Onward to the Ohio

October 1, 2015

We did end up having some company in the Little Diversion Canal when 2 boats came in with running lights close to dark.  We didn’t chat much since they wanted to get in and anchored while there was some light left.  Other than that, we had a quiet night.  Our anchors held well.

Back of the canal.  The other 2 boats anchored behind us when they arrived.

                                 

We got up early this morning and took Sasha to the beach to run a bit and to potty.  Rob stayed with the dinghy while I walked her to the edge of the timber.  It was quite a distance, but she ran back and forth several times between Rob and I, as if she knew her play time was limited.

Sasha's beach on the far side of the Mississippi

                                 

Rob was able to pull up the 2^nd anchor with the dinghy, so we were underway by 7:10 a.m.  We radioed on Channel 13 before pulling out of the canal, and a nearby tow captain or other worker was kind enough to tell us the way was clear.

Little Diversion Canal entrance.  Right off of the channel so tows pass close.

Rob had called the Olmstead Lock -- MM 964.4, Ohio River – last night and was told that they hoped to have the backlog of traffic caught up since they had put the wickets down at Lock 53, which meant that river traffic could go over the wickets instead of having to lock through.  Because of this, we hoped to make it through both locks and to anchor somewhere between Lock 53 and 52, depending on how long it took.

Cruising down the rest of the Mississippi was pretty routine.  We did see some fishermen out jugging, so took a picture of the colorful floats.

Jugging on the Mississippi

                                           

Before we knew it, we were at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and ready to make the turn to head up the Ohio.  The amount of tow and barge traffic and moorings along the river can be quite daunting since you see it as soon as you make the turn.  Despite being told that the backlog of tows going upriver had eased somewhat, it still seemed to us that there were fewer tows underway but more with their barge loads pushed up on the banks than we had seen when we had come downriver to St Charles.

Tows and barges on the Ohio

                                          

Wrong turn?  Pushed up too far?

                                          

We called ahead to Olmstead Lock and were told to call back for instructions on Channel 13 when we got MM 968.  The trip to the Lock was uneventful except that the wind had picked up and made the ride a bit choppy at times.  When we called for instructions as directed, we were told to follow tow Daniel W Wise until we got across the wickets at Lock 53.  No wait at all!   Since the Olmstead Lock is under construction, there is a relatively narrow navigational channel that is still open for vessels to pass through.  I’m not sure there is room for more than one tow at a time, which explains why there are still so many tows with their barges pushed up on the banks.

Construction chaos.  We were told to follow the tow blowing blue smoke (?)

                                          

The Olmstead lockmaster was very nice and professional, and even gave us additional guidance to help us get through the wickets of Lock 53.  At Lock 53, the lock chambers are on one side of the wickets and the dam is on the other.  This means that when the wickets are down, water is funneled along the dam -- in addition to going through and/or over it – which creates a pressure hose effect across the wickets, making for strong, unpredictable currents.  We were advised to go through at speed and had no trouble at all.

Since we made good time through the 2 locks, we decided to go on to Metropolis, IL, since Skipper Bob’s guide for this area indicated that a good anchorage might be found here.  Once again there were a number of tows with barges pushed up on the banks, as well as moored barges, so we had to pick our anchorage carefully.  We didn’t want to be immediately downstream from either tows or barges on the banks since there is always a possibility they could accidentally break free – yikes!  We settled for a spot just downstream of the I-24 bridge where the channel swung to one side, leaving a wide area outside the channel with plenty of water.  There is a little rocking from the wakes of passing tows, but we are far enough off of the channel that it’s not too bad.

Unfortunately, the current is fairly swift, so we didn’t want to risk putting the dinghy in to take Sasha to shore.  So far she hasn’t complained much, but when she does, I hope she won’t need too much encouragement to do her “business” on the mat on the deck.