BOBBY'S FISH CAMP, ALABAMA USA
We woke up this morning to a little bit of fog. A report from the Demopolis Lock and dam indicated that the fog was a bit more heavy down river so we waited on the dock a little while longing. Our friends from Texas Tea were making the 218 mile jump to Mobile Bay today and while we were quite capable of doing that we were not interested in burning that amount of fuel and we are still keeping a close eye on some storms down in the Central America region that have a small chance of becoming a Hurricane. We left the dock and it was business as usual. We have been having some problems with our bow thruster and while we are waiting for parts for the starboard hydraulic pump the port pump seems to be fine other than alarms that are triggered due to the starboard pump being disengaged. I called American Bow Thruster as soon as they opened to trouble shoot some of the problems to see if we could bypass the alarms and get the thrusters working. We didn't have much luck so I flipped the breaker on the thrusters and we continued down the river. An engine check a short time later came back with bad news. The thruster motor seemed to blow, similar to what happened to the starboard pump. It was weird because the breakers were off and nothing was engaged. Worried that the spinning engine would cause more damage to the pump we shut down the port engine and I attempted to disengage the entire pump from the engine. I could not do so. We ran on one engine for about an hour and talked about the options. Just as this was going on we got alarms from the starboard engine about exhaust temperature. Everything seemed to be normal and we decided to start both engines and continue down the river at a slow pace. Once at Bobby's Fish Camp I spent hours on the phone with ABT and Wade our yacht services guy from Michigan. We determined that our situation may not be as bad as the starboard pump but things were not looking good. I spent about an hour in the hot engine room blasting set screws with torches and resetting speed sensor rings. All of the mechanics seemed to be working fine again. I fired the engine and got a good healthy thrust from the bow thruster for about a second and it stopped. After a few more hours on the phone we are still not sure what the problem is but are hopeful that it is not nearly as severe as the starboard pump situation. We are going to continue to run until we can get to a port where supplies and mechanics can come and go as needed.
On another note Bruce saw a 6-8 foot alligator on the river banks today and Bobby's Fish Camp is another cool spot in the middle of no where. There are a few other boats here and it was nice to have conversation and a beer with everyone. Apparently there is a chance of waking up tomorrow morning to alligators sun bathing on the dock. Tomorrow we will make the final push to Mobile Bay and finally reach the gulf. I shouldn't say finally because we will be getting there in two weeks time from Chicago if all goes well. The owner of the boat has granted us a few days off in Panama City to have "some fun in the sun" if we wish to take it, and we may just take him up on his offer. From there we will probably cross directly to Sarasota if the seas and the weather permit.
I promise to get some photos up soon.
Sound Waves Out
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Day 17: A new Record
DEMOPOLIS, ALABAMA USA
Another fog delay this morning put us out of Aberdeen at 0730. The plan the night before was to reach for Demopolis. That goal already seemed to be gone. The first lock was waiting for us, the second was waiting for us, the third and the fourth did the same. We got to our original plan B spot at around 1300. Well geez, we just made awesome time and ....well guys....Demopolis is reachable. We set another awesome rhythm with a 74' Viking "Texas Tea" and started burning through miles. The lines are set, the fuel tanks are full, the holding tank is empty, the shore power plugged in and the drinks are cold, all before 1900. A record day for the crew, 146 miles and four locks. We have been so automatic the last three days we have surprised ourselves. We finally put a face to a voice as the two couples on "Texas Tea" welcomed us to the dock. It was quite an interesting situation. First the dockmaster tried to put us in front of Texas Tea, not enough water. So I came back out flipped the boat around and we tried to go stern to stern, too tight of a turn. I eventually had to go back out in to the channel and back all the way in to the marina. We now sit a foot and a half away from the platform on Texas Tea, and we are tucked in tight for the night. Speaking of tucked in...I'm beat. It may be time for bed!
Sound Waves Out.
Another fog delay this morning put us out of Aberdeen at 0730. The plan the night before was to reach for Demopolis. That goal already seemed to be gone. The first lock was waiting for us, the second was waiting for us, the third and the fourth did the same. We got to our original plan B spot at around 1300. Well geez, we just made awesome time and ....well guys....Demopolis is reachable. We set another awesome rhythm with a 74' Viking "Texas Tea" and started burning through miles. The lines are set, the fuel tanks are full, the holding tank is empty, the shore power plugged in and the drinks are cold, all before 1900. A record day for the crew, 146 miles and four locks. We have been so automatic the last three days we have surprised ourselves. We finally put a face to a voice as the two couples on "Texas Tea" welcomed us to the dock. It was quite an interesting situation. First the dockmaster tried to put us in front of Texas Tea, not enough water. So I came back out flipped the boat around and we tried to go stern to stern, too tight of a turn. I eventually had to go back out in to the channel and back all the way in to the marina. We now sit a foot and a half away from the platform on Texas Tea, and we are tucked in tight for the night. Speaking of tucked in...I'm beat. It may be time for bed!
Sound Waves Out.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Day 16: Baby I got the Blues!
ABERDEEN, MS
Lets start with this... Fog delay until 0920, Seven Locks, Saturday afternoon fishermen everywhere, ........still 92 miles!
We left the dock this morning after waiting for the thickest fog I've ever seen to lift. A 75' Viking motor yacht was just out in front of us. We got in to our first lock which was an 84' drop...amazing! Pictures to come soon. A little present from Sound Waves sealed our fate for the rest of the day. All six locks for the rest of the day had their doors open and waiting for us. They all received a little gift as well, the word was out and the river was open. We blew by our planned stop just after noon and couldn't stop. We followed our partner "Texas Tea" all the way to an anchorage near Aberdeen. It was shallow coming in to the channel, but a little bit of mud never hurt, especially when you have another 75' boat that draws 6' to dredge the channel for you first. To our surprise there is this blues festival going on right on shore. I don't see a town, I don't see a building, I don't even know if they have out houses up there...but they are rockin'. Who would have thought that we would run in to this blues festival literally in the middle of now where on the river bank somewhere in Mississippi. Welcome to the south...time to go rock a lil!!!
