9:20 I have just put in at the bridge.  Motor is hopeless so this is an oaring and sailing day.  There's a little wind, so I have the sails up.  The current is pretty good here too.
 Nine miles to the END OF THE JOURNEY, The Big Journey.  Nine miles!  Unbelievable.

10:33 Milemarker 17.6
Current was flowing in my favor.  But when I got to the mouth of the channel, I could see by the troubled water that the current was changing in the channel.  Sure enough there was no current or a contrary one.  That plus the wind couldn't get down to the water because of trees, and I had a very slow run through the 3 mile channel.

Right after I got in, I looked back and saw a huge monster barge and tug three-wide coming my way.  Looking at the chart for a year, I had dreaded the idea of being in that narrow channel with a barge and now it was coming true.  I sailed a half-mile or so, then took down the sails and oared to a wide spot in the channel and waited for him to pass.  He was going very slow and didn't kick up much of a wave.  Then I put the sails back up and eased along.  The wind was gusty and would blow me fast at times then die almost completely.  Just when I would decide to oar, the wind would gust again and I would be off and running.

When I finally cleared the channel, the wind came clear from my starboard aft corner and I made steady progress across Merisach Lake.  I didn't want it to end.

Arrived at the dock at 12:20.  I had covered nine miles in three hours.  I did not feel the jubilation that I expected, but there was a deep sense of satisfaction.  I did it!   I finished THE JOURNEY!