Sailing on Stap Isi

November 30 – Somewhere on the Ohio River

We woke to light fog and rain but there was no thought of remaining on the Mississippi any longer than we had to. So by 8 AM we had raised the anchor (which had held wonderfully through the night despite the abuse) and were off. In just a few minutes we were around the point and into the Ohio River.

Over the past few days we had been going with the current and were at times making as much as 11 mph. That came to an immediate halt as we started up the Ohio. Maximum speed was going to be between 3-4 mph for the next couple days at least.

The rain which had stopped for the night now resumed in earnest. Kyle had rigged a small tarp over the boom and that kept our heads dry. But it did restrict visability and that was going to be important on the lower Ohio. We were now in barge country. There were barges everywhere. We made our way up picking our route to stay as far away from the massive vessels as possible. Occasionally we would call them on the marine VHF to make sure that our route was not going to put us in their way. Usually they were helpful and I think they just appreciated knowing that we were there and awake.

We made 31 hard soggy miles on the last day of November and anchored off channel in a another place that had been recommended to us as a good anchorage. It was still in the current but the anchor set well and we were confident it would hold. After dinner we caught the TV weather forecast. With the passing of the front, the rain was finally going to end and the wind was going shift to the North-Northwest at 7-12 mph. Wind was our biggest fear on the river but 7-12 mph was nothing.

We got ready for bed and climbed in. Then the everything hit the fan. We heard the wind pick up and soon it was howling through the rigging on the boat. We estimate that it was blowing at least 30 mph, certainly not less than that. The waves started to build and by 10 PM we were taking a serious pounding. The wind was trying to blow the boat broadside to the choppy 3-4 foot waves and whenever it succeeded we were pitched violently sideways back and forth. Everything not nailed down was soon on the floor of the boat and we were standing in the middle of the cabin holding onto the handholds. Every few minutes Kyle would go on deck to check the anchor. Amazingly it was holding.

At 10:30 PM Kathy said that it sounded like something blew off the deck. Kyle went topside and was horrified to discover that we were careening down the river towards the shore. The wind had finally succeeded in blowing the boat completely around against a 3 knot current so that it came to rest sideways against the anchor rope. The rope was acting as a kite tail keeping the boat sideways to the current, the force of which on the keel was finally too much for our trusty anchor. It pulled free and there was no way it was going to reset at that speed.

Kyle called Kathy to get on deck and he went forward to try to get the anchor up. Because of the depth of the river we had put out all 200 feet of anchor rope. In the best of circumstances it takes several minutes to get all that pulled in. On a wildly pitching deck in the middle of the night there was no way Kyle was going to get the anchor in before we struck the shore. We had to get control of the boat within the next few minutes or lose it. So Kyle did the only thing possible. He untied the anchor rope and watched $400 of ground tackle disappear into the night.

The boat was now free but it was still headed for the shore. Thankfully the engine kicked right off, Kyle gave it full power and headed into the wind away from the shore. We had saved the boat, but we were still in a bind. There was no way our light secondary anchor would hold in these conditions; it was 11 PM, still raining, with a violent wind blowing and 3-4 ft seas. We had no radar so there was no possibility of navigating the channel to continue up river. And with the front that moved through the temperature was supposed to dip below freezing.

Kyle got into all his heavy weather gear and hunkered down at the tiller. We knew the river downstream and we knew it upstream to the point where we had originally anchored so Kyle plotted out a one mile course. Upstream against the current at about 1.5 knots and then turn and go downstream with the current at 4.5 knots. Each circuit took one hour. At each turn to go back upstream Kathy made a large cup of something hot to drink. Turn, hot drink, 12 AM; turn, hot drink, 1 AM. The temperature continued to plummet but at least with the passing of the front the rain had stopped. By 4 AM the wind started to moderate and the waves began to subside. By 5 AM Kathy was able to get some sleep. By 6 AM the longest night of our lives was coming to an end as the pink glow of dawn appeared in the east.

