Progress report

September 29 to October 5


     Sorry for the delay getting this week's reports up, but we have had no local internet access for some time. I tried doing these updates via a long distance call but with no success. I haven't been able to check email either, and will not have local access until Evansville. We hope to be there the evening of October 7th.


     Monday we departed Louisville at 8:15 with doubts of making 27 miles to West Point public access site. Considering the weather reports, I hoped that as we turned south the winds that were predicted to be from the west would assist us. The first 3 miles to the McAlpine Lock (provides passage through the famous Ohio Falls) were west, but the winds were light on our faces. As we approached the lock I turned on the marine radio to make a call to the lockmaster. Before I could touch the transmit button, I was surprised to hear the lockmaster calling to the little sailboat. I told him we wished to lock down, and he told little sailboat to wait behind the construction area for a tow coming up. After the tow passed us the lockmaster wished to know if litlle sailboat could pass under a 27 foot drawbridge so he could allow work crews to pass over the lock. I affirmed that he could lower the bridge and that we would easily pass under. (We are 20 feet.)
    Soon after leaving the lock the river turned south and winds from the west gave us a boost most of the time. We played the slightly shifting and gusting winds for 27 miles and made Westpoint on the Salt River at 2:45. Since we were at the lock for an hour, our actual sailing time was only 5 1/2 hours for a five mph average. I called Arlene along the way and she met us on the Salt river with food and beer. We were moored to the shore near a ramp. That afternoon Baine and Jimmy put there boat on the water to go relic hunting on the Ohio River. Baine made a $20 donation to ALS. They came back that evening and showed us a perfect arrowhead and several worked on spearheads and a work stone.

West Point on the Salt River


    As the sun set Ted and I became aware that the night would be chilly. We couldn't seem to wrap ourselves in enough gear to be completely warm that night. We finally shared a poncho as a top cover to keep us a little warmer. I wished I hadn't drunk the beer, since I was up several times in the cold to relieve myself.
     We stayed in bed late Tuesday morning postponing our departure from our berths hoping for a little warmth to arrive. It was fruitless, but as we left at 9:30 the sun was shining, and our cold bodies sooned warmed. Soft winds over our shoulders did not hinder our progress and our first 8 miles were easy. A tow captain blarred out a message over his loud speakers as we passed him as he went upstream. I turned on the radio and called him. He warned us to watch for a southbound tow catching up with us. He called us little sailboat, and I told Ted that we were The Little Sailboat that Could The river did bend and twist a lot there, and you could get caught by surprise, so we kept alert. We were docking at Brandenburg, KY at 12:45 when the southbound tow caught up with us.

Arriving at Brandenburg


    Arlene took Ted to shower and to get a meal while I set up the camp at a small dock on the river. A reporter from The Messenger arrived a little after four while I was working on the boat. Ted came down soon, and we gave her our story. Later, the Mayor of Brandenburg came down to the little sailboat and talked to Ted. He had been watching the docks the last few days expecting our arrival.
    Wednesday morning, the Canadian cold front that had dipped into the mideast continued to hold, and the temperature was a chilly 39 degrees Farenheit. At nine we launched into light headwinds wearing extra clothing. Despite the 2 to 5 mph headwinds we averaged 4.5 mph and arrived at the Blue River public access at 12:30. We turned up the beautiful Blue River whose 50-foot width was lined with overhanging trees. Its banks were clear of foliage, so they offered numerous landings with easy access to trees for mooring lines. After a quick mooring I went up to the paved area to look for Arlene. It was unusual to land without seeing her waiting for us. After a quick walk around the parking area and ramp I returned to the ALS Paddler to get the cell phone. I walked up to the parking area, and after not seeing her, I continued walking along the road leaving the area. I tried to call her, but the cell had quirky service. A few hundred yards down the road the signal strength on the cell went up, so I tried again, but it said she was not answering. After walking a mile on a narrow, barely paved road and having made a turn at a T in the road, I decided I didn't know where I was going, so I went back to the boat to get my charts. The charts detail some of the roads near the river. I asked Ted to start unloading the boat for camp and that I probably wouldn't be back for an hour. As soon as I climbed up the bank of the Blue River and entered the deserted parking lot, I spotted Arlene driving her car, following a man on a golf cart. He kindly had offerred to show Arlene through the maze to the Blue River mouth. Others had direced her to a different location downstream where she met him. Jim had lost his father to ALS in 2001. The three of us went down the bank to see Ted and the boat, but before leaving, I picked up a box turtle that was sunning on the asphalt. Ted was disappointed in not seeing a turtle the whole trip, so I had to bring him one. Jim, on the golf cart, told us there was better dockage at a marina under construction downstream a mile and a half. Ted had not had time to unpack much, so we left the Blue River for the other dockage. Arlene had brought much more cold weather gear for us, and after getting reoutfitted and having supper at the local restaraunt we left Ted set up for a warmer night at our camp on the river.

