and worked all day. No breaks, no lunch, non stop, until he figured out what was wrong. My phone calls paid off because once we determined what needed to be fixed, Detroit authorized any, and all, costs necessary to get us up and going as soon as possible. (not normal for warranty work) That means Keith (our mechanic) called the shop and told them what he needed (a new head for that side of the engine). They got the parts together, and sent them to the boat with another mechanic, and the two of them kept working. In fact when I went to bed last night they were still working.
Based on their progress we may be running yet today. Darrell and Donna have changed their plans several times trying to keep with what is going on. They now have a flight leaving Memphis on Monday evening. Steve Thoke (my business partner) and his fiancée Chris Van Allen will be joining us starting on Sunday. We haven't got all the logistics details figured out yet, (because of our location) but we will.
On another note. Remember my comment about the on board TV satellite system,
and how great it was to track the weather? It broke! We have to find
someone to fix that as well.
Two challenges lie ahead.
1. Because of the breakdown I don't know if we can make it all the way to Florida by the 24th of September. I have been working on a new plan, but until we get underway I can't make too many decisions.
2. Hurricanes-I know Floyd is out there, and there are two depressions behind him, so we'll have to watch them to see if they effect the Gulf at all. We have a crossing of over 120 miles in the Gulf, and we can't make it if it is too rough. (yes I know we will be getting to Florida during hurricane season, but this we needed to do this now)
As you can tell this trip is not like a normal day of boating. That can cause a lot of stress, but I enjoy the challenge as well. My crew looks at me sometimes, and wonders why I'm so uptight. I explain it this way:
You are having Thanksgiving dinner at your house, and you are in charge of preparing the meal. You have thought most everything out, and told everyone that you'll eat at noon. While you worry about the final preparations, the quests are thoroughly enjoying themselves, and not worrying about a thing.
You realize that the potatoes won't be done on time, and they may be a little lumpy. You are under a little, or a lot of stress, but your guests could care less, in fact they sense you're under pressure and say "what's your problem, why are you so uptight?". Eating at noon is not at all
important to them, and lumpy potatoes---who cares. YOU DO! While
everyone waits for you to say it's ready, you're worrying about the outcome.
In reality, it's not important what time you eat, or small lumps in the potatoes----but try telling the cook that.
Talk to you soon............
BK
Saturday, September 11, 1999
Friday, September 10, 1999
Chapter 6 - Day 7: The Saga Continues...
6:36 am
Friday, September 10, 1999
Day 7
So much to say, so little time.
I'm sorry I didn't get an e-mail off yesterday, (I appreciate all the phone calls checking on our status-I can't wait to see this cellular bill) but as you will see as I give you a update--- it was not possible to send on yesterday.Wednesday.....
On my last update we were at anchor in a cove in Cape Girardeau, MO. on the Mississippi.
I was feeling pretty good about getting the engine repaired, because I had made all the right calls the day before, and I just assumed that the wheels were in motion. Wouldn't you?
After I sent my e-mail to you I waited for those return calls--- that never came. So I started calling again. This time I reminded everyone why I bought this boat, and these type of engines.
Probably the biggest was Tony at Harborside Marina (where I bought the boat) He called everyone as well to see if he could someone's attention. (I would love to give you the details of some of the conversations I had, cause they were special, but there just isn't time) But before it was over I talked to the people who built the boat. The Detroit engine company who supports their engines in these boats. And even the salesman who sells these engines to Cruisers Yachts.
We were starting to get somewhere, but here we were floating in the middle of the Mississippi waiting for someone to tell us where to go for repairs. I mean this literally. We were dogging tows, and barge traffic in the middle of the river, cause that is where we had good cell phone signal. Every 5 minutes someone different would tell me that someone else would call me back in 5 minutes. Those conversations began at 9:30, and ended at 11:30. At that point some finally told us to head down river, and we could deal with it there. Which exactly what I had said was our only option at 1:00 the day before.
Anyway......we headed down to Cairo (48 miles) and talked to various people (when we had signal) along the way. By the time we got there we had two different companies calling me and wanting to work on the boat. At one point I had three calls going on at the same time. I had a cell phone in each ear, and one on hold via call waiting. We were getting action. The thing that I told them was that is was going to be tricky finding a place to tie up in Cairo, so I said we should go to Green Turtle Bay. It was 80 miles further, but they have a full service facility. No problem I was told, they could find us a place in Cairo.
