Peoria to Havana

We got away from the dock around eight or a little later. We had to get to the lock fairly soon. The lock master said get here ASAP and we will see what we can do for you. We could see that a barge was being locked down and we were told we were next so we thought it would be a good idea if we tied up to a barge that was parked close by. First it was Selah, then us, then some strangers and then some more strangers. Then along came one of the shuttle barges and told us to untie. They said since 9\11 they had strict laws against tying up to these barges. The man took me aside and apologized. He said he knew that no sailboaters would ever cause any problems but that trawlers...well you just can never tell.

Jim didn't tie his boat to the ropes this time and the whole day was pretty uneventfull. We sailed down to Havanna where Steve and Linda served a meal fit for a king. Linda Murray didn't fall at all today. Cheryl spent a lot of time fighting with Verizon since they cut her phone off. They may cut off the Phone stick also so there may be no more Blogs for a while til we get this straightened out. Thanks to the Lorties for the notes on the charts! We were able to anchor in a spot they had indicated just North of Havanna since the Marina there was down to about three and a half feet at the entrance. Another friend called and reported to us that the Mississippi was up thirteen feet running at six knots with tons of garbage and trees floating down. We are hoping that this will subside in a couple of days since we will be there in about a week and we don't want to have to wait too long till it is safer. The clock is ticking and I keep humming "Water turns cold and gets to freezin, before you even know it the old girls easin away from her birth, around the point and out of our view. That and "When it's Springtime in Alaska its forty below. Buenos Nochas!