I was up early and left the marina about 6:20.  By 7 I was in the Markland Lock with no problem.  By 7:15, I was leaving the lock.

Clear sky.  Winds 5-10 from starboard!  I was finally have a good time again.

The forecast was the best I had heard in several days - cloudy this morning becoming sunny this afternoon, temperature in the mid 60s, West wind 10-15 mph.  Now that's a great forecast!  I felt I should make many miles with such good weather.  But today I made no predictions about how far I was going.

I have mixed feelings about yesterday.  I only traveled 15 miles!  But I was able to get some badly needed rest.  And the high winds are particularly dangerous around the dams.  And it gave me the chance to write some and read.

Today there were lots of purple martins on the water.  I took that as a good sign.  The martins knew that the bad weather and the bad luck had broken and things were looking up.  I really enjoyed watching them dart across the water, swoop occasionally to scoop up a little water or insect, and twirl into the sky again.

8:05 Towboat #37 - Sarah Hunter

At 8:30, I got a signal on my cell phone so I called Sarah give her a status report that she could share with the church people today.

I was wearing my new Salvation Army rubber boots, but they seemed to keep pulling my pants down.  The inside lining seems to grab the pants leg and pull them down.  For the first time, I began looking for a belt, but couldn't find one.  Finally, I cut a length of rope and used that.  Then for several miles I sang to myself that old folk song that says, "I keep my pants up with a piece of twine."

My socks were mildewed from all the wet and cold, but I had them on the line to dry anyway.  My gloves were also wet and I had them drying too.  This boat really looked like a liveaboard with socks and gloves hanging on the lifelines with clothes pins.

At 9:45, I passed Carrolton and the mouth of the Kentucky River.  I had averaged 6 mph the past three hours!  I wondered if Carrollton had a church near the river and briefly entertained thoughts of stopping in for worship.  But, of course, it was not quite the right time and hey!  I wanted to make some miles today.  I would just have to worship on the river.

Carrollton, Kentucky

It reminded me of all those church members who say they worship on the golf course.  I always reply that I can certainly understand that because I have heard God's name mentioned quite often on the golf course, but usually after a bad shot.

As the morning developed so well, I could not help but think of the favorite saying of the board chairman at church, Terry Trimble.  When we have worked on a project like a boat trailer and things go right for a change, he always says, "Too easy!!"  Well, today was "Too Easy."

It was an incredibly quiet and peaceful morning on the river.  Not far past Carrollton, I tacked close to shore just as a man was making a turn on his riding lawnmower.  He looked over at me and continued mowing.

Just a couple of houses later, I spotted an old man on a balcony sitting in a wheelchair.  I wondered what he thought about this lone sailor slowly making his way down the river.  And I thought how lucky I was not to be in a wheelchair.  I am indeed fortunate to have the health to be able to do something like this.

One of my great fears is that I will wait so eagerly for retirement days when I will have the time for venturing only to fall into bad health and not be able to do the things I waited a lifetime to do.  People say, "Do it now.  Don't wait."  That sounds like great advice, but sometimes you just can't do it now.  Sailing anywhere at 5 mph just takes too long.  And somebody has to pay the bills.

Oh, it would be great to be independently wealthy or to have a job where I could take long vacations or extended time off.  But churches want pastors to be there.  When I discussed this trip with the elders of the church, one of their concerns was, "What if somebody dies?"  Pastors never go on a vacation that they don't realize they may be called back to do a funeral.

So I wait for retirement.  Ever since I was 30 I have been ready to retire.  I remember walking into the First Baptist Church of Clarendon, the first church I served as pastor, with my friend Jimmy Reynolds.  We announced to my 80 year old secretary, Mrs. Mills, that we were thinking about retirement.  She cut us down with two words, "On what?"  And that's the rub!

The 5 to 10 mph winds were so pleasant after the high winds of the previous days.  My gloves and socks began drying out.  Even my map was drying out.  With such manageable winds, I should have been using the jib sail, but I was in no mood to push my luck.  I settled for using the "iron genny" for a little extra speed.