Sound Waves Out
Lets start with this... Fog delay until 0920, Seven Locks, Saturday afternoon fishermen everywhere, ........still 92 miles!
We left the dock this morning after waiting for the thickest fog I've ever seen to lift. A 75' Viking motor yacht was just out in front of us. We got in to our first lock which was an 84' drop...amazing! Pictures to come soon. A little present from Sound Waves sealed our fate for the rest of the day. All six locks for the rest of the day had their doors open and waiting for us. They all received a little gift as well, the word was out and the river was open. We blew by our planned stop just after noon and couldn't stop. We followed our partner "Texas Tea" all the way to an anchorage near Aberdeen. It was shallow coming in to the channel, but a little bit of mud never hurt, especially when you have another 75' boat that draws 6' to dredge the channel for you first. To our surprise there is this blues festival going on right on shore. I don't see a town, I don't see a building, I don't even know if they have out houses up there...but they are rockin'. Who would have thought that we would run in to this blues festival literally in the middle of now where on the river bank somewhere in Mississippi. Welcome to the south...time to go rock a lil!!!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, October 15, 2010
Day 15: Another Big Decision
GRAND HARBOR MARINA, TENNESSEE
The night before I talked with Brady, the captain of Mr. Chips, and told him that we would be leaving him in the morning. He needed to slow down for certain reasons and we already had received clearance to continue south with our journey. We talked for an extended amount of time about why we should stick together and why making a 120 mile jump was not a good idea. I thought about the pros and the cons, looked over the charts again and again, discussed all of the above with my crew and we went to bed. The next morning I woke up expecting fog. It was clear as can be. With the final factor set we decided that it was time to leave Mr. Chips. It was a hard decision. Brady has made this trip so easy for us. He has been down this river before. He knows the ins and the outs and all of the fun places, and the right places to stop. Not to mention Mark, Brady's crew, and Brady have been great company and are two people I now consider my good friends. Especially Brady after spending an entire summer with him. Regardless, we could not justify putting together three days of 50-60 mile legs. It was time to push forward. We left the dock with out him and for the first time saw the river ahead without the safety blanket of Mr. Chips in front of us. The day went well and we made great time. We didn't expect to make it to Grand Harbor by night fall but we shut off the engines just before 1800, just in time for happy hour. So for today, leaving Mr. Chips was the right decision, but as I talked about two posts ago I needed to make sure that everything I do is spot on. We will find out. The harbor master suggested we check out a place called Freddy T's tonight as it has great food...and its Friday. So with that being said it is time for me to hop in the shower. With Mobile Bay only 450 miles away I can already smell the salt water. The problem is that there are a lot of locks still in between us and that salt water.
Sound Waves Out
The night before I talked with Brady, the captain of Mr. Chips, and told him that we would be leaving him in the morning. He needed to slow down for certain reasons and we already had received clearance to continue south with our journey. We talked for an extended amount of time about why we should stick together and why making a 120 mile jump was not a good idea. I thought about the pros and the cons, looked over the charts again and again, discussed all of the above with my crew and we went to bed. The next morning I woke up expecting fog. It was clear as can be. With the final factor set we decided that it was time to leave Mr. Chips. It was a hard decision. Brady has made this trip so easy for us. He has been down this river before. He knows the ins and the outs and all of the fun places, and the right places to stop. Not to mention Mark, Brady's crew, and Brady have been great company and are two people I now consider my good friends. Especially Brady after spending an entire summer with him. Regardless, we could not justify putting together three days of 50-60 mile legs. It was time to push forward. We left the dock with out him and for the first time saw the river ahead without the safety blanket of Mr. Chips in front of us. The day went well and we made great time. We didn't expect to make it to Grand Harbor by night fall but we shut off the engines just before 1800, just in time for happy hour. So for today, leaving Mr. Chips was the right decision, but as I talked about two posts ago I needed to make sure that everything I do is spot on. We will find out. The harbor master suggested we check out a place called Freddy T's tonight as it has great food...and its Friday. So with that being said it is time for me to hop in the shower. With Mobile Bay only 450 miles away I can already smell the salt water. The problem is that there are a lot of locks still in between us and that salt water.
Sound Waves Out
Day 14: Fuel
PEBBLE ISLE MARINA, NOWHERE USA
Sorry for the delayed post but we didn't have internet last night. We left the dock in Green Turtle at day break, after a great dinner and great conversation at the Green Turtle Yacht Club the night before. It was business as usually and with only a 60 mile trip ahead of us we floated down the river. We got in to Pebble Isle in the early afternoon but our work was far from over. I had to wait for Mr. Chips to take fuel and then top off myself. All in all the day ended around 1700. We planned to have cocktails but never got the motivation. Duff made some great lasagna and after a movie I hit the hay, I was tired.
Sound Waves Out
Sorry for the delayed post but we didn't have internet last night. We left the dock in Green Turtle at day break, after a great dinner and great conversation at the Green Turtle Yacht Club the night before. It was business as usually and with only a 60 mile trip ahead of us we floated down the river. We got in to Pebble Isle in the early afternoon but our work was far from over. I had to wait for Mr. Chips to take fuel and then top off myself. All in all the day ended around 1700. We planned to have cocktails but never got the motivation. Duff made some great lasagna and after a movie I hit the hay, I was tired.
Sound Waves Out
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Day 13: A day of rest
GREEN TURTLE RESORT, GRAND RIVERS, KY
After a late arrival last night it proved to be to our advantage to take today to provision, wash the boat, check over the engines and generators and relax a little... yes relax.
I slept in until 0800 got up walked around and laid back down until 0900. We couldn't get the rental car until 1000 so I mean c'mon. I had been up at 0500 for the last week I deserved it a little bit :-)
We went to a huge grocery store, supercenter Walmart, and stocked up for hopefully the rest of the trip. Dan Duffy is a great cook and I simply set him loose in the store. While we were gone Bruce said that he would start washing the boat. Well he washed the whole thing, good man. Chores have been getting done throughout the day and we will be ready to start fresh again tomorrow; clean boat, fresh crew, tons of food.