This is where the story really begins!
As we are talking to the service person we had chosen (between the two) he told me he had made a call to his friends in Cairo, and all we had to do was pull up along the yellow wall next to the city, and tie up, or anchor there.
I knew we had a problem. First there was no wall to tie to---it was 50
feet---up--- from the waters edge. Secondly, we were in one of the busiest harbors in the entire river network (where the Ohio meets the Mississippi, and there were tows and barges going everywhere) and it wouldn't be safe to anchor here! He said not to worry, just call this person he had talked to and he would give me clear instructions. (we had one other problem in that it was getting late, and we couldn't make it up river to a safe anchoring
spot) So I called this guy, but he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. He told me to call the "Ronnie Tucker" he was in charge of all of the spots where someone would put barges, and stuff, in the harbor and he could help me.
So I called, and he told me to anchor right there where I was (Neal---this is where you called me on the cell phone) I asked him if was safe and he
said,---- "NO PROBLEM"!
We were in 25 t 30 feet of water. That's not good because you need a lot of anchor line to make sure it wouldn't drag. He said don't worry it gets much shallower near the bank---really?
With no other choice we dropped the hook close to the bank in 20 feet of water. I was concerned that we would swing into the shore, so we decided to put out an aft anchor. Good idea, but the current was so strong, and the bottom so bad that it wouldn't hold. So I had to get the big anchor out of the engine room, and set it up with chain, and 200 feet of rope. We put the dinghy in the water---the anchor in the dinghy---motored out away from the boat and dropped it in the water. After two tries it stuck, so we felt were safe for the night. Can you sense anything coming here?
After dinner, but before going to bed the wind really picked up-right at our side, so we were being blown directly into shore. Not to worry though because we had two anchors, and they were both holding-actually they were both straining. It's funny that after the exact right combination of bloody marys, beer, gin, and wine you feel safe. (this is getting too long so I'll skip all the parts about the tow boat coming up along side us and seeing if they could see in, and showing off his maneuvering skills) During the night we rocked quite a bit from the wind, and the boats going by, but at 3 am we were blasted by a wave that made Deb and I sit up straight in bed. We thought we were hit, or on the shore. We ran out to see no one, and to find we were still at anchor.
I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't so I got up to make coffee, and send an e-mail. As I was getting the computer, I looked outside to find we had moved, and we were much closer to the shore. I felt that if we got much closer I would not be able to use the engines to get us off.
This was not good. It was 4 am. Over 2 hours to daylight, and I did not want to be out there with all those tows and barge traffic. I also didn't like the thought of being on that rocky shore. I thought about it for a while, then went and woke the crew to tell them my decision.
There was not a question, or complaint, just a "what do you want me to do".
Without much of an issue we got both anchors up, and headed out into the main channel. I had the radar on, and was just getting used to the dark when I turned around and thought I saw a barge coming up fairly fast from behind. (tells you how fast we were going) I was right, so I was trying to plan how to get out of his way when the radar, and the running lights went out. (no I am not kidding) It seems that the person who installed the radar put it on the same circuit breaker as the running lights. (seems logical to me---why would you ever need those at the same time) I must admit I was a little concerned, but you should have seen Donna. She kept saying "do you think he sees us? Do you think he sees us?" she was jumping and waving her arms in a motion like she was trying to maneuver in a 747. She was so shook up that she finally said "I can't stand this,---- I'm going below". I would have laughed then, but we still had to get out of this guys way.
With a calm head, Darrell found the circuit breaker, and we had lights again. (No radar I didn't want to take a chance). The tow captain call me on the VHF and asked us if he could pass us (like I had a choice) and he even used his huge spot light to tell us what part of the bridge we should pass under. (did I mention we were coming to a bridge?) The name of the tow was "The City of Rosebud", or as he said on the radio "Roze--buudd".
He was a very nice guy, so I told him of my problem, and ask him if could follow him. I also told him to keep me out of trouble-if he could-by telling me what may lie ahead that I couldn't se, or wouldn't know about. He said, "no problem", and we let him pass, and quickly got in line.
The next two hours went fine, but I will always remember them. At about 6:15 the sky got light enough to see the markers without a spotlight. Shortly after that the sun came up, and we could tell we were in store for a beautiful day.
And it was.
By 5:30 PM we were in Green Turtle Bay, fueled up, pumped out, and secured for the night. It is a great feeling to once again be tied to a dock. We all got the drink of our choice, and toasted our adventure. The plan was for the mechanic to on board first thing in the morning.