December 1 – Kentucky Dam Marina, KY

At 6:30 AM we hit the throttle and headed up the Ohio to try to finish the last 16 miles to the mouth of the Tennessee River. It was actually a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. The temperature started coming back up and by 10:30 we left the Ohio.

The Tennessee is a much smaller river but due to the rains it was still running fast. We were able to make about 5 mph against the current and by 3 PM were in sight of the lock and dam leading to Kentucky Lake. Just on the other side of that lock was a full service marina. We were looking forward to being tied to a nice firm dock and getting hot showers.

We had to wait for a barge to lock through but by 6 PM we had made it into Kentucky lake. After threading our way into the marina, we found an empty slip and tied up. We slept like dead people.

This is about the half way point of our trip to the Gulf. And we definitely have the hard part behind us. From now on we should make good progress south and we are looking forward to finding some warmer weather along the way. There is an abundance of marinas open from here to the Gulf so we should never have to go days at a time without finding a sheltered place if we need it.

The Lord has been our protector and shield the past couple of weeks. We are so thankful to Him for his provision of this fine boat and for sustaining us in what has been so far a tough trip.

December 2-4 – Kentucky Dam Marina, KY

It has been a nice break here at the marina. Thursday was basically a wash as we recovered from the past couple days on the Ohio, took showers, did some laundry, tidied up the boat, and rested. On Friday, Kyle’s uncle Larry and another friend came up from Murray, Kentucky for a visit. We went to lunch at Murray and spent some time at Larry’s house. Saturday was boat maintenance day. We finished setting up the mast and rigging, with the idea that we might get the sails up on Kentucky lake. Kyle was able to diagnose and fix a problem with the HF email system and Kathy made some headway getting things stowed away. It was a productive day and we are ready to start south again first thing tomorrow. We are so thankful that the Lord has provided these days to rest and work on the boat.

December 5 – Kentucky Dam Marina, KY

First light on Sunday found us up and preparing the boat to leave. We had 42 miles to go to get to the next marina. There was rain predicted for Sunday afternoon and we wanted to be firmly tied to a dock by the time the storm came through.

Before starting each day, Kyle checks all the fluid levels on the engine. This morning he checked the engine and discovered that the oil was a quart high. Now a quart low might be expected but a quart high is almost impossible – unless cooling water is getting into the oil. This engine is equipped with a pump that allows for easy oil changes. Kyle took a couple strokes on the pump and out came lake water.

About the only way for lake water to get into the oil is for it to back up through the exhaust manifold. He finally figured out that when we had come into the marina on Wednesday, the extensive time spent idling had allowed the cooling water to build up in the exhaust system. Then when he shut down the engine the water worked down into the exhaust and eventually collected in the oil pan.

After changing the oil and purging the cylinders of water we were ready to go – except that it was 10:30 and that did not give us enough time to get to the next marina. So we decided to spend another day there and leave bright and early on Monday. The day was spent on some other boat projects.

December 6 – On Kentucky Lake

Monday was predicted to be warm – our first day in the 60’s. We were looking forward to a day on the water with warm temperatures. Storms were predicted again for Monday evening but we would be at the next marina by then. We got up at 5:30 AM to get everything ready and discovered that because of the warm temperatures fog had descended on the lake and visibility was nearly zero.

So we got ready to go and waited. By 7:45 AM the fog had lifted enough for us to leave the marina. Finally we were on our way again. Since we were now in a lake, the current was only about 1.5 mph and we were making good time. By noon we were half way to the marina and we were already looking forward to hot showers.

Then at 1:00 PM the fog descended again. Suddenly we found ourselves in a thick pea soup with visibility of only about 1/4 mile. We were able to calculate a course from buoy to buoy and we knew from our speed about how long it would take to reach the next buoy at that course. This was fairly dangerous for two reasons. If we missed a buoy we could find ourselves completely lost on the lake. And there were barges out there slamming along at 10 knots. A quarter mile visibility does not give much reaction time. We needed to find a place to hold up.

