Well, we're back on the bloggy thing. I know, I know, I've been a little slow on the postings, but it's been so much fun that there wasn't time!
10/22 We loaded our supplies and scooters and Crew, and we're on our way! Well, sort of. A 12:00 lift was scheduled for the bridge, but they kind of "misplaced" our request. After some scrambling, they found an operator to drive out and lift for us about 75 minutes late. Better than never! It was nice, though, they later called back and apologized. If that's our biggest problem, we'll have a great trip!
Approaching the last lift of the season ...
Leaving the docks ...
Goodbye and see you newt season ...
Past the new bridge construction ...
Our beginning Crew Amy (sorry about the pose)
And El Marko
Mark was so kind to help this spring, and here he is, again. Thanks, guys!
We made it to Red Wing for the first night and shoved off early the next day for Lacrosse.
Past Alma …
The Locks were kind to us and we made great time. Because I had to be back in Stillwater on Saturday morning, we rented a car and returned on Friday. Saturday found Brian and I driving back to Lacrosse and getting ready for the next morning. Paul was our sentry for a night and he kept all things ship-shape.
Great sunset at the Marina in Lacrosse …
10/25 We're off and running to Marquette. Sunrise ...
Towards Lock #8 ...
Brian has the multi-function glasses thing going ...
The ever-vigilant Crew ...
And down to the casino docks at Marquette ...
We had a great walkabout in a nice, warm sunshine. We checked out the local pub and wandered over to the casino for a little grub.
10/27 Another great day and some warm weather at Lock #11
Once again, we made great time on the locks. That gave Paul and I a little time for a run, then some discussion on the aft deck of the finer points of yachting on the Mighty Miss!
Club Chateau at the City Docks in Dubuque. These are relatively new docks constructed by a company that's being considered for our marina in Stillwater. They're very, very nice and it was a good opportunity to inspect them.
10/29 Down to Keokuk. We had a little generator issue and needed some parts, so we planned to stay an extra day to wait for them by mail. Of course, Robbie is the welcoming committee. Here he's doing the two things he loves (beer and equipment)…
I'm not sure if the Crew is considering alternative transportation?
We were lucky to be there on Halloween for the party at Keokuk Yacht Club. Here's us with our new crew …
11/1 We're off to another gorgeous morning. Heading for Louisiana, MO.
11/3 A ride through St Louis and down to the Lock at Kaskaskia, IL. There's a lock there that allows boaters to tie for the evening. It's a great spot and we made use of the warm weather to do a little cleaning …
11/6 Whew! We've put in some miles! We chugged all the way from Kaskaskia River to Paducah on Tuesday. That's about 160 miles. We got pretty lucky on the lock timing and were able to get through right away. That put us to the barge for the night at 9:00. Just in time for Randy's World Class Red Sauce and Paul's fine choice of red wine. Off early and down to Pebble isle Marina where we topped off the file tank and went into Tequila John's for dinner. It was pretty good and a $3.00 margarita to boot!
Here's the latest version of River cruising …
Thursday had us off the dock at 3:00AM. WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THIS?? Only a goofball would do this! Well, we did. We had to be up river to Aqua Yacht Harbor by 5:45 so we could do a Skype meeting. Yep, we made it!. 5:20 we were all tied up.
Along the way with a happy Crew …
Paul didn't want his daughter to see his "Boston Blackie" mustache, be we got it anyway …
Some of the local construction examples ...
A beautiful morning ...
A very confused captain ...
Once again, our crew has timed the lock just right. As we arrived, they were dropping the water ...
… and in we go ...
… and are very happy!
Out into Pickwick Lake ...
11/7 Another beautiful morning. The tree color is changing very nicely around here …
Brian's getting pretty ripped lifting these fenders …
9:00AM has us going into the biggest elevation change in a lock on the trip. It's the Jamie Whitten Lock, and we'll drop 84 feet before we continue south …
After that first big drop, we'll drop about 30 feet another 11 times. Many of these locks are pretty close to each other. Here's a shot of being in one lock, and seeing the next just ahead …
We had a great day with an early stop time. Here, the Lockmaster was kind enough to let us tie for the evening. It was a great spot!
11/8 Another easy day! We were out of the lock nice and early. That got us to Marina Cove early, too. That gave us time for a run, and a short drive to the local BBQ restaurant. Pretty good, it was! Early to bed for a great nights sleep.