10:35 Tug - Winchester / Brooks Barge = #38

At exactly 11 a.m., I looked at my watch and thought about the folks starting the worship service back home.  And I missed them.  The folks at First Christian Church of Pikeville have really been good to me and my family.  And I have developed a genuine love for them.  After being out of the ministry for a while, I find myself cherishing the affection and many little kindnesses the people show to me.  I have been amazed that they have accepted me and my unique style of ministry so well.  They have allowed me to be me, and that is a wonderful gift of grace.  I am proud to be their pastor.

So I worshipped alone on the river.  I started the service with "I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river.  I've got peace like a river in my soul."  Then I moved on to Shall We Gather at the River.

Shall we gather at the river
Where bright angel feet have trod
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

Yes, we will gather at the river
The beautiful, the beautiful river
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God

On the margin of the river
Washing up its silver spray
We will talk and worship ever
All the happy golden day

Yes, we will gather at the river
The beautiful, the beautiful river
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God

Soon we'll reach the shining river
Soon our pilgrimage will cease
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace

Yes, we will gather at the river
The beautiful, the beautiful river
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God

Then I sang one of my favorites, "I've Been Changed:"

Well, I've been to the river, and I've been baptized:
I've been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
I've been changed from the creature that once I was,
And Redeemed is now my name.

(Refrain) I've been changed, I've been new-born;
All my life has been rearranged.
What a difference it made When the Lord came and stayed in my heart!
Oh, yes, I've been changed.

Though my sins were as scarlet, they're white as snow.
I was bound but today I am free.
I was lost in the darkness but now am found.
I was blind but now I see.

Like the poor Hebrew children I wandered long
In a bare desert land to and fro:
But I crossed over Jordan to Canaan's land,
Where the milk and honey flow.

When at last in His presence I stand above.
He will wipe all the tears from my eyes:
And I'll thank Him for giving a wretch like me
Lasting hope beyond the skies.

The sermon for the day came from Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you."

In fact, it was a masterful intertwining of the Exodus story with the children of Israel crossing over Jordan and the child Mickey sailing down the Ohio.  I found great reassurance that though times of trouble and high wind may come, "they shall not overwhelm you."  I was almost overwhelmed the past three days, but then the winds calmed and the weather warmed and all was well.  It seemed that the sermon was aimed just at me.

I wondered if God was interested in this little sailing trip.  Was God excited for me that I was finally getting to take this journey? Or was he too busy with the big things of the universe to notice?  I had to believe that God takes joy in someone who enjoys His creation as much as He took joy in creating it.

The sermon flowed naturally into that majestic hymn:

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

And then I ended with the assuring words of "It is well:"
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrow like sea billows roll;
What ever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul;
It is well
It is well, it is well with my soul
with my soul;
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control.
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed his own blood for my soul.
My sin--O the bliss of this glorious thought!--
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
"Even so" it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul;
It is well
It is well, it is well with my soul
with my soul.

Of course, I couldn't remember but about a fourth of the words of any of those songs, but I hummed and made up verses for what I lacked.

11:15 Tug - Transporter = #39

My little worship service on the river seemed to dispel all the fears and discouragement of the previous three days.  The skies were mostly cloudy, but the wind was pleasant at 10 mph.  It was a great day for cruising, and I was filled with joy and enthusiasm for the trip.  I really do love cruising down the river.  In spite of all the hardships, I still love it.  I just love going somewhere on a boat.  I love rounding the bend and seeing what lies ahead.

When most people go sailing, they put the boat in at a ramp, sail back and forth a bit, and return to the place where they launched.  Something about that is very unsatisfying for me.  I like going someplace.  I love the adventure.  I love the journey.

At 1:30, it was finally warm enough to shuck some clothes.  I looked down the way and saw a jet ski fool going in circles.  Jet skis!  Now there is a symbol of what's wrong with the world.  Whizzing back and forth, around and around at 40 mph!  Making enough noise to disturb the deepest channel cat.  Burning gallons of gas.   Disturbing the tranquility.  Jet skis are the curse of the modern rivers and lakes.