While many have done this trip before, and many will continue to, I sit back and realize what I am doing and yeah, its a big accomplishment for me. I looked at the charts today and zoomed out so I could see our track starting from Chicago. That was pretty sweet, over 600 miles so far in a week. The crew hit a rhythm on day one and we haven't looked back. I tried to help set fenders for a lock yesterday and I just got in the way. Everyone has fallen in to their place and no one is giving orders to anyone. I thought that last summer working on Bonita made me grow up as a person, but that doesn't even compare now. My mind is clear out here and it has to be. I don't have someone to catch me if I make a bad decision. And while that last statement is not entirely, literally true being that I have a great crew, the point is that I have this huge responsibility and I can't let other peoples needs, peer pressure, feelings, or impulses influence what I do. Every decision has to be spot on, and while it has put some stress on me at times it has made me feel like a better person. I said it in my "Day 4" post and I will say it again...Time to Grow up. I am so excited for the next thing. Thing is the best word I have, because I have no idea what it is.
Sound Waves Out
After a late arrival last night it proved to be to our advantage to take today to provision, wash the boat, check over the engines and generators and relax a little... yes relax.
I slept in until 0800 got up walked around and laid back down until 0900. We couldn't get the rental car until 1000 so I mean c'mon. I had been up at 0500 for the last week I deserved it a little bit :-)
We went to a huge grocery store, supercenter Walmart, and stocked up for hopefully the rest of the trip. Dan Duffy is a great cook and I simply set him loose in the store. While we were gone Bruce said that he would start washing the boat. Well he washed the whole thing, good man. Chores have been getting done throughout the day and we will be ready to start fresh again tomorrow; clean boat, fresh crew, tons of food.
While many have done this trip before, and many will continue to, I sit back and realize what I am doing and yeah, its a big accomplishment for me. I looked at the charts today and zoomed out so I could see our track starting from Chicago. That was pretty sweet, over 600 miles so far in a week. The crew hit a rhythm on day one and we haven't looked back. I tried to help set fenders for a lock yesterday and I just got in the way. Everyone has fallen in to their place and no one is giving orders to anyone. I thought that last summer working on Bonita made me grow up as a person, but that doesn't even compare now. My mind is clear out here and it has to be. I don't have someone to catch me if I make a bad decision. And while that last statement is not entirely, literally true being that I have a great crew, the point is that I have this huge responsibility and I can't let other peoples needs, peer pressure, feelings, or impulses influence what I do. Every decision has to be spot on, and while it has put some stress on me at times it has made me feel like a better person. I said it in my "Day 4" post and I will say it again...Time to Grow up. I am so excited for the next thing. Thing is the best word I have, because I have no idea what it is.
Sound Waves Out
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Day 12: 16 Hours of boating
GREEN TURTLE MARINE: GRAND RIVERS, KY
HOLY S#!T! We left this morning business as usual. Some clouds in the sky with the raging Mississippi waiting for us just outside our small haven from the night before. The Mississippi went by fast as usual and besides a few thuds on the hull from branches and debris we couldn't see due to it being just under the water we made out fine on the Miss. A tight left turn on to the Ohio River put us in an upstream battle for the next few hours. Thank God the Ohio isn't as strong as the Mississippi, at least right now. One of the two locks we had to get through on the Ohio was under water and we only waited about 45 min. for the other lock. Just like that we turned to starboard, off of the Ohio River, and on to the Tennessee River. For the first time this trip the great state of Illinois was not claiming one of our river banks on either side of us. Only six miles from our stop for the night we were presented with the Kentucky Lake Lock and Dam. All 53 feet of it. Just our luck we had a two hour wait. Being that we are getting used to waiting it was no big deal and we eventually got through. At this point it was pitch black as we motored out of the lock and in to Kentucky Lake. Lightning scattered from cloud to cloud across the sky and briefly lit our way up the lake. The wind picked up and it kept trying to rain, nothing serious though. A few miles up the lake took us to port and in to a small channel. The radar was on, the chartplotter was plotting, spot lights went on then back off and the entire pilot house was blacked out and red. Little flashing green dots were the guides. By the way this radar is awesome. While going up the channel I yelled, "to port to port!!! Blip on the radar!!!" A spotter on the bow with a spotlight indicated that we were simply passing by a dead fish in the water. The radar picked up a dead fish... It was a pretty intricate entrance in to the harbor mostly because it was pitch black and windy. Brady made it sound easy and said he always comes in to Green Turtle at night. It's easy I'm sure...when you've done it five times. Well if he wasn't in front of me and on the radio with me we may still be out there, hopefully afloat.
Tomorrow we plan to provision, wash the boat, give a good check in the engine and generator rooms and maybe get back on the river. It may be another night in Green Turtle though.
Sound Waves Out
HOLY S#!T! We left this morning business as usual. Some clouds in the sky with the raging Mississippi waiting for us just outside our small haven from the night before. The Mississippi went by fast as usual and besides a few thuds on the hull from branches and debris we couldn't see due to it being just under the water we made out fine on the Miss. A tight left turn on to the Ohio River put us in an upstream battle for the next few hours. Thank God the Ohio isn't as strong as the Mississippi, at least right now. One of the two locks we had to get through on the Ohio was under water and we only waited about 45 min. for the other lock. Just like that we turned to starboard, off of the Ohio River, and on to the Tennessee River. For the first time this trip the great state of Illinois was not claiming one of our river banks on either side of us. Only six miles from our stop for the night we were presented with the Kentucky Lake Lock and Dam. All 53 feet of it. Just our luck we had a two hour wait. Being that we are getting used to waiting it was no big deal and we eventually got through. At this point it was pitch black as we motored out of the lock and in to Kentucky Lake. Lightning scattered from cloud to cloud across the sky and briefly lit our way up the lake. The wind picked up and it kept trying to rain, nothing serious though. A few miles up the lake took us to port and in to a small channel. The radar was on, the chartplotter was plotting, spot lights went on then back off and the entire pilot house was blacked out and red. Little flashing green dots were the guides. By the way this radar is awesome. While going up the channel I yelled, "to port to port!!! Blip on the radar!!!" A spotter on the bow with a spotlight indicated that we were simply passing by a dead fish in the water. The radar picked up a dead fish... It was a pretty intricate entrance in to the harbor mostly because it was pitch black and windy. Brady made it sound easy and said he always comes in to Green Turtle at night. It's easy I'm sure...when you've done it five times. Well if he wasn't in front of me and on the radio with me we may still be out there, hopefully afloat.