It's now 9:15 am on Friday the mechanic is here, and he's not sure what the problem is. In one breath he'll say "no problem", and the next he'll say "she doesn't look good" He has just pulled some side covers off the engine and said "it looks bad". "What does that mean", I asked. He said "aaah don't worry", and starts to tell me about other boats that he has repaired.
It' s now 2:30, and the mechanic still isn't sure-doesn't look good for this engine.
That's where we're at. I'll keep you posted.........
BK
An Update From Deb...
Wednesday
Hi to All!
This is Deb. Thought I'd try to get a word in edgewise on this thing!
Originally this was going to be my job but I just can't seem to get up earlier than BK! He's really gotten into this "Captain's Log" idea, and actually, it's kind of interesting to hear his take on all this travelling stuff. I'm still keeping a journal of my own and it will be interesting to compare notes at the end of the trip. So far it's been a great time, aside from the engine trouble. But the boys don't seem to be THAT concerned so Donna & I are taking our cue from them. Yesterday when the trouble escalated, Donna & I went out on the bow of the boat with our lawn chairs, the box of life jackets (footstool), big mugs of Mudslides, & trashy novels.
At least 50% of this crew is still on vacation! It was another cloudless day & 87 degrees. Yes, we put our sunscreen on! The scenery along the river is pretty steady, just a wide, twisty, shallow, muddy river with flood plain on each side. You can see a band of younger trees near the water, then more mature trees behind those. Must be because of that big flood years back. I guess nature takes care of itself.
Bob has been up for awhile, I just got up at 7:15, the Double D's are still sleeping (it's 8am), and we're just waiting for a call from someone saying the helicopter hauling Detroit Diesel's top mechanic is on it's way -
"Where can I land this thing?" I'm thinking (in my "just a grunt-worker"
opinion) "Hey! We've got another engine don't we? What's the problem?"
HA!
Well, I need to go wash my hair and since we're conserving water, I'm allowed one cup. It may take some doing! Where's "Mini-Poo" when you need it?
Seeyabye----->DK
P.S. Beccah - Make sure you clean up after your parties! (& shake hands)
Hi to All!
This is Deb. Thought I'd try to get a word in edgewise on this thing!
Originally this was going to be my job but I just can't seem to get up earlier than BK! He's really gotten into this "Captain's Log" idea, and actually, it's kind of interesting to hear his take on all this travelling stuff. I'm still keeping a journal of my own and it will be interesting to compare notes at the end of the trip. So far it's been a great time, aside from the engine trouble. But the boys don't seem to be THAT concerned so Donna & I are taking our cue from them. Yesterday when the trouble escalated, Donna & I went out on the bow of the boat with our lawn chairs, the box of life jackets (footstool), big mugs of Mudslides, & trashy novels.
At least 50% of this crew is still on vacation! It was another cloudless day & 87 degrees. Yes, we put our sunscreen on! The scenery along the river is pretty steady, just a wide, twisty, shallow, muddy river with flood plain on each side. You can see a band of younger trees near the water, then more mature trees behind those. Must be because of that big flood years back. I guess nature takes care of itself.
Bob has been up for awhile, I just got up at 7:15, the Double D's are still sleeping (it's 8am), and we're just waiting for a call from someone saying the helicopter hauling Detroit Diesel's top mechanic is on it's way -
"Where can I land this thing?" I'm thinking (in my "just a grunt-worker"
opinion) "Hey! We've got another engine don't we? What's the problem?"
HA!
Well, I need to go wash my hair and since we're conserving water, I'm allowed one cup. It may take some doing! Where's "Mini-Poo" when you need it?
Seeyabye----->DK
P.S. Beccah - Make sure you clean up after your parties! (& shake hands)
Tuesday, September 07, 1999
Chapter 5 - Day 5: Smoke on the Water...
6:50 am
Wednesday, 07, 1999
Day 5
Remember that comment I made about dealing with the challenges as they come?
Remember that short comment about the white smoke from the starboard engine when we pulled in the lock and I wondered what that was?
Well, we're about to find out!
Yes, we have engine problems. That little puff of white smoke I saw turned into a lot of smoke. First black, then white.
Here was our day yesterday:
* It was a little cool so I decided to let the sun come all the way up before we left.
