Today would be a long day in which we covered 95 miles. While Terri and I were snug and warm in the pilot house we couldn’t help but think of the people that were not so blessed. Our boat design was paying off today. It was also the wet, damp, foggy diversion that kept me from getting bored. Tugs and Tows were plentiful. The Radar and AIS systems were both a welcome addition to our arsenal of navigation instruments as they both got a work out today. We also had something new to consider today, Weir Dams. We are told the US Army Corp of Engineers which is the organization responsible for the up keep of the river system has a plan to do away with all dredging in the future. They will accomplish this with the use of Wing Dams and Weir Dams. The Wing Dams are just that. Dams, that are strategically placed outside of the channel funneling water into the center of the channel therefore scouring the bottom of the main channel with the current and moving the silt on down the river. These Wing Dams are easy to spot and stay clear of. However the Weir Dams are essentially the same thing but they are below the surface and within the navigation channel. We are told that they are way below the surface and we need not worry about them. I do believe this as the Tows cross over the same ones that we do and their 10’ draft would have a lot more trouble than our 4’-7” draft. Another byproduct of the Weir Dams are the whirlpools and currents that can throw your boat off course in a matter of seconds. You try to steer around them but sometimes that is just not possible. All in all it was a good experience to undergo and a good test of your boat handling skills under adverse conditions.
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| LONG TRAINS |
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| LOOKS LIKE CANADA EH! |
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| MORE OF CANADA LOOK ALIKE |
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| RELAX!! |
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| ISLAND SO UNLIKE THE SURROUNDING GEOGRAPHY |
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| RAINY FOGGY DAY |
Our anchorage tonight would be a little river called Little Diversion Channel, which basically is just a river wide enough for about two boats but long enough for about a dozen. Spirit Dancer leads the charge into this little river and had to use full power to overcome the current upon entering the river. He did manage it and radioed back to me about his need for full power. This would be no problem for us as we could call upon 380 horses. After Bob entered the channel we started our approach but then it became apparent to me that he had stopped a little sooner than I had expected. This would have left me sort of in the raging river current of the Mississippi and sort of not. Again my Fighter Pilot reactions lol come into play and I decide to bail and come around for another pass thus giving Spirit Dancer more time to get up river and settled. I throttle up to about 90% and bring the wheel over to Starboard in order to abort my initial plan. We complete the emergency maneuver flawlessly so fast that the boat Duddon Pilot that travelling behind us thinks that we had trouble going up stream at the entrance to the little river. I hope I did not cause them any undue stress as they planned their own maneuver.
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| DEBRIS GATHERED AROUND ANCHOR CHAIN |
On the second approach there is no one to impede progress and I again enjoy the feeling of 380 horses under my thumb. Exhilarating I must say. There is a good healthy current of about 2 to 3 knots in the river and anchoring might be tricky if we don’t get a quick set on the anchor. Worry not says I to Terri, I did the research and the math before purchasing this new anchor. We set on first attempt and feel the telling tug that we have come to know as the difference between a good set and a not good set. The anchorage will be very full very soon and I feel lucky to have the spot we have. Spirit Dancer has the primo spot it appears as they are the most upstream boat and should not be bothered with any boats dragging anchor. Dragging anchor you say. One boat did just that while the captain had gone ashore to find a suitable place to allow the dog to complete its business. I am not exactly sure of the exact chain of events as this all happened downstream from us so I will not speculate. The outcome turned out fine as there were no injuries or damage, and no boats floated out into the Mississippi and its current. The day had been a long slog of almost 100 miles in less than ideal conditions. I fire up the generator and get the heaters going and Terri starts to warm up the Lasagna in the oven while I pop the cork on a very old bottle of Port. Terri smiles, the boat is warm, the anchor is set and I couldn’t be happier.
Goodnight.
Mark
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