Again the Lord was watching over us. A couple miles from where the fog descended there was a nice sheltered bay with buoys leading into it. This would be a great place to anchor if we could find it in the fog. Suddenly the buoy marking the entrance to the bay materialized ahead in the fog. And soon we could see the other buoys leading into the bay. Yeah! We soon had the boat off the lake and anchored in a peaceful bay, safe from the barges and the storm that is supposed to arrive later tonight.

Again and again we have seen the Lord’s hand at work protecting us and providing safe refuges when we needed them. He is indeed our shield and our protector.

December 7 – Paris Landing Marina, KY

During the night the wind came up as predicted and by dawn it was gusting to 30 mph. We were nice and comfy in the protected bay and decided to just sit it out. The next marina was only about 12 miles ahead and we could wait until 1 PM and still make it there with plenty of time.

By 10 AM the wind was dying down and we decided to raise the anchor and head up river. The wind was still raising 2-3 foot waves on the lake but that is no problem for this boat. No doubt it is going to see larger waves before this trip is over. It took us about three hours to get to the marina. By the time we got there it was getting fairly nice on the water.

We have noticed that the farther south we get the nicer the marinas are and surprisingly the cheaper they are. We only paid $19 for the night in this marina. That is much better than the $30 plus we were paying on the Mississippi.

After getting cleaned up we walked about a mile to an inn run by the state of Kentucky. They were having a chicken buffet so we pigged out and waddled back to the boat. The temperatures were in the 50s and it was a beautiful night. God is good.

December 8 – Pebble Isle Marina, TN

We were going to try to put in a 50 mile day and get to the Cuba Landing marina. The only way that was going to happen was if we got a very early start. So we got up at 5 AM and were under way at 6:30. We got to see a fabulous sunrise and even though the temps were in the 30s the forecast was for lower 60s by the end of the day.

It soon became obvious however that 50 miles was not going to happen. The farther south we went on Kentucky lake, the narrower it became and the more current we encountered. As we watched our speed drop from 5 knots to 4 and then to 3.5 we knew that we would have to find a closer marina. Pebble Isle marina was only 30 miles from where we started and even at our slower speed we would be able to make that comfortably.

At about 1:30 PM we pulled into Pebble Isle and tied up to their transient dock. We were thrilled to find that the hot showers were still working. After getting cleaned up we borrowed one of the managers cars and drove into town for groceries. One thing we have discovered is that no matter where you are, you are never far from a Wal Mart.

Well we didn’t make 50 miles today so maybe we could make 40 tomorrow. That would but us at another marina and would leave only about 75 miles to finish the Tennessee River and our last up river section. So we decided to get another 6:30 AM start and see if we could make 40 miles.

December 9 – Cuba Landing Marina, TN

It was overcast this morning so we had to wait until almost 7 AM before it was light enough to leave the dock. The river has been rising for the last few days and this morning it was higher and faster than we had yet experienced. As we left the bay where the marina was located and headed up river, our speed was only about 3 knots. There is no way that 3 knots translates into a 40 mile day and we soon decided to make for the next marina up river. Even though this was only 19.5 miles away it was going to take us over 6 hours to get there.

The river was absolutely full of floating logs, trees, and debris. During the day such items as a bird house, a teddy bear, a 50 gallon drum, and countless plastic containers drifted by. Our speed varied between 2.5 and 3.5 knots most of the day; dropping as low as 1.5 knots in a couple places. This is about the equivalent of a slow walk.

It misted and rained most of the morning but the temps were warm and we were fairly comfortable. With both of us on watch we were able to pick our way between the floating debris and enjoyed a nice day on the water. There were countless water birds and even in the winter the scenery was awesome.

At 1PM we arrived at the Cuba Landing Marina. There is no way that we would want to anchor out on a flooding river so these marinas are wonderful. Kyle was able to buy diesel fuel and oil and PTL! the showers were working.