Tomorrow we plan to provision, wash the boat, give a good check in the engine and generator rooms and maybe get back on the river. It may be another night in Green Turtle though.
Sound Waves Out
Monday, October 11, 2010
Day 11: Middle of Nowhere
LITTLE RIVER DIVERSION CHANNEL (WELL SOUTH OF CAPE GIRARDEAU), MO
Another good day, lots of miles, and not too long underway. With a 4-5 knot following current all day I'd say we made pretty good time. It was a boring day, no locks, not much traffic, just woods, no fishing boats, nothing...perfect lets burn some miles!
Our anchorage tonight is tucked in this tiny little side creek and it seems to be a very popular place. We are joined by five other boats and a canoe...yes the kind you paddle. We got in fairly early, for once, and rafted off with Mr. Chips. We did a few projects on board, got everything cleaned up and then did the most logical thing to do at the time...went fishing. We didn't catch a thing. Duff and Bruce went back and forth on the guitar for awhile and Brady made us a great dinner. After watching a little bit of tv it is well past my bed time at 8:30 PM. Another first light departure tomorrow will take us south through the Mississippi before turning upstream on the Ohio river for about 50 miles then turning south on the Tennessee River. Two of the slowest locks come tomorrow as well............great.
Sound Waves Out.
Another good day, lots of miles, and not too long underway. With a 4-5 knot following current all day I'd say we made pretty good time. It was a boring day, no locks, not much traffic, just woods, no fishing boats, nothing...perfect lets burn some miles!
Our anchorage tonight is tucked in this tiny little side creek and it seems to be a very popular place. We are joined by five other boats and a canoe...yes the kind you paddle. We got in fairly early, for once, and rafted off with Mr. Chips. We did a few projects on board, got everything cleaned up and then did the most logical thing to do at the time...went fishing. We didn't catch a thing. Duff and Bruce went back and forth on the guitar for awhile and Brady made us a great dinner. After watching a little bit of tv it is well past my bed time at 8:30 PM. Another first light departure tomorrow will take us south through the Mississippi before turning upstream on the Ohio river for about 50 miles then turning south on the Tennessee River. Two of the slowest locks come tomorrow as well............great.
Sound Waves Out.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Day 10: St. Louis....Hoppies
KIMMSWICK, MISSOURI USA
Grafton proved to be a fun time on Saturday night and besides being the first time we have gotten in before dark so far this trip, we were also able to enjoy the town and the remainder of the afternoon. Today we got on the river around 0800, the mighty Mississippi River. And boy was it mighty. We had about a 3-4 knot following current the entire day. It was great to be running 600-800 rpm's and see 10-14 knots SOG. At around noon we passed through St. Louis, MO. The arch thing was pretty cool and it was weird to see big buildings after all of these woods and country haha. It was another hot one as the high in St. Louis was 84. I got a little sun burned! The weather forecast looks great for the next ten days with only a 40% chance of rain on one day. We are staying at Hoppies in Kimmswick, MO which is absolutely awesome! The marina is like an old barge on the side of the river that was converted to a dock back in the 30's. The people here are so nice and a trip in to town takes you back in time. I love how friendly everyone is and the pace of life is just my type...niiiiice and slooow. Everyone says I must miss Chicago but I tell them that Chicago is always hussle hussle and while it is a great town I love places like Hoppies. Tomorrow will be another 100 mile day on the Mississippi, but with no more locks for two days and a following current we should make really good time and save a whole bunch of fuel.
Here are some pictures from the last few days:
Rocks just south of Grafton on the Mississippi River:
One of the many tugs that we must avoid (4 loads wide, 4-5 loads deep)
The dock/barge that is famously known as Hoppies. Kimmswick, MO
The local bar/hang out/not sure exactly at the end of the dock/barge at Hoppies
Mr. Chips in some thick fog. Early AM waiting for Starved Rock Lock.
St Louis, MO. Mr. Chips leadin' the way.
Mr. Chips early sunrise north of Starved Rock.
Yours truly workin' on the tan and my river beard. St Louis, MO
Grafton proved to be a fun time on Saturday night and besides being the first time we have gotten in before dark so far this trip, we were also able to enjoy the town and the remainder of the afternoon. Today we got on the river around 0800, the mighty Mississippi River. And boy was it mighty. We had about a 3-4 knot following current the entire day. It was great to be running 600-800 rpm's and see 10-14 knots SOG. At around noon we passed through St. Louis, MO. The arch thing was pretty cool and it was weird to see big buildings after all of these woods and country haha. It was another hot one as the high in St. Louis was 84. I got a little sun burned! The weather forecast looks great for the next ten days with only a 40% chance of rain on one day. We are staying at Hoppies in Kimmswick, MO which is absolutely awesome! The marina is like an old barge on the side of the river that was converted to a dock back in the 30's. The people here are so nice and a trip in to town takes you back in time. I love how friendly everyone is and the pace of life is just my type...niiiiice and slooow. Everyone says I must miss Chicago but I tell them that Chicago is always hussle hussle and while it is a great town I love places like Hoppies. Tomorrow will be another 100 mile day on the Mississippi, but with no more locks for two days and a following current we should make really good time and save a whole bunch of fuel.