* Darrell, and I washed the boat, filled the water tank (not all the way, because why carry the weight-this you will hear about later)
* At 7:15 we left the dock
* At 7:40 I got a call on the VHF Radio from Hoppie's Marina that they got a call from the place in Cape Girardeau where we were going to fuel that they were broke down, and we couldn't get fuel, as we had planned.
* 7:45-turned around and went back to Hoppie's to top off the tanks so we could go all the way to Kentucky Lake ---188 gallons at $1.30 @gallon
* 8:15 on our way-awesome day
* Deb, and Donna fixed a great big breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast
* It became a little windy, so we didn't go fast. We went about 1050
rpm/12.5 mph for almost 4 hours.
* 12:00 the wind had died down quite a bit, so I said lets pick it up and make some time so we can make it to Cairo. As soon as we started going fast the black smoke started to pour from the starboard engine. I slowed down immediately, and now the smoke turned white. While Deb drove the boat, Darrell and I went worked to see what different speeds we could go without any problem. There weren't any. What I found is that the engine smoked at all speeds, and above 750 rpm the engine started to shake. Houston---We have a problem!
* I talked to three different Detroit (the make of my engines) dealers, and got three different answers as to what my problem could be. I also talked to the dealer where I bought the boat, and directly to Cruisers Yachts (the boat manufacture). They were all very nice, but they did not know what to do.
* Soooooooo.........We idled on both engines the next 60 miles to Cape Girardeau, where we dropped an anchor in a little stream, at mile 48.6, just off the Mississippi.
That was yesterday.
Today (6:50am) we sit in that stream/river and wait to see what's next.
There are no marinas here so I'm not sure what they can do. There are also no marinas in Cairo, IL, our next logical stop. The next marina is Green Turtle Bay, on Kentucky Lake, 140 miles away.
We are ok on fuel, but remember that I didn't fill the water all the way? (I figured we'd be in a marina tonight, and why carry all that weight) Well, we're on water rations now until we figure out what to do. But it could be a lot worse, right?
It is a beautiful morning. As I type this I'm sitting on the fly bridge having coffee and watching the barges go by and seeing all the fish jump.
At 8:00 I'll start to follow up on my earlier calls and decide what to do.
If they think I won't hurt the engine any more I'd like to head for Green Turtle, but we'll see.
Thanks for all the e-mail responses, we enjoyed reading them. So far we have been lucky, and had cellular signal each morning so I could send these off, and receive yours. If some morning, you don't get one, don't worry, I may have to wait to get to a better cellular area.
* Randy, yes 630-235-8296, and the Mississippi is ok now. Anyone who has made this trip will tell you this is the worst part, and the Mississippi is a terrible river. I agree. But that said, it is low now, and the current is only 3 to 3.5 mph, so it is manageable. But there are no marinas, in fact no towns, or life to speak of, so it's not a great place for boaters.
(especially if you have a problem)
* Mando-I slept in today. 6:15 No where to go yet.
* Chris-yes this is the same route we took before, and we will be staying at most of the same places.
I'll keep you posted.......
BK
Wednesday, 07, 1999
Day 5
Remember that comment I made about dealing with the challenges as they come?
Remember that short comment about the white smoke from the starboard engine when we pulled in the lock and I wondered what that was?
Well, we're about to find out!
Yes, we have engine problems. That little puff of white smoke I saw turned into a lot of smoke. First black, then white.
Here was our day yesterday:
* It was a little cool so I decided to let the sun come all the way up before we left.
* Darrell, and I washed the boat, filled the water tank (not all the way, because why carry the weight-this you will hear about later)
* At 7:15 we left the dock
* At 7:40 I got a call on the VHF Radio from Hoppie's Marina that they got a call from the place in Cape Girardeau where we were going to fuel that they were broke down, and we couldn't get fuel, as we had planned.
* 7:45-turned around and went back to Hoppie's to top off the tanks so we could go all the way to Kentucky Lake ---188 gallons at $1.30 @gallon
* 8:15 on our way-awesome day
* Deb, and Donna fixed a great big breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast
* It became a little windy, so we didn't go fast. We went about 1050
rpm/12.5 mph for almost 4 hours.
* 12:00 the wind had died down quite a bit, so I said lets pick it up and make some time so we can make it to Cairo. As soon as we started going fast the black smoke started to pour from the starboard engine. I slowed down immediately, and now the smoke turned white. While Deb drove the boat, Darrell and I went worked to see what different speeds we could go without any problem. There weren't any. What I found is that the engine smoked at all speeds, and above 750 rpm the engine started to shake. Houston---We have a problem!