It is obvious that we are going to have to spend several more days on the Tennessee. There are marinas about every 20-25 miles and with this current there is no way that we are going to get much farther than that in a day. The prediction is for the river to rise another 2-3 feet before it crests. That means more debris in the water and probably a faster current. Oh well, every day brings us a bit closer to the end of the Tennessee and the start of the Tombigbee waterway. When we get on the Tombigbee, we will be going with the current again and should be able to make some good time once more.

December 10 – Perryville Marina, TN

We again got an early start and again saw our speed drop even more as the river got narrower and the current got stronger. We have been wondering to ourselves when this push up a flooded river becomes unsafe and if we should lay up until the flood passes. The last stretch of river before the lock and dam is 35 miles without a marina. There is no way that we can make 35 miles in one day against this current so the only way to make that last hop would be to anchor overnight in a flood swollen river. No matter how that is phrased it just does not come out sounding smart.

It was partly cloudy today and even at the slow speed we were able to enjoy the scenery and the bird life that abounds on the river. It was especially fun to see the bald eagles perched in the bare trees along the river.

One thing that was nice is that we had seen no barge traffic on the river the past couple of days. Dodging barges in a flood is even less fun than it sounds. When we tied up at the Perryville Marina, after a whopping 19.5 miles in a whole day, we discovered that the reason for no barges is that the Coast Guard had closed the river to barge traffic. That pushed us to make a decision that we had been trying to avoid the past couple of days. If the river was too dangerous for the pros, what were we doing out here. We needed to get off the river until the flood receded.

So we paid for five days at the Perryville marina and settled in to wait. This down time did give us a chance to order a new anchor to replace the one we lost on the Ohio. And there is plenty to keep us occupied for the next few days. We are just praying that it is only a few days.

December 11 – Perryville, TN

Since we are not going anywhere for a while, we got to sleep in today. Then we started in on boat projects. Kyle was still having trouble getting the HF email system to work reliably so he got started on diagnosing the problem with that. Kathy used the time to do a deep clean on the boat and try to get things a bit better organized. Later today we will take a walk and try to find a church we can attend tomorrow. Other than that it is just a typical down day spent on projects.

The river is still rising, the barges are sitting still, and the Corps of Engineers is predicting the water levels in the Tennessee to continue rising for the next few days. Right now we are hoping to be moving again by this time next week. But it all depends on the rain.

December 12 – Perryville, TN

It is a beautiful day on the Tennessee River. The temps are in the 50s with sunshine and light winds. We could not find a church close enough to walk to this morning so we stayed at the boat and just enjoyed the day. The waters have gone up about a foot since yesterday but there is some indication that maybe the flood will crest in the next day or so. Even if it were to crest today, however, it would take several days with no rain for the water levels to drop enough for us to proceed. So for now we will stay put and work on some of our outstanding projects.

December 13 – Perryville, TN

A cold front moved through in the night and we woke to a windy, clear, and cold morning. The river only went up a few inches in the night and it looks like it will finally crest today. Kathy got the laundry done this morning and Kyle worked on the HF email system. This is going to be our main communications link so it is important that it work well. So far, though, Kyle has not been able to get it to work reliably.

The weather people are predicting low 20s and high teens for the next few nights so we are thankful for a place to tie up where we can run our space heater. By the end of the week we are hoping to be able to start on our journey again. But this is all in the Lord’s hands and we are comfortable just waiting on His timing.

December 14 – Perryville, TN

It’s COLD down here in Tennessee. The temperature was only 17 degrees this morning so we are thankful for the little space heater that our son Tim had bought for us last year. It keeps the boat nice and toasty and keeps the water lines from freezing up.

We had ordered a replacement for the anchor and rope that was lost on the Ohio River a couple weeks ago and that arrived today. So we are back to our full complement of ground tackle. That means that we are ready to go as soon as the water comes down some more.

The river has dropped a couple of feet in the last two days and the predictions are that it will continue to drop. A barge went by this morning so apparently the river is open to navigation again. We need to wait, though, until the current comes down to the point that we can make some progress upstream. If all goes well, we hope to be able to move again this next weekend. No rain is predicted for the next seven days and if that happens the bottom should drop out of this flood.

