Paducah Transient Boat Dock in Paducah, Kentucky to Green Turtle Bay Resort in Grand Rivers, KY
We have been Looping for Three Months:
Miles Traveled: 1225.7 miles
Ports of Call: (Harrisville, Presque Isle, Rogers City, Mackinaw City, Harbor Springs, Leland, Frankfort, Ludington, Sheboygan, Port Washington, Racine, Chicago, Joliet, Ottawa, Peoria Heights, Havana, Florence, Grafton, Alton, Kimmswick, Cape Girardeau, Cairo and Paducah)
Location for the Nights: Marinas: 89 Anchorages: 3
Miles Walked in September: 31 miles (total for the trip 260.7 miles)
Games of Cribbage Total: 50 (Mike wins: 25 ( 3 skunk) Patty: 25 (7 skunks)
Books Read: Mike: 7 Patty: 6
Day #93: Happy Birthday to my sister Krista. We were up at 5:45 A.M. in Paducah. It was clear, warm and humid. There was a mayfly hatch when we got up all of the boats were black. Mike called the Kentucky lockmaster as we had heard that the Kentucky Lock was closed. The lockmaster told Mike that the Kentucky Lock was open but extremely busy so we as Loopers really needed to take the Cumberland River to the Barkley lock. We had heard that the Kentucky lock is not really fans of loopers and that we might wait at the lock and than be told that we couldn't lock through. Mike said the conversation with the Kentucky lockmaster was a hoot. We started the engines at 6:50 A.M. Due to the terrible current from the jetty at the dock both "Parrot Bay" and "Baytripper" had difficulties getting off the dock. We were going 6.3 miles per hour upstream on the Ohio River when we left Paducah. At 9:00 A.M. we were at the confluence of the Ohio River and Cumberland River. There was definitely a contrast of brown muddy water of the Ohio and blue water from the Cumberland. We had a total of 8 boats that we traveled together today "Parrot Bay", "Baytripper", "Tanuki", "Oar Knot", "Rejoice", "Knot Kidding" "Gette AP" and "Knot Grounded II". At 9:30 A.M. no more brown water we were traveling at 7.5 miles per hour (1.5 mph current against us). At 10:50 A.M. the hot exhaust alarm on the starboard engine sounded, the infrared readings and water flow were fine. At 12:00 P.M. Mike used the autohelm for the first time since we traveled from Racine to Chicago. Mike phoned the Barkley lockmaster at 12:45 P.M. he was told that we needed to keep coming but that the tow "White Wing" would be locking through first. We were at the lock at 1:05 P.M. "treading water" with 6 other boats waiting for the lockmaster and "Tanuki" who had gotten behind the group. at 2:00 P.M. we were given the green light to enter the lock. At 2:30 P.M. we were clear of the Barkley lock after being raised 57 feet (Lock #12) . It was chaotic with all 8 boats trying to get into Green Turtle Bay even though I had called and gave the marina a heads up that we were coming. Mike described it "like water bugs fighting to be in first." We were secured at Green Turtle Bay in Grand River Kentucky at 3:00 P.M. We traveled 45.3 miles (1271 miles total for the trip). At 4:30 P.M. we had happy hour with Bruce and Bev in the air conditioning on "Baytripper" as it was 92 degrees. At 6:00 P.M. we were picked up in a golf cart and taken to the Thirsty Turtle, a restaurant on the ground of Green Turtle Bay. We had dinner followed by trivia night. We all had a great time. We were picked up in the golf cart and returned to our boats. Mike keeps saying that we are in the land of OZ as it is so different here than what we have all experienced the last few weeks on the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