Here are some pictures from the last few days:
Rocks just south of Grafton on the Mississippi River:
One of the many tugs that we must avoid (4 loads wide, 4-5 loads deep)
The dock/barge that is famously known as Hoppies. Kimmswick, MO
St Louis, MO. Mr. Chips leadin' the way.
Mr. Chips early sunrise north of Starved Rock.
Yours truly workin' on the tan and my river beard. St Louis, MO
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Day 9: Grafton, IL and a taste of the Mississippi
GRAFTON, IL USA
Another awesome day...122 miles! And this time we got in before dark. We had one lock today and the doors were open when we pulled up, perfect timing. I was up at 0530 and i felt like crap. My ears and nose were about to explode, and I couldn't swallow my own spit. I had to get up though. We weighed anchor around 0615 and were back in the channel by 0630. It was another awesome day. I haven't seen a cloud since I left Chicago and today it was hot! I would say around 80. It was business as usual, pizza for lunch and a big Spartan victory over unbeaten UofM.
We were only a mile or so away from the harbor when I saw Mr. Chips get tossed sideways ahead of me. What the heck? Then I saw it. The first cut between an island that came from the mighty Mississippi River. Wow was that current moving fast! We came up to Grafton Marina and the turn to get in to the harbor was right in the strong current. I took it slow, turned in the middle of the river, stayed even with the harbor entrance as best I could and let the current slowly walk the boat over to the entrance. Our slip was just inside the wall and as I was coming in, my bow was out of the current but the stern was still in the current. This got my attention and threw me off a little bit but I took everything slow and was able to get to the dock alright. It was cool to finally feel a really strong current under the boat and feel the boat respond to different actions from me and the current.
The most important part of today is that we are exactly where we wanted to be, today. We lost an entire day right off the bat and I am proud to say that over the past two days we have made it up and are right back on track! Go crew! Tomorrow we hit the mighty Mississippi River and head south through St. Louis! For now its time to have a little bit of fun in ole Grafton Illinois!
Sound Waves Out
Another awesome day...122 miles! And this time we got in before dark. We had one lock today and the doors were open when we pulled up, perfect timing. I was up at 0530 and i felt like crap. My ears and nose were about to explode, and I couldn't swallow my own spit. I had to get up though. We weighed anchor around 0615 and were back in the channel by 0630. It was another awesome day. I haven't seen a cloud since I left Chicago and today it was hot! I would say around 80. It was business as usual, pizza for lunch and a big Spartan victory over unbeaten UofM.
We were only a mile or so away from the harbor when I saw Mr. Chips get tossed sideways ahead of me. What the heck? Then I saw it. The first cut between an island that came from the mighty Mississippi River. Wow was that current moving fast! We came up to Grafton Marina and the turn to get in to the harbor was right in the strong current. I took it slow, turned in the middle of the river, stayed even with the harbor entrance as best I could and let the current slowly walk the boat over to the entrance. Our slip was just inside the wall and as I was coming in, my bow was out of the current but the stern was still in the current. This got my attention and threw me off a little bit but I took everything slow and was able to get to the dock alright. It was cool to finally feel a really strong current under the boat and feel the boat respond to different actions from me and the current.
The most important part of today is that we are exactly where we wanted to be, today. We lost an entire day right off the bat and I am proud to say that over the past two days we have made it up and are right back on track! Go crew! Tomorrow we hit the mighty Mississippi River and head south through St. Louis! For now its time to have a little bit of fun in ole Grafton Illinois!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, October 8, 2010
Day 8: 118 miles!
QUIVER ISLAND, IL USA
Finally a long day that consisted of more than just waiting. I was up at 0500 this morning and it was still real dark. We fired the engines around 0525 and were off the dock shortly after. A few miles down the river we hit our first of two locks for the day. A double cut down bound was just entering the lock...great. Here we go again, another two hour wait and this time it was foggy. The lock through went pretty quick though and we were on our way. We have been seeing a lot of white pelicans and a lot of asian carp. Those fish are crazy!
We hit Peoria, IL around 1500 and had to make a decision whether to stop or continue on 40 more miles. We called the lock, they were almost ready to take a downbound lock, so we took it. We ran hard when we could and did our best to save fuel. We motored up behind Quiver Island just after dark on mile marker 121. Tomorrow we are hoping to be at the mouth of the Mississippi River. I caught the crud and am in desperate need of a good nights rest. Brady is making everyone pizza tonight. After that i'm going straight to bed.
Sound Waves Out
Finally a long day that consisted of more than just waiting. I was up at 0500 this morning and it was still real dark. We fired the engines around 0525 and were off the dock shortly after. A few miles down the river we hit our first of two locks for the day. A double cut down bound was just entering the lock...great. Here we go again, another two hour wait and this time it was foggy. The lock through went pretty quick though and we were on our way. We have been seeing a lot of white pelicans and a lot of asian carp. Those fish are crazy!
We hit Peoria, IL around 1500 and had to make a decision whether to stop or continue on 40 more miles. We called the lock, they were almost ready to take a downbound lock, so we took it. We ran hard when we could and did our best to save fuel. We motored up behind Quiver Island just after dark on mile marker 121. Tomorrow we are hoping to be at the mouth of the Mississippi River. I caught the crud and am in desperate need of a good nights rest. Brady is making everyone pizza tonight. After that i'm going straight to bed.
Sound Waves Out
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Day 7: Another Slow day
OTTAWA, IL USA
Another discouraging day. 48.5 miles. After an hour long bridge hold up and a three hour lock hold up we are just past our planned first stop on the river, after two nights. Hopefully tomorrow is better otherwise we are never going to make it to Florida. There is a bit of a town here so we may go check it out for dinner. I'm really tired, up at 0600 and running all day in a hurry up and wait game took some energy out of me. Not much else to say other than we hope we can run some river tomorrow.