* I talked to three different Detroit (the make of my engines) dealers, and got three different answers as to what my problem could be. I also talked to the dealer where I bought the boat, and directly to Cruisers Yachts (the boat manufacture). They were all very nice, but they did not know what to do.
* Soooooooo.........We idled on both engines the next 60 miles to Cape Girardeau, where we dropped an anchor in a little stream, at mile 48.6, just off the Mississippi.
That was yesterday.
Today (6:50am) we sit in that stream/river and wait to see what's next.
There are no marinas here so I'm not sure what they can do. There are also no marinas in Cairo, IL, our next logical stop. The next marina is Green Turtle Bay, on Kentucky Lake, 140 miles away.
We are ok on fuel, but remember that I didn't fill the water all the way? (I figured we'd be in a marina tonight, and why carry all that weight) Well, we're on water rations now until we figure out what to do. But it could be a lot worse, right?
It is a beautiful morning. As I type this I'm sitting on the fly bridge having coffee and watching the barges go by and seeing all the fish jump.
At 8:00 I'll start to follow up on my earlier calls and decide what to do.
If they think I won't hurt the engine any more I'd like to head for Green Turtle, but we'll see.
Thanks for all the e-mail responses, we enjoyed reading them. So far we have been lucky, and had cellular signal each morning so I could send these off, and receive yours. If some morning, you don't get one, don't worry, I may have to wait to get to a better cellular area.
* Randy, yes 630-235-8296, and the Mississippi is ok now. Anyone who has made this trip will tell you this is the worst part, and the Mississippi is a terrible river. I agree. But that said, it is low now, and the current is only 3 to 3.5 mph, so it is manageable. But there are no marinas, in fact no towns, or life to speak of, so it's not a great place for boaters.
(especially if you have a problem)
* Mando-I slept in today. 6:15 No where to go yet.
* Chris-yes this is the same route we took before, and we will be staying at most of the same places.
I'll keep you posted.......
BK
Chapter 4 - Day 4: Hoppie's Marina
5:30 am
Tuesday September, 07, 1999
Day 4
We covered 140 miles yesterday, and made it all the way to Hoppie's Marina in Kimmswick, MO.
It was a great day, full of sunshine, and a breeze from the north that most of the day was on our backs.
Day 3 highlights:
* Left our cozy slip (tied next to the barge at La grange lock) at 6:15 am
* Sunrise was at 6:30 and it was beautifull
* Traveled 80 miles to reach to Mississippi at almost exactly 12:00-noon
* Lots, and I do mean lots, of boat traffic
* Once we hit the Mississippi we picked up about 1.5 mph from the current
* Went through two locks before reaching St. Louis-in and out pretty quickly
* In the second lock we noticed that the starboard engine was putting out white smoke each time I put a load on it. It would stop quickly though.
Don't know what that means.
* Once we got out of the second lock we joined the current from the Missouri river and gained a total of over 3 mph of current
* It was neat to go through St.Louis, but you can't imagine the commercial traffic, and the number of barges parked everywhere. If you have ever seen a rail yard with hundreds of rail cars on the tracks beside one another---it comes pretty close. They are 7 or 8 wide, and 10 long. Like Darrell said "How do they find a certain one when they need it?"
* Reached Hoppie's at about 5 PM
* Put in 200 gallons of diesel--- $282, including $30 for slip fee for the night
* Deb made fresh bread, and an AWESOME pasta dish, and we started to watch a movie-I went to bed at 8:00-so I'm not sure what happened from there.
This morning (Tuesday) I slept in till 5. It is dark out now, and we are tied to a long barge (Hoppie's Marina) not far off the main channel of the Mississippi. As I write this I am looking south, and watching a tow boat heading north. He is still a long way off, but I can see his lights. It's a great sight, and it gets me excited about the day ahead. The weather channel says it will be 90, and sunny, and in just the last couple of minutes the sky is starting to brighten up in the west. By the time that barge gets here it will be light out.
Today's plan is to head out shortly, and either stop at mile 48.6 and drop a hook in a small river there, or go all the way to Cairo, and drop a hook about 1 mile north of the Ohio river. It will all depend on how we feel.