11/9 A little delay waiting for a towboat to leave the lock kept us on the dock. The marina is so close to the lock that we could wait right there. Then, it was time to go and into the lock with a little fog …
Some beautiful scenery along the way …
We've been looking forward to stopping at Demopolis so we could see their new docks. We're familiar with the builder and it surely looks like they do a great job.
On our way to dinner, just as the sun is going down ...
And off we go …
11/10 Just a couple locks to go on this section. Of course, we had to wait for the last one to lock a towboat through. But, it was so nice and warm, we didn't care!
Of course, we gotta have a little fun along the way. Somebody blew the hen at poor Paul and about scared him half to death!
Brian surely loves to take the photos!
The view while we wait ...
Happy to be in the warm!
And out we go …
Our spot for a few hours …
11/11 About 100 miles to get to Mobile. The 14 Mile Bridge let's us know that we're getting close …
And towards the Mobile skyline …
A couple of the inhabitants …
11/13 We were going to be hauled out this morning, but the Polar Vortex thingy is not working for us.
Cold, rainy, windy …
So Brian does the chef magic for breakfast ...
Brrrr … after the front went through, it turned cold and windy. It appeared that today was going to be a washout, but just after lunch the staff decided that we'd get hauled out. Yahoo! I always get nervous at this process …
Friday brought temps right around 30 degrees and a very stiff wind. It surely got our attention when we're working outside. I had long undies, two pairs of socks and four layers on the top. I think I frostbit my fingers while taking off the props ...
Later, the sun warmed us up and it got a little better. Actually, good enough to be comfortable while working! Brian took off the aft zincs ...
And Randy doing some grinding under the anchor plates ...
Paul did some negotiating and got us the boatyard's lift. It made things so much easier and faster …
We took off the actors and also the stainless plates that protect the bow. They've been on there for a very long time. Brian did yeoman's work and crawled into the chain locker to use penetrating oil on the fasteners. We let him out after a little while …
Friday turned into a long, but productive day. We sure were happy to call it quits …
Over the next couple days, it gradually warmed up and was really quite pleasant. Paul and Brian really pitched in to help. I think they thought the incentive was dinner, drinks, and Trivial Pursuit over at the Mobile yacht club. (it was)
Paul, painting the anchors ...
And Brian, supervising Paul painting the anchors ...
And Randy, sanding away …
11/18 Today is the Coast Guard inspection. I ALWAYS get wiggy over this. There's a bit of preparation to take care of before they arrive. We need to remove all through-hull valves, clear spaces for inspection, clean up the engine room, and check all our paperwork. I usually go through the roof over this, but somehow, things seem to turn out. The Coast Guard will be at the vessel at 10:00AM, and sure enough, it was a little before 10:00. The job requires one inspector, but once again, we had five. (why does it take five??). Mom made her usual little round things with chocolate chips …
They went through the boat and found a few items to fix. Not bad, but anytime there's a deficiency, I don't like it! Here they are …
Now that we're finished with that, it's on to the next project. Paint, polishing, and buffing are on the docket.
We needed to spray primer ...
And top coat …
And keep everything clean with the vacuum …
And, whew … take a break!
Good thing that Paul is here to supervise …
Here's the view out or back door in the yard …
We had a lot of paint to mix …
The first coat is a grey primer …
A longer time in the yard gave us the opportunity to do a great job on blisters around the anchor strike plate. Here's the Crew putting things back together …
11/23 Sunday was not a very good weather day. Fortunately, all the painting is finished. We had just buffing, waxing, and a little reassembly to do. The props were reworked …
We worked in between the raindrops. At this time of the year, the tides can get pretty high. Here's our parking lot that's usually high and dry …
As the evening progressed, Marcia started to feel the old stomach thing coming back. It gave us all concern for the obvious reasons. She tried to rest and feel comfortable, but things got worse and worse. Finally, at 10:30, I called the 911 and the ambulance was on the way. We're in a boatyard, and maybe it's not too familiar for the EMT's. They had a hard time finding us and luckily, Brian went out to track them down and lead them in. When they got here, they say all the high water and weren't very comfortable about what to do. Finally, they put it together, waded in knee-deep water, and climbed aboard. Seth (the lead guy) asked Marcia a few questions and we all decided it was time to go to the hospital. Initially, they were quite confused on how to get a lady off a boat that was 10 feet in the air, but Marcia said she could make it down the ladder and then they carried her across the water to the ambulance. After that, off we went, Mom in the back and me in the front. We travelled at 75 mph for a 15 minute ride to the hospital and checked her in. Luckily, she was able to get right in and see the doctor. They did a quick assessment, started medication, and worked the plan.