Camp at Leavenworth, Indiana


    Thursday the Canadian cold front was still with us and chilly for Ted, even with extra clothing. We packed up in the 35 degree air. Arlene took the wet tent (from breath condensation) and replaced it with the spare. When we expect to meet Arlene later in the day she dries our tent while we carry the less durable spare. We launched at 8:45 hoping to make 22 1/2 miles to the Concordia, Kentucky public access site on Spring Creek. The winds were nearly calm as we left, and the GPS clocked us at a steady 5.9 mph. There was probably a 2.5 mph current. Soon the winds picked up but were generally off the beam of the boat. With some negotiating, I was able to sail downstream by following the winds capricious changes. The negotiations paid off in that we arrived at Spring Creek at 1:00. (Average speed about 5 mph)
    Spring Creek's mouth was barely visable until you were right next to it. It then wound a serene course through a canopy of tall tree branches. We manuevered down the small channel altering course whenever low branches threatened to grab our mast. After a quarter mile of a peaceful change from the Ohio River, we spotted Arlene waiting at the secluded ramp. We found a good landing 75 feet beyond the ramp. Arlene fed us chicken and potatoe salad, and we ate in in seclusion, as this sight had no visitors at the time.

Spring Creek


    As the sun set the chill began, and we hurried into our night gear. Ted is wearing polypropolene long underwear, flannel pajamas, a tee shirt, sweat pants and top, fleece vest, gortex jacket, heavy wool socks, and wool ski cap. He is in a sleeping bag that is on top of a foam pad on top of a space blanket (shiny side up). He has another sleeping bag as a blanket over him. He was still cool. We did some setups and leg raises for 10 minutes and that got his oven cooking till about midnight.
    Friday the 33 degree chill at 7:00 urged me into going back to sleep and postponing the inevitable breaching of the tent's door. Finally at 8:00 we began a slow, begrudging abandonment of our cozy sanctuary. We went up to the parking lot in search of the rare rays of sunshine filtering through the trees. We did some exercise to warm our blood, and it wasn't til 10:00 that we had the boat loaded and ready to launch. We ventured out of the shadowy creek into the sunny Ohio River.
    We hoped to meet Arlene at about noon at Rome, Indiana (15 miles), but we were already an hour late for our departure, so I figured it would be about 1:00. We were doing about 4.9 mph, so I thought we would make a stop and get at Rome and continue another 5 to 10 miles downstream to any of numerous side creeks along the way. I thought there was a good chance we would make a total of 33 miles to Rocky Point Marina near Cannelton, Indiana. Our good speed was quickly reduced by ever increasing headwinds. At 12:30 with 7 miles to go to Rome, I called Arlene on the cell phone to warn her of our difficulties and our pending late arrival. With only 2 miles to go to get to Rome, the winds shifted to just 20 degrees forward of our port beam so we put up the sail for the first time that day. Our speed increased from 1.5 mph to 3.5 for one mile. It was a welcome relief from the hard pedalling through the 20 to 25 mph winds. We still had to pedal, but the effort was greatly reduced. Of course, a bend in the river one mile from Rome led us directly into the face of the wind again.
    We were on the opposite side of the river from Rome, so we had to do a crossing over the turbulent seas that lived a little way from the shoreline and were most troubled in the middle of the wide Ohio River. We shifted to a port tack and began to rock to the ever increasing waves stiking our port hull. Near the middle, our eyes opened wide as we encountered a rogue four footer. I zigged and zagged across the stormy waters turning upwind into the larger waves and then back to our tight reach to continue our momentum. The wet and wild crossing took only 2 minutes, but it seemed an eternity. We had to fight the headwinds for 30 minutes more to reach Rome. A fellow named Hawk watched our arrival and invited us to stay at his dock. It was 3:30, and this stop and go turned out to be a stop and camp. We dried the gear on Arlene's car while eating the Subway sandwiches she brought us. The high winds made the setup of camp more difficult. The cold front is supposed to diminish tonight and over the next few days even more, and I hope the winds do also. <