December 15 – Perryville, TN

A couple from Canada pulled into the marina today and docked behind us. They are on their way to Mobile and then to Florida. It was fun to have another couple here with us. One thing that we have discovered about boating is that there is a tight-knit community of very nice people out there. We have enjoyed getting to meet the other boaters and we have yet to meet anyone who was not friendly and helpful. Some have been very interested in our work in PNG and we feel like we have been able to use that as a means to share about the Lord.

December 16 – Perryville, TN

Some friends we met at the marina here have a car and were going into Lexington (Tennessee, not Kentucky). This is a fairly large town with a Wal-Mart so we decided to go with them and get our groceries for the week. By the time we made the rounds of the Wal-Mart, Post Office, and hardware store, the day was about done. The river levels seem to be coming down a bit more each day although the current is still fairly strong.

December 17 – Perryville, TN

Well it is a week from Christmas so we figured it was time to get our Christmas cards addressed and out. That was the project for this morning. Not much else going on here other than watching the water recede. Even though the weather is fairly nice, until the current slows, we will sit tight here. We are hoping that maybe this weekend we will be able to leave.

December 18 – Perryville, TN

In the past two days, the river has dropped about four feet. Projections are that by this time next week the river levels should be about normal. We were originally thinking that we would try to leave tomorrow but the forcast is for a major cold front to move through tonight with high winds and single digit temps for tomorrow. So we decided to wait until Monday to leave.

But today was dedicated to getting everything ready. Kathy did laundry and Kyle checked over all the boat systems to make sure that all was ready to go. We met some folks at the marina here who invited us to go to church with them tomorrow. It will be nice to be able to worship with other Christians again.

December 19 – Perryville, TN

The cold and biting winds make us glad that we are not on the river today. Most of the day we just sat in the cabin and read, worked on correspondence, and watched the weather forcasts. Tomorrow is supposed to only be in the 30s but Tuesday is projected to be in the 50s or 60s. Unfortunately right after that another major winter storm is expected. We are trying to evaluate whether to move on or wait out this next storm.

December 20 – Perryville, TN

Still cold today and the forecast for the rest of the week is ugly. By Wednesday we are supposed to have ice and snow and Thursday through Saturday the temps are only supposed to get into the 20s or low 30s. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the only good day of the week.

Finally we decided that it made no sense to just shift to the next marina if we were going to be stuck till after Christmas anyway. And once we decided to stay put for the week, we got to thinking about the possibility of going back to Moline for Christmas. Kyle contacted his uncle who lives just an hour north of Perryville and found out that he was planning to leave on Tuesday for Chicago. He would be glad to give us a ride that far and Melissa our daughter could drive up to Chicago and pick us up.

So we hurriedly packed up and Kyle’s uncle came down to pick us up. It seems weird that after all this work to get this far, tomorrow afternoon we will be back where we started. But we are thankful for the opportunity to spend another Christmas with the family. As missionaries, every holiday with the family is precious because it can be many years between such opportunities.

December 21-25 – Moline IL

Well we are back in Moline safe and sound. And from the weather reports for Tennessee we made a good decision not trying to push forward this week. The forecasts for next week are for highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s all week – perfect boating weather. We will return to Perryville on Sunday and hopefully we can finally get off the Tennessee and on towards the Gulf.

But for now we are just thankful to be here. God is so Good. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement over the past weeks. And we hope that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

December 26 – Perryville, TN

We left Chicago at 6AM with Kyle’s uncle for the return trip to Perryville. There had been a lot of snow in Southern Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee during Christmas week but the roads were clear until the last 75 miles or so.

It was a good trip down and we were happy to be back at the boat. But we were mainly thankful that the Lord had allowed us one more Christmas with the family. Even though it was not in our plans, we were blessed that it was in His.