After a little while, she went to get a scan of her intestine. Duh, we could have told them what was going on! They shoved that nasty hose down her nose and throat to take off the intestinal pressure, and the waiting started. Wait for a doctor, wait for an assessment, wait for a room. I'm sure y'all know the deal. Anyway, by about 3:30AM, she was drugged up and feeling a little better. They said as soon as a room opens up, she'll get checked in. It's a good thing we weren't holding our breath, because it was about 8 hours later when it happened. Marcia was getting better, little by little, but it takes a while. So, between the nose down the throat, the medication, and a comfortable bed, things were getting better.
Paul, Brian, and Randy visited at dinnertime, and she was doing okay. We hated to leave her there by herself, but she needed the rest.
11/14 Today, we get back in the water! Here's what the well looks like …
3:00 found us back in the water. Yahooo! But, the props are making noise, and that's not good. So the plan is, haul out Tuseday boring and have the prop shop stop back to correct the problem. Here's the view …
Success! Back in the water and no noise from the props. So, back to the slip, take care of a couple things, and wait for Mom.
It turns out that waiting for Mom is the toughest thing we'll do! Wait, wait, and wait. We couldn't get a doctor to release her. Finally, at 6:30 on Tuesday, she can leave …
It surely was good to have Mom back aboard. Unfortunately, the best program for her is to fly home and rest. We were all very sad to see her go …
10/26 We lost our cook, spiritual advisor, and #1 cheerleader, but the "show must go on". So, off we went at 7:30, out into Mobile bay and the shipping traffic …
It was a very nice (but cool) day on the Bay. After a couple hours of heading south, we take a left and head into the Intracoastal Waterway. Here it narrows and is kind of like a river …
Through Pensacola Bay …
And over to Ft Walton Beach. We stayed at the City Docks. They're a great spot …
And Grillmeister Brian worked his magic …
11/27 (Turkey Day) We're off early and headed towards the sunrise at Destin …
And into Panama City Marina …
This is one of my favorite stays on the trip. Nice people, good docks, and a great area to get some exercise. This makes Paul very happy!
First, the exercise. Then, the cooking. Chef paul offers his skills …
The next morning was another early one, created by another beautiful sunrise ...
Apalachicola is our place to jump from to cross the Gulf. It's a quaint, little seafooding town with fun restaurants and good shopping.
WE loaded some fuel and found our dock for the night. It was right in the "commercial" section. Brian walked over to get some shrimp that may have just come off of our neighbor …
The marina was nice enough to loan us a golf cart …
Off we went to meet Bill and Sharon Cassen and have some lobster bisque. Mmmmm, it's pretty good!
Finally! We're going to cross the Gulf of Mexico, today! The weather had us waiting a few hours in the morning and then heading out. Usually, we go through Government Cut, but it's shoaled up and now we have to add an extra 25 miles and head northeast. It's up the Apalachicola Bay and the Intracoastal…
I'd been noticing some white smoke coming from the port main engine exhaust for a couple days. This morning, it looked a little worse. Of course, that sent the Captain through the roof with anxiety and wondering what it might be. This happened about 5 minutes before we were going out the inlet so we we were close to cell service. I called the Einstein of Detroit engine products (thanks Dude!) and talked about what it could be. After checking a few complex possible answers, I looked at the easiest cause (why didn't I think of this first?) and sho' nuff, it was a bad raw water empeller. It had worn out and an easy fix. Here's the culprit …
Some bad blades there, huh? I switched in a new one and off we went. Yahoo!
But, since this is such a long ride across and there's no stopping in the middle, I still had anxiety over something. Aha! Another problem happened. But, it was related to the first one and we had the parts. Brian jumped in and we both worked in the hot, bouncy engine room to change a raw water discharge hose.
After that, things were running well and the seas flattened out and we had a great ride across. Once again, that made Paul pretty happy!