Mr. Chips Before the lock drains:
Mr. Chips after the lock drains: (38 foot drop. Pics of an 83' drop to come in a few weeks)
Sound Waves Out
Another discouraging day. 48.5 miles. After an hour long bridge hold up and a three hour lock hold up we are just past our planned first stop on the river, after two nights. Hopefully tomorrow is better otherwise we are never going to make it to Florida. There is a bit of a town here so we may go check it out for dinner. I'm really tired, up at 0600 and running all day in a hurry up and wait game took some energy out of me. Not much else to say other than we hope we can run some river tomorrow.
Mr. Chips Before the lock drains:
Sound Waves Out
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Day 6: The River!
JOILET, IL USA
Sun up to sun down....45 miles, night arrival in Joilet, damn. Otherwise it was a good first day. I was awake, staring at the ceiling, at 0530 this morning. I don't know why. Excitement? Not sure, my mind was probably racing. We got off the dock just before 0800 and headed for the river. Before we could even get in to the mouth of the river we passed two barges. Oh boy, this is going to be interesting. The first few miles went well, under the skyway and to the first lock. I forgot to mention that Brady may or may not have missed a turn at the Calumet turning basin (I didn't tell you that though). The first lock was a float through only about a foot drop. We got to the fish fence and found out they weren't going to let us through until 1700 because of work. We knew this already but were hoping that the workers might take a lunch break or something and let us through...nope. Four hours later the fence opened up and we were on our way. Not before a huge barge came through first though. He hugged the wall only inches away from the concrete. 200+ foot barge, two wide, inches from the wall. Amazing. Lockport lock was waiting and open for us. It was a 38 foot drop and getting dark. We had a few more bridges to get under until Joilet, and we had to wait. It was now dark. It wasn't a huge deal but wasn't very encouraging when we closed the log at 45 miles on the day with a 12 hour day. Duff cooked up some killer sloppy joes and some mac n' cheese. We invited the Mr. Chips crew over for dinner as well. The guitar is out, and everyone on board can play, and much better than me. It should be an early night, and another early morning!
Sound Waves out
Sun up to sun down....45 miles, night arrival in Joilet, damn. Otherwise it was a good first day. I was awake, staring at the ceiling, at 0530 this morning. I don't know why. Excitement? Not sure, my mind was probably racing. We got off the dock just before 0800 and headed for the river. Before we could even get in to the mouth of the river we passed two barges. Oh boy, this is going to be interesting. The first few miles went well, under the skyway and to the first lock. I forgot to mention that Brady may or may not have missed a turn at the Calumet turning basin (I didn't tell you that though). The first lock was a float through only about a foot drop. We got to the fish fence and found out they weren't going to let us through until 1700 because of work. We knew this already but were hoping that the workers might take a lunch break or something and let us through...nope. Four hours later the fence opened up and we were on our way. Not before a huge barge came through first though. He hugged the wall only inches away from the concrete. 200+ foot barge, two wide, inches from the wall. Amazing. Lockport lock was waiting and open for us. It was a 38 foot drop and getting dark. We had a few more bridges to get under until Joilet, and we had to wait. It was now dark. It wasn't a huge deal but wasn't very encouraging when we closed the log at 45 miles on the day with a 12 hour day. Duff cooked up some killer sloppy joes and some mac n' cheese. We invited the Mr. Chips crew over for dinner as well. The guitar is out, and everyone on board can play, and much better than me. It should be an early night, and another early morning!
Sound Waves out
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Day 5: First Leg, fuel, cocktails
HAMMOND, IN USA
Well we did it. All 10.8 nautical miles of it. 1,000 gallons of diesel later at the Hammond Fuel dock and we are here, locked and loaded. I woke up this morning and couldn't believe that the day had actually arrived. I drove out to Oak Lawn to pick up Dan, which took about 40 min one way, and got back to the boat. Bruce had just gotten in on the train and it was a perfect day. Bruce and I did a walk around and he reminded me of everything I may have forgotten, which was great because I had an answer for almost everything...I think. It was great to have Bruce walk the boat and the engine rooms with me though honestly. We fired the engines, let them warm up, took our time and made sure everything was right then tossed the lines around 1230. It was time to go. We got to Hammond only a short time later and took on fuel. After getting set up at our slip we had a beer with the Mr. Chips bunch, Brady and Mark. We helped them drop their radar arch and they did the same for us. We have a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of around 20 feet tomorrow, so we have to duck. We already got yelled at for playing the music too loud. "I don't care where you are from you don't do that here." ....I mean the boat is called Sound Waves right? We just wanted to make sure it could live up to its reputation. Well the 12,000 watts and 32 speakers on the fly bridge ALONE live up to the name...to say the least. Everyone is working hard and it is great to have such great crew on board with me. Tomorrow we hope to get off the dock fairly early, until then off to dinner and a little gambling at the Horseshoe Casino!
Sound Waves Out
Well we did it. All 10.8 nautical miles of it. 1,000 gallons of diesel later at the Hammond Fuel dock and we are here, locked and loaded. I woke up this morning and couldn't believe that the day had actually arrived. I drove out to Oak Lawn to pick up Dan, which took about 40 min one way, and got back to the boat. Bruce had just gotten in on the train and it was a perfect day. Bruce and I did a walk around and he reminded me of everything I may have forgotten, which was great because I had an answer for almost everything...I think. It was great to have Bruce walk the boat and the engine rooms with me though honestly. We fired the engines, let them warm up, took our time and made sure everything was right then tossed the lines around 1230. It was time to go. We got to Hammond only a short time later and took on fuel. After getting set up at our slip we had a beer with the Mr. Chips bunch, Brady and Mark. We helped them drop their radar arch and they did the same for us. We have a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of around 20 feet tomorrow, so we have to duck. We already got yelled at for playing the music too loud. "I don't care where you are from you don't do that here." ....I mean the boat is called Sound Waves right? We just wanted to make sure it could live up to its reputation. Well the 12,000 watts and 32 speakers on the fly bridge ALONE live up to the name...to say the least. Everyone is working hard and it is great to have such great crew on board with me. Tomorrow we hope to get off the dock fairly early, until then off to dinner and a little gambling at the Horseshoe Casino!