December 27 – Perryville, TN

It was still cold in Tennessee and we had quite a few things to do to get the boat ready to go. So we decided to take one more day in Perryville. Kyle checked all the systems out and got all the equipment squared away. After two weeks of living in a marina, we had let the boat get a bit disorganized so Kathy got everything packed back away neatly. By the end of the day the boat was ready to go. Some friends we had met at the marina invited us for dinner so we had an enjoyable evening with them. They will be leaving for Mobile in a week or so and we decided to meet at one of the marinas there.

December 28 – Below Saltillo, TN

At 6:45, with mist rising off the river and a beautiful sunrise painting the eastern sky, we started the engine, pulled out of the marina, and headed up river. When we had arrived in Perryville over two weeks ago, the boat had only been able to make about 2-3 mph against the fierce current. The current had definitely dropped, but by how much? It would be wonderful if we could make the last 80 miles in two hops, but that would require that the boat be able to average about 4 mph. As we swung into the current and headed up river the GPS began registering our speed. Amazed we watched it tick up past 4 mph to a bit over 5. If we could maintain this speed we would finally be off the Tennessee tomorrow.

The day was clear but cold. Temps when we started were in the mid 20s but 50s were predicted by the afternoon. Just to be moving again felt great. We took turns at the helm and Kathy kept the binoculars busy checking out the very nice homes that lined the river. Occasionally we would see an eagle, heron, or hawk.

By 2 PM we had already made 35 miles and were getting ready to anchor behind an island just below Saltillo, Tennessee. Just then a skiff pulled up behind us with two men in it. One of them, who introduced himself as “Blue Rag,” said that he was living on a boat in the Saltillo marina. We had thought about tying up for the night in the marina but had not been able to contact the marina staff to confirm the channel depth. Mr. Rag said that yesterday it had been 9 ft deep. Fantastic. Our boat only has a 5 foot draft so we quickly decided to head upriver another mile to the marina.

When we got there we found a very narrow channel that for some reason just did not look like it could be 9 feet deep. Kyle got the depth finder going and slowly edged towards the mouth of the channel while Kathy called out the numbers. 10 feet, 9 feet, 8 feet, 6.5 feet, 6 feet! At that Kyle said a quick prayer, swung the tiller hard to starboard, and no doubt with angels helping to push was somehow able to get turned around and back out of the narrow – and shallow – channel.

That was enough fun for the day so we went back a mile down river to the islands and anchored out for the evening. It was clear and there were a million stars in the sky. Somewhere down river an owl hooted. We had dinner and got ready for bed, happy to be back on the water again.

December 29 – Grand Harbor Marina, MS

If everything went well, this was going to be our last day on the Tennessee River. We had to make 35 miles by 3 PM in order to have enough time to get through the Pickwick Lock and Dam and on to one of the marinas beyond. The temperatures had remained steady through the night. It was in the 40s at 5 AM when we woke up. It had been clear the night before and since there was a nearly full moon we had considered leaving before dawn to give ourselves plenty of time for this last leg. But when we slid the hatch back and looked out it was over cast and the moon was nowhere to be seen. It was definitely too dark to safely navigate the river.

Finally at 6:30 AM we hoisted the anchor and were on our way. Even though it was warm out, the wind had picked up and with the over cast sky it was still fairly chilly on the water. But it was just great to be moving and as the morning progressed it got more and more comfortable.

The closer one gets to Pickwick dam, the narrower and shallower the Tennessee River becomes. This should have meant that the current would pick up as we moved up river and our speed would drop. But throughout the day we were able to maintain almost 5 mph. It was only in the last 5 miles or so that our speed dropped below 4 mph. Amazingly we arrived at the dam before 2 PM. There were no boats or barges waiting so the lock master run us right through. At 2:30 we emerged from the lock onto Pickwick Lake just as the sun came out for the first time. Under a beautiful blue sky and 60 degree temps, we motored up the lake. Both of us felt like maybe we had turned a corner and the worst of the trip to the Gulf was behind us.

At 4 PM, four weeks after we started up the Tennessee, we turned onto the Tombigbee waterway. There is a beautiful marina, the Grand Harbor Marina, just a short distance down the Tombigbee and we decided to dock there for the night.