As I approached Louisville, I saw lots of houses along the river.  At first, there were the "cheap seats" - the trailer houses on modest lots.  But the closer I got to Louisville, the more expensive and elaborate the homes.

A lot of home owners had been busy cleaning from the banks the logs and limbs that the recent high waters had dropped.  Some yards had high piles of wood ready for burning.  These homes along the river are high maintenance!

I finally, after seven days on the river, learned how to heave to with only the mainsail up.  I have done that a lot on my other sailboat, but always with the jib and the main.  In the small boat, you back the jib, loosen the main, and push the tiller all the way to leeward, and the boat will come to a near stop and gently hold her own.  Without the jib, I didn't know what to do.  But finally, I decided to loosen the main way out and turn the tiller to leeward, and I achieved the same thing.  I hate to admit it took me seven days  to figure that out.  But finally I was able to stop comfortably in mid-stream to refill the gas tank or to eat lunch.  It made a world of difference.

3:00 Louisville Power Plant Mile 572
That meant I had already traveled 44 miles today.

3:00 Towboat #40 - Bob Labdon /R & W Marine

3:25 Towboat #41 - Wally Roller

3:40 Towboat #42 - Jack J. Woffard

I decided to run the motor fast and try to make Louisville early enough to meet someone.  After seven days alone, I liked the idea of having a good dinner with company.  About 5:30, I got a signal on the cell phone so I called James Edward Brown, the son of one of our church members who lives in Louisville.  He was at our church while visiting his parents about a month ago when I was talking about my trip, and he invited me to call when I got to Louisville.

I first tried the number for his house, but there was no answer.  Luckily, his dad had given me his cell phone number.  When I dialed it, James answered.  I explained that I was sailing down the river and wanted to take him up on his offer to meet.  There was an awkward silence, then he said, "Well, actually I am in Detroit!"  I said, "Well, maybe next time."

Then I called Sarah and asked her to call her sister, Carol in Buffalo and see if they would be interested in making the hour drive into Louisville to meet me.  She had to look for their phone number, but called back a few minutes later to say that Carol and Ralph were not home, but she left a message for them to meet me at the Kingfish Restaurant as I had suggested.  I was really disappointed because I had my heart set on having company and a good meal.

6:10 Towboat - Mid-South Towing

Coming into Louisville, I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful homes, exquisite marinas and beautiful boats.  And there were a lot of boaters out on the river late on this Sunday afternoon.  After so many days of being alone on the river except for the towboats, I was glad to have some company.  I even spotted a couple of sailboats out for a Sunday afternoon sail.

The chart showed the Kingfish Restaurant right before the Louisville Waterworks Tower.  I remembered the Waterworks Tower from our trip up the river on the Belle of Louisville last summer on a children's outing from church.  But when I arrived, I saw nothing that looked like a restaurant.  I was disappointed at missing a good hot meal.

I called Sarah to tell her not to worry Carol and Ralph because I couldn't find the Kingfish Restaurant anyway.  She answered and said that Carol had gotten the message, called back and said they would come.  In fact, they should be arriving at the Kingfish just about now.

With that news, I turned around and went back to the place where the charts showed the restaurant to be.  I still didn't see it, but I docked the boat at some empty docks, walked up the hill and asked.   Sure enough, the restaurant was exactly where the chart said, but about 75 yards off the river.

I waited at the front of the restaurant for about 10 minutes before Carol and Ralph showed up.  I was sure happy to see them!  They were very familiar with the restaurant and eat there often.  We went in and had a wonderful seafood dinner.  Then they took me to a Meijer's store where I bought some DRY SOCKS!  I also bought some more gloves and a few more snack bars.

I decided that nobody would notice or care if I stayed tied up to the dock all night.  When we returned, it was beginning to sprinkle rain.  I battened down the hatches and turned in for the night after a very good day on the water.

The Kingfish Restaurant Docks

Mile 600 Louisville Kingfish Restaurant
Mile 529 Turtle Creek Harbor
          71 miles made good today

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