Sound Waves Out
Monday, October 4, 2010
Day 4: The final preparation
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS USA
Well this is it. Tomorrow we leave for Hammond to fuel. Let the trip begin. It was a pretty casual day. The last few days have been I guess. While there was a lot to do we had a good group to distribute the work load which made life a lot simpler. The owner of Sound Waves came down today and made sure that our to-do list stay plenty full while on the river...there is always something to do on a boat. I guess I don't really know what to expect. I am in charge...I guess. While one of the crew members, Duffy, knows the inside and out of this boat and has fixed everything that has gone wrong with it over the past few years, I don't think he has done much boating. On the other hand Bruce is a licensed 100 ton captain and has been doing this for years. It is a great group don't get me wrong I am super excited. I'm not worried about the group at all, I'm worried about me (don't tell my crew or the owner that (even though they will probably all read this eventually hah)). There is a huge amount of responsibility on my shoulders. No matter what happens, when it happens, who it happens to who, etc... I'm in charge and ultimately responsible. S#!t. I guess you could say this is a huge step for me, and while it is going to be a great experience, it is going to test me as a person and as a leader. I have someones biggest investment of their life in my hands and it is my duty to deliver it under bridges through locks over logs past shoals and maybe a few alligators and in to Florida without getting a scratch on it. I'm not nervous, I'm not scared. Yes there is always respect for the seas. This is going to be something I will never forget that is for sure, but am I ready? I called Bruce today and he answered "Hello Captain Eric what can I do for you sir?". Time to grow up.
On another note I bowled a 150 tonight with Jessie! See ya in the morning!
Sound Waves Out
Well this is it. Tomorrow we leave for Hammond to fuel. Let the trip begin. It was a pretty casual day. The last few days have been I guess. While there was a lot to do we had a good group to distribute the work load which made life a lot simpler. The owner of Sound Waves came down today and made sure that our to-do list stay plenty full while on the river...there is always something to do on a boat. I guess I don't really know what to expect. I am in charge...I guess. While one of the crew members, Duffy, knows the inside and out of this boat and has fixed everything that has gone wrong with it over the past few years, I don't think he has done much boating. On the other hand Bruce is a licensed 100 ton captain and has been doing this for years. It is a great group don't get me wrong I am super excited. I'm not worried about the group at all, I'm worried about me (don't tell my crew or the owner that (even though they will probably all read this eventually hah)). There is a huge amount of responsibility on my shoulders. No matter what happens, when it happens, who it happens to who, etc... I'm in charge and ultimately responsible. S#!t. I guess you could say this is a huge step for me, and while it is going to be a great experience, it is going to test me as a person and as a leader. I have someones biggest investment of their life in my hands and it is my duty to deliver it under bridges through locks over logs past shoals and maybe a few alligators and in to Florida without getting a scratch on it. I'm not nervous, I'm not scared. Yes there is always respect for the seas. This is going to be something I will never forget that is for sure, but am I ready? I called Bruce today and he answered "Hello Captain Eric what can I do for you sir?". Time to grow up.
On another note I bowled a 150 tonight with Jessie! See ya in the morning!
Sound Waves Out
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Day 3: Organize and Relax
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS USA
My last Saturday in Chicago for awhile was a fun one. Some friends met up in Wrigleyville and it was another great night in Chicago, what a fun town. Today was a fairly lazy day, especially when it came to boating. I did go down to the boat and organized my quarters as well as a little bit around the boat. I can say that I am finally moved in to Sound Waves, as before it was a lot of stuff just thrown in the room. You can definitely feel fall around here but today was one of those pleasant fall days so it was nice. The leaves are just starting to show some color and while I hope to follow the color down the river I think we will be just ahead of the color change. The owner of the boat is coming down tomorrow for one last visit and to finish up any last minute tasks. Bruce, one of the crewmembers, is taking the train from Holland to Chicago on Tuesday morning and as of this post we are on schedule to pull back from the docks at 1100 on Tuesday morning. We are only going to Hammond to fuel and won't be on the rivers until Wednesday. Things are really going to start heating up soon!...Maybe not the weather though, that'll be a few weeks yet.
Sound Waves Out
My last Saturday in Chicago for awhile was a fun one. Some friends met up in Wrigleyville and it was another great night in Chicago, what a fun town. Today was a fairly lazy day, especially when it came to boating. I did go down to the boat and organized my quarters as well as a little bit around the boat. I can say that I am finally moved in to Sound Waves, as before it was a lot of stuff just thrown in the room. You can definitely feel fall around here but today was one of those pleasant fall days so it was nice. The leaves are just starting to show some color and while I hope to follow the color down the river I think we will be just ahead of the color change. The owner of the boat is coming down tomorrow for one last visit and to finish up any last minute tasks. Bruce, one of the crewmembers, is taking the train from Holland to Chicago on Tuesday morning and as of this post we are on schedule to pull back from the docks at 1100 on Tuesday morning. We are only going to Hammond to fuel and won't be on the rivers until Wednesday. Things are really going to start heating up soon!...Maybe not the weather though, that'll be a few weeks yet.
