Muddy River (seems to be getting cleaner)

Our troop has temporarily grown to seven. It consists of one flashy sailboat, five trawlers and one wild man in a sport fishing boat who really rattled us in the lock yesterday. He came screaming in forcing all the other boats to bounce and almost bang into each other. We all dropped him from our Christmas card list!

A barge got into trouble and had to be disassembled in the lock ahead so we had to wait for a while before starting out. We were a little late getting unhooked when another barge coming downstream got ahead of us and we had to pass him. We had to follow him for a ways. They warn us not to follow too closely because the tugs churn up a lot of trash off of the river floor. It becomes more difficult when you have to stick to him to get under the bridges before they close and try to get around and pass him. I took up the rear guard and we three tardy souls passed him on his port side. Shortly thereafter we came around a corner with another tug pushing a bunch of barges. The other boats passed him on starboard and I thought that was a good idea until he came towards me faster than I had anticipated and the space between him and me and a parked barge began getting narrower and narrower. He called to tell me that I should have taken his starboard side to pass on because there was more room there but now that I had committed to my move I should hold my course. I'll bet he is still sweating just thinking about the damage my 12,000 pound fiberglass sailboat might have done to his mega ton barge! Let that be a lesson to him! Maybe next time he will plan things just a little better.

The wind still seems to find us, even on the river. We forged forward in at least thirty knot winds, mostly right on the nose. for about seven hours and "Yesterdays Dream" who was lead boat in our group (now back down to three) arranged accommodations in a surprisingly modern facility right on the river. I don't think that they have much of a future since they don't have a single sailboat here....unless you count the flashy one tied up at the gas dock with a Whisker pole for a mast. I think the owner was holding back a salute when he caught my lines...sort of like those people on "Cracker Bay" who wanted me to come aboard but were too shy to approach me. But enough about me! We cooked steaks on a picnic table, drank some wine told some stories (sometimes I think Cheryl talks a bit too much) and we tucked in. Man it is getting dark here before eight o'clock and it is still about eighty five degrees. That is supposed to whip back to seventy for tomorrows high. Cheryl is getting her long red underware out. nite nite

Oh by the way we have gone through four locks totaling 3', 40', 35' and 20' give or take. I think my ears just popped!