p>Rome, Indiana


    Saturday morning the cold front eased, and overcast skies left us with a 54 degree low. The morning was plesant as we left on our 18 mile journey to Rocky Point Marina in Cannelton, Indiana. We departed at 8:15 and were doing an easy 4.9 mph for an hour before the winds picked up and as usual struck us in the face. The river wound around in all directions and so did the wind. We had about 1 hour of favorable wind, and we made made our 18 miles at 1:45 for an average speed of a little better than three mph. (With no wind we would normally do about 5 mph.) We've done 850 miles now in seven weeks of travel. Arlene brought Ted a birthday cake for his 81st birthday, and after setting up the tent and stowing our gear we all went back to the motel. Ted took a shower while Arlene did laundry, and I did progress report updates. Later we fueled up at Ponderosa's buffet. We double filled our stomachs and are ready for tomorrow. Ted went to church and received phone calls from his family during the afternoon and evening. At 8:30 we took Ted back to his nightly den. Arlene and I still have the next few days worth of logistics to figure out as I close this day's log.

Rocky Point Marina, Cannelton, Indiana


    Sunday, before the dawn's first light, Arlene and I were at the Rocky Point Marina with Ted's breakfast. Dozens of fishermen were jockeying their high powered bass boats down the ramp in anticipation of winning the fishing tournament that day. By the time we were ready to launch, they were mostly gone and headed to their favorite spots. Just as we were ready to untie from the dock at 8:15, a reporter from the Perry County News came by for an interview. At 8:30 we were off to the Cannelton lock, 3 miles downstream. When I radioed the lockmaster to get access to the small lock chamber he had us wait 25 minutes while a tow jockeyed itself into position for the large chamber. When the tow was finally secure at the entrance to the large chamber we were allowed into the small chamber. All the locks we've seen on the Ohio have a large and small chamber.

Moored in Cannelton Lock

Lock gate mechanism


    Once we were tied off to one of the floating mooring pins near the middle of the chamber the gates closed, and we began our descent. The dozen floating mooring pins in the lock began a chorus of ghostly howls, shrieks and creaks. Their ungreased wheels, sliding down the channels in the sides of the lock, echoed their stress across the walls of the chamber. This lock at Cannelton was remarkably vocal. When the lower gates opened we were instructed to not leave until the tow in the large chamber departed. We waited another 30 minutes outside the exit of the lock till, what seemed to be an inexperienced tow captain was able to manuever clear of the lock's large chamber. We could have been two miles downstream, but you don't argue with a lockmaster.
    For 9 more miles our northerly course was assisted by winds from the west. Then the river turned to the west, and we struggled into 10 to 20 mph winds for 3 miles. It felt as if we were pedalling through mud, and we were making only 1/2 mph when we decided to stop wasting our energy. We were only six miles form Lewisport, Kentucky where we planned to meet Arlene, but it was fruitless to continue at that rate of progress. In the pounding surf we drove the boat hard onto a sandy beach. As the rollers surged in we assisted the boat higher up onto the beach, and then tied it off. We lied down on the sandy beach in the warm sun, and we both fell asleep quickly. In a half hour clouds blocked our warm sun bath, and we awoke feeling chilly. We ate pita bread and peanut butter and walked the beach following the tracks of a deer and her fawns. At 3:45 the winds diminished to 7 mph, and we decide to continue our voyage. At 5:30 we arrived at Lewisport feeling fairly exhausted. Arlene had supper waiting for Ted, and after that he finished the rest of his birthday cake. We set up camp near the ramp on a fairly hardpacked beach. There were no rocks, and the boat withstood the wakes of passing barges well.

Lewisport, Kentucky



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