Sound Waves Out
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Day 2: Thruster Repair
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS USA
Last night one of my college friends, Dan, invited me over to see his new apartment and catch dinner. He had a really nice place and it was great to see some friends before I leave for the winter. I couldn't stay out late though because I had to be at the boat at 0800 today. I woke up to wind pounding on the windows, desperately trying to get in to the warm apartment and away from the awful, cold morning. Outside low gray, gloomy clouds were racing across the sky and the cold north wind ripped right through my clothing and brought a chill to my bones. What a nasty day! There were signs of rain on the pavement as I drove south down lakeshore drive and I could see that Lake Michigan was riled up and quite crabby this morning as waves crashed over the break wall that protected the party cove Chicago knows as the play pen. There were no parties going on this morning. The sun was trying to shine through on the eastern horizon but massive rain squalls were doing their part to keep the day as gloomy as possible. I met Wade, our yacht services guy, at the gate and got inside the boat as quickly as possible. Today was one of those days to crawl in to a hole put on a movie...any movie, even a chick flick for all I care, and waste the day away. Instead, we crawled in to a hole in the engine room and got to work. Wade made quick work of the bad hydraulic thruster pump. With the pump now safely disengaged we would be able to run the boat and use the thrusters on just the port side pump. We decided that even though it is super annoying that we would leave the alarm engaged. It is also the alarm for low oil pressure and low fluid levels, so while the faulty alarm will be driving me crazy while docking and in the locks, it will be a safe move to leave it engaged. We didn't mess much with the selector switches and decided it would be best to wait until both pumps were healthy again before testing those. The thoughts were that the computer unit may be smart enough to not allow us to engage a pump if an alarm is going off. Goran, the electrician also stopped by to my surprise (not that he never shows up but just that I wasn't expecting him). We installed some stereo equipment and got the problem figured out with our electronic rudder indicator not responding. We are finally getting close to being ready to leave, and other than a provision we could leave today if we had to, minus the fact that Lake Michigan is wild right now. Duff has been doing great work painting some areas on the aft deck and everything looks brand new! I think with the weather the way it is today and the fact that the boat is in good order I will take the rest of the afternoon off and visit with some friends before leaving for the winter. Its starting to rain...hard, and the wind is ruthless! Time to turn the heat on in here!
Sound Waves Out
Last night one of my college friends, Dan, invited me over to see his new apartment and catch dinner. He had a really nice place and it was great to see some friends before I leave for the winter. I couldn't stay out late though because I had to be at the boat at 0800 today. I woke up to wind pounding on the windows, desperately trying to get in to the warm apartment and away from the awful, cold morning. Outside low gray, gloomy clouds were racing across the sky and the cold north wind ripped right through my clothing and brought a chill to my bones. What a nasty day! There were signs of rain on the pavement as I drove south down lakeshore drive and I could see that Lake Michigan was riled up and quite crabby this morning as waves crashed over the break wall that protected the party cove Chicago knows as the play pen. There were no parties going on this morning. The sun was trying to shine through on the eastern horizon but massive rain squalls were doing their part to keep the day as gloomy as possible. I met Wade, our yacht services guy, at the gate and got inside the boat as quickly as possible. Today was one of those days to crawl in to a hole put on a movie...any movie, even a chick flick for all I care, and waste the day away. Instead, we crawled in to a hole in the engine room and got to work. Wade made quick work of the bad hydraulic thruster pump. With the pump now safely disengaged we would be able to run the boat and use the thrusters on just the port side pump. We decided that even though it is super annoying that we would leave the alarm engaged. It is also the alarm for low oil pressure and low fluid levels, so while the faulty alarm will be driving me crazy while docking and in the locks, it will be a safe move to leave it engaged. We didn't mess much with the selector switches and decided it would be best to wait until both pumps were healthy again before testing those. The thoughts were that the computer unit may be smart enough to not allow us to engage a pump if an alarm is going off. Goran, the electrician also stopped by to my surprise (not that he never shows up but just that I wasn't expecting him). We installed some stereo equipment and got the problem figured out with our electronic rudder indicator not responding. We are finally getting close to being ready to leave, and other than a provision we could leave today if we had to, minus the fact that Lake Michigan is wild right now. Duff has been doing great work painting some areas on the aft deck and everything looks brand new! I think with the weather the way it is today and the fact that the boat is in good order I will take the rest of the afternoon off and visit with some friends before leaving for the winter. Its starting to rain...hard, and the wind is ruthless! Time to turn the heat on in here!
Sound Waves Out
Friday, October 1, 2010
Day 1...kind of
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS USA
The Start
I don't exactly know how to start my first entry. I debated keeping a private hand written journal but I felt as though I could express more detail if I wrote electronically. While it has already been a full summer of boating on the Great Lakes we will pick up on October 1. But first a quick recap of the summer 2010:
After an amazing life experience in the Caribbean islands last winter on a thirty four foot sailboat I came back to the states with less than a couple hundred dollars to my name. After some job searching I landed myself on an 87' private motor yacht in Chicago. What an awesome opportunity! I delivered the boat from Grand Haven, MI on May 19, 2010 to Chicago. After a six week trip up the Wisconsin coast of Lake Michigan, in to the North Channel of Canada and back down the west coast of Michigan to Chicago the summer was already flying by. With fall breathing down my neck I knew that the owner of the boat had no intentions of going south for the winter and that I would be out of a job and back to where I started last spring. The son of my owner also has a 74' Hatteras and asked if I would like to be his captain for the winter and run his boat south. After much thought I decided to take the job. Now I write to you only five days before our departure for Sarasota, FL.
What a hectic few weeks it has been! Until recently I was keeping track of two boats, as Bonita the 87' Cheoy Lee was not out of the water yet and Sound Waves the 74' Hatteras was in prep mode for the trip down the rivers to Mobile Bay, Alabama. I finally just got back from taking Bonita back to Grand Haven and getting her set for winter storage. I can focus on one boat again! Just our luck we have been having problems with Sound Waves. The hydraulic pump for bow thrusters on the starboard engine went out. Thank God we have two pumps and can still run off of the port side pump. It will be at least a month to get parts made and get the pumped fixed but it should not delay us in our trip down the river. Wade, our Yacht Services guy (www.slateryacht.com), is coming tomorrow to help disengage the bad pump and override all alarms. Brady, who is the captain on Mr. Chips, a 70' Neptunus came down last night and we messed around with the systems for awhile and got the alarms to turn off. Brady is also running the river with us. Being that I have yet to run the rivers it will be a huge help to have him with us.
I finally got my crew squared away for the river trip. Dan Duffy, who is Sound Waves boat hand in the summer and Bruce Brooks who was the Captain of Bad Influence II all summer here in Chicago. I look forward to my final weekend in Chicago but as the day gets closer can not help but wonder what's going to happen next?! With a still less than short pre-departure list it is time to get back to work. As this blog post comes to you a little scrambled it was a lot of catching up and I promise structure in the future!
Sound Waves Out
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)