By the way we are now at mile 158. The mile 0 is where the Mississippi meets the Ohio at Cairo, IL. Why this is mile 0 seems strange, because the Mississippi goes on to Memphis.
So that's it for now. I need to go check all the engine fluids, and clean the strainers before we leave. I'll also top off the water tank so we will have plenty of water tonight while we're at anchor.
The sun is just starting to show itself, and that tow boat is still down river.
Looks like maybe we'll meet him as we go by.
I don't think my dream was this good............
BK
Tuesday September, 07, 1999
Day 4
We covered 140 miles yesterday, and made it all the way to Hoppie's Marina in Kimmswick, MO.
It was a great day, full of sunshine, and a breeze from the north that most of the day was on our backs.
Day 3 highlights:
* Left our cozy slip (tied next to the barge at La grange lock) at 6:15 am
* Sunrise was at 6:30 and it was beautifull
* Traveled 80 miles to reach to Mississippi at almost exactly 12:00-noon
* Lots, and I do mean lots, of boat traffic
* Once we hit the Mississippi we picked up about 1.5 mph from the current
* Went through two locks before reaching St. Louis-in and out pretty quickly
* In the second lock we noticed that the starboard engine was putting out white smoke each time I put a load on it. It would stop quickly though.
Don't know what that means.
* Once we got out of the second lock we joined the current from the Missouri river and gained a total of over 3 mph of current
* It was neat to go through St.Louis, but you can't imagine the commercial traffic, and the number of barges parked everywhere. If you have ever seen a rail yard with hundreds of rail cars on the tracks beside one another---it comes pretty close. They are 7 or 8 wide, and 10 long. Like Darrell said "How do they find a certain one when they need it?"
* Reached Hoppie's at about 5 PM
* Put in 200 gallons of diesel--- $282, including $30 for slip fee for the night
* Deb made fresh bread, and an AWESOME pasta dish, and we started to watch a movie-I went to bed at 8:00-so I'm not sure what happened from there.
This morning (Tuesday) I slept in till 5. It is dark out now, and we are tied to a long barge (Hoppie's Marina) not far off the main channel of the Mississippi. As I write this I am looking south, and watching a tow boat heading north. He is still a long way off, but I can see his lights. It's a great sight, and it gets me excited about the day ahead. The weather channel says it will be 90, and sunny, and in just the last couple of minutes the sky is starting to brighten up in the west. By the time that barge gets here it will be light out.
Today's plan is to head out shortly, and either stop at mile 48.6 and drop a hook in a small river there, or go all the way to Cairo, and drop a hook about 1 mile north of the Ohio river. It will all depend on how we feel.
By the way we are now at mile 158. The mile 0 is where the Mississippi meets the Ohio at Cairo, IL. Why this is mile 0 seems strange, because the Mississippi goes on to Memphis.
So that's it for now. I need to go check all the engine fluids, and clean the strainers before we leave. I'll also top off the water tank so we will have plenty of water tonight while we're at anchor.
The sun is just starting to show itself, and that tow boat is still down river.
Looks like maybe we'll meet him as we go by.
I don't think my dream was this good............
BK
Monday, September 06, 1999
Chapter 3 - Day 3: Hams Marina
4:05 am
Monday, September 06, 1999
Day 3
Great day yesterday.
We left Hams Marina (mile 178) about 6:30 to a beautiful sunrise. As we headed out there were guys in their blinds hunting ducks. The river was a little hazy, but we could see enough to keep track of the red and green buoys. (the ones that mark the channel-you knew that---right?)
I decided to stop in Peoria to top off the fuel because the port fuel gauge showed that I had already used a 1/4 of a tank. (we had 178 miles before we could get fuel again so I was concerned). I also have a flow meter that keeps track of fuel used and it said that I had only used 49 gallons so..........rather than wonder, we stopped at East Port Marina (mile 164).
As it turns out the flow gauge was right and it took 51 gallons to top off the port tank. In total it took 110 gallons, and cost $ 170 which included $5 to pump out the holding tank (septic)
The haze stayed with us and at 9:30 we entered the Peoria Lock (mile 157).
The drop is only 9 feet, and they let us float in the middle while they took us down.
As we made our way south there was quite a bit of boat traffic so I had to keep it at about 1000 rpm, and 10 mph, so I didn't make a large wake. Our plan was to get to mile 46 and drop the hook, but at 4:00 PM when we got to the La Grange lock (mile 80) they were just putting in a south bound double.
