LITTLE DIVERSION Anchor to LOCK 52 Anchor / Thursday, September 8 (Day 231)

Admiral's Log:     6:15 am, 9/8/16
                         Air Temp:   75     Water Temp:   80
                        Winds:   5 mph
                       Speed:   15 mph

We cruised exactly 110 miles Wednesday and had another long day this day. Not necessarily in miles but in time. The 10 boats left early hoping to make it to the Olmsted Lock and Dam without too much of a wait. 

Ocean Commotion ahead of us at Sunrise.

We were all pretty much ready to get off the Mississippi. Yes, it is iconic, but the barge traffic and the locks make for a tiresome day. We saw one tug with 40 barges!  It was 8 wide and 5 long. We even had to go between two tugs going in opposite directions, at the same time, Mike had to increase speed so we could make it around a curve. When tows take a curve they take up a lot of room and it can be pretty hairy.

Twisty Mississippi

Just one of the many barges we met on the Mississippi.

Once we got off the Mississippi into the Ohio, the channel markers switch from green on the right to red on the right. Red, Right, Return that's how you remember the change; meaning you are returning from the big water, going inland. 

The confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio is a huge staging area. There were a ton of barges anchored or waiting on banks to be loaded or towed. But, the water was looking a little greener versus ugly brown. 

Confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers.  Ohio is on the right.

We arrived at the Olmsted Lock around 11:00 and were finally "escorted" at 11:45. This lock is a new lock replacing locks 52 and 53. Construction began in 1995 and is due to be completed in 2020! It will have a a 62 foot level change. Right now, boaters have to be escorted through the lock, so as not to get in the way of construction crews. We were not raised or lower. It took about 30 minutes to be escorted because we were behind a tow and they do not move fast at all. Supposedly this new lock, which will have 2 chambers, will reduce locking times from 5 hours to 1 hour. 

Rowe Boat following a tug through the Dam construction zone.

Once we got past lock 53, which is pretty much torn down, we headed to the dreaded lock 52. We had heard horror stories about the long waits due to barge traffic. We got to Lock 52 around 2:45 and the Lock master said it would be several hours before our turn. So the 10 of us dropped anchor. We kept up with the Lock Master on channel 13. One thing that did not make sense to us; they would lock 5 or six tows one way, instead of alternating north and south bound.  So they had to either let water in each time, rather than rotate the barges. We have talked to many other Loopers and we are all still perplexed at this arrangement. Our government at work I guess.

Mike having a beer while we wait, other Loopers in the background with anchors down.

At 6:00 we started noticing the sky getting pretty dark. The winds picked way up and it started to pour. That's when the Lock Master calls us to come in! We were like, hey don't you see this storm out here?! Four of us decided to chance it and went on in the lock. We asked if we could just float rather than tie up, thankfully he agreed. After we got in the lock, the storm seemed to disappear as fast as it appeared. Then, after we get in the chamber, the Lock Master tells us the Head Lock Master was not there yet and we had to wait! What?!  Then, he adds they are re-opening the doors to let a safety tug in with us. This had to be the slowest filling lock in history! We were only raised 6 feet and it took nearly 30 minutes! They can't build that Olmsted lock fast enough! 

Ten of us (we are lead boat) hauling butts to Lock 52.

Four of us and a Tug, we have our anchor lights on because it's nearly dark.

 We had planned on anchoring at the Cumberland Tow head, which was at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland River. But it was pretty dark when we finally finished locking, so we anchored near shore about a mile up river. The other 6 boats had to wait until morning to be locked through. They were told they would be first in line. Yeah, right. They ended up getting in the chamber at 9 am. We were all frustrated, but knew this was to be expected and chalked it up to part of the journey. Some are not as good as others. But as they say; "a bad day on the water, is better than a good day at work." Right?

We dropped anchor at 7:45, watched a little football, ate leftovers and crashed pretty early, it had been a stressful day to say the least.