I was underway by 7:15 with calm winds. The forecast called for showers and thundershowers - again! But the morning had only light overcast skies. I only had 40 miles to go to make Owensboro.
About 8, I was in Cannelton Lock and Dam. I entered the lock at the same time as a towboat with barges entered the bigger chamber. As the water escaped from both locks at the same time, the floating bitts of both, which apparently needed some grease, began to groan and moan. The sound floated over both chambers in a spooky way. It was the haunting of Cannelton Dam.
I was very surprised when the lockmaster didn't bother to open the lock
gates all the way. He just opened them about 20 feet and waved me
through. That was a first. I have probably been through locks
15 or 20 times, including my experiences on the Arkansas River, and I have
never seen a lockmaster not open the gates all the way. In fact,
they usually get upset if you don't wait until the siren has sounded and
the red light has turned green. But this man just casually waved
his arm at me to move on through. He did the same entering and exiting
the locks.
8:45 Towboat #62 - Hugh C. Blasket. He had a 5 wide & 5 long barge load and two smaller tugs pushing as well.
The sky was half clear and half overcast. In spite of the gloomy forecast, it was turning out to be a beautiful day. I checked the weather channel on radio and found that they changed the forecast for the better. The forecast steadily improved from 90% chance of rain to 70% chance of rain, and then for 50% chance of rain! Rain and thunderstorms. It was the thunderstorms part that bother me because I knew they could kick up extremely high winds and tornadoes. You just can't pay much attention to the weather forecasts. They have mostly overstated the case this week causing me to worry too much about the weather.
At 10:10, I had my first tad of wind. The blue sky was gone. It was all overcast.
12:15 Towboat #63 - Mr. Bill
Near Rockport, I spotted the new bridge being built over the Ohio. It was one of those modern designs like I had seen near Maysville, but this bridge was only half completed. The two pillars were completed and one of the pillars had the pyramid of cables attached to the pavement. The road ran exactly halfway across the river and stopped. It was the strangest looking thing I ever saw.
The day was filled with a fickle wind, up, down, gusty. There were thunderstorms in the area, but they just missed me. Several times I saw the rain ahead or behind, but it never rained hard on me.
As the day wore on, my little motor seemed to get weaker and weaker. Something was slowly going wrong. I thought it was acting like the fuel filter was clogging up. As it got weaker and the miles got shorter, I just hoped it would make it all the way. But I wondered.
1:40 Towboat #64 - Charlotte
As I approached Owensboro, I began looking for the Executive Inn that was listed on my river charts. And more importantly, I began looking for dock where I could tie up for the night. I have been surprised at the number of towns on the river that have no such place to tie up. I had a hurricane hole picked out two miles past Owensboro, but I really wanted a hot shower and a good bed for the night. The Executive Inn sounded perfect. As I approached, I spotted docks just below the motel. A light rain fell on me occasionally before I finally pulled into the docks about 2:30. Of course, I still had my watch set on Eastern time so it was really 1:30 in Owensboro.
Docked at the Executive Inn Owensboro
I hiked up the hill, checked in, and headed straight for that hot shower! Afterwards, I walked out the front door and found the River City Trolley. After talking to the driver, I discovered that I could ride to the Red Lobster and catch him for a ride back an hour later for only a dollar. So I hopped on board.
I spent the evening and the next day writing in my journal and resting. I was surprised at how tired I was.
Sarah arrived about 1 on Thursday with the boat trailer. It had rained on her quite a bit on her drive from Pikeville. And it was raining hard off and on all day in Owensboro. We caught a lull and I headed for the boat to motor back up to the launching ramp. It began to rain again about the time I pulled the boat out of the water. The launching ramp had a steep incline, so I pulled the boat up the hill to find a level place which was necessary for lowering the mast. At the top of the hill, I found no good parking place and a power line preventing my driving farther. I had to park on the street to lower the mast. And that's when the bottom fell out! In spite of the heavy downpour, we HAD to get the mast down so I could get out of the road. By the time we finished, we were both completely soaked. And it continued to rain hard all the way out of town.
As we drove to Sarah's sister Carol's house, I contemplated my trip. Of course, the why question always comes up. In my more lofty moments my sentiments are like those of John Masefield as expressed in his immortal poem ""Sea Fever:"
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and start to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that cannot be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume and the seagulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted
knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover,
And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over."
But at a more mundane level I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with the comment of the Water Rat to the Mole in The Wind in the Willows:
"There's nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Mile 757 Owensboro
Mile 717 Millstone Creek
40 Miles made
good today
Mile 757 Owensboro
Mile 323 Ashland
434 miles total traveled
A Day's Run
8 miles Monday, May 28
57 miles Tuesday, May 29
46 miles Wednesday, May 30
50 miles Thursday, May 31
30 miles Friday, June 1
15 miles Saturday, June 2
71 miles Sunday, June 3
47 miles Monday, June 4
70 miles Tuesday, June 5
40 miles Wednesday, June 6