We asked the lockmaster how long of a wait, because we told him we may have to go back to Beardstown to have a place to spend the night. He said it would be 2 hours, but we could tie along his lock wall and wait, and once we were through the lock we could tie up to a barge they had on the bottom side. We knew we didn't have enough light to make it mile 46, so we did as he said, and stayed the night tied to a barge-- that was tied to the bottom lock wall. For dinner Darrell grilled some pork chops, Debbie made some rice, and we were set for the night. We started to watch a movie, but I had enough, so I was in bed by 8:30.
This morning, at 3:30 am one of the ropes on our bow started to squeak. Why after all night it started then-- who knows, but I got up to fix it---which I did----and just decided to stay up.
Yes, this will be a long day!
Now I'm on my second cup of coffee, typing this note, and watching the weather channel. There are a lot of things I love about this boat, but having the on board satellite system is high on the list. Normally on a trip like this you're out of the loop, because you don't have a good way to get information. Having the satellite TV gives us a way to keep up with things, but especially the weather. I'll admit I am a weather channel guy, but it helps so much when it comes to planning a safe trip. If I can help it, I don't want to be anchored out somewhere if severe weather is coming.
Speaking of plans. Today we are going to finish our trip down the Illinois River to the Mississippi. We join the Mississippi at mile 218. From there we stop for fuel, go through two more locks, and on to Hoppie's Marina at mile 158. Like I said---long day.
One last note before signing off. Deb said to apologize to everyone (again) about any misspellings, and errors in grammar. Actually I thought I had been doing fine, but she must have spotted something. Funny how this happens.
BK
Monday, September 06, 1999
Day 3
Great day yesterday.
We left Hams Marina (mile 178) about 6:30 to a beautiful sunrise. As we headed out there were guys in their blinds hunting ducks. The river was a little hazy, but we could see enough to keep track of the red and green buoys. (the ones that mark the channel-you knew that---right?)
I decided to stop in Peoria to top off the fuel because the port fuel gauge showed that I had already used a 1/4 of a tank. (we had 178 miles before we could get fuel again so I was concerned). I also have a flow meter that keeps track of fuel used and it said that I had only used 49 gallons so..........rather than wonder, we stopped at East Port Marina (mile 164).
As it turns out the flow gauge was right and it took 51 gallons to top off the port tank. In total it took 110 gallons, and cost $ 170 which included $5 to pump out the holding tank (septic)
The haze stayed with us and at 9:30 we entered the Peoria Lock (mile 157).
The drop is only 9 feet, and they let us float in the middle while they took us down.
As we made our way south there was quite a bit of boat traffic so I had to keep it at about 1000 rpm, and 10 mph, so I didn't make a large wake. Our plan was to get to mile 46 and drop the hook, but at 4:00 PM when we got to the La Grange lock (mile 80) they were just putting in a south bound double.
We asked the lockmaster how long of a wait, because we told him we may have to go back to Beardstown to have a place to spend the night. He said it would be 2 hours, but we could tie along his lock wall and wait, and once we were through the lock we could tie up to a barge they had on the bottom side. We knew we didn't have enough light to make it mile 46, so we did as he said, and stayed the night tied to a barge-- that was tied to the bottom lock wall. For dinner Darrell grilled some pork chops, Debbie made some rice, and we were set for the night. We started to watch a movie, but I had enough, so I was in bed by 8:30.
This morning, at 3:30 am one of the ropes on our bow started to squeak. Why after all night it started then-- who knows, but I got up to fix it---which I did----and just decided to stay up.
Yes, this will be a long day!
Now I'm on my second cup of coffee, typing this note, and watching the weather channel. There are a lot of things I love about this boat, but having the on board satellite system is high on the list. Normally on a trip like this you're out of the loop, because you don't have a good way to get information. Having the satellite TV gives us a way to keep up with things, but especially the weather. I'll admit I am a weather channel guy, but it helps so much when it comes to planning a safe trip. If I can help it, I don't want to be anchored out somewhere if severe weather is coming.
Speaking of plans. Today we are going to finish our trip down the Illinois River to the Mississippi. We join the Mississippi at mile 218. From there we stop for fuel, go through two more locks, and on to Hoppie's Marina at mile 158. Like I said---long day.
One last note before signing off. Deb said to apologize to everyone (again) about any misspellings, and errors in grammar. Actually I thought I had been doing fine, but she must have spotted something. Funny how this happens.
BK
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